Luke 8:52 kjv

And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

Luke 8:52 nkjv

Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."

Luke 8:52 niv

Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

Luke 8:52 esv

And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping."

Luke 8:52 nlt

The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, "Stop the weeping! She isn't dead; she's only asleep."

Luke 8 verses

Luke 8 52 Meaning

Luke 8:52 presents a stark contrast between human lamentation and divine pronouncement. While all present are engrossed in profound mourning and ritualistic wailing over the seemingly lifeless body of Jairus's daughter, Jesus delivers a counter-intuitive statement. He commands them to cease their weeping, declaring that the girl is not truly dead in the ultimate sense, but merely "sleeping." This assertion immediately challenges the prevailing human perception of death, revealing Jesus's unique authority and perspective over life itself, portraying death for believers as a temporary, awakenable state, rather than a final cessation.

Luke 8 52 Context

Luke 8:52 is nestled within the account of Jesus's raising of Jairus's daughter (Luke 8:40-56), which itself is sandwiched between the calming of the storm and the healing of the Gerasene demoniac, followed by the healing of the woman with the flow of blood. Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, had desperately sought Jesus's help for his dying daughter. While Jesus was en route to Jairus's house, the woman with the hemorrhage touched Him and was healed, delaying their progress. During this interlude, messengers arrived, proclaiming that Jairus's daughter had died, implying that Jesus's presence was no longer needed. Yet, Jesus, undeterred, encouraged Jairus, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well" (Luke 8:50).

Upon their arrival at Jairus's house, they were met by the expected, culturally established scene of profound mourning—weeping, wailing, and the presence of professional mourners. This context heightens the drama and makes Jesus's declaration in verse 52 all the more striking and contradictory to the visible reality. Historically and culturally, death in ancient Jewish society was a public and immediate sorrow, expressed through loud lamentations, torn garments, and professional mourning. Jesus's calm, authoritative statement cut through this intense and deeply ingrained tradition, challenging their understanding of reality.

Luke 8 52 Word analysis

• And all: Refers to everyone present—family members, servants, professional mourners, and perhaps curious onlookers. It emphasizes the universal nature of the immediate, public mourning.
• wept (ἔκλαιον - eklaion): Imperfect active indicative of klaiō, meaning to weep or wail aloud. The imperfect tense indicates continuous, ongoing weeping, reflecting deep emotional distress. It conveys audible expressions of grief.
• and bewailed (ἐκόπτοντο - ekoptonto) her: Imperfect middle/passive indicative of koptō, which means "to beat, cut, or strike oneself." In this context, it specifically refers to the loud beating of one's breast or head as a highly demonstrative sign of intense grief and lamentation, a common mourning custom often associated with professional mourners. This goes beyond simple weeping, signifying ritualistic lamentation.
• but he said: This conjunction (de in Greek, rendered as "but") marks a stark and immediate contrast between the public display of grief and Jesus's unexpected, authoritative counter-statement.
• Weep not (Μὴ κλαίετε - Mē klaiete): A prohibitive imperative. It's not a suggestion but a direct command for them to stop weeping. This immediately asserts Jesus's authority and perspective over the situation, despite the observable reality.
• she is not dead (οὐ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν - ou gar apethanen): A definitive negative statement from Jesus. Ou is a strong negation, and apethanen is the aorist active indicative of apothnēskō, "to die." From the human perspective, she was undeniably dead. Jesus’s statement denies this ultimate reality of death.
• but sleepeth (ἀλλὰ καθεύδει - alla katheudei): Alla (but, rather) provides a strong contrast to "not dead." Katabendei is the present active indicative of katheudō, "to sleep." This is the pivotal redefinition. For Jesus, and from God's perspective, death for those He wills to raise is merely a temporary "sleep," awaiting awakening. This metaphor does not mean she was physically just resting but that her physical cessation was not a permanent, unchangeable state in His presence.

Words-group analysis:

• "all wept and bewailed her": This phrase portrays the complete and public nature of the grief, deeply embedded in cultural practices. The double expression of lament underscores the widely accepted, overwhelming evidence of her death. This sets the stage for the dramatic impact of Jesus's following words.
• "Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth": This is Jesus's profound reinterpretation of death. It challenges the conventional understanding of physical cessation by asserting His divine power over it. By describing death as "sleep," Jesus provides a messianic perspective, where death is not final but a temporary, restive state awaiting the powerful call of the resurrecting Lord. This statement reveals Jesus's unique identity as Lord of life and death, presenting His imminent act not as a resuscitation but as an awakening.

Luke 8 52 Bonus section

The seemingly paradoxical nature of Jesus's statement "not dead, but sleepeth" highlights a profound polemic against the ultimate power of death. In a world where death was an undeniable finality, Jesus declared its temporary status under His authority. This concept of death as "sleep" for believers would later become foundational to early Christian eschatology, offering hope for resurrection rather than despair over eternal separation. Furthermore, Jesus chose a very small, intimate group—Peter, James, John, and the girl's parents—to witness the actual awakening (Luke 8:51, 54-55). His command in Luke 8:52, immediately before taking her hand and commanding her to rise, prepares this exclusive inner circle for the profound revelation of His power, allowing the miracle to speak for itself without the initial clamor of the disbelieving crowd.

Luke 8 52 Commentary

Luke 8:52 captures the profound theological tension between human experience and divine truth. The loud, customary lamentations of the gathered crowd and professional mourners underscored their certainty that the young girl was irreversibly dead. Their weeping and ritualistic wailing were public declarations of a finished life. Yet, into this scene of overwhelming grief, Jesus introduces a radical, counter-intuitive truth: "Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth."

This statement is not a denial of her physical state—she had indeed ceased to breathe and had no pulse from a human medical standpoint—but rather a redefinition of her state from a divine, resurrection-focused perspective. For Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, death holds no ultimate dominion. He refers to physical death as "sleep" for believers because it is temporary and has an appointed awakening (John 11:11-13; 1 Thess 4:13-14). It implies a peaceful repose, a temporary cessation, from which one can be aroused. This perspective strips death of its finality and terror, positioning it as a transitional phase, not an absolute end.

Jesus's command to "Weep not" is not a dismissal of grief but an injunction based on a higher reality. He calls them to halt their mourning because the circumstances, while appearing final to them, were temporary for Him. This declaration showcased His authority over life and death, an authority only God possesses. The public's immediate response of scoffing (Luke 8:53) further highlights the chasm between human logic and divine power. Ultimately, this brief declaration served as a pre-announcement of the miraculous resurrection, signifying that for those who are in Christ, death is swallowed up in victory (1 Cor 15:54).