He touched her hand: the Greek verb may mean either touched or “took hold of” (New American Bible “He took her by the hand”). Mark specifically states that Jesus took hold of her hand and raised her up (1.31), information that is not included by Matthew. Here in Matthew the verse can be translated “He grasped (or, held) her hand,” “He took hold of her hand,” or simply “He touched her hand.” There is no reason to specify which hand. The translators who cannot say “her hand” can always say “one of her hands.”

As an immediate result of Jesus’ touching her hand, the fever left her, and she rose up and served him. Although the Greek does not have the adverb “at once” (New American Bible), the implication is that she got up immediately. Some translations have said “the fever left her then.”

Rose means that she “got up” or “got out of bed.”

Served may also be translated so as to focus upon the initiation of the action, as in Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible (“and began to wait on”). New English Bible has “and waited on….” Served means here “waited on,” “took care of his needs,” or even “served him food and drink.”

Matthew supplies him as the object of the verb served, but Mark gives “them” as its object. It is not legitimate to translate Matthew in light of Mark, and to give “them” as the object of the verb here, as does Living Bible.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .