Luke 8 44

Luke 8:44 kjv

Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

Luke 8:44 nkjv

came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

Luke 8:44 niv

She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

Luke 8:44 esv

She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

Luke 8:44 nlt

Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.

Luke 8 verses

Luke 8 44 Meaning

Luke 8:44 describes the moment a woman, who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for twelve years, found healing. She approached Jesus from behind in the crowd and, with an act of faith, touched the very fringe of His garment. Immediately, her chronic hemorrhage ceased, signifying instantaneous and complete restoration to health and ritual purity by the power of Christ.

Luke 8 44 Context

Luke 8:44 is nestled within a powerful narrative sequence in Luke's Gospel, where Jesus demonstrates His authority over nature, disease, and demons. Prior to this verse, Jesus has taught parables, calmed a furious storm, and cast out a legion of demons from the Gerasene man. Immediately before the woman's healing, Jesus is on His way to the home of Jairus, a synagogue official, whose daughter is dying. The healing of the woman with the flow of blood is presented as an interruption in this urgent journey, underscoring its significance and highlighting Jesus' responsiveness to individual faith amidst a crowd. Her condition made her ceremonially unclean according to Levitical law (Lev 15:25-30), rendering her an outcast from society and religious life. Her physical touch would ritually defile anyone she encountered, creating profound social and spiritual isolation. By approaching Jesus, she transgressed these societal boundaries out of desperate hope, revealing a deep understanding of Jesus' unique power.

Luke 8 44 Word analysis

• καὶ (kai) - "And": Conjunction connecting this event directly to the preceding narrative of Jesus' journey to Jairus's house. It implies an immediate continuation of action.
• αὐτῇ (autē) - "her": Refers to the woman with the flow of blood, establishing the subject of the healing.
• παραχρῆμα (parachrēma) - "immediately/straightway": Emphasizes the instantaneous nature of the healing. This swiftness points to a divine intervention, not a gradual recovery. It highlights the potency of Jesus' power.
• ἔστη (estē) - "stopped/stood": From the verb histēmi (to stand). It signifies a complete and definitive cessation. The bleeding didn't lessen; it completely stopped, denoting full and perfect restoration.
• ἡ (hē) - "the": Definite article.
• ῥύσις (rhysis) - "flow/discharge": Refers specifically to the gush or flux, in this context, of blood. It directly names her debilitating and ritually defiling condition.
• τοῦ (tou) - "of the": Definite article.
• αἵματος (haimatos) - "blood": Identifies the nature of the discharge. For a Jewish woman, a continuous flow of blood signified ritual uncleanness and social ostracization.
• αὐτῆς (autēs) - "her": Possessive pronoun indicating the affliction belonged to her.
• ἀψαμένης (hapsamenēs) - "upon touching/having touched": From the verb haptomai, which implies not just accidental contact, but often a deliberate act of seeking out and laying hold of something, usually with a strong desire for interaction. It conveys a purposeful, faith-filled physical connection.
• τοῦ (tou) - "the": Definite article.
• κρασπέδου (kraspedou) - "fringe/hem/tassel": This is a significant word. It refers to the tsitsit (plural tsitsiyot), the tassels worn by devout Jews on the corners of their outer garments (Num 15:38-39; Deut 22:12). These fringes served as a visual reminder to observe all God's commandments. Touching Jesus' fringe represented not merely touching his clothing, but a belief in his divine authority and connection to God's law and power, signifying she believed healing power resided within his divinely appointed person. This subtle act might also connect to the prophecy in Malachi 4:2, "the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings," where "wings" (kanap) can refer to the corner or fringe of a garment.
• τοῦ (tou) - "of the": Definite article.
• ἱματίου (himatiou) - "garment/cloak": Refers to the outer robe or cloak, the common attire.
• αὐτοῦ (autou) - "His": Refers to Jesus.

Words-group analysis:

• "And immediately her flow of blood stopped": This phrase emphasizes divine efficiency and power. The sudden and complete cessation points to an undeniable miracle that defies natural processes, illustrating God's sovereignty over sickness and chronic conditions. It underscores that God's intervention is not slow or partial.
• "upon touching the fringe of His garment": This highlights the pivotal action rooted in the woman's faith. The specificity of touching the fringe of the garment points to an intentional act with a deep symbolic resonance within the Jewish cultural context, rather than a mere brush against Jesus. It suggests her conviction that even the slightest, most holy point of contact with Him would release divine power.

Luke 8 44 Bonus section

The anonymity of the woman's touch, in contrast to Jesus' immediate awareness ("Who touched Me?", Luke 8:45), highlights a unique aspect of His divine sensitivity. It wasn't just a physical touch, but a faith-filled touch that drew power out from Him, an indication that a relationship, even if initiated by an act of faith alone, makes a distinctive claim on Him. This miracle serves as a subtle polemic against the strict interpretations of ritual purity laws, demonstrating that Christ's purity and power could override and sanctify uncleanness, rather than be defiled by it. It points towards a New Covenant reality where physical touch, when accompanied by faith, transmits life and healing rather than impurity, ushering in a spiritual order where Christ is the ultimate source of purification. The healing not only restored her body but also her standing in community and her ability to participate in religious life, demonstrating Jesus' holistic approach to human flourishing.

Luke 8 44 Commentary

Luke 8:44 encapsulates a profound intersection of faith, divine power, and radical grace. The woman's twelve-year suffering isolated her not only physically but also socially and religiously due to the Mosaic laws regarding impurity. Her courage to enter the crowded space, risking public censure for defiling others, speaks to her desperate need and unwavering belief. Her act of touching the fringe (tsitsit) was deliberate, an act of faith demonstrating her conviction that Jesus possessed inherent divine authority and healing power beyond conventional means or Levitical strictures. The "immediate" stopping of her flow testifies to the definitive and complete nature of Christ's healing power, transcending any human limitations or medical futility she had previously experienced. This miracle showcases Jesus' compassion, His willingness to interact with and restore the outcast, and His power over what was deemed incurable, reaffirming His identity as the Christ. It serves as a powerful reminder that it is active, desperate, and persevering faith that truly draws from God's boundless power.