Luke 8:52
in Luke 8Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; for she is not dead, but sleepeth.
KJV
And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
⋯
This verse in Luke 8
Commentary
15 notes on this verseWhat shall I say about the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, at whose death the people were mourning and the flute players were playing their music? In the belief that she was indeed dead, solemn funeral services were being performed. The spirit returned immediately at the voice of the Lord, she arose with revived body, and she partook of food to furnish proof that she was alive.
This site's exposition
he suffered no man to go in
on Luke 8:51-56
When he came into the house he suffered no man to go in, save Peter and James and John and the parents, a private circle Luke will keep also for the transfiguration. All wept and bewailed her, but he said, Weep not, she is not dead, but sleepeth, and the mourners who know her dead laugh him to scorn, an unwitting witness against any later claim that she had merely fainted. He put them all out, took her by the hand and called, Maid, arise, and her spirit came again and she arose straightway, and he commanded to give her meat, the same practical tenderness that once named a widow's need at Nain. Her parents were astonished, and he charged them to tell no man, the silence fitting here as it was not at Gadara, since a raised child in Jewish Galilee is a claim that would travel far faster than his hour requires.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
A commentator
Ephrem the SyrianCOMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 7.27A · Written before 373.
proposed
When the woman was healed, our Lord said, "Who touched me?" so that she could profess her healing before everyone. Also in the case of the little girl, he said, "She is sleeping" so that the spectators might testify that she was dead, and then …
Coming to the house of his supplicant, he quiets their funeral songs, silences the musicians, and stops the tears of the weepers, saying, "The girl is not dead but rather sleeps." "And they," it says, "laughed at him." I ask you to observe here the great skill of the management. Although he well knew that the girl was dead, he said, "She is not dead but rather sleeps." What is his reason? By their laughing at him, they might give a clear and manifest acknowledgment that the daughter was dead. There would probably be some of that group who always resist his glory who would reject the divine miracle and say that the damsel was not yet dead. Delivering from sickness was nothing very extraordinary for Christ. To have the acknowledgment of many that the girl was dead, he said that she was rather sleeping. Let no one affirm that Christ spoke falsely. To him, as being life by nature, there is nothing dead. Having a firm hope of the resurrection of the dead, we call the dead "those that sleep" for this reason. They will arise in Christ, and as the blessed Paul says, "They live to him," because they are about to live.
(ubi sup.) But He took not with Him His other disciples, so provoking them to a strange desire, because also they were not yet fully prepared, but He took Peter, and with him the sons of Zebedee, that the others also might imitate them. He took also the parents as witnesses, lest any should say the evidence of the resurrection was false. Luke adds to this also, that He shut out from the house those that were weeping, and showed that they were unworthy of a sight of this kind. For it follows, And they all wept, and bewailed her. But if He then shut them out, much more now. For then it had not yet been revealed that death was turned into sleep. Let no one then hereafter despise himself, bringing an insult to the victory of Christ, whereby He has overcome death, and turned it into sleep. In proof of which it is added, But he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth, &c. showing that all things were at His command, and that He would bring her to life as if He were awakening her from sleep.
Therefore having entered into the house, He called a few to be judges of the coming resurrection: for the resurrection was not soon believed by the many. What then was the cause of this great difference? In a former case the widow's son is raised up before all, here a few only are set apart to judge. But I think that herein the mercy of the Lord is shown, since the widowed mother of an only son suffered no delay. There is also the token of wisdom, that in the widow's son we should see the Church quick in believing; in the ruler of the synagogue's daughter, the Jews about indeed to believe, but out of a great many only a few. Lastly, when our Lord says, She is not dead, but sleepeth, they laughed Him to scorn. For whoever believes not, laughs. Let them therefore mourn their dead who think they are dead. Where there is a belief of the resurrection, the notion is not of death but of rest.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, as regards the suitable persons testifying concerning natural death, it is added: And they all wept and mourned for her, as though she were dead, according to the counsel of Ecclesiasticus thirty-eight: "My son, shed tears over the dead, and as one suffering grievously …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
They all wept and mourned for her. "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?" he asked. "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast." Therefore, the synagogue, because it …
But he said: Do not weep. She is not dead, but sleeps. Dead to men, who could not raise her, she was sleeping to God, in whose power her soul was received and lived, and her body, to be resurrected, rested. Hence, the Christian custom …
The Synagogue also, because it has lost the joy of the Bridegroom, whereby alone it can live. lying dead as it were among those that mourn, understands not even the reason why it weeps.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Not only her relations and friends, and the servants of the house, but the mourning women, that were hired on this occasion, and employed for this purpose: but he said, weep not; neither in show, as the mourning women did, nor in reality, as the friends of the deceased: she is not dead, but sleepeth; See Gill on Mat 9:24. See Gill on Mar 5:39.
