Chapter

Luke 8:43

ESV And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.
NIV And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
NASB And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,
CSB A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors and yet could not be healed by any,
NLT A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure.
KJV And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

What does Luke 8:43 mean?

Jesus is in Galilee, in the middle of a mob. A leader of the synagogue has won His attention on behalf of his dying daughter (Luke 8:40–42), but he is far from the only person in need.

None of the Gospel writers identify the unnamed woman's condition. Scholars speculate it was a type of uterine bleeding. In the Mosaic law, such bleeding makes a woman unclean during the time she is bleeding and for a week after. In fact, anyone she touches would be made unclean. They would merely need to wash before evening, but she is barred from worshiping or sacrificing at the temple (Leviticus 15:25–30).

She knows she needs to touch Jesus to be healed (Mark 5:28), but if she does so, she will make Him ceremonially unclean. She doesn't know that He's God, the Son of God, and the Jewish Messiah. She does know He's a respected teacher, healer, and prophet. She doesn't want Him to know she's about to touch Him and make Him unclean, but she's desperate.

Much as with junk medicine of the modern world, many treatments from "healers" of that era were little more than useless spells. That she has spent twelve years unable to properly engage in life and worship makes her willing to try anything. Unfortunately, not only has she lost all her money to false healers, she "suffered much" from their treatments and even grew worse (Mark 5:26).
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