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Matthew 9:23
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When Jesus came to the leader’s house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.
And when Iesus came into the rulers house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,
When Jesus came into the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
Jesus continued along with the leader and went into his house. There he saw the funeral musicians and many people crying.
When Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players [who were professional, hired mourners] and the [grieving] crowd making an uproar,
Nowe when Iesus came into the Rulers house, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making noise,
When Jesus came into the official's house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
And when Jesus came into the official's house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
When Jesus entered the ruler's house, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
When Jesus went into the home of the official and saw the musicians and the crowd of mourners,
When Yeshua arrived at the official's house and saw the flute-players, and the crowd in an uproar,
And when Jesus was come to the house of the ruler, and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a tumult,
Jesus continued going with the Jewish leader and went into the leader's house. He saw people there who make music for funerals. And he saw a crowd of people crying loudly.
So Jesus arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, and saw the singers and the excited crowds.
Then Jesus went into the official's house. When he saw the musicians for the funeral and the people all stirred up,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd,
And Jesus coming into the house of the ruler, and seeing the flute-players and the crowd causing a tumult,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the players with their instruments and the people making a noise,
When Yeshua came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder,
When Jesus came to the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,2 Chronicles 35:25; Mark 5:38; Luke 8:51;">[xr]
And Jeshu came to the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the crowds which were making a tumult.
And Jesus came to the house of the ruler: and he saw there pipers, and multitudes making outcry.
And, when Iesus came into the rulers house, and sawe the minstrels, and the people, makyng a noyse,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult,
When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder,
And Jesus coming into the ruler's house, and seeing the minstrels and the croud who cried out aloud,
Entering the Ruler's house, Jesus saw the flute-players and the crowd loudly wailing,
And whanne Jhesus cam in to the hous of the prince, and say mynstrallis, and the puple makynge noise,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult,
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd,
When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing,
Jesus came into the leader's house. He saw the people playing music and making much noise.
When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,
And, Jesus, coming, into the house of the ruler, and seeing the flute-players and the multitude in confusion, was saying:
And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout,
And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult,
And when Iesus came into ye rulers housse and sawe the minstrels and the people raginge
And Jesus having come to the house of the ruler, and having seen the minstrels and the multitude making tumult,
And when Iesus came into the rulers house, and sawe the minstrels and the people raginge,
When Jesus came to the ruler's house, he found a set of flute-players and a crowd of people making a lamentable cry,
By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: "Clear out! This girl isn't dead. She's sleeping." They told him he didn't know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region.
When Jesus entered the house of the guy whose daughter had died, he saw people cryin' and playin' sad songs on instruments.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
into: Matthew 9:18, Matthew 9:19, Mark 5:35-38, Luke 8:49-51
the minstrels: Matthew 11:17, 2 Chronicles 35:25, Jeremiah 9:17-20, Mark 5:38-40, Luke 7:32, Acts 9:39
Reciprocal: Ezra 2:65 - two hundred
Cross-References
"Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
"Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord .
Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers.
Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.
Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses.
Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And when Jesus came into the ruler's house,.... Both Mark and Luke relate, how that before this, whilst they were in the way, and just as Christ had done speaking to the poor woman, that news was brought to the ruler, that his daughter was actually dead, and therefore need not give Jesus any further trouble; when Christ encouraged him not to be cast down at the tidings, but believe, and she should be restored again; and that he suffered none to follow him, but Peter, James, and John: and
saw the minstrels, or "pipers"; how many there were, is not known: it is certain there were more than one; and it was a rule with the z Jews that
"the poorest man in Israel (when his wife died) had not less ××©× × ××××××, "than two pipes", and one mourning woman.''
And since this was a daughter of a ruler of the synagogue that was dead, there might be several of them. These instruments were made use of, not to remove the melancholy of surviving friends, or allay the grief of the afflicted family; but, on the contrary, to excite it: for the Jewish writers say a, these pipes were hollow instruments, with which they made a known sound, ××¢×רר ××××× ×××××, "to stir up lamentation and mourning": and for the same purpose, they had their mourning women, who answered to the pipe; and by their dishevelled hair, and doleful tones, moved upon the affections, and drew tears from others; and very likely are the persons, that Mark says, "wept and wailed greatly". Sometimes trumpets were made use of on these mournful occasions b; but whether these were used only for persons more advanced in years, and pipes for younger ones, as by the Heathens c, at least, at some times, is not certain.
