New Testament · Gospel

Mark 5:23

Legion and the Little Girl

and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” Mark 5:23 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Mark 5:23, in plain English

Jairus pleads, 'My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she'll be healed and live.' Every word drips with a father's desperation.

Why it's here

He calls her 'my little daughter' — you can hear the tenderness and the terror in his voice. He believes that if Jesus just touches her, she'll live.

Who's speaking

Jairus speaks to Jesus with urgent, heartfelt pleading.

Where it sits in the story

A father begs for his little girl's life. There's nothing more universal than this kind of love. And Jairus puts all his hope in one person — Jesus.

A Closer Look

The scholar's commentary

Jairus' plea uses eschatos echei ('is at the point of death'), expressing medical urgency, and requests the laying on of hands (epithe tas cheiras) — a recognized Jewish healing gesture. His faith connects physical touch with divine power.

Language and setting

The request for physical touch as a healing medium connects to the hemorrhaging woman's similar faith (v.28) and creates a thematic link between the two interwoven stories.

Voice

Jairus pleads urgently with Jesus, describing his daughter's critical condition.

Significance

With desperate urgency, Jairus begs Jesus to come and lay hands on his dying daughter. His faith is specific — he believes Jesus' touch carries the power to heal and restore life.

In context

Mark 5:21–25

21When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea.

22A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet

23and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”

24So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around Him.

25And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years.

Read all of Mark 5 — A man possessed by a thousand demons, a woman who has bled for twelve years, a father whose daughter has just died — all healed in a single chapter.

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