“Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB he said to them, “Make room, because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” They were ridiculing him.
- KJV He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
- NKJV He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him.
- NASB He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him.
- NLT “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him.
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 says the girl is only sleeping, and the crowd mocks him. To Jesus, raising the dead is as simple as waking a sleeper.
Overview
By calling death 'sleep,' Jesus signals that for him death is not final but a state from which he can awaken her. The mourners' ridicule shows their certainty that she is dead, making the coming miracle undeniable. His words reflect the Christian hope that, in Christ, death is a sleep from which believers will be raised.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Acts 20:10But Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and embraced him. “Do not be alarmed!” he said. “He is still alive!”
- John 11:11–13After He had said this, He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.”
- Isa 49:7Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”
- Isa 53:3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
- Acts 9:40Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
- John 11:4When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
- Matt 27:39–43And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
- 1 Kgs 17:18–24“O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
- Ps 22:6–7But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:24 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.