Luke 8:53
And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
Original Language Analysis
καὶ
And
G2532
καὶ
And
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
1 of 6
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
αὐτοῦ
him
G846
αὐτοῦ
him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
3 of 6
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
εἰδότες
knowing
G1492
εἰδότες
knowing
Strong's:
G1492
Word #:
4 of 6
used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent g3700 and g3708; properly, to see (literally or figuratively); by impl
Cross References
Isaiah 53:3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Luke 16:14And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.Psalms 22:7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,Job 12:4I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.Job 17:2Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?John 11:39Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Historical Context
Luke, writing as a physician, would have understood death verification practices in the ancient world. The presence of professional mourners served as a form of death certification—they were hired precisely because death had been confirmed. Their ridicule of Jesus demonstrates that the girl's death was publicly acknowledged and medically certain, eliminating later claims that she was merely comatose.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you respond when your faith declarations about God's power to resurrect dead situations are met with scorn or ridicule?
- Why might God allow skeptics and mockers to witness his miraculous works—what purpose does their testimony serve?
- In what ways does the world's 'certainty' about impossibility (death's finality) blind it to God's resurrection power?
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Analysis & Commentary
And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead (καὶ κατεγέλων αὐτοῦ, εἰδότες ὅτι ἀπέθανεν)—the compound verb katagelao indicates contemptuous ridicule, not polite disagreement. The participle eidotes (knowing) emphasizes their certainty—these mourners had verified the death and now mocked Jesus's statement as delusional or blasphemous. This scorn parallels the ridicule Jesus will face at the cross ('He saved others; himself he cannot save,' Matthew 27:42).
The mourners' certainty about death's finality represents human wisdom confronting divine power. Their laughter reveals the natural mind's inability to comprehend resurrection—'the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him' (1 Corinthians 2:14). Yet their mockery inadvertently confirms the miracle's authenticity: skeptical witnesses testify that death was genuine, making the subsequent resurrection irrefutable.