Luke 8:52

All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, “Don’t weep. She isn’t dead, but sleeping.”

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, “Don’t weep. She isn’t dead, but sleeping.”

BSB

Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”

KJV

And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

ASV

And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; for she is not dead, but sleepeth.

BBE

And all the people were weeping and crying for her; but he said, Do not be sad, for she is not dead, but sleeping.

Original Greek

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ἔκλαιον eklaion They were weeping G2799 δὲ de now G1161 πάντες pantes all G3956 καὶ kai and G2532 ἐκόπτοντο ekoptonto they were mourning for G2875 αὐτήν autēn her G846 ὁ ho (the) G3588 δὲ de But G1161 εἶπεν eipen He said G2036 μὴ mē Not G3361 κλαίετε klaiete do weep G2799 οὐ ou not G3756 γὰρ gar for G1063 ἀπέθανεν apethanen she is dead G599 ἀλλὰ alla but G235 καθεύδει katheudei sleeps G2518

The early church

The Synagogue also, because it has lost the joy of the Bridegroom, whereby alone it can live. lying dead as it were among those that mourn, understands not even the reason why it weeps.
Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
Therefore having entered into the house, He called a few to be judges of the coming resurrection: for the resurrection was not soon believed by the many. What then was the cause of this great difference? In a former case the widow's son is raised up before all, here a few only are set apart to judge. But I think that herein the mercy of the Lord is shown, since the widowed mother of an only son suffered no delay. There is also the token of wisdom, that in the widow's son we should see the Church quick in believing; in the ruler of the synagogue's daughter, the Jews about indeed to believe, but out of a great many only a few. Lastly, when our Lord says, She is not dead, but sleepeth, they laughed Him to scorn. For whoever believes not, laughs. Let them therefore mourn their dead who think they are dead. Where there is a belief of the resurrection, the notion is not of death but of rest.
Ambrose of Milan · d. 397Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
(ubi sup.) But He took not with Him His other disciples, so provoking them to a strange desire, because also they were not yet fully prepared, but He took Peter, and with him the sons of Zebedee, that the others also might imitate them. He took also the parents as witnesses, lest any should say the evidence of the resurrection was false. Luke adds to this also, that He shut out from the house those that were weeping, and showed that they were unworthy of a sight of this kind. For it follows, And they all wept, and bewailed her. But if He then shut them out, much more now. For then it had not yet been revealed that death was turned into sleep. Let no one then hereafter despise himself, bringing an insult to the victory of Christ, whereby He has overcome death, and turned it into sleep. In proof of which it is added, But he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth, &c. showing that all things were at His command, and that He would bring her to life as if He were awakening her from sleep.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 41–56

Let us not complain of a crowd, and a throng, and a hurry, as long as we are in the way of our duty, and doing good; but otherwise every wise man will keep himself out of it as much as he can. And many a poor soul is healed, and helped, and saved by Christ, that is hidden in a crowd, and nobody notices it. This woman came trembling, yet her faith saved her. There may be trembling, where yet there is saving faith. Observe Christ's comfortable words to Jairus, Fear not, believe only, and thy daughter shall be made whole. No less hard was it not to grieve for the loss of an only child, than not to fear the continuance of that grief. But in perfect faith there is no fear; the more we fear, the less we believe. The hand of Christ's grace goes with the calls of his word, to make them effectual. Christ commanded to give her meat. As babes new born, so those newly raised from sin, desire spiritual food, that they may grow thereby.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 8 →

Parallel passages

2

The same words or events elsewhere.

Matthew 9:23–25Mark 5:37–43

Cross-references

11

Topics

Sleep

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.