Mark 5:21-43
New English Translation
Restoration and Healing
21 When Jesus had crossed again in a boat[a] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea. 22 Then[b] one of the synagogue leaders,[c] named Jairus,[d] came up, and when he saw Jesus,[e] he fell at his feet. 23 He asked him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.” 24 Jesus[f] went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around him.
25 Now[g] a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage[h] for twelve years.[i] 26 She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,[j] 28 for she kept saying,[k] “If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.”[l] 29 At once the bleeding stopped,[m] and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you and you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But[n] he looked around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.[o] Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s[p] house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” 36 But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James,[q] and John, the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the synagogue leader where[r] he saw noisy confusion and people weeping and wailing loudly.[s] 39 When he entered he said to them, “Why are you distressed and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep!” 40 And they began making fun of him.[t] But he forced them all outside,[u] and he took the child’s father and mother and his own companions[v] and went into the room where the child was.[w] 41 Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” 42 The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this.[x] 43 He strictly ordered that no one should know about this,[y] and told them to give her something to eat.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 5:21 sn See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
- Mark 5:22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Mark 5:22 tn That is, “an official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (archisunagōgos) refers to the “president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93; cf. Luke 8:41). sn The synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership. See also the note on synagogue in 1:21.
- Mark 5:22 tc Codex Bezae (D) and some Itala mss omit the words “named Jairus.” The evidence for the inclusion of the phrase is extremely strong, however. The witnesses in behalf of ὀνόματι ᾿Ιάϊρος (onomati Iairos) include P45 א A B C L M lat sy co. The best explanation is that the phrase was accidentally dropped during the transmission of one strand of the Western text.
- Mark 5:22 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 5:24 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Mark 5:25 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Mark 5:25 tn Grk “a flow of blood.”sn This probably refers to a chronic vaginal or uterine hemorrhage which rendered the woman ritually unclean, thus limiting her social contacts and religious participation (see further J. Marcus, Mark 1–8 [AYB], 357).
- Mark 5:25 sn This story of the woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years is recounted in the middle of the story about Jairus’ daughter. Mark’s account (as is often the case) is longer and more detailed than the parallel accounts in Matt 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56. Mark’s fuller account may be intended to show that the healing of the woman was an anticipation of the healing of the little girl.
- Mark 5:27 tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (himation) denotes the outer garment in particular.
- Mark 5:28 tn The imperfect verb is here taken iteratively, for the context suggests that the woman was trying to muster up the courage to touch Jesus’ cloak.
- Mark 5:28 tn Grk “saved.”sn In this pericope the author uses a term for being healed (Grk “saved”) that would have spiritual significance to his readers. It may be a double entendre (cf. parallel in Matt 9:21 which uses the same term), since elsewhere he uses verbs that simply mean “heal”: If only the reader would “touch” Jesus, he too would be “saved.”
- Mark 5:29 tn Grk “the flow of her blood dried up.”sn The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal or uterine hemorrhage, in which case her bleeding would make her ritually unclean.
- Mark 5:32 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Mark 5:34 tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing.
- Mark 5:35 sn See the note on synagogue leaders in 5:22.
- Mark 5:37 tn Grk “and James,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
- Mark 5:38 tn Grk “and,” though such paratactic structure is rather awkward in English.
- Mark 5:38 sn This group probably includes outside or even professional mourners, not just family, because a large group seems to be present.
- Mark 5:40 tn Grk “They were laughing at him.” The imperfect verb has been taken ingressively.
- Mark 5:40 tn Or “threw them all outside.” The verb used, ἐκβάλλω (ekballō), almost always has the connotation of force in Mark. The typical “put them all outside” is somewhat understated in the context; given the raucous nature of the crowd in v. 38, forceful activity was probably required in order to evict them.
- Mark 5:40 tn Grk “those with him.”
- Mark 5:40 tn Grk “into where the child was.”
- Mark 5:42 tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euthus, often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.
- Mark 5:43 sn That no one should know about this. See the note on the phrase who he was in 3:12.
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