Matthew 15:25-28

15:25 But she came and bowed down ¹  before him and said, ²  “Lord, help me!” 15:26 “It is not right ³  to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” ⁴  he said. ⁵  15:27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, ⁶  “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 15:28 Then ⁷  Jesus answered her, “Woman, ⁸  your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

[15:25]  ¹ tn In this context the verb προσκυνέω (proskunew), which often describes worship, probably means simply bowing down to the ground in an act of reverence or supplication (see L&N 17.21).

[15:25]  ² tn Grk “she bowed down to him, saying.”

[15:26]  ³ tn Grk “And answering, he said, ‘It is not right.’” The introductory phrase “answering, he said” has been simplified and placed at the end of the English sentence for stylistic reasons. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[15:26]  ⁴ tn Or “lap dogs, house dogs,” as opposed to dogs on the street. The diminutive form originally referred to puppies or little dogs, then to house pets. In some Hellenistic uses κυνάριον (kunarion) simply means “dog.”

[15:26]  ⁵ tn Grk “And answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[15:27]  ⁶ tn Grk “she said.”

[15:28]  ⁷ tn Grk “Then answering, Jesus said to her.” This expression has been simplified in the translation.

[15:28]  ⁸ sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.