Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 9:25
But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
Verse 25. He – took her by the hand, and the maid arose.] The fountain of life thus communicating its vital energy to the dead body. Where death has already taken place, no power but that of the great God can restore to life; in such a case, vain is the help of man. So the soul that is dead in trespasses and sins-that is, sentenced to death because of transgression – and is thus dead in law, can only be restored to spiritual life by the mighty power of the Lord Jesus; because HE alone has made the atonement, and HE alone can pardon transgression. If the spiritually dead person be utterly unconcerned about the state and fate of his soul, let a converted relative either bring him to Christ by leading him to hear the unadulterated Gospel of the kingdom; or bring Christ to him by fervent, faithful, and persevering prayer.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mark saith, Mar 5:41-43, And he took the damsel by the hand and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. Luke saith, Luk 8:54-56, And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. It was the power and virtue that went out of Christ which wrought the miracles: he performeth them under a variety of circumstances; sometimes he used only his word, (as in the case of Lazarus), sometimes he touched the persons, laying his hand upon them; here he takes the maid by the hand, and also saith, Daughter, or maid, arise. They were words of power and authority, she presently arose. Luke saith her spirit returned again. Luke by this lets us know, that the soul is not the crasis, or some accident to the body, but a distinct subsistence of itself. For the curious question of some, where the soul of this maiden was, as also the soul of Lazarus, of whom we read in Joh 11:1-57, and others restored to life, when dead, were in the time while they were separated from their bodies; it is a matter of no great concern to us to know where: this we know, that God designed their return to their bodies again, they were not therefore fixed in their eternal mansions. Our Saviour hath taught us, that souls departed are under the conduct of angels to their stations. Lazaruss soul was carried by angels into Abrahams bosom. What can be opposed if we say, that it is probable the souls of these persons were under the guard of angels, about or near the dead bodies, waiting the pleasure of God with reference to them, until the Lord again commanded the restoring of them to their bodies?
He commanded to give her meat, to confirm the truth of the miracle. Concerning our Lords command that they should not publish what he had done, we spake before in the case of the leper. Our Lords time was not yet come, and he was not willing his enemies should take too public a notice of him. But Matthew saith,
The fame thereof went abroad into all that land, that is, Galilee, at some distance from Jerusalem, which was the great seat of his enemies, where probably our Saviour did least desire any public notice should as yet be taken of him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
But when the people were put forth,…. Either out of the house or room, by Christ, or, at least, by his orders: which was done, partly because he was desirous it might be kept a secret, as much as possible, and to shew, that he did not affect popular applause; and partly, because they were unworthy to be admitted spectators of such a wondrous action, who had treated him with so much scorn and contempt:
he went in; not alone, but with his three disciples, Peter, James, and John, who were taken in to be witnesses of this resurrection, and the parents of the child; who were so very solicitous for its life, under whose power she was, and to whom she was to be restored:
and took her by the hand; just as one would do to awake another out of sleep; and, perhaps, in compliance with her father’s request, to lay his hand upon her: and though the touch of a dead body, according to the law, Nu 19:16 was defiling; yet this did not defile him, any more than his touching the leper, or the profluvious woman’s touching his clothes; for these actions produced supernatural effects, which came not under the cognizance of the law. His taking her by the hand, was not all that he did, but he called, as to a person asleep, and said unto her these words, “Talitha cumi”, as recorded by Mark, and are also in Munster’s Hebrew Gospel of Matthew; and which, in the Syriac language, signify, “maiden, arise”; and immediately, directly, as soon as ever he had thus said,
the maid arose, as out of sleep; she revived, her soul came to her again, and she got off of the bed, and walked about house, and food was ordered to be given to her. All which most fully demonstrated that she was really restored to life, which was as clear a case, as that before she was really dead.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “But when the people were put forth,” (hote de ekseblethe ho ochlos) “Then when the crowd was put out,” outside the death room or death chamber, as in 2Ki 4:33. They were “put forth,” put back by command of Jesus, that they would not physically resist, thus cleared out the noisy crowd.
2) “He went in, and took her by the hand,” (eiselthon ekratesen tes cheiros autes) “Entering the house he took hold of her hand;” Taking others with Him, as witnesses, not as idle or curious spectators. He both took her by the hand and spoke to her, Mr 5:40,41.
3) “And the maid arose.” (kai egerthe to korasion) “And the girl arose,” alive and well, alive from the dead, Hos 13:14; Joh 11:25.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
‘But when the crowd was put forth, he entered in, and took her by the hand, and the damsel arose.’
Matthew tells the story briefly in order to bring out the main point. The crowd were put out, Jesus went in, and then He took her by the hand and she arose. Here we have a simple depiction of the resurrection. Resurrection was an important part of the expectancy of the coming age. The Messianic banquet would be accompanied by the defeat of death (Isa 25:6-8). The defeat of death and the raising of the dead was a part of the coming future triumph (Isa 26:19). God’s victory would be evidenced by those who ‘slept’ being ‘awoken’ (Dan 12:2). It may well be because Jesus saw those whom He raised from the dead as forerunners and illustrations of the Resurrection, that He emphasised that they but ‘slept’ (Mat 9:24; Joh 11:11). Note Jesus’ emphasis in the case of Lazarus that He was going to ‘awaken him out of sleep’ (compare Dan 12:2), and the great similarity between His raising of Lazarus (Joh 11:43-44) and His description of the resurrection in Joh 5:28-29. Thus His raising of the Ruler’s daughter may be seen as a forerunner of the triumph of the Kingly Rule of Heaven (compare Mat 11:5), as well as a picture of the spiritual life that He was offering to men and women (Mat 7:14; Mat 19:29; Joh 5:24).
