Mark 5:25-34 · Bible study
Mark 5:25-34 Commentary: Healing in the Crowd, Faith, Touch, and Grace
Greek · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Jesus pause for a bleeding woman in a crowd? Explore the grammar, context, and meaning of her faith and his compassion in Mark 5:25, 34.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The woman’s desperate faith in Jesus’ power brings not only physical healing but restored belonging, she is publicly called “daughter” and sent into peace.
- Key words: δύναμις (power that goes forth), πίστις (faith), σώζω (to heal/save, used in the perfect tense, indicating a lasting result), θυγάτηρ (daughter, a unique, tender address).
- Main debate: Minimal debate. Some discuss whether the “power” (δύναμις) is a quasi-physical substance or a symbol of Jesus’ divine authority, but all agree that faith draws on Christ’s power.
- Theological theme: Christ’s power overrides ceremonial impurity; faith, even when imperfect, connects us to that power; healing is ratified when publicly acknowledged.
- Best use: Pastoral preaching on healing, faith, shame, and inclusion; small-group study on the nature of reaching for Jesus in a crowd.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
25And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years.
26She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse.
27When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak.
28For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.”
29Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?”
31His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”
32But He kept looking around to see who had done this.
33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth.
34“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
25A certain woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
26and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse,
27having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes.
28For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
29Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31His disciples said to him, “You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
32He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
33But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
KJV King James Version 1769
25And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
25And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years,
26and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27having heard the things concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment.
28For she said, If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole.
29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague.
30And straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding from him had gone forth, turned him about in the crowd, and said, Who touched my garments?
31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
25and a certain woman, having an issue of blood twelve years,
26and many things having suffered under many physicians, and having spent all that she had, and having profited nothing, but rather having come to the worse,
27having heard about Jesus, having come in the multitude behind, she touched his garment,
28for she said--`If even his garments I may touch, I shall be saved;'
29and immediately was the fountain of her blood dried up, and she knew in the body that she hath been healed of the plague.
30And immediately Jesus having known in himself that out of him power had gone forth, having turned about in the multitude, said, `Who did touch my garments?'
31and his disciples said to him, `Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and thou sayest, `Who did touch me!'
32And he was looking round to see her who did this,
33and the woman, having been afraid, and trembling, knowing what was done on her, came, and fell down before him, and told him all the truth,
34and he said to her, `Daughter, thy faith hath saved thee; go away in peace, and be whole from thy plague.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
25And a certain woman who had had a flux of blood twelve years,
26and had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent everything she had and had found no advantage from it, but had rather got worse,
27having heard concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind and touched his clothes;
28for she said, If I shall touch but his clothes I shall be healed.
29And immediately her fountain of blood was dried up, and she knew in her body that she was cured from the scourge.
30And immediately Jesus, knowing in himself the power that had gone out of him, turning round in the crowd said, Who has touched my clothes?
31And his disciples said to him, Thou seest the crowd pressing on thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32And he looked round about to see her who had done this.
33But the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had taken place in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34And he said to her, Daughter, thy faith has healed thee; go in peace, and be well of thy scourge.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
25And a woman who was under an issue of blood twelve years,
26And had suffered many things from many physicians; and had spent all that she had, and was nothing the better, but rather worse,
27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the crowd behind him, and touched his garment.
28For she said: If I shall touch but his garment, I shall be whole.
29And forthwith the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the evil.
30And immediately Jesus knowing in himself the virtue that had proceeded from him, turning to the multitude, said: Who hath touched my garments?
31And his disciples said to him: Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou who hath touched me?
32And he looked about to see her who had done this.
33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34And he said to her: Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole: go in peace, and be thou whole of thy disease.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Mark 5:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this story reveals Jesus’ power (δύναμις, dunamis) as freely available to those who reach out in faith, even when their approach is hesitant and their background is ritually unclean. The woman’s twelve-year hemorrhage (v. 25) placed her under a perpetual ban according to Leviticus 15:19, 27, she was untouchable. Yet Mark notes that Jesus immediately perceived in himself that the power had gone out from him (v. 30). Vincent’s Word Studies observes that έπιγνούς (epignous) means “having fully known”, he was fully aware not only that power had left him but which person had received it.
