Mark 5:27 kjv
When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
Mark 5:27 nkjv
When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
Mark 5:27 niv
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,
Mark 5:27 esv
She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.
Mark 5:27 nlt
She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.
Mark 5 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 5:25-26 | Now a certain woman had a flow of blood twelve years... suffered many things from many physicians... | Woman's long-term suffering and failed treatments. |
| Mk 5:28 | For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” | Her explicit statement of faith and intent. |
| Mk 5:29 | Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up... | Immediate result of her touch. |
| Mk 5:30 | Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power had gone out of Him... | Jesus' awareness of the healing power flow. |
| Mk 5:34 | And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” | Healing attributed to her faith, not just touch. |
| Mt 9:20 | And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind... touched the hem of His garment. | Parallel account: woman's approach. |
| Mt 9:21 | For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” | Parallel account: her inner thought. |
| Lk 8:43-44 | Now a woman... came from behind and touched the border of His garment... | Parallel account: border (fringe) of garment. |
| Lk 8:46 | But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” | Jesus' perception of healing power. |
| Lk 17:19 | And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” | Faith as the agent of healing (Leper). |
| Mt 14:35-36 | ...they brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. | Many sought healing through touching His garment. |
| Mk 6:56 | And wherever He entered... they laid the sick in the marketplaces... begged Him that they might just touch the border of His garment. | General desire for healing by garment touch. |
| Lk 6:19 | And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. | Power from Jesus when touched. |
| Acts 5:15 | ...they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. | Extended healing power through apostles. |
| Acts 19:11-12 | God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons... were brought to the sick... | Healing power extended through apostle's items. |
| Lev 15:25-30 | If a woman has a discharge... during the time of her impurity... she is unclean. | Laws regarding the woman's ritual impurity. |
| Num 15:38-39 | Tell them to make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments... and you shall look at it and remember all the commandments... | Law regarding fringes (potentially touched). |
| Heb 11:1 | Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. | Definition of faith underpinning her action. |
| Heb 11:6 | But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is... | Necessity of faith for divine favor/healing. |
| Rom 10:17 | So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. | Connection between hearing and faith. |
| Jas 1:6-7 | But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. | The quality of faith required for healing. |
| Isa 53:5 | But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. | Prophecy of healing through suffering of the Messiah. |
Mark 5 verses
Mark 5 27 Meaning
Mark 5:27 describes a desperate woman afflicted with a persistent flow of blood who, having heard about Jesus' healing power, humbly and discreetly approached Him in a dense crowd, believing that merely touching His garment would result in her healing. This verse encapsulates her profound faith and initiates the moment of divine intervention.
Mark 5 27 Context
Mark chapter 5 opens with Jesus demonstrating His authority over spiritual powers by delivering the Gerasene demoniac. Following this, Jesus returns to Capernaum, where a desperate synagogue ruler named Jairus pleads with Him to heal his dying daughter. As Jesus is on His way to Jairus' house, surrounded by a large crowd, the narrative is dramatically interrupted by the story of a woman suffering from a chronic hemorrhage. This intertwining, known as Markan intercalation or a "sandwich structure," emphasizes the contrast between Jairus's prominent status and public request versus the woman's outcast condition and discreet act, while also highlighting the theme of faith and Jesus' universal power to heal. Verse 27 sets the stage for her discreet but profoundly impactful encounter.
Mark 5 27 Word analysis
- "When she heard" (ἀκούσασα, akousasa): This aorist active participle signifies a definite, completed act of hearing that served as the foundational impetus for her action. It implies not just passively listening, but processing and believing what she heard about Jesus' healing power, which then prompted a response. Faith often originates from hearing about Christ (Rom 10:17).
- "about Jesus" (περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, peri tou Iēsou): Her knowledge was specific to Jesus, His reputation, and His miracles. This indicates that Jesus' fame as a healer had spread widely, inspiring hope in those considered incurable by conventional means.
- "she came behind Him" (ἐλθοῦσα ὄπισθεν, elthousa opisthen): This phrase highlights several significant aspects.
- Discretion/Humility: Given her condition (a chronic hemorrhage rendered her ritually unclean under Lev 15:25-30, meaning anything she touched would become unclean, and she would defile others), approaching from behind was a way to avoid public exposure, condemnation, or accidentally defiling others in the crowd or even Jesus Himself.
- Desperation/Fear: She may have feared outright rejection if she approached Jesus directly or voiced her plea. This approach indicates her intense desire for healing combined with a cautious and perhaps embarrassed humility.
- "in the crowd" (ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ, en tō ochlō): The large crowd provided anonymity, allowing her to approach unseen. It also demonstrates the constant presence of needy people around Jesus and highlights the challenge of reaching Him. Her action was one of intense focus despite external chaos.
- "and touched" (ἥψατο, hēpsato): This aorist middle/passive verb emphasizes her intentional, deliberate, and self-initiated action. She "touched for herself," an active decision born of faith, not a casual brush. This physical contact was the tangible expression of her profound internal belief.
- "His garment" (τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ, tou himatiou autou): While Mark uses the general term for outer garment, Matthew (9:20) and Luke (8:44) specify "the hem of His garment" or "the border of His garment" (κρασπέδου, kraspedou). This is significant because devout Jewish men wore tassels or fringes on the corners of their outer garments (Num 15:38-39; Deut 22:12) as a visual reminder of God's commandments. By specifically touching the fringe, she might have connected Jesus with divine authority and purity, believing that holiness resided even in the symbolic parts of His attire. Her faith was not just in Jesus but in His anointing, perceiving His garments as conduits of divine power.
Mark 5 27 Bonus section
The anonymity the woman sought by coming from behind in the crowd stands in stark contrast to Jesus' subsequent action of seeking her out (Mk 5:30-33). While her faith facilitated her physical healing through a quiet touch, Jesus insisted on revealing her publicly. This seemingly counter-intuitive act served multiple purposes: to affirm that it was her faith, not just a physical brush, that healed her; to restore her dignity publicly by calling her "Daughter" and commending her faith; and to provide an undeniable testimony to the power of God operating through Him, reinforcing His authority both to Jairus (whose daughter was close to death) and to the crowd.
Mark 5 27 Commentary
Mark 5:27 presents a pivotal moment in the story of the hemorrhaging woman. Her long-standing affliction had made her a social outcast, ritually unclean and a financial burden with no cure. Her action of coming "behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment" speaks volumes about her state. It reveals a deep desperation born of twelve years of suffering and failed remedies, a profound humility driven by her defiling condition, and above all, an extraordinary, unwavering faith. She didn't seek Jesus' attention or public acknowledgement; she simply believed that contact, even with His clothing, was enough for divine power to flow and heal her. This single verse underscores that faith, originating from hearing about Jesus, can move individuals to act decisively, often discreetly, in confident expectation of God's transformative power, even without a direct word or acknowledgment from the Savior initially. Her act wasn't magical; it was an act of profound trust that demonstrated she had already "grasped" the essence of who Jesus was—a vessel of life and healing.