To touch a dead body was to incur defilement (as with the leper in Mat 8:3) but there was no doubt an exception for Someone Who raised the dead person to life.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
Ver. 25. He took her by the hand ] As it were to awaken her out of a deep sleep. He could have raised her without either coming down or laying his hands upon her. But as Jairus desired him, so he did for him. Who now shall dare to despise the day of small things?Zec 4:10Zec 4:10 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
25. ] . . . is common to the three Evangelists. From Luke we learn that our Lord said , : from Mark we have the words He actually uttered, : from both we learn that our Lord only took with him Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the maiden, that she was twelve years old, and that our Lord commanded that something should be given her to eat. She was an only daughter, Luk 8:42 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
25.] . . . is common to the three Evangelists. From Luke we learn that our Lord said , : from Mark we have the words He actually uttered, : from both we learn that our Lord only took with him Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the maiden,-that she was twelve years old,-and that our Lord commanded that something should be given her to eat. She was an only daughter, Luk 8:42.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 9:25. , she was raised) Jesus raised the dead from the bed, from the bier, from the grave; in this instance, in Luk 7:14; in Joh 11:44. It would be inquisitive to speculate concerning the state of the souls which had been separated for a short time.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the people: 2Ki 4:32-36, Act 9:40, Act 9:41
and took: Mar 1:31, Mar 5:41, Mar 8:23, Mar 9:27, Luk 8:54
Reciprocal: Mat 11:5 – the dead Mar 5:40 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
9:25
This is another instance where Jesus saw fit to make bodily contact in performing the miracle. However, that would not account for it as far as any physical cause was concerned, for the same procedure would not raise the dead if performed by another without the possession of supernatural power.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 9:25. The crowd was put forth. They were put out of the house, as the next clause intimates that this putting forth took place before the Lord went into the chamber of death. The believing ruler exercised his authority in his own house, though it may have been a work of difficulty, for people cling to a funeral custom with singular tenacity.
He went in and took her by the hand. Possibly a condescension to the weakness of the fathers faith, but more probably an outward sign in the presence of chosen witnesses, to mark the power as His.
The damsel arose, or was raised. Mark and Luke tell us the words used; the former in the language of the country. She was raised and also arose from her bed. Her age was twelve years, according to Mark and Luke. The three accounts supplement each other, showing the variety of independent witnesses.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 9:25-26. When the people were put forth Namely, the mourners, who, having expressed the dispositions mentioned above, were not worthy to behold the miracle; he went in Namely, into the chamber where the corpse was lying, accompanied by none but the three disciples above mentioned, and the father and mother of the damsel, they being of all persons the most proper witnesses of the miracle, which in reality suffered nothing by the absence of the rest. For, as they were all sensible that the child was dead, they could not but be certain of the miracle when they saw her alive again, though they might not know to whom the honour of her resurrection was due. And took her by the hand As if he had been going to awake her out of sleep: and, with a gentle voice, but such as the persons in the chamber could easily hear, he said, Talitha cumi, which is, Damsel, arise. See Mark. And the maid arose In an instant she revived and sat up, just like a person who, being called, awakes out of a soft sleep. Luke says, Her spirit came again; an expression which implies that she was really dead, and that the soul exists separately after the body dies; a truth very necessary to be asserted in those days, when it was denied by many. Withal, her flesh, her colour, and her strength returning in the twinkling of an eye, she was not in the weak, languishing condition of one who, being worn out with a disease, had given up the ghost; for she arose and walked, Mar 5:42, being of the age of twelve years. She was not even in the languishing condition of those who come to life after having fainted away, but was in a state of confirmed good health: for it appears she was hungry, and therefore Jesus commanded to give her meat, Luk 8:55. And her parents, seeing her flesh, and colour, and strength, and appetite returned thus suddenly with her life, were unmeasurably astonished at the miracle, Luk 8:56, as well they might. He charged them, however, that they should tell no man what was done, an injunction which could not mean that her parents were to keep the miracle a secret, which was impossible to be done; for as the whole family, their friends, and all the people collected together to mourn, were witnesses of her death, so her restoration to life could not be hid from them, nor from any that had communication with them. But he meant, that they should not officiously blaze it abroad, nor even indulge the inclination which they might feel to speak of a matter so astonishing. The reason was, the miracle spake sufficiently for itself. Accordingly Matthew here tells us, The fame of it went abroad into all that land Words which imply not only that the report of it was spread throughout that country, and that it was much spoken of, which, all circumstances considered, it could not fail to be, but that the truth of it was inquired into by many, and that upon inquiry the reality of the miracle was universally acknowledged; and, as this is the proper meaning of the observation concerning this or any other of our Lords miracles, (namely, that the fame of them went abroad,) so the evangelists, by thus openly and frequently appealing to the notoriety of the facts, have given us all the assurance possible of the reality of the miracles which they have recorded. See Macknight. It may not be improper to observe here that Christ raised three dead persons to life: this child, the widows son, and Lazarus; one newly departed, another on the bier, the third smelling in the grave: to show us that no degree of death is so desperate as to be past his help.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 25
He went in; with Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the maiden. (Mark 5:37,40.)