Matthew 9:18-26 New English Translation

Restoration and Healing

¹⁸As he was saying these things, a leader^[a] came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. ²⁰But^[b] a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage^[c] for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge^[d] of his cloak.^[e] ²¹For she kept saying to herself,^[f] “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.”^[g] ²²But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.”^[h] And the woman was healed^[i] from that hour. ²³When Jesus entered the leader’s house and saw the flute players^[j] and the disorderly crowd, ²⁴he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep!” And they began making fun of him.^[k] ²⁵But when the crowd had been forced outside,^[l] he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶And the news of this spread throughout that region.^[m]

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Footnotes

Matthew 9:18 tn Matthew’s account does not qualify this individual as “a leader of the synagogue” as do the parallel accounts in Mark 5:22 and Luke 8:41, both of which also give the individual’s name as Jairus. The traditional translation of the Greek term ἄρχων (archōn) as “ruler” could in this unqualified context in Matthew suggest a political or other form of ruler, so here the translation “leader” is preferred (see BDAG 140 s.v. ἄρχων 2.a).
Matthew 9:20 tn Grk “And behold a woman.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Matthew 9:20 sn The woman was most likely suffering from a chronic vaginal or uterine hemorrhage which would have made her ritually unclean. The same Greek term is used in the LXX only once, at Lev 15:33, and there it refers to menstruation (J. Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew [NIGTC], 395).
Matthew 9:20 sn The edge of his cloak could simply refer to the edge or hem, but the same term kraspedon is used in Matt 23:5 to refer to the tassels on the four corners of a Jewish man’s garment, and it probably means the same here (J. Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew [NIGTC], 396). The tassel on the corner of the garment symbolized obedience to the law (cf. Num 15:37-41; Deut 22:12). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.
Matthew 9:20 tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (himation) denotes the outer garment in particular.
Matthew 9:21 tn The imperfect verb is here taken iteratively (“kept saying”), for the context suggests that the woman was trying to find the courage to touch Jesus’ cloak.
Matthew 9:21 tn Grk “saved.”sn In this pericope the author uses a term for being healed (Grk “saved”) that, while referring to the woman’s physical healing, would have spiritual significance to his readers. It may be a double entendre (cf. the parallel in Mark 5:28 which uses the same term), since elsewhere the evangelist uses verbs that simply mean “heal”: If only the readers would “touch” Jesus, they too would be “saved.”
Matthew 9:22 tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” sn The phrase has made you well should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the original setting; it refers only to the woman’s healing. However, as the note on the previous verse points out, it is possible the evangelist did intend something of a double entendre by the use of the term, suggesting to his readers that for them, faith in Jesus would lead to salvation in the full theological sense.
Matthew 9:22 tn Grk “saved.”
Matthew 9:23 sn Hired flute players were a standard feature at Jewish funerals in the first century. According to the Mishnah (m. Ketubot 4:4) the husband was responsible to provide flute players for his wife’s funeral: “Even the poorest man in Israel should not hire fewer than two flutes and one professional wailing woman.”
Matthew 9:24 tn Grk “They were laughing at him.” The imperfect verb has been understood ingressively (“began making fun”).
Matthew 9:25 tn Or “had been expelled.” The typical “had been put outside” is slightly understated in the context; given the raucous nature of the crowd in v. 23, forceful activity was probably required in order to evict them.
Matthew 9:26 tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (tēn gēn ekeinēn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79; BDAG 196 s.v. γῆ 3.

New English Translation (NET)