Death in childhood was a quite frequent occurrence. Because bodies decomposed rapidly, mourners had to gather quickly (for example, b. Sanhedrin 47a). Later texts probably reflect the earlier view of many religious people in regarding at least two or three mourners (two flutists and one professional mourning woman) as mandatory for the funeral of the poorest person (m. Ketubot 4:4), but a prominent local person like this ruler (v. 18) would probably be able to afford more. (His wealth and status set him in stark contrast to the ailing woman earlier in the story, but his grief has reduced him to the same position of dependence on Jesus.)

"Sleep" was a common euphemism for death in antiquity (like our "passed away"), but Jesus' contrast between sleep and death here suggests that he wished his hearers to understand that the child was not truly dead. If Jesus intended his assertion that the girl was merely asleep (v. 24) to keep word about her resuscitation from spreading, however, the tactic did not work (v. 26). Long-term professional mourners would recognize the difference (Harris 1986:309), so they seem not to have believed him.

Corpse-uncleanness was the most serious uncleanness anyone could contract, rendering a person unclean for seven days (Num 19:11). Because others could have thought that touching the girl would render him unclean, Jesus showed his exceptional kindness and willingness to get involved by taking the girl's hand when he raised her up.