Bible Strands
Matthew 9:23
When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus enters the house of a synagogue leader and observes flute players and a noisy crowd gathered inside. This moment occurs immediately after the leader reports his daughter's death and follows the healing of the woman with the issue of blood.
The words — ἐλθὼν (elthōn) means "having come" and denotes Jesus' completed arrival at the location. οἰκίαν (oikian) translates literally to "house," identifying the specific dwelling where the mourning assembly is convened.
The thread — The gathering of professional mourners and musicians parallels the lamentation customs noted in 2 Chronicles 35:25 and aligns with the messengers' report in Mark 5:35. The scene directly continues the narrative thread initiated in Matthew 9:18 when the synagogue leader kneels to announce his daughter's death.
Why it lands — The text records Jesus' observation of a formal mourning ritual before He intervenes, requiring the reader to note His deliberate presence amid established cultural practices. It demands recognition that divine action enters human ceremonial contexts without validation or commentary, leaving the reader to assess the contrast between the observed grief and the impending word.
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
King James Version
And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 35:25 Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers recite laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.
- Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?”
- Matthew 9:18 While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.”
- Luke 8:49 While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”
- 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.’
- Luke 7:32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
- 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.