The highlighted text caused me to pause and use all the relevant lexicons to workout what προλαμβάνων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ was contributing. Lamb's fine translation[1] didn't resolve the issue. All the lexicons are out there so why post them? It's not as if we need to be told what the lexicons say. Lampe is somewhat more difficult to find.<καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται εἷς τῶν ἀρχισυναγώγων, ὀνόματι Ἰάειρος, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν, πίπτει πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν πολλὰ, λέγων, ὅτι τὸ θυγάτριόν μου ἐσχάτως ἔχει· ἵνα ἐλθὼν ἐπιθῇς αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας, ὅπως σωθῇ καὶ ζήσεται. καὶ ἀπῆλθε μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολὺς, καὶ συνέθλιβον αὐτόν.>
Θαῦμα δὲ πάλιν ἕτερον διαδέχεται. ἄρχων γὰρ τῆς συναγωγῆς ἀπαντᾷ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, οὐ προλαμβάνων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαζόμενος ὑπὸ νόσου τῆς θυγατρός. ὄνομα δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ Ἰάειρος. τὸ ὄνομα κεῖται διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς εἰδότας τὸ γεγονὸς, ἵνα γένηται τὸ ὄνομα ἀπόδειξις τοῦ θαύματος.
— Cramer, J.A. Oxford, 1840, p. 318.17-28
My question isn't answered in the lexicons or in Lamb's rendering. There is something ambiguous about οὐ προλαμβάνων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ τὴν πίστιν. The possible meaning is constrained by the following ἀλλ' ἀναγκαζόμενος ὑπὸ νόσου τῆς θυγατρός. Remember I have the lexicons on hand and don't need to have them pasted in a response.Lampe προλαμβάνων
1. prefer, take by preference, 2. anticipate, 3. take initiative in, 4. prevent, forestall, 5. arrive before time, 6. pass., be preoccupied, 7. take for granted, assume, 8. precede, 9. ptcpl., of time, past
[1] Lamb 2012[1]: "... was not predisposed to accept the faith with goodwill"
Postsript:
I was initially distracted by the citation in LSJ προλαμβάνω from Sophocles: 3. take in preference, τι πρό τινος S.OC1141.