Mark 5:38

38 And they came to the house of the prince of the synagogue and saw the tumult and those that wept and wailed greatly.

Mark 5:38 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 5:38

And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue,
&c.] Along with him, and the three disciples above mentioned; and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions read, "and they came", the above persons:

and seeing the tumult;
the throng and crowd of people, of relations, friends, neighbours, and acquaintance, on this occasion, all in a hurry, and in one motion or another, expressing their concern by words and gestures.

And them that wept and wailed bitterly;
the mourning women, the same with the "preficae" of the Romans, who sung mournful songs, and made hideous noises, being hired for this purpose; as also those who played doleful tunes on musical instruments; (See Gill on Matthew 9:23).

Mark 5:38 In-Context

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he said unto the prince of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no one to follow him, except Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And they came to the house of the prince of the synagogue and saw the tumult and those that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he said unto them, Why make ye this ado and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleeps.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he took the father and the mother of the damsel and those that were with him and entered in where the damsel was lying.