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Mat_9:24-25. The maid, is not to be regarded as being permanently dead, but only as sleeping and certain to come to life again, like one who awakens out of sleep. Thus, from the standpoint of His own purpose, does Jesus clearly and confidently speak of her actual death. “Certus ad miraculum accedit,” Bengel. It is wrong to found upon these words the supposition of a mere apparent death (Paulus, Schleiermacher, Olshausen, Ewald, Schenkel; Weizsäcker, without being quite decided). See, on the other hand, Joh_11:4; Joh_11:11. This hypothesis is as incompatible with the view of the evangelists as it is inconsistent with a due regard to the character of Jesus. See Krabbe, p. 327 ff. Keim, again, hesitates to accept the idea of an unreal death, yet continues to harbour doubts as to the historical character of the narrative. He thinks that, at least, the firm faith of the president may be accounted for by the later hopes of Christianity, which may have prompted the desire to see, in the risen Christ, the future restorer of the dead already manifesting Himself as such in His earthly ministry,—a matter in connection with which the statement in Mat_11:5 and the parallel of Elias and Elisha (1Ki_17:17; 2Ki_4:8; 2Ki_4:18. Comp. Strauss) also fall to be considered. Surely, however, a legendary anticipation of this sort would have been far more fertile in such stories! Then, apart even from the raising of Lazarus related by John, we have always (Mat_11:5) to show how hazardous it must be to relegate to the region of myths those cases in which Jesus raises the dead, considering what a small number of them is reported.
ἐξεβλήθη ] Comp. Mat_21:12. The request to retire ( ἀναχωρεῖτε , Mat_9:24) not having been complied with, a thrusting out follows. Mar_1:43; Act_9:40.
Notice in εἰσελθών (viz. into the chamber of death) the noble simplicity of the concise narrative.
τὸ κορασιον ] See Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 74; on ἡ φήμη , Wyttenbach, ad Julian. Or. I. p. 159, Lps.