Luke 8:52

8:52 The house was filled with people weeping and wailing: See study note on 7:12. • she’s only asleep: Jesus emphasized the temporary nature of the girl’s state. For believers, death is only temporary “sleep” (cp. John 11:11; the same term is translated as “dead/died” in Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thes 4:14-15; 5:10).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The following scene, Luk 8:52-53, took place at the entrance of the sick chamber. The πάντες, all, are the servants, neighbours, relations, and professional mourners (αὐληταί, Matthew) assembled in the vestibule, who also wanted to make their way into the chamber. Olshausen, Neander, and others infer from Jesus’ words, that the child was simply in a lethargy; but this explanation is incompatible with the expression εἰδότες, knowing well, Luk 8:53. If this had been the idea of the writer, he would have employed the word δοκοῦντες, believing that...On the rest of the verse, see Luk 7:14. By the words, “She is not dead, but sleepeth,” Jesus means that, in the order of things over which He presides, death is death no longer, but assumes the character of a temporary slumber (Joh 11:11, explained by Luk 8:14). Baur maintains that Luke means, Luk 8:53, that the apostles also joined in the laugh against Jesus, and that it is with this in view that the evangelist has chosen the general term all (Luk 8:52; Evang. p. 458). In this case it would be necessary to include amongst the πάντες the father and mother!!

The words, having put them all out, in the T. R., are a gloss derived from Mark and Matthew. It has arisen in this way: Mark expressly mentions two separate dismissals, one of the crowd and nine apostles at the entrance of the house, and another of the people belonging to the house not admitted into the chamber of the dead (Luk 8:40). As in Luke the word enter (Luk 8:51) had been wrongly referred to the first of these acts, it was thought necessary to mention here the second, at first in the margin, and afterwards in the text, in accordance with the parallel passages.

The command to give the child something to eat (Luk 8:55) is related by Luke alone. It shows the perfect calmness of the Lord when performing the most wonderful work. He acts like a physician who has just felt the pulse of his patient, and gives instructions respecting his diet for the day.

Mark, who is fond of local colouring, has preserved the Aramaean form of the words of Jesus, also the graphic detail, immediately the child began to walk about. In these features of the narrative we recognise the account of an eye-witness, in whose ear the voice of Jesus still sounds, and who still sees the child that had been brought to life again moving about. Matthew omits all details. The fact itself simply is all that has any bearing on the Messianic demonstration, which is his object. Thus each follows his own path while presenting the common substratum of fact as tradition had preserved it. On the prohibition of Jesus, Luk 8:56, see on Luk 5:14 and Luk 8:39.

According to Volkmar, the woman with an issue would be only the personification of the believing Jews, in whom their rabbis (the physicians of Luk 8:43) had been unable to effect a moral cure, but whom Jesus will save after having healed the heathen (the return from Gadara); and the daughter of Jairus represents the dead Judaism of the synagogue, which the gospel alone can restore to life. Keim acknowledges the insufficiency of symbolism to explain such narratives. He admits the cure of the woman as a fact, but maintains that she herself, by her faith, was the sole contributor towards it. In the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, he sees either a myth, modelled after the type of the resurrection of the Shunammite widow’s son by Elisha (a return to Strauss), or a natural awaking from a lethargy (a return to Paulus). But is not the local colouring quite as decided in this narrative as in that of the possessed of Gadara, of which Keim on this ground maintains the historical truth? And as to an awakening from a lethargy, what has he to reply to Zeller? (See p. 342, note.)

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The word signifieth to beat and strike, and is transferred to the mournings and lamentations, that are at burials, at which times men use such kind of behavior.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(52) All wept, and bewailed her.—Better, all were weeping and bewailing her.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

52. bewailed her] The word means that they were beating their breasts for her (Nah_2:7). St Mark gives a graphic picture of the tumult, and loud cries, and wailings (alalai, the Egyptian wilweleh). Even the poorest were obliged to provide for a funeral two flute- players and one wailing woman. See Ecc_12:5; Jer_9:17; Amo_5:16; 2Ch_35:25. These public mourners were called sappedans.

