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Ver. 18,19. Mark hath this history, Mar_5:22-24, And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. Luke hath it, Luk_8:42, adding only that she was his only daughter, twelve years of age. Two evangelists say she was at the point of death, or dying: Matthew saith that he said she was dead; that might be according to his apprehension; she was so near death, that he concluded that by that time he was got to Christ she was dead. Others observe out of Greek authors, that the particle arti, here used, doth not always signify a time past, but sometimes a time near at hand. But the best answer is, that Matthew relates the story compendiously. It appears from Luk_8:49, that the maid did die. Matthew reports that first, which the messenger brought them the news of afterwards, as we shall see in Mat_9:23. By the ruler here both Mark and Luke tell us is to be understood Jairus; not a civil magistrate, but one who was the ruler of the synagogue in that place; for in their synagogues they had an order, there was one chief who ordered the affairs of it, and they say the interpretation of the law belonged to him.
And worshipped him, with a civil worship, or respect,
saying, My daughter is even now dead, or dying. One would judge the latter should be the evangelist’s meaning of the particle, because of what the other evangelists say,
Come and lay thy hands on her, and she shall live. His faith riseth not up to the centurion’s faith, who declared his faith that if Christ would but speak the word his servant should live. Jairus desires him to come and lay his hands upon her.
And Jesus arose, and followed him, and his disciples. The Jews thrust Christ’s followers out of their synagogues; he is more kind to the ruler of their synagogue, he presently goeth, and his disciples followed him: they were to be witnesses of his miracles. Mark adds, much people followed, and thronged him; which gave occasion to another miracle, which Christ did in his way to Jairus’s house, the relation of which Matthew giveth us before he perfecth the history of this miracle.