Matthew 9:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment,

NIV: Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.

NASB: And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him, and touched the border of His cloak;

CSB: Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe,

NLT: Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe,

KJV: And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

NKJV: And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.

Jesus and His disciples are following a man named Jairus to his house, where his only daughter, about 12 years old, lies dead (Luke 8:40–42; Matthew 9:18). Jairus has asked Jesus to come and place His hand on the girl so that she will live.

Something unexpected happens on the way. A woman fights her way through the crowd packed around Jesus and manages to touch the fringe of His garment. The word for "fringe" may mean simply the edge of Jesus' garment or one the tassels that would have dangled from the corners of a Jewish man's cloak (Numbers 15:37–41). This is not a full-handed grab, but only a light contact.

Matthew describes this woman as having suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years. As usual, Mark provides a bit more detail. The woman "had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse" (Mark 5:26). Scholars suggest that this discharge was prolonged menstrual bleeding due to something such as cysts. This would have made her situation doubly difficult, making her ceremonially unclean under the law and required to keep her distance from others in the community (Leviticus 15:25–33).

The following verses reveal the woman's motives and Jesus' reaction to her desperate act of faith.

Matthew 9:18–26 begins with the arrival of a ruler of the synagogue. He tells Jesus that his daughter has just died, but that she will live if Jesus comes and lays His hand on her (Mark 5:21–24). Jesus and the disciples are following the man to his house when a woman in the crowd touches the edge of Jesus' garment. As also indicated in the gospel of Mark, she is immediately healed from a 12-year illness (Mark 5:25–29). Arriving at the home of the man, Jesus sends away the professional mourners. He takes the dead girl's hand, and she is restored to life (Mark 5:35–43).

Matthew 9 continues to show how Jesus authenticated His claims to be the Messiah by powerful miracles of healing and casting out demons. He heals a paralyzed man after telling the man his sins are forgiven. He calls Matthew to follow Him and eats dinner with Matthew and other tax collectors. He answers questions from Pharisees and others. A woman who touches His cloak is healed from a 12–year illness, and Jesus raises a dead girl back to life. He restores sight to blind men and speech to one who is demon oppressed. He is filled with compassion for the crowds.

Matthew 9 follows the same pattern of Matthew 8, showing through miraculous works of healing that Jesus is truly the Messiah. Christ forgives the sins of a paralyzed man and heals him. He calls Matthew to follow Him and eats with tax collectors and sinners. A woman is healed by touching His garment and a dead girl is given life by the touch of His hand. Two blind men see, and Jesus casts out a demon, restoring speech to its victim. Finally, Jesus declares that the harvest is plentiful and tells His followers to pray for workers. Chapter 10 builds on this compassion as Jesus commissions the Twelve to go and deliver His gospel to the people.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.