And the people making a noise; the people of the house, the relations of the deceased, the neighbours, who came in on this occasion; and others, in a sort of tumult and uproar, hurrying and running about; some speaking in the praise of the dead, others lamenting her death, and others preparing things proper for the funeral; all which shew, that she was really dead: among these also, might be the mourners that made a noise for the dead;
"for since mourning was for the honour of the dead, therefore they obliged the heirs to hire mourning men, and mourning women, to mourn for the same d.''
z Misn. Cetubot. c. 4. sect. 4. Maimon Ishot, c. 14. sect. 23. a Maimon & Bartenora in Misn. Sabbat, c. 23. sect. 4. b Midrash Kohelet, fol. 77. 4. c Vid. Kirchman. de funer. Roman. l. 2. c. 5. d Maimon. Hilch. Ebel, c. 12. sect. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The account contained in these verses is also recorded, with some additional circumstances, in Mark 5:22-43, and Luke 8:41-56.
Matthew 9:18
There came a certain ruler - Mark and Luke say that his name was Jairus, and that he was a âruler of the synagogue;â that is, one of the elders to whom was committed the care of the synagogue.
See the notes at Matthew 4:23.
And worshipped him - That is, fell down before him, or expressed his respect for him by a token of profound regard. See the notes at Matthew 2:2.
My daughter is even now dead - Luke says that this was his only daughter, and that she was twelve years of age. Mark and Luke say that she was âat the point of death,â and that information of her actual death was brought to him by one who was sent by the ruler of the synagogue, while Jesus was going. Matthew combined the two facts, and stated the representation which was made to Jesus, without stopping particularly to exhibit the manner in which it was done. In a summary way he says that the ruler communicated the information. Luke and Mark, dwelling more particularly on the circumstances, state at length the way in which it was done; that is, by himself stating, in a hurry, that she was âabout to die,â or âwas dying,â and then in a few moments sending word that âshe was dead.â The Greek word, rendered âis even now dead,â does not of necessity mean, as our translation would express, that she had actually expired, but only that she was âdyingâ or about to die. Compare Genesis 48:21. It is likely that a father, in these circumstances, would use a word as nearly expressing actual death as would be consistent with the fact that she was alive. The passage may be expressed thus: âMy daughter was so sick that she must be by this time dead.â
Come and lay thy hand upon her - It was customary for the Jewish prophets, in conferring favors, to lay their hand on the person benefited. Jesus had probably done so also, and the ruler had probably witnessed the fact.
Matthew 9:20
And, behold, a woman ... - This disease was by the Jews reckoned unclean Leviticus 15:25, and the woman was therefore unwilling to make personal application to Jesus, or even to touch his person. The disease was regarded as incurable. She had expended all her property, and grew worse, Mark 5:26.
Touched the hem of his garment - This garment was probably the square garment which was thrown over the shoulders. See notes at Matthew 5:40. This was surrounded by a border or âfringe;â and this âfringe,â or the loose threads hanging down, is what is meant by the âhem.â The Jews were commanded to wear this, in order to distinguish them from other nations. See Numbers 15:38-39; Deuteronomy 22:12.
Mark says that âthe woman, fearing and trembling,â came and told him all the truth. Perhaps she feared that, from the impure nature of her disease, he would be offended that she touched him.
Matthew 9:22
But Jesus tutored him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort - Jesus silenced her fears, commended her faith, and sent her away in peace.
He used an endearing appellation, calling her âdaughter,â a word of tenderness and affection, and dismissed her who had been twelve long and tedious years labouring under a weakening and offensive disease, now in an instant made whole. Her faith, her strong confidence in Jesus, had been the means of her restoration. It was the âpowerâ of Jesus that cured her; but that power would not have been exerted but in connection with faith. So in the salvation of a sinner. No one is saved who does not believe; but faith is the instrument, and not the power, that saves.
