The Meaning of Matthew 9:24 Explained

Matthew 9:24

KJV: He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

YLT: he saith to them, 'Withdraw, for the damsel did not die, but doth sleep,' and they were deriding him;

Darby: he said, Withdraw, for the damsel is not dead, but sleeps. And they derided him.

ASV: he said, Give place: for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He said  unto them,  Give place:  for  the maid  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth.  And  they laughed  him  to scorn. 

What does Matthew 9:24 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 9:18-26 - Lord Of Life And Death
No grief appeals to Christ in vain. He always arises to follow. Let us as His disciples ever follow where He leads. We are permitted to be His fellow-workers and to help by our sympathy, prayers, and faith.
This poor woman's faith was very imperfect. She believed that there was virtue in His dress, as the ritualist in the emblems of His death. She cared more for her healing than for the healer. She was full of fear and trembling. But her touch was a magnificent evidence of her faith. It might be as slight as featherdown, but it was enough. Not grasping, but lightly touching!
The incident at first fretted Jairus by its delay; but afterward it helped him. Perhaps it was permitted in order to strengthen his faith and thus prepare him to meet the tidings then upon the way to him. He can awake a girl from death as easily as her mother from sleep at morning prime. Let Jesus take the tiny hands of your children in His. Summon them to life and love! [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 9

1  Jesus heals a paralytic
9  calls Matthew from the receipt of custom;
10  eats with tax collectors and sinners;
14  defends his disciples for not fasting;
20  cures the sick woman;
23  raises Jairus' daughter from death;
27  gives sight to two blind men;
32  heals a mute man possessed of a demon;
36  and has compassion on the multitude

What do the individual words in Matthew 9:24 mean?

He says Go away Not for is dead the girl but sleeps And they began to laugh at Him
ἔλεγεν Ἀναχωρεῖτε οὐ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν τὸ κοράσιον ἀλλὰ καθεύδει καὶ κατεγέλων αὐτοῦ

ἔλεγεν  He  says 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Ἀναχωρεῖτε  Go  away 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἀναχωρέω  
Sense: to go back, return.
ἀπέθανεν  is  dead 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀποθνῄσκω  
Sense: to die.
κοράσιον  girl 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: κοράσιον  
Sense: a girl, damsel, maiden.
καθεύδει  sleeps 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: καθεύδω  
Sense: to fall asleep, drop off to sleep.
κατεγέλων  they  began  to  laugh  at 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: καταγελάω  
Sense: to deride.