And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus’s words here are incredibly gentle, subtly reframing death not as an absolute end, but as a temporary state like sleep. This wasn't just a figure of speech to comfort them; it was a profound declaration that death itself held no ultimate power over His divine authority.
And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus arrives at the house of Jairus, a synagogue ruler whose daughter is dying, only to be met by people lamenting and wailing because the girl has died. They dismiss Jesus's power to help further, but he tells them not to fear and to believe. He then enters the house with only a few followers and the parents, encountering the chaotic scene of professional mourners.
When Jesus encountered the weeping mourners, He declared the child wasn't dead, but sleeping. What did He mean by that? It wasn't just about a temporary swoon.
Jesus uses the word "sleep" to describe death not to downplay the reality of it, but to highlight His own power over it. He contrasts the finality that mourners perceived with the future resurrection He brings.
A Milder Word, A Greater Power
When Jesus says, "The child is not dead, but sleeping," He's speaking with divine authority. While the people around were focused on the sorrow and finality of death, Jesus frames it as a temporary state, like sleep, from which awakening is possible. This wasn't a denial of the girl's physical state but a profound declaration of His ability to reverse it.
Promise of Awakening
This description is rich with the promise of resurrection. Just as we wake from sleep, Jesus' words point to an impending awakening. It’s a hopeful contrast to the despair of the mourners and a clear signal that death does not have the final say when He is present.
Jesus' announcement that the child was only sleeping was met with ridicule. Why would people laugh at such a hopeful declaration?
The professional mourners, caught up in their grief and perhaps their paid performance, found Jesus' words absurd. They were certain the child was dead, and Jesus' calm assertion was an affront to their understanding and their role.
Laughter of Disbelief
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Their laughter wasn't about finding humor in the situation; it was a reaction of scorn and disbelief. They were so entrenched in the finality of death, as they understood it, that Jesus’s statement seemed preposterous. This highlights the world's tendency to reject what it cannot logically explain or what doesn't fit its established understanding.
Jesus' Quiet Authority
Instead of engaging with their mockery, Jesus calmly put them out. He didn't need their validation or their belief. His focus was on the father's faith and the child's life. This demonstrates Jesus’s quiet, powerful authority, which doesn't need to argue but simply acts.
Understand the original words
katheudei · Greek Verb
A common biblical metaphor for death, implying that for the one who has faith in the Resurrection and the power of God, death is not an irreversible finality but a state from which God can awaken the person.
The setting was a Jewish home in Galilee, where professional mourners were engaged in the customary loud lamentations and music for the recently deceased. This verse reveals Jesus's radical redefinition of death, contrasting the world's grief and finality with his own power to awaken, thus highlighting his divine authority over life and death.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
Jesus conducted his public ministry throughout Galilee, gathering crowds and performing miracles, which established his reputation as a healer and teacher.
Early 1st century AD
Jairus Seeks Jesus' Help
Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, urgently sought Jesus to heal his desperately ill daughter, highlighting the desperation of parents facing loss.
Early 1st century AD
Healing of the Woman with Hemorrhage
Amidst the journey to Jairus's house, Jesus was interrupted by a woman who was healed by touching his cloak, demonstrating faith and Jesus's compassion even in a crowd.
Early 1st century AD
News of the Daughter's Death Arrives
Messengers arrived from Jairus's home with the devastating news that his daughter had died, creating a crisis of faith for Jairus and the surrounding crowd.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus Reassures Jairus and Enters the House
Jesus told Jairus to 'Fear not, only believe' and proceeded to the house, despite the news of death, intending to confront the reality of death itself.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus Confronts the Mourners
Upon entering the house, Jesus encountered the professional mourners and bystanders, who were wailing loudly. He then spoke the words of the verse, challenging their perception of death as final.
Early 1st century AD
Resurrection of Jairus's Daughter
Jesus expelled the mourners, took the parents and his closest disciples, and by a touch and spoken word, raised the young girl back to life, demonstrating his authority over death.
Jesus also used the metaphor of sleep to describe death when speaking about Lazarus, indicating it's a temporary state from which resurrection is possible.
Matthew 9:24This passage records Jesus using the exact same phrase, 'not dead but sleeping,' when he raised the daughter of Jairus, highlighting the consistent way he addressed death.
1 Thessalonians 4:13Paul echoes this perspective, encouraging believers not to grieve 'as others do who have no hope,' suggesting that death for believers is like sleep, awaiting resurrection.
Revelation 14:13This verse describes those who die in the Lord as resting from their labors, implying a peaceful sleep that precedes their reward and resurrection.
pooleMark 5:39: "And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."
See Poole on "Mark 5:35"
barnesMark 5:39: "And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."
This ado - This tumult, this bustle or confusion. And weep - Weep in this inordinate and improper manner. See the notes at Matthew 9:23. But sleepeth - See the notes at Matthew 9:24.
Jesus’s words here are incredibly gentle, subtly reframing death not as an absolute end, but as a temporary state like sleep. This wasn't just a figure of speech to comfort them; it was a profound declaration that death itself held no ultimate power over His divine authority.
Jesus arrives at the house of Jairus, a synagogue ruler whose daughter is dying, only to be met by people lamenting and wailing because the girl has died. They dismiss Jesus's power to help further, but he tells them not to fear and to believe. He then enters the house with only a few followers and the parents, encountering the chaotic scene of professional mourners.
Jesus arrives at the house of Jairus, a synagogue ruler whose daughter is dying, only to be met by people lamenting and wailing because the girl has died. They dismiss Jesus's power to help further, but he tells them not to fear and to believe. He then enters the house with only a few followers and the parents, encountering the chaotic scene of professional mourners.
"And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”" — Jesus’s words here are incredibly gentle, subtly reframing death not as an absolute end, but as a temporary state like sleep. This wasn't just a figure of speech to comfort them; it was a profound de…
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Last reviewed October 2026