Mark 5:41

41 Taking her by the hand, he said to her, "Talita, kumi!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").

Mark 5:41 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 5:41

And he took the damsel by the hand
(See Gill on Matthew 9:25).

And said unto her;
in the Syriac language, which was then commonly spoken by the Jews, and well understood: hence the Syriac version expresses the following words without an interpretation,

Talitha Cumi.
The Ethiopic version reads it, "Tabitha Cumi"; and so do some Greek copies, and Latin versions, taking it to be the same word as in ( Acts 9:36 ) whereas that signifies "Dorcas, a roe"; but this word is of another signification, as here explained,

which is, being interpreted, damsel (I say unto thee) arise.
The phrase, "I say unto thee", is no part of the interpretation of the above Syriac words; but is added, by the evangelist, as being what was expressed by Christ at the same time, signifying his authority and power over death; only "damsel arise", is the interpretation of them, (ylj) , "Tali", signifies a "boy", and (atylj) , "Talitha", a "girl"; and so they are often used in the Targums ^F23, and in the Talmud: the one is used for a boy of seventeen years of age ^F24, and the other for a girl of sixteen or seventeen years of age ^F25; so that this child might well be called by this name, since she was but twelve years of age; and (ymwq) , "Cumi", is the imperative (Mwq) , "to arise".

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Targum Hieres in Deut. xxii. 21. & Targum Sheni in Esther ii. 9.
F24 T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 142. 2. Gloss. in ib.
F25 lb. fol. 91. 2.

Mark 5:41 In-Context

39 On entering, he said to them, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead, she's just asleep!"

40 And they jeered at him. But he put them all outside, took the child's father and mother and those with him, and went in where the child was.

41 Taking her by the hand, he said to her, "Talita, kumi!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").

42 At once the girl got up and began walking around; she was twelve years old. Everybody was utterly amazed.

43 He gave them strict orders to say nothing about this to anyone, and told them to give her something to eat.