She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This woman, by touching Jesus’ fringe, was not merely seeking a random cure from a holy man. She was intentionally reaching for the very symbol of God’s covenant and instruction, the tassels commanded by God to remind His people of His laws, indicating a profound belief in Jesus as the embodiment of God’s promise.
She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just returned to the shore and is being welcomed by a crowd eager to hear him. As he makes his way through the throng, a prominent synagogue leader named Jairus falls at his feet, desperately asking him to heal his dying daughter. While Jesus is on his way to Jairus's house, this desperate woman, suffering for twelve years with an incurable condition, slips through the crowd and touches Jesus's robe, believing it will heal her.
Why did she touch Jesus' garment, specifically the fringe? It wasn't just a random grab; it was steeped in meaning and faith.
The 'fringe' or tassel on Jewish garments (called 'tsitsith') wasn't just decorative. God commanded Israel to wear them as a reminder to obey all of His commandments (Numbers 15:38-40). For devout Jews, these fringes were visible markers of their covenant with God. Some even made them larger to show off their piety. This woman, likely deeply aware of her uncleanness due to her condition, saw these fringes as carrying a special potency – a tangible connection to God's healing power, hidden yet accessible. Her touch wasn't superstition; it was a desperate, faith-filled act aimed at the divine authority represented by that fringe.
In a packed crowd, she's desperately reaching for healing. How does Jesus respond to this 'stealth' miracle?
Jesus was surrounded by a pressing crowd – everyone wanting something from Him. Yet, in this overwhelming throng, one woman reached out in faith and received her healing. What’s remarkable is that Jesus felt power go out from Him. He didn't just dismiss it as part of the crowd's jostling. He stopped and asked, 'Who touched me?' This wasn't because He didn't know; He wanted to draw her out. Her condition made her ritually unclean, isolating her. Jesus’ public acknowledgment, calling her 'Daughter,' and affirming her faith, brought her out of shame and into wholeness, both physically and socially. Her faith, though expressed quietly, was met with a powerful, personal response.
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kraspedon · Greek Noun
The tassels or "tassels" (tzitzit) attached to the corners of a Jewish garment (tallit), as commanded in Numbers 15:38, serving as a reminder of God's commandments.
himation · Greek Noun
An outer garment or cloak. In the biblical context, it often represents the wearer's identity, authority, or, in the case of Jesus, the extension of his healing presence.
The woman's twelve years of suffering and isolation due to her condition, coupled with the ritual impurity she carried according to Levitical law, highlight the profound social and religious barriers she faced. Her courageous act of touching Jesus' garment, despite the risks, showcases a desperate faith in his power to overcome both her physical affliction and societal exclusion.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus' Public Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, attracting crowds with his teachings and miracles. This period sees Jesus healing various illnesses and casting out demons.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
The Woman's Twelve Years of Suffering
A woman suffers from a chronic hemorrhage for twelve years, during which she spends all her resources on physicians without improvement. Jewish law rendered her ritually unclean, isolating her from society.
c. 27-30 AD
Jairus Seeks Jesus' Help
Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, desperately seeks Jesus to heal his dying daughter. He approaches Jesus with humility and urgency, falling at his feet.
c. 27-30 AD
Simultaneous Miracles
While Jesus is on his way to Jairus' house, the woman secretly touches the fringe of his garment, experiencing immediate healing. This occurs amidst a large, pressing crowd.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus Identifies the Healed Woman
Jesus perceives that power has gone out from him and asks who touched him. The woman, fearing and trembling, reveals herself, and Jesus affirms her healing through her faith.
c. 27-30 AD
Jairus' Daughter is Raised
Jesus arrives at Jairus' house and raises his twelve-year-old daughter from death, demonstrating his authority over life and death.
This passage describes people seeking to touch Jesus' cloak, just as the woman in Luke 8:44 did, highlighting the immense faith and expectation people had in Jesus' healing power through even the slightest contact.
Mark 5:25-34Mark provides a parallel account of this same event, offering additional details about the woman's twelve years of suffering and her internal dialogue, which deepens our understanding of her desperation and faith.
Numbers 15:38-39This Old Testament passage describes the commandment to wear fringes on garments, which the text in Luke alludes to, explaining the symbolic and perhaps quasi-sacred significance the woman might have attached to touching Jesus' fringe.
Isaiah 53:5While not a direct physical connection, this prophecy speaks of Jesus bearing our sicknesses and pains, and the woman's healing through touching His garment can be seen as a beautiful, tangible fulfillment of His redemptive work.
jfbLuke 8:40-56: "And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him."
Lu 8:40-56. Jairus' Daughter Raised and Issue of Blood Healed.(See on [1603]Mt 9:18-26; and [1604]Mr 5:21-43).40. gladly received him, for … all waiting for him—The abundant teaching of that day (in Mt 13:1-58; and see Mr 4:36), had only whetted the people's appetite; and disappointed, as would seem, that He had left them in the evening to cross the lake, they r…
henryLuke 8:41-56: "And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:"
8:41-56 Let us not complain of a crowd, and a throng, and a hurry, as long as we are in the way of our duty, and doing good; but otherwise every wise man will keep himself out of it as much as he can. And many a poor soul is healed, and helped, and saved by Christ, that is hidden in a crowd, and nobody notices it. T…
This woman, by touching Jesus’ fringe, was not merely seeking a random cure from a holy man. She was intentionally reaching for the very symbol of God’s covenant and instruction, the tassels commanded by God to remind His people of His laws, indicating a profound belief in Jesus as the embodiment of God’s promise.
Jesus has just returned to the shore and is being welcomed by a crowd eager to hear him. As he makes his way through the throng, a prominent synagogue leader named Jairus falls at his feet, desperately asking him to heal his dying daughter. While Jesus is on his way to Jairus's house, this desperate woman, suffering for twelve years with an incurable condition, slips through the crowd and touches Jesus's robe, believing it will heal her.
Jesus has just returned to the shore and is being welcomed by a crowd eager to hear him. As he makes his way through the throng, a prominent synagogue leader named Jairus falls at his feet, desperately asking him to heal his dying daughter. While Jesus is on his way to Jairus's house, this desperate woman, suffering for twelve years with an incurable condition, slips through the crowd and touches Jesus's robe, believing it will heal her.
"She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased." — This woman, by touching Jesus’ fringe, was not merely seeking a random cure from a holy man. She was intentionally reaching for the very symbol of God’s covenant and instruction, the tassels commande…
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Last reviewed October 2026