On Jesus’ question, “Who touched my clothes?” (v. 30), Augustine is often cited: “The crowd presses, but only faith touches.” The disciples’ objection (v. 31) underscores the difference between physical contact and intentional, believing touch. The woman’s response (“fearing and trembling,” v. 33) reflects the risk she took in appearing publicly while unclean. But Jesus’ address, “Daughter” (θυγάτηρ, thugatēr), is unique in the Gospels, he calls no other woman by this name (Cambridge Bible). It signals not rebuke but restoration into the family of God.
As Calvin notes, the healing is ratified when spoken aloud; the woman now possesses the benefit with a promise. Clarke adds that “faith conveys the virtue of Christ into the soul.” The consensus is clear: in this encounter, Jesus shows that his purity overrides ritual defilement, and that healing comes through trust in him, even a trembling, imperfect trust.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus heals a ritually unclean woman in response to her faith, demonstrating that his power and compassion override ceremonial barriers and that true healing includes restoration to community.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the “power” that goes forth from Jesus | All traditions agree that Jesus consciously perceived the healing power leaving him and that this power originates from his divine nature, not from his human will alone. | Some (e.g., certain Pentecostal and charismatic interpretations) see this as a literal transfer of divine energy that can be sensed; others (more Reformed or Catholic traditions) emphasize it as a metaphor for Jesus' sovereign awareness and the personal nature of his encounter, the power is not a force to be tapped apart from relationship. |
| Why Jesus made the woman come forward publicly | All traditions agree that Jesus wanted to bring the healing into the open, not to shame her but to authenticate her cure and to teach about faith. | Some emphasize the need for public confession and testimony; others focus on Jesus’ desire to replace her fear with peace and to affirm her place in the community rather than letting her remain anonymous. |
| The role of the woman's faith in her healing | All agree that faith is the instrument, not the source, of healing, it is her trust in Jesus that connects her to his power. | Different traditions weigh the relationship between faith and physical healing differently. Some see this as a paradigm for expecting physical healing today; others caution against turning this into a formula (“if you have enough faith, you will be healed”), noting that the woman acted on what she had heard about Jesus, not on a comprehensive theology. |
| Ceremonial uncleanness and ritual law | All traditions agree that Jesus did not become unclean by her touch; rather, her uncleanness was overcome by his holiness. | Catholic and Orthodox traditions often see this as a sign that Christ reverses the old covenant purity laws. Some Protestant traditions emphasize that Jesus fulfills and transcends the ceremonial law, while a few more theonomically inclined groups may argue the purity laws remain instructive as shadows of Christ. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This story is set within a larger scene: Jesus is on his way to raise the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mark 5:21, 24). The crowd presses so tightly that movement is difficult, Mark’s Greek uses συνθλίβοντα (sunthlibonta, v. 31), a verb that means “to press together on all sides.” Into this crush comes a woman who, by every cultural and religious standard, should not be there.
Her condition, a discharge of blood for twelve years (v. 25), is described in Leviticus 15:19, 27 as making her ceremonially unclean. Any person or object she touched became unclean until evening. To appear in public, let alone press into a crowd, risked defiling everyone around her. The Gospel writers do not condemn her for this; rather, they highlight the desperation that drove her to act.
Clarke and Vincent both note the brutal remedies prescribed by Jewish physicians of the time. The Talmud records cures involving gum of Alexandria, alum, and Persian onions boiled in wine, often with incantations. Mark’s phrase “had suffered many things of many physicians” (v. 26) likely refers not just to physical pain but to the fruitless, expensive, and sometimes humiliating treatments she endured. By the time she reaches Jesus, she has spent all she had and gotten worse.