She is not dead but sleepeth - Her soul is not separated finally from the body; and this short separation is rather to be called sleep than death.
What Christ made the constant business of his life --it was preaching; in that work he was indefatigable, and went about doing good (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
The verses we have now read, contain one of the three great instances which the Holy Spirit has thought fit to record of our Lord restoring a dead person to life. The other two instances are those of Lazarus and the widow's son at Nain. There seems no reason to doubt that our Lord raised others beside these three. But these three cases are especially described as patterns of His almighty power. One was a young girl — who had just breathed her last. One was a young man — who was being carried to his burial.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
The verses we have now read, contain one of the three great instances which the Holy Spirit has thought fit to record of our Lord restoring a dead person to life. The other two instances are those of Lazarus and the widow's son at Nain. There seems no reason to doubt that our Lord raised others beside these three. But these three cases are especially described as patterns of His almighty power. One was a young girl — who had just breathed her last. One was a young man — who was being carried to his burial. One was a man — who had already laid four days in the grave. In all three cases alike, we see life at once restored at Christ's command. Let us notice, in the verses before us — how universal is the dominion which death holds over mankind. We see death coming to a rich man's house, and tearing from him the desire of his eyes with a stroke! Such tidings as these, are the bitterest cups which we have to drink in this world. Nothing cuts so deeply into man's heart — as to part with beloved ones, and lay them in the grave. Few griefs are so crushing and heavy — as the grief of a parent over the death of an only child. Death is indeed a cruel enemy! He makes no distinction in his attacks. He comes to the rich man's mansion — as well as to the poor man's cottage. He does not spare the young, the strong, and the beautiful — any more than the old, the infirm, and the grey-haired. Not all the gold of Australia, nor all the skill of doctors — can keep the hand of death from our bodies, in the day of his power. When the appointed hour comes, and God permits him to smite — then our worldly schemes must be broken off, and our darlings must be taken away and buried out of our sight. These thoughts are melancholy, and few like to hear of them. The subject of death is one that men shut their eyes at, and refuse to look at.
The words behind it
16 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἔκλαιον | eklaion | They were weeping | G2799 → | 39 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| πάντες | pantes | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐκόπτοντο | ekoptonto | they were mourning for | G2875 → | |
| αὐτήν. | auten | her. | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | But | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| εἶπεν· | eipen | He said; | G2036 → | 925 times |
| μὴ | me | Not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| κλαίετε· | klaiete | do weep; | G2799 → | 39 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἀπέθανεν | apethanen | she is dead | G599 → | 110 times |
| ἀλλὰ | alla | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| καθεύδει. | katheudei | sleeps. | G2518 → |
ἔκλαιονThey were weeping
eklaionG2799 →39 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
πάντεςall
pantesG3956 →1235 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐκόπτοντοthey were mourning for
ekoptontoG2875 →
αὐτήν.her.
autenG846 →5565 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
δὲBut
deG1161 →2765 times
εἶπεν·He said;
eipenG2036 →925 times
μὴNot
meG3361 →1066 times
κλαίετε·do weep;
klaieteG2799 →39 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ἀπέθανενshe is dead
apethanenG599 →110 times
ἀλλὰbut
allaG235 →635 times
καθεύδει.sleeps.
katheudeiG2518 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Zechariah 12:10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They…
it leads to
- Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Ezekiel 39:29
And I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”
- John 19:34–37
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
- Joel 2:28–29
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
- Revelation 1:7
Through
John 11:4When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
it leads to
- John 11:40
Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
- John 9:3
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.
- 1 Peter 4:14
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
- John 5:23
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
- John 11:40
Where this verse is studied
About Luke
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, On the Death of Satyrus 2.82; Ambrose of Milan, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 8; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 46; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 7.27A; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.