Mark 5:38

When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus and three disciples arrive at the house of the synagogue leader to find a crowd already gathered in distress. This moment immediately follows Jesus' restriction of His entourage to Peter, James, and John.

The words — ἀρχισυναγὼγου (archisunagōgou) literally means "ruler of the synagogue," identifying the official who requested Jesus' help. ἔρχονται (erchontai) denotes the arrival of Jesus and His companions at the location.

The thread — The arrival and observed mourning parallel Matthew 9:23, which records Jesus entering the house and seeing the flute players and noisy crowd. Luke 8:52 describes the crowd weeping and Jesus declaring the child asleep, while Jeremiah 9:17 anticipates this scene by commanding the summoning of professional wailing women.

Why it lands — The text states that Jesus saw the commotion and loud weeping before speaking, establishing His observation as the precursor to His intervention. It asks the reader to recognize that human grief meets a presence that redefines the situation's reality.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

ΚαὶKaiAnd ἔρχονταιerchontaithey come εἰςeisto τὸνtonthe οἶκονoikonhouse τοῦtouof the ἀρχισυναγώγου.archisunagōgouruler of the synagogue.καὶkaiand θεωρεῖtheōreiHe beholds θόρυβονthorubona commotion καὶkaiand κλαίονταςklaiontasweeping καὶkaiand ἀλαλάζονταςalalazontaswailing πολλά,pollamuch,

King James Version

And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

Cross-references

Matthew 9:23 When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
Luke 8:52 Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”
Jeremiah 9:17 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.
Matthew 11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
Mark 5:22 A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet
Acts 9:39 So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.