Matthew 9:23
And widen Jesus came into the rulerâs house ... - Jesus permitted only three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and the father and mother of the damsel, to go in with him where the corpse lay, Mark 5:37-40
It was important that there should be âwitnessesâ of the miracle, and he chose a sufficient number. âFiveâ witnesses were enough to establish the fact. The witnesses were impartial. The fact that she was dead was established beyond a doubt. Of this the mourners, the parents, the messengers, the people, were satisfied. If she was presented to the people âalive,â the proof of the miracle was complete. The presence of more than the âfiveâ witnesses would have made the scene tumultuous, and have been less satisfactory evidence of the fact of the restoration of the child. Five sober witnesses are always better than the confused voices of a rabble. These were the same disciples that were with him on the Mount of Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane, Mark 9:2; Mark 14:33; 2 Peter 1:17-18.
And saw the minstrels and the people making a noise - Minstrelsâ are persons who play on instruments of music. The people of the East used to bewail the dead by cutting the flesh, tearing the hair, and crying bitterly. See Jeremiah 9:17; Jeremiah 16:6-7; Ezekiel 24:17. The expressions of grief at the death of a friend, in Eastern countries, are extreme. As soon as a person dies, all the females in the family set up a loud and doleful cry. They continue it as long as they can without taking breath, and the shriek of wailing dies away in a low sob. Nor do the relatives satisfy themselves with these expressions of violent grief. They hire persons of both sexes, whose employment it is to mourn for the dead in the like frantic manner. See Amos 5:16; Jeremiah 9:20. They sing the virtues of the deceased, recount his acts, dwell on his beauty, strength, or learning; on the comforts of his family and home, and in doleful strains ask him why he left his family and friends.
To all this they add soft and melancholy music. They employ âminstrelsâ to aid their grief, and to increase the expressions of their sorrow. This violent grief continues, commonly, eight days. In the case of a king, or other very distinguished personage, it is prolonged through an entire month. This grief does not cease at the house; it is exhibited in the procession to the grave, and the air is split with the wailings of real and of hired mourners. Professor Hackett (âIllustrations of Scripture,â pp. 121, 122) says: âDuring my stay at Jerusalem I frequently heard a singular cry issuing from the houses in the neighborhood of the place where I lodged, or from those on the streets through which I passed. It was to be heard at all hours - in the morning, at noonday, at evening, or in the deep silence of night. For some time I was at a loss to understand the cause of this strange interruption of the stillness which, for the most part, hangs so oppressively over the lonely city. Had it not been so irregular in its occurrence, I might have supposed it to indicate some festive occasion; for the tones of voice (yet hardly tones so much as shrieks) used for the expression of different feelings sound so much alike to the unpracticed ear, that it is not easy always to distinguish the mournful and the joyous from each other.
I ascertained, at length, that this special cry was, no doubt, in most instances, the signal of the death of some person in the house from which it was heard. It is customary, when a member of the family is about to die, for the friends to assemble around him and watch the ebbing away of life, so as to remark the precise moment when he breathes his last, upon which they set up instantly a united outcry, attended with weeping, and often with beating upon the breast, and tearing out the hair of the head. This lamentation they repeat at other times, especially at the funeral, both during the procession to the grave and after the arrival there, as they commit the remains to their last resting-place.â
The Jews were forbidden to tear their hair and cut their flesh. See Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:1. They showed their grief by howling, by music, by concealing the chin with their garment, by rending the outer garment, by refusing to wash or anoint themselves, or to converse with people, by scattering ashes or dust in the air, or by lying down in them, Job 1:20; Job 2:12; 2 Samuel 1:2-4; 2 Samuel 14:2; 2 Samuel 15:30; Mark 14:63. The expressions of grief, therefore, mentioned on this occasion, though excessive and foolish, were yet strictly in accordance with Eastern customs.
Matthew 9:24
The maid is not dead, but sleepeth - It cannot be supposed that our Lord means âliterallyâ to say that the child was not dead.
