Mark 5:24b-34, Jairus’ Daughter and the Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Garment Part 2 (The Study of Mark)

     24b And a large1 crowd was following him and they were crowding around2 him. 25 And a woman who had had a hemorrhage3 for twelve years, 26 and had endured4 much by many doctors, and had spent5 all she had6, and nothing helped, but rather, she became worse7. 27 After hearing about Jesus, after coming in the crowd from behind, she touched his garment; 28 for she was saying8 , “If I may only touch his clothes, I will be healed9.” 29 And immediately, her severe bleeding10 stopped11 and she knew that she had been healed in her body from the illness12. 30 And immediately, Jesus, knowing13 within himself that power had gone out from him, turning around in the crowd, was saying14, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples were saying to him, “Look at the crowd pressing in around you and you say ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he was looking around to see the woman who had done this. 33 And the woman, fearing and trembling15, having known what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed16 you: Go in peace and be cured17 from your illness18.” Mark 24b-34

Introduction

This is part two of the story and focuses on the Woman who was healed by touching Jesus' clothes.  This is my first "large" post since my illness.  I want to thank all of my readers for their patience in my time of sickness.  I hope to be back on a regular schedule now.

1 ὄχλος πολὺς (large crowd)

Greek: “much crowd” or “many crowd”. Mark never uses μέγας (great) when referring to the crowds, but in this context, it is obvious that the crowd is μέγας (great).

2 συνέθλιβον (they were crowding around)

συνέθλιβον means “to press or crowd in from all sides”. Here, the verb is in the imperfect implying that the crowding around was continually happening.

3 οὖσα ἐν ῥύσει αἵματος (who had had a hemorrhage)

Greek: “being in a flow of blood”. The passage could be translated: “And a woman being in a flow of blood for twelve years”. More than likely, the “flow of blood” was a menstrual problem. This illness would have kept the woman from being “ritually clean” under Jewish law. Since she was not able to be healed in the twelve years, she would have been somewhat of a social outcast among her fellow Jews. This could explain her courage in approaching Jesus and it would also explain the stealth in which she approached. Being unclean, she was not suppose to be around other Jews as she would have made them “ritually unclean” by touching them.

4 παθοῦσα (had endured) 

Greek: “after enduring” or “after suffering”.

5 καὶ δαπανήσασα (and had spent) 

Greek: “and after spending”.

6 καὶ δαπανήσασα τὰ παρ ̓ αὐτῆς πάντα (and spending all she had) 

Greek: “and after spending from all her things”.

7 εἰς τὸ χεῖρον ἐλθοῦσα (she became worse) 

Greek: “after coming into worse”.

8 ἔλεγεν γὰρ (for she was saying)

ἔλεγεν is in the imperfect. This may indicate that the woman was saying over and over again. This may be somewhat of a building of faith on her part or a bit of mustering up some courage.

9 σωθήσομαι (I will be healed) 

or “I will be rescued”, or “I will be restored”, or “I will be saved (from

my illness)”.

10ἡ πηγὴ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς (her severe bleeding)

Greek: “her fountain of blood” or “her spring of blood”. This phrase is found in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) in Leviticus 12:7.

11 ἐξηράνθη (stopped)

Greek: “dried up”. The verb adds to the vividness of Mark’s expression about the woman’s illness. The passage can be literally be translated: “Her fountain of blood dried up”.

12 ἀπὸ τῆς μάστιγος (from the illness)

Greek: “from the whip” or “from the severe beating”. μάστιξ is the same word that is used when one is flogged or beaten with a whip. The ancients had a very vivid way of referring to illnesses.

13 ἐπιγνοὺς (knowing)

ἐπιγινώσκω is only used four times in Mark while γινώσκω is used eleven times. When ἐπιγινώσκω is used with Jesus (two times), it refers to what Jesus knows in his spirit (Mark 2:8) or what Jesus knows within himself (here). Paul used ἐπιγινώσκω in 1 Corinthians 13:12 (For we currently see through a mirror in an enigma, but then, face to face. I now partly know, but then, I will know thoroughly, even as I also am thoroughly known.). In that context, Paul is trying to describe that when the perfect or completion comes, we will thoroughly know! That may describe what Mark is trying to tell us here. Jesus is FULLY aware of what is going on and COMPLETELY knows within himself and within his spirit. See my blog on 1 Corinthians 13:12 here.

14 ἔλεγεν (was saying) 

ἔλεγεν is in the imperfect and may indicate that Jesus was saying this continually or over and over.

15 φοβηθεῖσα καὶ τρέμουσα (fearing and trembling)

She is probably not afraid of being healed, but she had just broken Jewish law by touching Jesus. This would have made Jesus ritually unclean. It is interesting that Mark doesn’t bring that up in the story.

16 σέσωκέν σε (has healed you)

or “has saved you (from the illness). The verb is in the perfect which indicates that the action has been completed, but the effects are still being felt at that time. In other words, the woman was healed and still is healed.

17 ἴσθι ὑγιὴς (be cured)

It is a command: “be cured!” or “continue to be cured”. It can also be translated “Be whole!” or “Be healthy!”.

18 ἀπὸ τῆς μάστιγός σου (from your illness) 

See note 11.

The Greek

καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολὺς καὶ συνέθλιβον αὐτόν. Μάρκον 5·25 Καὶ γυνὴ οὖσα ἐν ῥύσει αἵματος δώδεκα ἔτη 26 καὶ πολλὰ παθοῦσα ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἰατρῶν καὶ δαπανήσασα τὰ παρ ̓ αὐτῆς πάντα καὶ μηδὲν ὠφεληθεῖσα ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εἰς τὸ χεῖρον ἐλθοῦσα, 27 ἀκούσασα περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐλθοῦσα ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ὄπισθεν ἥψατο τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ· 28 ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κἂν τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ σωθήσομαι. 29 καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξηράνθη ἡ πηγὴ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς καὶ ἔγνω τῷ σώματι ὅτι ἴαται ἀπὸ τῆς μάστιγος. 30 καὶ εὐθὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπιγνοὺς ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ δύναμιν ἐξελθοῦσαν ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ἔλεγεν· τίς μου ἥψατο τῶν ἱματίων; 31 καὶ ἔλεγον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ· βλέπεις τὸν ὄχλον συνθλίβοντά σε καὶ λέγεις· τίς μου ἥψατο; 32 καὶ περιεβλέπετο ἰδεῖν τὴν τοῦτο ποιήσασαν. 33 ἡ δὲ γυνὴ φοβηθεῖσα καὶ τρέμουσα, εἰδυῖα ὃ γέγονεν αὐτῇ, ἦλθεν καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. 34 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· θυγάτηρ, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε· ὕπαγε εἰς εἰρήνην καὶ ἴσθι ὑγιὴς ἀπὸ τῆς μάστιγός σου.