52. she. is not dead, but sleepeth] To take this literally is to contradict the letter and spirit of the whole narrative. It is true that in “our friend Lazarus sleepeth” the verb used is not katheudein but koimasthai; but that is in a different writer (Joh_11:11), and the word better suits one who had been four days dead. Our Lord’s object was to silence this idle uproar.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they laughed him to scorn,.... The servants, neighbours, and relations, the pipers, and mourning women: these, from weeping for the dead, fell to laughing at Christ, having him and his words in the utmost derision:

knowing that she was dead: some of them having been employed in laying her out, and all of them having seen her, and were satisfied, and thoroughly assured, that she was actually dead, as ever any person was, as she doubtless was; but they were ignorant in what sense Christ meant she was not dead, but asleep; See Gill on Mat 9:24. See Gill on Mar 5:39.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

52. Not dead, but sleepeth—It was hardly to be expected that such a commentator as Olshausen would quote this language in proof that this maiden was only in a state of suspended animation. What is more common in all languages and habits of human thought than the likening of death to sleep? If our Lord was really in this language endeavouring to state the literal fact, we have no doubt he would have had better success, and would have said outright, she is not dead, but is in a swoon, epilepsy, or a trance. Literally and physically an epilepsy is no more sleep than it is death. The disciples could have understood him no otherwise than saying, To you this is indeed death without hope of resurrection; but with me, in power and in purpose, it is but a sleep, from which she is now to be awakened.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

52. ἐκόπτοντο αὐτήν. ‘Beat their breasts on account of her.’ Comp. Luk 23:27 and Nah 2:7. St Mark gives a graphic picture of the tumult, and loud cries, and wailings (alalai, the Egyptian wilweleh). Even the poorest were obliged to provide for a funeral two flute-players and one wailing woman. See Ecc 12:5; Jer 9:17; Amo 5:16; 2Ch 35:25. These public mourners were called sappedans.

οὐκ ἀπέθανεν ἀλλὰ καθεύδει. To take this literally is to contradict the letter and spirit of the whole narrative. It is true that in “our friend Lazarus sleepeth” the verb used is not καθεύδειν but κοιμᾶσθαι; but that is in a different writer (Joh 11:11), and the word better suits one who had been four days dead. Our Lord’s object was to silence this idle uproar.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

52. ἔκλαιον δὲ πάντες καὶ ἐκόπτοντο αὐτήν. The mourners (2Ch 35:25; Jer 9:17) were not in the room with the corpse: Mt. and Mk. tell us that Christ turned them out of the house. The πάντες is again peculiar to Lk.’s account: comp.vv. 40, 45, 47. The acc. after κόπτομαι is class. (Eur. Tro. 623; Aristoph. Lys. 396): “they beat their breasts for her, bewailed her.” Comp. 23:27; Gen 23:2; 1Sa 25:1.

οὐ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν ἀλλὰ καθεύδει. This declaration is in all three narratives. Neander, Olshausen, Keim, and others understand it literally; and possibly Origen is to be understood as taking the same view. A miracle of power is thus turned into a miracle of knowledge. But the εἰδότες in ver. 53 is conclusive as to the Evangelist’s meaning: not “supposing,” but “knowing that she was dead.” The καθεύδει is rather to be understood in the same sense as Λάζαρος κεκοίμηται (Joh 11:11). But the cases are not parallel, for there Jesus prevents all possibility of misunderstanding by adding Λάζαρος ἀπέθανεν. Yet the fact that Jesus has power to awaken explains in both cases why He speaks of sleep. We may, however, be content, with Hase, to admit that certainty is unattainable as to whether the maiden was dead or in a trance.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wept and bewailed. Both imperfects, were weeping and bewailing.

So, rightly, Rev. Compare on bewailing, Mr 5:38.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.