While he was thus speaking to them is literally “While he was saying these things to them.” Good News Translation identifies he as “Jesus.”
Behold here serves to draw attention to the new participant in the narrative (see comments on 1.20). Perhaps here it can be “at that time” or “all at once.”
Ruler (Good News Translation “Jewish official”) is rendered “synagogue leader” by New American Bible and “president of the synagogue” by New English Bible. New Jerusalem Bible translates “one of the officials,” with a footnote indicating that this person was the head of the synagogue. Both Mark (5.22) and Luke (8.41) explicitly identify the person as Jairus, a synagogue official. The term used by Matthew, however, is a much broader term, denoting an official or leader of any kind. It seems unwise to adapt Matthew’s text to that of Mark and Luke, especially when there are so many obvious differences between the accounts, and it would have been simple enough for Matthew to have identified this person explicitly as a synagogue official had he so desired. In fact, the term may refer to either a Jew or a Gentile, but the presence of flute players (verse 23) would point to a Jewish household. Perhaps the best way to translate this ruler in Matthew is to say “a leader” or “one of the leaders of that place.” One can also say “one of the important men there.”
The leader came in. This can be “came into where Jesus was” or simply “came to Jesus.” “Went” will be better in some languages.
He knelt before him to show honor. See 8.2 for a discussion of this.
My daughter has just died is in agreement with Luke (8.42) but in contrast with Mark (5.23), which speaks of the girl as “very sick” though not dead.
We are not given the age of the daughter, although she was a young girl, as we see in verse 24.
Hand is translated by the plural “hands” in Good News Translation. Evidently the plural was chosen because of the Jewish custom of placing hands upon people for various reasons, including that of healing. It is impossible to say precisely where the hands would have been placed upon the girl, but if it is necessary to be specific in translation, then it seems quite probable that they would have been laid upon the girl’s forehead or head.
To lay a hand can be “put” or “place.” No term should be used that would be understood in a negative sense of doing harm to the girl.
And she will live may need to be translated “and she will come back to life.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “then she will live again!” The verb live does occasionally mean “live again” (see Rev 2.8; possibly also Rev 13.14).
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 .