Jairus's Daughter
Mark 5:21-43
He told a dead girl to get up — and she did.
Jairus, a synagogue leader, falls at Jesus' feet begging: My little daughter is dying. Please come. Jesus goes with him, but on the way a woman who's been bleeding for twelve years touches his cloak and is healed. The interruption costs precious time. Messengers arrive: Your daughter is dead. Don't bother the teacher anymore. Jesus overhears and says: Don't be afraid; just believe. He goes to the house, pushes past the mourners, and enters the room with only the parents and three disciples. He takes the dead girl's hand and speaks two Aramaic words: Talitha koum — Little girl, get up. She stands. She walks. She's twelve years old. Jesus tells them to give her something to eat.
- Faith
- Death and Life
- Compassion
- Miracle
Jairus's Daughter: common questions
Who was Jairus in the Bible?
Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue in a town on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:22). When his twelve-year-old daughter was dying, he fell at Jesus' feet and begged him to come and heal her, and Jesus went with him.
What did Jesus say when he raised Jairus's daughter?
Mark 5:41 records the Aramaic words 'Talitha koum,' which means 'Little girl, I say to you, arise.' The girl immediately got up and walked, and Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
Why did Jesus stop to heal the bleeding woman on the way to Jairus's house?
As Jesus went to Jairus's house, a woman who had bled for twelve years touched his cloak and was healed (Mark 5:25-34). The delay is deliberate in the story: by the time Jesus finishes speaking with her, word comes that Jairus's daughter has died, setting up the greater miracle.
