The passage
      v21-24. Jesus returns to the western, or northwestern shore of lake Galilee, possibly to Capernaum, and a crowd gathers about him. A synagogue-ruler (an official of the local synagogue) makes an urgent plea that Jesus come and lay hands on his daughter. Jairus obviously believes that if Jesus comes, he can heal his daughter. The crowd presses in to watch Jesus' response, and goes with him to witness the healing.
      v25-27. A woman with a hemorrhage, part of the crowd pressing in on Jesus, touches him. Her condition is not clearly identified, but is obviously vaginal and so makes her "unclean" and therefore cuts her off from her Jewish community. She has spent all her money on cures, but nothing has worked and now her condition is getting worse. She, like the synagogue-ruler, believes that Jesus can heal her. She obviously believes that touching him will channel his power for healing.
      v28-29. The touch completely heals her.
      v30-32. Jesus is aware of the touch and asks the healed person to identify themselves. No reason is given, but as Jesus' miracles visibly proclaim the gospel, it obviously needs to be exposed (if only for the true seeker) and then a word given to explain its true meaning. Only Mark makes the rather strange comment, "Jesus realized that power had gone out from him." Jesus sensed divine power channeling through him.
      v33-34. The woman then comes forward in fear. Her fear is well founded for she is unclean and has knowingly touched a rabbi. After she explains what happened (obviously in the hearing of the crowd), Jesus exegetes the event. Her faith in him has resulted in her healing. Faith saves; the kingdom of God is entered through faith; salvation is appropriated through faith. So, Jesus makes the point that faith is the way to "peace", for faith frees us from our suffering (the bondage of sin).
      v35-37. A message now comes to the synagogue-ruler that his daughter has died. Jesus overhears the report and seeks to draw out the revelatory nature of the sign he is about to perform (a point he has already made in the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage). Faith, rather than fear, is the means of appropriating the blessings of the kingdom. In typical style, Jesus sets out to keep the sign within the circle of his disciples, in this case the inner circle. The synagogue-ruler is also included and this because the gospel is for seekers.
      v38-39. By the time Jesus gets to the girl, the household is in full mourning. Jesus sends them packing with the claim that "the girl is not dead, but asleep." They laugh because they know she is dead. Mark implies that she is dead, Luke makes it clear. Jesus' claim that she is "asleep" may imply a number of things: he knows she is in a deep coma; her present state is only temporary; he is making a theological statement about resurrection; or he is throwing the mourners (the unbelieving crowd) off the scent.
      v40-42. The tradition records the actual words of Jesus in Aramaic. The girl responds and walks about. Sadly, the general response is amazement and not faith. Jesus could well have asked "Do you still have no faith?"
      v43. Jesus again focuses the revelation of the kingdom of God (the gospel) on the true seeker rather than the unbelieving crowd. Only the disciples, Jairus and his wife (Jairus demonstrated faith in Jesus by asking him to heal his daughter) get to see the sign. The rest are left in confusion; the evidence of a child they thought was dead, but who must have been asleep.

Power over life and death
      The story of Jesus' healing a dead girl and a sick woman, presents a simple gospel message. Through divine power Jesus is victorious over the eternal slavery of death. The centre of the gospel concerns the resurrection of Jesus. Because he lives we may live also; his life can be our life.
      A woman dying, a girl dead, both given life, both rescued from their bondage. In these two miracles Jesus announces the coming of the kingdom of God. The day has come for God to gather a people to himself, to bless them with his presence and to rule them in power. Life is now ours for eternity.
      Yet, the crucial question is how to access this coming kingdom. The answer is a simple one. Entrance into the kingdom (freedom from bondage, and the possession of peace) is ours wholly through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus has the power to free us from the bondage of our imperfect mortality and carry us into eternity. We simply need to hold his hand, to trust him, to rely on him to take us into the presence of God. It's as simple at that.

v22
      twn arcisunagwgwn (oV) "the synagogue rulers" - a manager of the synagogue, a lay official responsible for the management of the synagogue programme, facilities and complex. "One of the synagogue presidents", Phillips.
      onomati IairoV "named Jairus" - Omitted in some manuscripts. Possibly added for symbolic effect, given that the root meaning of the name is "he awakes."
      piptei (piptw) pres. "fall" - he falls down. Given his status, falling at the feet of Jesus as a supplicant, indicates the depth of his fear for his child. "He knelt at Jesus' feet", CEV.