Every possible evidence of her death had been given, and he acted on that himself, and conveyed to the people the idea that he raised her âfrom the dead.â He meant to speak in opposition to their opinions. It is not unlikely that Jairus and the people favored the opinions of the Sadducees, and that âtheyâ understood by her being dead that she had âceased to be,â and that she would never be raised up again. In opposition to this, the Saviour used the expression âshe sleepeth;â affirming mildly both that the âbodyâ was dead, and âimplyingâ that âher spiritâ still lived, and that she would be raised up again. A similar mode of speaking occurs in John 11:11 âOur friend Lazarus sleepeth.â The sacred writers often spoke of the pious dead as âsleeping,â 2 Peter 3:4; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6, 1Co 15:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15. The meaning of this passage, then, is, the maid has not ceased to âexist;â but, though her body is dead, yet her spirit lives, and she sleeps in the hope of the resurrection.
Laughed him to scorn - Derided him; ridiculed him.
Matthew 9:25
He went in - With the father, and mother, and three disciples, Mark 5:37-40.
The maid arose - She returned to life.
There could be no deception here. âParentsâ could not be imposed on in such a case, nor could such a multitude be deceived. The power of Jesus was undoubtedly shown to be sufficient to raise the dead.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 9:23. Saw the minstrels and the people making a noise — Î±Ï Î»Î·ÏαÏ, pipers; Anglo-Saxon, [Anglo-Saxon] the whistlers; Gothic, haurngans haurngandans, the horn-blowers blowing with their horns. Nearly the same as the pipublasara, pipe-blowers of the Islandic: for among all those nations funeral lamentations accompanied with such rude instruments, were made at the death of relatives. That pipes were in use among the Jews, in times of calamity or death, is evident from Jeremiah 48:36. And among the Greeks, and Romans, as well as among the Jews, persons were hired on purpose to follow the funeral processions with lamentations. See Jeremiah 9:17-21; Amos 5:16. Even the poorest among the Jews were required to have two pipers, and one mourning woman. At these funeral solemnities it was usual with them to drink considerably; even ten cups of wine each, where it could be got. See Lightfoot. This custom is observed among the native Irish to this day, in what is called their CAOINAN. The body of the deceased, dressed in grave-clothes and ornamented with flowers, is placed in some eminent place; the relations and caoiners range themselves in two divisions, one at the head and the other at the feet of the corpse. Anciently, where the deceased was a great personage, the bards and croteries prepared the caoinan. The chief bard of the head chorus began by singing the first stanza in a low doleful tone; which was softly accompanied by the harp. At the conclusion, the foot semichorus began the lamentation, or ULLALOO, from the final note of the preceding stanza, in which they were answered by the head semichorus; then both united in one general chorus.
The chorus of the first stanza being ended, the chief bard of the foot semichorus sung the second stanza, the strain of which was taken from the concluding note of the preceding chorus, which ended, the head semichorus began the GOL, or lamentation, in which they were answered by that of the foot, and then, as before, both united in the general full chorus. Thus alternately were the song and choruses performed during the night. I have seen a number of women, sometimes fourteen, twenty-four, or more, accompany the deceased from his late house to the grave-yard, divided into two parties on each side the corpse, singing the ULLALOO, alternately, all the way. That drinking, in what is called the wake, or watching with the body of the deceased, is practised, and often carried to a shameful excess, needs little proof. This kind of intemperance proceeded to such great lengths among the Jews that the Sanhedrin were obliged to make a decree, to restrain the drinking to ten cups each. I mention these things more particularly, because I have often observed that the customs of the aboriginal Irish bear, a very striking resemblance to those of the ancient Jews, and other Asiatic nations. The application of these observations I leave to others.
It was a custom with the Greeks to make a great noise with brazen vessels; and the Romans made a general outcry, called conclamatio, hoping either to stop the soul which was now taking its flight, or to awaken the person, if only in a state of torpor. This they did for eight days together, calling the person incessantly by his name; at the expiration of which term the phrase, Conclamatum est-all is over-there is no hope-was used. See the words used in this sense by Terence, EUN. l. 347. In all probability this was the θοÏÏ Î²Î¿Ï Î¼ÎµÎ½Î¿Î½, the making a violent outcry, mentioned here by the evangelist. How often, on the death of relatives, do men incumber and perplex themselves with vain, worldly, and tumultuous ceremonies, instead of making profitable reflections on death!