The Meaning of Mark 5:23 Explained

Mark 5:23

KJV: And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

YLT: and he was calling upon him much, saying -- 'My little daughter is at the last extremity -- that having come, thou mayest lay on her thy hands, so that she may be saved, and she shall live;'

Darby: and he besought him much, saying, My little daughter is at extremity; I pray that thou shouldest come and lay thy hands upon her so that she may be healed, and may live.

ASV: and beseecheth him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray thee , that thou come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  besought  him  greatly,  saying,  My  little daughter  lieth  at the point of death:  [I pray thee], come  and  lay  thy hands  on her,  that  she may be healed;  and  she shall live. 

What does Mark 5:23 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 5:21-43 - Hope For The Hopeless
We turn from the demon-driven man to this woman, weakened by long disease. For the one there was the outward manifestation of evil, but for the other inward wasting and decay. Let those who are conscious of the ravages of evil in their hearts, destroying their strength, establish connection with Christ as slight as the finger's touch of the garment hem, and forthwith His virtue will enter and stay their inward malady. His power is ever going forth, and faith receives as much as it desires. The reservoir of power is always full, but how few, how very few, have learned the secret of tapping it!
Crowds throng Him, but only one touches. Proximity to Christ does not necessarily imply the appropriation of Christ. But where there is the faintest touch of faith, there is an instantaneous, may we not say, automatic, response. There may be great weakness, the fingers may be too nerveless to grasp, they can only touch; but the slightest degree of faith saves, because it is the channel by which Christ enters, Mark 5:34. Even children are liable to the havoc caused by sin, Mark 5:35-43. Death has passed on all, and from the universal blight even the little ones cannot find immunity. But again we turn to the Master of life, whose touch is as gentle as a woman's and whose voice can penetrate the recesses of the unseen. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 5

1  Jesus delivering the possessed of the legion of demons,
13  they enter into the pigs
22  He is entreated by Jairus to go and heal his daughter
25  He heals the woman subject to bleeding,
35  and raises Jairus' daughter from death

Greek Commentary for Mark 5:23

My little daughter [το τυγατριον μου]
Diminutive of τυγατηρ — thugatēr (Matthew 9:18). “This little endearing touch in the use of the diminutive is peculiar to Mark” (Vincent). “Is at the point of death” Has it in the last stages. Matthew 9:18 has: “has just died” It was a tragic moment for Jairus. [source]
I pray thee []
, not in the Greek. This ellipsis before ινα — hina not uncommon, a sort of imperative use of ινα — hina and the subjunctive in the Koiné (Robertson, Grammar, p. 943). [source]
My little daughter [τὸ θυγάτριον]
This little endearing touch in the use of the diminutive is peculiar to Mark. [source]
Lieth at the point of death [ἐσχάτως ἔχει]
One of the uncouth phrases peculiar to Mark's style, and which are cited by some as evidence of the early composition of his gospel. [source]
I pray thee come [ἵνα ἐλθὼν]
The words I pray thee are not in the Greek. Literally the ruler's words run thus: My little daughter lieth at the point of death - that thou come, etc. In his anguish he speaks brokenly and incoherently. [source]
He went [ἐπῆλθεν]
Lit., went away. The aorist tense, denoting action once for all, is in contrast with the imperfects, ἠκολούθει , kept following, and συνέθλιβον , kept thronging. The multitude kept following and thronging as he went along. The preposition σύν , together, in the latter verb, indicates the united pressure of a crowd. Compare Tynd., Mark 5:31.Thrusting thee on every side. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 5:23

Matthew 9:18 Is even now dead [αρτι ετελευτησεν]
Aorist tense with αρτι — arti and so better, “just now died,” “just dead” (Moffatt). Mark (Mark 5:23) has it “at the point of death,” Luke (Luke 8:42) “lay a dying.” It is not always easy even for physicians to tell when actual death has come. Jesus in Matthew 9:24 pointedly said, “The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth,” meaning that she did not die to stay dead. [source]
Mark 7:25 Daughter [θυγάτριον]
Diminutive. Rev., little daughter. See on Mark 5:23. [source]
Luke 6:19 Sought to touch him [εζητουν απτεσται αυτου]
Imperfect active. One can see the surging, eager crowd pressing up to Jesus. Probably some of them felt that there was a sort of virtue or magic in touching his garments like the poor woman in Luke 8:43. (Mark 5:23; Matthew 9:21). [source]
John 4:47 At the point of death [ἤμελλεν ἀποθνήσκειν]
Literally, was about to die. Compare Mark's uncouth phrase, ἐσχάτως ἔχει , lieth at the point of death, Mark 5:23, on which see note. Compare also John 12:33. [source]
Ephesians 5:33 Do ye also severally love [και υμεις οι κατ ενα εκαστος αγαπατω]
An unusual idiom. The verb αγαπατω — agapātō (present active imperative) agrees with εκαστος — hekastos and so is third singular instead of αγαπατε — agapāte (second plural) like υμεις — humeis The use of οι κατ ενα — hoi kath' hena after υμεις — humeis = “ye one by one” and then εκαστος — hekastos takes up (individualizes) the “one” in partitive apposition and in the third person. Let the wife see that she fear (η γυνη ινα ποβηται — hē gunē hina phobētai). There is no verb in the Greek for “let see” (βλεπετω — blepetō). For this use of ινα — hina with the subjunctive as a practical imperative without a principal verb (an elliptical imperative) see note on Mark 5:23, Matthew 20:32, 1 Corinthians 7:29, 2 Corinthians 8:7, Ephesians 4:29 (Robertson, Grammar, p. 994). “Fear” (ποβηται — phobētai present middle subjunctive) here is “reverence.” [source]
Ephesians 5:33 Let the wife see that she fear [η γυνη ινα ποβηται]
There is no verb in the Greek for “let see” For this use of ινα — hina with the subjunctive as a practical imperative without a principal verb (an elliptical imperative) see note on Mark 5:23, Matthew 20:32, 1 Corinthians 7:29, 2 Corinthians 8:7, Ephesians 4:29 (Robertson, Grammar, p. 994). “Fear” (ποβηται — phobētai present middle subjunctive) here is “reverence.” [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 5:23 mean?

and he begs Him much saying - The little daughter of me at the end is holding that having come You would lay the hands on her so that she might be cured she shall live
καὶ παρακαλεῖ αὐτὸν πολλὰ λέγων ὅτι Τὸ θυγάτριόν μου ἐσχάτως ἔχει ἵνα ἐλθὼν ἐπιθῇς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῇ ἵνα σωθῇ ζήσῃ

παρακαλεῖ  he  begs 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: παρακαλέω  
Sense: to call to one’s side, call for, summon.
πολλὰ  much 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.
λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
θυγάτριόν  little  daughter 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: θυγάτριον  
Sense: a little daughter.
μου  of  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἐσχάτως  at  the  end 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἐσχάτως  
Sense: extreme, to be in the last gasp, at the point of death.
ἔχει  is  holding 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἔχω  
Sense: to have, i.e. to hold.
ἵνα  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἵνα  
Sense: that, in order that, so that.
ἐλθὼν  having  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
ἐπιθῇς  You  would  lay 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιτίθημι  
Sense: in the active voice.
χεῖρας  hands 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: χείρ  
Sense: by the help or agency of any one, by means of any one.
αὐτῇ  on  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἵνα  so  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἵνα  
Sense: that, in order that, so that.
σωθῇ  she  might  be  cured 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐκσῴζω 
Sense: to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.
ζήσῃ  she  shall  live 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ζάω  
Sense: to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead).