Mark 5:4. Because, &c.— For he had often been bound with fetters and chains, and had wrenched his chains, and broken his fetters, and nobody could tame him. Respecting this miracle, see the notes on Matthew 8:28; Mat 8:34 and Luke 8:26; Luke 8:56.

Mark 5:5. Crying—stones— Howling—flints.

Mark 5:7. What at have I, &c.— What hast thou to do with me? Campbell.

Mark 5:13. Choked— Stifled.

Mark 5:15. Was possessed— Had been possessed.

Mark 5:16. How it befell, &c.— How it had befallen the demoniac.

Mark 5:18. He that had been possessed, &c.— The late demoniac prayed, &c.

Mark 5:22. There cometh one of the rulers—Jairus— The rulers of the synagogue were three persons chosen out of ten, who were obliged constantly to attend the public worship, over which they presided, and determined such disputes as happened in the synagogue. The synagogue over which this ruler presided was perhaps at Capernaum. Generally speaking, the rulers were Christ's bitterest enemies; yet there were some of them of a different character, John 12:42. In particular this ruler must have had a very favourable opinion of Jesus, and a high notion of his power, or he would not have applied to him for help in the present extremity; and by publicly acknowledging his power, have done him so much honour. His faith may have been built on the miracles which he knew Jesus had performed; for our Lord had by this time resided at Capernaum several months.

Mark 5:23. Lieth at the point of death— St. Luke agrees with St. Mark in this circumstance; but St. Matthew seems to add another. According to the latter, Jairus said (Matthew 9:18.), my daughter is even now dead, αρτι ετελευτησεν ; but he might utter both the expressions: for as his daughter lay expiring when he came away, he might think she could not live many minutes; and therefore, having told Jesus that she was lying at the point of death, he added, that in all probability she was dead.
Nevertheless,if this solution seem inconsistent with the ruler's petition, Come, and lay thine hands on her, that she may be healed and with the dejection that appeared in his countenance, when his servants told him that his daughter had actually expired, we may fully remove the difficulty, by translating the clause in St. Matthew, My daughter is almost dead, a sense which, according to the analogy of the Greek language, it will easily bear. See a similar expression, Luke 5:7. We may just observe further, that αρτι does not only signify what is now come to pass, but what is just at hand; and so it may imply no more than that she was considered as just dead, and that there was no hope of her recovery, but by a miracle. See Gerhard, and Doddridge.

Mark 5:25. Which had an issue of blood— Who had had a bloody flux. The circumstances in the next verse are mentioned by the Evangelist, to shew that the woman's disease was incurable, and that she herselfknew it to be so—circumstances, which at one and the same time demonstrate the greatness of the miracle. See Dr. Friend's History of Physic, page 37.

Mark 5:29. And—she was healed of that plague— Μαστιγος,— of that washing and dangerous distemper, with which she had been chastised for so long a time. It was necessary that the ministry of the Son of God should be rendered illustrious by all kinds of miracles, and that all the people of the country where he lived should have both the highest idea, and the firmest persuasion of his power; it was for advancing these great ends, as well as for the sake of the immediate object of his mercy, that the success of this woman's attempt equalled the faith and humility by which she was guided.

Mark 5:37. And he suffered no man to follow him, &c.— When Jesus came to the house, though a great many friends and others accompanied him, he suffered none of them to go in with him, except his three disciples, Peter, James, and John, with the father and mother of the maid; and even these perhaps he admitted for no other reason, than that the miracle might have proper witnesses, who should publish it in due time for the benefit of the world. See the note on Matthew 17:1.

Mark 5:38. And he cometh to the house, &c.— Namely, from the street, for that was the proper time to hinder the crowd from accompanying him. See Luke 8:51. It seems, the mother of the damsel, on seeing that Jesus was nigh, had gone out to the street to conduct him in, or waited for him in the porch of her house to receive him. See on Ch. Mark 2:4. With the attendance above mentioned, Jesus went up stairs where the damsel was lying, for they used to lay their dead in upper rooms. See Acts 9:37. Here he found a number of people in an outer apartment making lamentation for her, according to the custom of the Jews, with music, see Matthew 9:23. The company at theruler'shouse,when Jesus came in, being employed in making such lamentation for the damsel, as they used to make for the dead, it is evident that they all believed she was actually departed: wherefore, when Jesus told them that she was not dead, Mar 5:39 he did not mean that her soul was not separated from her body, but that it was not to continue so, which was the idea the mourners affixed to the word death. Her state he expressed by saying that she slept; using the word in a sense somewhat analogous to that which the Jews put upon it, when in speaking of a person's death they called it sleep, to intimate their belief of his existence and happiness in the other world, together with their hope of a future resurrection to a new life. On this occasion the phrase was madeuse of with singular propriety, to insinuate, that notwithstanding the maid was already dead, she should not long continue so. Jesus was going to raise her from the dead, and would do it with as much ease as they awaked one that was asleep. See John 11:11-13.

Mark 5:40. And they laughed him to scorn— The mourner, not of understanding Jesus, laughed him to scorn when they heard him say, the damsel is not dead; for having seen all the marks and proofs of death about her, they were absolutely certain that she was dead; and yet, if they had given themselves time to consider, they might have understood that he spake in this manner, to intimate that he was going to raise her from the dead; and the rather, as he had been sent for by her parents to heal her miraculously. But his words were ambiguous; and the mourners naturally enough took them in the wrong sense: thus, while Jesus predicted the miracle, to shew that it did not happen by accident, he delivered himself in such terms, as modestly to avoid the reputation which might have accrued to him from so stupendous a work. The dispositions expressed by the mourners rendered them not worthy to behold the miracle. Jesus therefore put them even out of the antechamber; or hemight have done this to be freed from the noise of their lamentation. After clearing the antechamber, he entered where the corpse was lying, accompanied by none but the disciples above-mentioned, and the father and mother of the damsel; they being, of all persons, the most proper witnesses of the miracle, which in reality suffered nothing by the absence of the rest; for as they were all sensible that the child was dead, they could not but be certain of the miracle, when they saw her alive again, though possibly they might not know to whom the honour of her resurrection was due. It seems Jesus was not solicitous of appropriating itto himself; probably also, they went in thus slenderly attended, that the witnesses might have an opportunity to examine the whole transaction narrowly, and so be able to report it afterwards, upon the fullest assurance, and with every circumstance of credibility. It deserves particular attention, with what perfect decorum our Lord conducted himself on this occasion, and how superior he appeared to any views of human applause. See Lardner's answer to Woolston, p. 89.