Her plan to touch only his garment (ἱμάτιον, himation) makes sense in light of the tassels (tzitzit) that devout Jews wore on their cloaks (Numbers 15:37, 40). Many hoped that touching these fringes, especially of a prophet, would bring healing (Matthew 9:20). Her faith is both bold and fragile: she believes a touch will work, yet she tries to remain anonymous, perhaps fearing the public exposure that would follow if discovered. Mark’s account is unique in capturing her inner thought (v. 28) with the imperfect tense (ἔλεγεν, elegen, “she kept saying to herself”), showing a mind fixed on this one hope as she pushed through the crowd.
When Jesus stops and asks “Who touched me?” he is not ignorant but intentional. He wants to bring this concealed act of faith into the open, not to shame her, but to pronounce peace over her and to show that God’s power does not operate by stealth. The woman’s trembling confession (v. 33) and Jesus’ gentle response (“Daughter, go in peace”) transform a stolen cure into a recognized gift. Her physical healing is sealed by the word of Christ himself.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Mark 5:25, 34. The witnesses are consistent across the major manuscripts, and the passage presents no scribal difficulties that affect interpretation. Minor variations in wording (e.g., the presence or absence of the article before “Jesus” in v. 30) are attested but do not change the meaning.
Reception History
This story has been treasured across the centuries for its intimate portrayal of Christ’s compassion and the power of personal faith. Augustine famously distinguished between the mere pressing of the crowd and the touch of faith (later codified in the Latin phrase caro premit, fides tangit, “the flesh presses, faith touches”). In medieval devotional writing, the woman was often seen as a type of the believing soul who reaches out to Christ despite unworthiness.
During the Reformation, commentators such as Calvin and Luther pointed to the public confession before Christ as a model for receiving God’s promises with confidence. The phrase “go in peace” (εἰς εἰρήνην, eis eirēnēn, literally “into peace”) became a pastoral formula for sending the healed into a new state of wholeness.
In modern evangelical hymnody, the story has been sung in hymns of healing and deliverance, emphasizing that Christ’s power is available to anyone who reaches out in faith, even those who have been disappointed by every other help. Missionaries have also drawn strength from the narrative, seeing the woman’s perseverance as a pattern for those who seek Christ amid cultural or religious barriers.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- A desperate woman with nothing left but faith. Twelve years of bleeding, failed doctors, depleted resources, and growing isolation (vv. 25, 26). Yet the moment she hears about Jesus, a new hope stirs. Her faith is not theological sophistication, it is a raw conviction that touching his clothes will change everything.
- Power that flows through faith, not proximity. The crowd presses Jesus on all sides, but only one touch draws out his power (v. 30). The disciples are bewildered, everyone is touching him! But Jesus knows the difference between jostling and reaching. Real contact with Christ happens when we reach for him intentionally, even if our grip is weak.
- From a stolen cure to a daughter’s peace. The woman hoped for anonymity. Instead, she gets a face-to-face encounter. Jesus calls her “Daughter”, the only time he uses this title for a woman in the Gospels. He does not rebuke her ritual breach. He pronounces peace and wholeness, confirming what she already sensed in her body. Her healing becomes whole when it is spoken over her.
Five-Point Outline
- The woman’s condition: chronic, humiliating, isolating (v. 25; Lev. 15:19, 27).
- Her futile search for help: physicians who only made things worse (v. 26).
- Her resolution: “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well” (vv. 27, 28; the imperfect tense shows her repeating this conviction).
- Jesus’ response: he perceives power going out, stops the crowd, and seeks her out (vv. 29, 32).
- The public confession and commissioning: she tells the whole truth; he sends her into peace (vv. 33, 34).
Illustration Hooks
- The long wait for a diagnosis. Many people know what it means to live for years with an illness that has no clear solution, specialist after specialist, changing treatments, mounting bills, and the slow erosion of hope. This woman’s story can connect with anyone who has ever felt that their suffering is invisible and endless.
