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When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
Matthew 9:23 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder,
  • KJV And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
  • ESV And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,
  • NKJV When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing,
  • NASB When Jesus came into the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
  • NLT When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Jesus arrives at the ruler's house amid mourners and flute players. The scene of grief sets the stage for his power over death.

Overview

Professional mourners and flutists, customary at a Jewish funeral, fill the house with noisy lament, confirming the girl is truly dead. The chaos of mourning heightens the contrast with the calm authority Jesus is about to show. Death has done its worst, but the Lord of life has come.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 2 Chr 35:25Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the choirs of men and women sing laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.
  • Mark 5:35–40While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?”
  • Luke 8:49–51While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”
  • Matt 9:18–19While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.”
  • Matt 11:17‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
  • Jer 9:17–20This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.
  • Luke 7:32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
  • Acts 9:39So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 9:23YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'

How Matthew 9:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.