v23
      parakalei (parakalew) pres. "he pleaded [earnestly] with" - he begs, asks, beseeches / exhorts, comforts. The present tense "beseeches" is usually translated as a historic present "beseeched", although some texts have an imperfect tense which may imply that the present was mistakenly carried over from the surrounding verbs.
      polla adv. "earnestly" - much. He beseeched Jesus much. Note how the alliteration (p) serves to emphasize his pleading; "he persistently pleaded."
      to qugatarion "little daughter" - daughter. The diminutive possible implying "dear"; "my dear little girl."
      escatwV ecei (ecw) "is dying" - has finally. The adverb "finally" with "have" means to reach an extremity, to be at the last gasp, to be at death's door, so "is dying."
      iJna + subj. "[please come and lay your hands on her]" - that [coming you may lay the hands on her]. This hina clause, with the verb in the subjunctive mood, stands in the place of an imperative infinitive. The construction is rare and not classical. So it is more a demand driven by panic than a request, "please". "Come and lay your hands on her."
      iJna + subj. "so that" - that. The second hina clause expresses purpose.
      swqh (swzw) aor. pas. sub. "she may be healed" - she may be saved. "Save" is sometimes used in the sense of "heal".

v24
      suneqlibon (sunqlibw) imperf. "pressed around" - they were pressing closely upon, hustling, crowding in upon. At 3:9 the verb appears without the prefix, given that there it is only the danger of a crush; here it's the real thing.

v25
      Kai gunh ........ hJyato (aJptomai) aor. "And a woman .......... touched [his cloak]" - Between the noun and the principle verb, Mark has a string of subordinate participle clauses. The first five describe the woman and the next two describe how she touched Jesus and why. Given that she is "unclean" and has touched a Rabbi, the clauses serve to gain our sympathy before telling us that she touched Jesus.
      rJusei (iV ewV) dat. "bleeding" - a flow of liquid. She suffered from constant vaginal bleeding which rendered her unclean and unable to share in normal community life, Lev.15:25-30. "Who had constant menstrual bleeding for twelve years."

v26
      paqousa (pascw) aor. "suffered" - suffer. "She had endured much under many physicians", NRSV.
      dapanhsasa (dapanaw) .... panta "spent all [she] had" - having spent ... everything. Emphasizing that she spent everything she had for medical help without any benefit at all, serves to underline her desperate condition (as good as dead) in contrast to her healing.
      wfelhqeisa (wfelew) aor. part. "[instead of] getting better" - having benefited [nothing]. "It had done her no good at all", Barclay.

v27
      akousasa (akouw) aor. part. "When she heard" - having heard. "Hearing about Jesus", or as a temporal participle, "When she heard [the things] about Jesus."
      hJyato (aJptw) "touched" - Jesus usually does the touching, although the gospels and Acts remind us of the common belief that healing can come by touching a healer's clothing, or even by coming under their shadow. Such a belief moves toward the magical, although in this episode both the faith of the woman and its consequence is in no way derided.

v28
      elegen (legw) imperf. "she thought" - she was saying. The imperfect expressing ongoing action; "she kept saying over to herself."

v29
      exhranqh (xhrainw) aor. pas. "stopped" - [the fountain of the blood] was dried up, parched. "Her flow of blood was staunched", Barclay.
      egnw tw/ swmati "she felt in her body" - She experienced a sense of physical well-being.
      iatai (iaomai) perf. pas. "freed" - she has been healed, cured. The Perfect is used to indicate that the healing is complete, for good, without relapse. "She was cured of her complaint", Moffatt.
      mastigoV (ix igoV) "suffering" - whip, scourge, affliction. A strong word to emphasize her condition and therefore the power of the healing. v30
      euquV "at once" - immediately. Mark is stressing the immediacy of the healing following the touch of faith, even though it is a little faith in that it is close to magic.
      epignouV en eJautw/ "[Jesus] realized [that power .....]" - knowing in himself. Jesus knew in himself that power had gone out from him. The women's touch took something out of Jesus and he was aware of it.
      epistrafeiV en tw/ oclw/ "turned around in the crowd" - turning around in the crowd. The crowd is pressing in on him and because the touch comes from behind; "Jesus turned around and asked."
      exelqousan (exercomai) aor. part. "[power] had gone out from [him]" - having gone out. The Greek certainly has Jesus aware of the transfer of power immediately upon it taking place, but not before. This may imply an automatic transfer, independent of the will of Jesus, or more rightly a transfer from the Father through Jesus, which transfer Jesus senses. "That the power proceeding from him went forth", RV.
      tiV mou hJyato twn iJmartiwn "who touched my clothes?" - Calvin said that Jesus already knew, while Cranfield argues he didn't know. Jesus may have wished to evidence the sign, or more likely he wanted to draw out the woman's minimal faith and reinforce it.

v31
      sunqlibonta (simqlibw) pres. part. "crowding against" - pressing against. The disciples "you see the crowd pressing you and you ask `who touched me'" is less than gracious and so is softened by Luke and left out by Matthew.

v32
      perieblepeto (periblepw) imperf. "kept looking around" - looking, looking around, looking about. A verb used 7 times in the NT, mostly in the gospels and with Jesus doing the looking. "Jesus turned to see who had touched him", CEV.

v33
      fobhqeisa (fobeomai) part. "fear" - fearing [and trembling]. Cranfield suggests that she is afraid because she knows a miracle has been performed on her. Gundrey agrees. France leans toward the idea that she knows she has made Jesus ritually unclean, but he does accept that Mark does not draw this conclusion.
      prosepesen autw/ "fell at his feet" - fell down before him. Does this action stem from a recognition of Jesus' authority?

