5:23a

pleaded with Him urgently: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pleaded indicates that the man greatly desired what he was pleading for. The same word has occurred at 1:40b, 5:10, 5:12, 5:17 and 5:18b. Here this verb is emphasized by the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as urgently. Use a natural expression in your language for this type of request. Here are some examples:

begged him earnestly (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
pleaded fervently with him

5:23b

My little daughter: In 5:42 the text indicates that Jairus’ daughter was twelve years old. When Jairus called her little, it was a term of affection. It did not mean that she was a very young child or that she was not tall. Use an appropriate term in your language for a daughter of that age. If the terms for “young daughter” in your language imply that she was younger than twelve, you may want to use a term of affection instead. For example:

my dear daughter
-or-
my much-loved female child

is near death: The Greek phrase (A Greek idiom, literally: “to have finally.”) that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is near death means to be very sick and almost dead. You may have an idiom or a euphemism for this in your language.

Here is another way to translate this:

is close to death
-or-
is about to die

5:23c

Please come and place Your hands on her: Jairus used a polite form in Greek for making a humble request. Use a form in your language that is polite and appropriate for this context. For example:

Would you please come…
-or-
I beg you to come…
-or-
I would be most grateful if you would come…

place Your hands on her: In that culture it was common for a healer to place his hands on the person who needed to be healed. Jesus often did this when he healed someone. He might touch the part of the body that needed healing. Use an appropriate way to express this in your language.

5:23d

so that she will be healed and live: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that she will be healed and live is literally “that she may be saved and may live.” She was still alive at the time when her father said this. You may need to indicate this in some way in your language. In some languages it may be more natural to use a phrase that means “continue to live.” In other languages it may be natural to use only one verb phrase. For example:

so that she will be saved from death

she will be healed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as healed is the same word that is commonly used in the Bible to mean “saved, rescued.” In this context, it means “saved/rescued from illness” or “healed.” It is a passive verb. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, you may be able to translate this as:

she will get better
-or-
you(sing) will heal her

If you have an expression that could be used for both “rescue from sins” and “rescue from an illness,” consider using it here.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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