- Reaching through a crowd. In a busy market or transit station, people jostle constantly. But if a child or a spouse is separated, the touch becomes urgent, intentional. That is the difference between the crowd’s jostle and this woman’s reach. Faith is the intentional touch when everyone else is just pressing.
- A secret you are afraid to tell. She hoped for a quiet cure. Instead, she had to step into the light and tell her story. Many carry burdens they wish to keep hidden, but healing often requires a moment of honest exposure, met by grace rather than judgment.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Did the woman need to be publicly exposed? Why did Jesus make her come forward instead of letting her slip away healed?
- I have prayed for healing and it did not come. Does this story mean my faith was too weak?
- What does “power going out” of Jesus mean? Does God lose power when he heals?
Leading a Discussion
Mark sets this story within an even more urgent one, Jesus is on his way to raise a dying girl. But he stops for a woman who has been suffering for twelve years. That pause itself tells us something: there is no hierarchy of need in the kingdom. Small-group discussion can explore what this encounter reveals about faith, shame, and the way Jesus sees those who reach for him.
Discussion Questions
- Read verses 25, 26. What do you learn about this woman from these two verses alone? What pressures, fears, and hopes might she have carried?
- According to Leviticus 15:19, 27, her condition made her ceremonially unclean. What did it cost her to push into the crowd that day? Why do you think she risked it?
- Verse 28 says she “kept saying” (imperfect tense in Greek) to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.” What does her repeated inner statement reveal about her faith?
- Jesus asks, “Who touched my clothes?” (v. 30). Compare this with the disciples’ response (v. 31). What is the difference between the way the crowd touches him and the way this woman touches him?
- Why do you think Jesus made the woman come forward and tell her story (v. 33) instead of letting her slip away? What does that tell us about the kind of healing he offers?
- Jesus calls her “Daughter” (v. 34), the only time he uses that title for a woman in the Gospels. Why is that significant? What does it do for her that the physical healing alone could not do?
- This healing happens while Jesus is on his way to another emergency. What does that say about how Jesus responds to needs? How might this shape our prayers for ourselves and for others?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 15:19 | “‘If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge in her flesh is blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days. Whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. |
| Leviticus 15:20 | “‘Everything that she lies on in her impurity shall be unclean. Everything also that she sits on shall be unclean. |
| Leviticus 15:25 | “‘If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her period, all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness shall be as in the days of her period. She is unclean. |
| Leviticus 15:27 | Whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. |
| Matthew 9:20 | Behold, a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; |
| Matthew 9:22 | But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. |
| Luke 8:43 | A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians and could not be healed by any, |
| Luke 8:44 | came behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak. Immediately the flow of her blood stopped. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes the absurd and harmful remedies Jewish physicians prescribed for the woman's hemorrhage, showing why she grew worse despite spending everything. Against this backdrop of failed human efforts, her simple touch of Jesus by faith stands as the only true cure, making her a fitting patient for the Great Physician.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the woman's healing became fully certain only when Christ's spoken words confirmed what she had already felt. For Calvin, no benefit from God is truly enjoyed or held with a clear conscience unless it is possessed as part of God's own promises.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB contrasts the crowd's aimless jostling with the woman's deliberate, faith-filled touch. That single touch, he says, draws healing power from Christ as an electric conductor draws virtue. Jesus then draws her out publicly not to shame her but to secure her testimony to the miracle.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees this as a story of victory over despairing unbelief. Jairus' weak
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the contrast between rejection and welcome: when the Gadarenes send Jesus away, he simply crosses the water and finds a crowd ready to receive him. A despised gospel will not stay where it is refused but moves on to those who welcome it.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights Mark's vivid narrative details, especially the imperfect tense for the woman's repeated thought and the shift from "knew" to "is healed" that marks the moment. He notes that Mark alone records Jesus knowing the power had gone out from him, and that Luke the physician omitted the statement about her condition growing worse.