v34
      qugathr "daughter" - daughter, female relative. Jesus may be declaring her status in his family of faith. Vocative; "my young lady."
      seswken (swzw) perf. "has healed" - has saved, healed. Possibly Mark intends both meanings, "healed" and "saved". The perfect tense indicating the completeness of her new condition, both physical and spiritual.
      uJpage eiV eirhnhn "go in peace" - Go in wellbeing rather than trouble. A normal "formula for leave-taking", Cranfield. Taylor argues it carries the weight of the speaker and therefore on Jesus' lips it is a substantial blessing.
      isqi uJgihV apo thV mastigoV "be freed from your suffering" - be whole from your affliction. Jesus declares her ongoing health. "Be free from your complaint", NJB.

v35
      apeqanen (apoqhnhskw) aor. "is dead" - die. The perfect "has died" would be expected, but the aorist "is dead" serves to stress that she is actually dead.
      skulleiV (skullw) pres. "bother" - trouble, annoy. Originally the word meant to flay or skin, but had weakened over time. Mark is making the point that from a human perspective, the situation is now hopeless, so Jesus' aid is no longer needed.

v36
      parakousaV (parakouw) aor. part. "ignoring" - having overheard, heard carelessly, pretended to hear, refused to hear. The base meaning of the word is "hear beside." The NIV follows RV "not heeding", but "overhear" is likely the intended meaning. In fact, Jesus does not ignore their words for he tells them to believe.
      mh fobou (fobeomai) pres. imp. "do not be afraid" - do not fear. The negative with the present imperative serves as a command to cease doing something, so "stop being afraid."
      pisteue (pisteuw) pres. imp. "believe" - believe. The present tense is used here to make the point that Jairus is to "continue to believe."

v37
      afhken (afihmi) aor. "let" - he did [not] allow, permit. By allowing only three disciples and the parents to witness the miracle, Jesus is obviously keeping the sign away from the unbelieving crowd, but at the same time, by including the three disciples he is providing witnesses for, what will be, an amazing messianic sign for those with eyes to see.

v38
      eiV "[he went] in" - to, into. "Came to" the home is better than "came in" such that in v39 "went in" is not "went into" the court yard of the house from the beadroom to talk to the crowd, but rather "went into" the house and talked to the crowd."
      qorubon (oV) "a commotion" - uproar, turmoil. The following clause, "weeping and wailing", explains the "uproar" and images the horror of death. It is often argued that the mourners are a professional group hired for the purpose of making loud wailings, but there has really not been time to bring in a team of local thespians and so it is likely the mourners are family and household members.
      klaiontaV (klaiw) pres. part. "crying" - crying, weeping loudly. "Why are you crying and carrying on like this?", CEV.
      alalazontaV (alalazw) pres. part. "wailing loudly" - crying aloud, wailing

v39
      eiselqwn (eisercomai) part. "he went in" - having gone in. "Having entered."
      to paidion "this child" - the little child. Often an affectionate term. Note the change from "daughter" to "little child." The terms reflect endearment, for the girl is 12 years old and not an infant, cf. v42.
      kaqeudei (kaqeudw) pres. "asleep" - is sleeping. An example where the verb is in the present tense, but carries a perfect sense. The mob says she is dead, Jesus says she is alive. It is possible that Jesus is seeking to hide the messianic secret from the unbelieving crowd by being less than straightforward with them, but he may also be employing a euphemism for the death of a person about to be raised to life. The term is later used in the epistles to describe the state of a believer who has died and awaits the day of resurrection.

v40
      kategelwn (katagelaw) imperf. "they laughed" - they were laughing at, deride. They deride Jesus for his faulty diagnosis, presumably made without seeing the child. "They greeted him with a scornful laugh", Phillips.
      ekbalwn (ekballw) aor. part. "put them [all] out" - having thrown out, cast out, put out. The sign is not for unbelievers.
      paralambanei (paralambanw) pres. "he took" - takes, receives to, receives from. The faith of the parents and disciples privileges them to see the sign.

v41
      krathsaV (kratew) aor. part. "he took her by [the hand]" - having taken hold, grasped. A similar action to the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. "Taking the child by the hand", NJB.
      oJ estin meqermhneuomenon "which means" - which being translated means. The actual words are stark and simple and so remove any sense of a magical incantation.

v42
      euquV "immediately" - immediately. The effect of Jesus' words is immediate; "the girl got up at once", Moffatt.
      anesth (anisthmi) aor. "stood up" - stood, arose. "At once she jumped to her feet and walked around the room", Phillips.
      exesthsan euquV ekstasei megalh "they were completely astonished" - they were astonished immediately with a great astonishment. Such a response, particularly from the disciples, is disappointing. Faith is the proper response to such a sign. When the dead are raised then is the kingdom upon us. "They were overcome with amazement", REB.
      euquV "immediately" - Placement here is awkward and has spawned a number of textual varients.