John 11:54

Jesus may have learned of the Sanhedrin’s decision from a sympathetic member such as Nicodemus. He withdrew to a private place and no longer ministered publicly. The town of Ephraim may have been Old Testament Ephron about four miles northeast of Bethel and twelve miles from Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 13:19). However, this location would not have removed Him very far from Jerusalem. The only two wildernesses mentioned in the Gospels are the wilderness of Judea, south and east of Jerusalem, and the wilderness north of Perea, where John baptized. The second of these two sites seems to be the more probably place of Jesus’ retreat. [Note: See Edersheim, 2:127.]