Reading Matthew 15, you may come upon a series of puzzling verses. As Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanite, or Syrophoenician, woman asks Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus eventually answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” The woman then states, “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Impressed at her faith, Jesus then heals her daughter (Matthew 15:21-27). So, this sounds kind of weird, right? Did Jesus call the Canaanite woman a dog? Did He use a racial slur? Absolutely not. Let’s talk about it.
Jesus used the term “dog,” as a metaphor when speaking to the Canaanite woman as an opportunity to make a point about faith and persistent prayer. This story is commonly misinterpreted because the Greek word that Jesus used (kunarion) is translated to English as “dog;” while another word used as a slur for Gentiles (kuon) is also translated to “dog.” Jesus did not use a slur. In fact, He demonstrated throughout His ministry that His healing, love, and salvation is meant for all people.
The Original WOrding Matters
Sometimes we lose important context during the translation from the original Hebrew or Greek of the Bible to English. An interesting distinction in this story lies within the exact wording of the term “dog.” One word for “dog” in Greek at the time was “kuon.” This is the term that would have been used for an unclean, untamed, wild dog—and as an offensive term or slur for Gentiles (non-Jews). This is actually a different word than the word that Jesus used with the Canaanite woman. When Jesus was speaking to the Canaanite woman, He used the Greek word “kunarion,” which means “small dog,” or “little pet dog.” While some Jews of the time used the offensive slur “kuon,” there is no record of Jesus using this term. In fact, Jesus made several statements within His ministry to challenge this bias and show that God cares for all people.
Notice the wordplay, and dare I say, vibe, during this interaction. The Canaanite woman knew that Jesus was using this affectionate term for “little pet dog,” signaling that she had to be patient, to wait for the “children to get the bread.” The bread, refers to the word of God (Matthew 4:4). It was His priority at the moment to teach and shepherd Israel. However, she displays understanding of the word of God when she replies in a witty fashion “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She persists and will not give up on seeking healing for her daughter. She knows that through the “crumbs,” even just a bit of the word of God, healing is possible.
Jesus is impressed with her faith and states that her “request is granted.” Through this example, Jesus makes a point showing the importance of faith and not giving up. He demonstrates this exact point again in Luke 18 with the parable of the persistent widow:
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused.”
“But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8).
Our prayers are not always immediately answered. In fact, we often have to wait. God has reasons for this. However, He wants us to keep praying, and to keep having faith. We very well may have our prayers answered soon. Do not give up!
Jesus Made it Clear that Gentiles matter
It is important to know the nature of God. To drive the point home and not allow anyone to ever twist it, there is much more proof throughout the ministry of Jesus that He made it clear that Gentiles mattered. Jesus purposely withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. In fact, He even recreated the feeding of the 5,000 with a feeding of 4,000 in this very region. Sharing bread and feeding this humongous group of Gentiles is a powerful display that God’s blessings are for all people (Mark 8:1-9).
Jesus compassionately healed many Gentiles (without hesitation) before and after the moment with the Canaanite woman. For example, Jesus strongly reacted to the faith of another Gentile: the centurion. The centurion sought healing for his servant, and asked Jesus to just speak the word. Jesus stated that He had “not found anyone is Israel with such great faith.” He said that, “Many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:10-12).
God had a very special plan for people of Israel. The Messiah came from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the covenant made to the forefathers of Judaism. And salvation was to start with the Jews. The first disciples were Jews. Paul, a former Pharisee, had all the heritage one could ask for (Philippians 3:4-6). He brought this New Covenant to the rest of the world. Jeremiah calls the people of Israel “lost sheep,” (Jeremiah 50:6). In this interaction, Jesus refers to this verse, showing that He is the Shepherd that will bring the Israelites back to God (Matthew 21:24).
In the end, God planned to bring redemption to all. When Jesus was born, the angels exclaimed to shepherds, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.” (Luke 2:10). And of course, when Jesus ascended, His final statement, was the Great Commission. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and o the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20).
God shows throughout the Bible that all people matter to God. First, God created everyone. Obviously. Next, God was always very involved in the lives of anyone who would come to Him. Just a few of many examples include His plan for salvation for the peoples of Nineveh (Jonah 1-3), the healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5), and the plans and provision for Ruth (Ruth 1-4) and Hagar (Genesis 21).
So now we know that the Lord demonstrates emphatically that all people are loved and equal before God. Jesus did not use a slur when speaking to the Canaanite woman, but used that experience to teach about the importance of faith and persistent prayer.
I hope you enjoyed learning about why Jesus used the word “dog,” when speaking to the Canaanite or Syrophoenician woman. Whenever we encounter something that doesn’t make sense to us in the Bible, or seems to counter the nature of God, it is important to do a little background research and not make assumptions. If you enjoyed this article, check out why Jesus cursed the fig tree.
