Luke 8:42

Luke 8:42, in plain English

Jairus' only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus headed toward his house, the crowd pressed in around Him from every side.

Why it's here

She was his only daughter, and she was slipping away. Every second counted, but the crowd made progress painfully slow. Urgency and delay collided in this desperate journey.

Who's speaking

Luke describes the urgency of the situation as Jesus moves toward Jairus' home.

Where it sits in the story

Jairus' precious only daughter, just twelve years old, was dying. Jesus agreed to go, but the crowd was so thick it was almost impossible to move. And then came an interruption no one expected.

The scholarly reading

Jairus' monogenēs thygatēr ('only daughter'), about twelve years old, was apethnēsken ('was dying'). The imperfect tense indicates she was in the process of dying. As Jesus goes with Jairus, the ochloi synepnigon ('crowds were pressing/suffocating') Him, creating the conditions for the next miracle.

Language and setting

The term monogenēs ('only-born') heightens the pathos, a term Luke also uses for the widow of Nain's son (7:12) and the epileptic boy (9:38). The daughter's age of twelve will create a literary connection with the woman who bled for twelve years.

Voice

Luke narrates the urgent situation and the journey to Jairus' house.

Significance

Jairus' only daughter, about twelve years old, was on the verge of death. As Jesus pressed through the suffocating crowd toward Jairus' house, the stage was set for an unexpected interruption.

40When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

41Just then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his house,

42because his only daughter, who was about twelve, was dying.

43including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her.

44She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

Read all of Luke 8 — A storm, a legion of demons, a bleeding woman, and a dead girl — Jesus moves through a world of chaos and brings order with a word or a touch.