Matthew 15:21-28

Amplified Bible

The Syrophoenician Woman

²¹After leaving there, Jesus withdrew to the district of ^[a]Tyre and Sidon.^(A) ²²And a ^[b]Canaanite woman from that district came out and began to cry out [urgently], saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David (Messiah); my daughter is cruelly possessed by a demon.” ²³But He did not say a word in answer to her. And His disciples came and asked Him [repeatedly], “Send her away, because she keeps shouting out after us.” ²⁴He answered, “I was commissioned by God and sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵But she came and began to kneel down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” ²⁶And He replied, “It is not good (appropriate, fair) to take the ^[c]children’s bread and throw it to the ^[d]pet dogs.” ²⁷She said, “Yes, Lord; but even the pet dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their [young] masters’ table.” ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in My power] is great; it will be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.

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Footnotes

Matthew 15:21 Tyre and Sidon were located along the Gentile coastal region of Phoenicia. Tyre was 35 miles and Sidon 60 miles north of Galilee.
Matthew 15:22 The Canaanites were ancient, pagan enemies of Israel.
Matthew 15:26 A reference to the Jewish people.
Matthew 15:26 Jews used kuon (dog) as a derogatory term referring to Gentiles. This dog (kuon) was a despised, filthy, homeless street scavenger. When speaking with this woman, Jesus uses a word for “dog” (kunarion) that refers to a household pet. The use of the word kunariois by both Jesus and the woman reflects the tenderness and spiritual depth of this exchange. More importantly, it foreshadows the fact that Gentile believers would not be spiritually homeless, but would also be welcomed into God’s household as His children. The gracious response of the woman recorded in v 27 confirms that on some level she understands this.