SEV Biblia, Chapter 15:26
Y respondiendo l, dijo: No es bien tomar el pan de los hijos, y echarlo a los perrillos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 15:26
Verse 26. The children's bread] The salvation provided for the Jews, who were termed the children of the kingdom. And cast it to the kunarioiv, little dogs-to the curs; such the Gentiles were reputed by the Jewish people, and our Lord uses that form of speech which was common among his countrymen. What terrible repulses! and yet she still perseveres!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 26. But he answered, and said , etc.] To the woman, as the Persic version reads it, and the sense requires: it is not meet to take the childrens bread, and to cast it to dogs ; which he said, to try her faith the more, and make it the more illustrious; and that not so much from his own sense of things, as in the language of the Jewish people, and which she might not be a stranger to. By the children, are meant the Jews, to whom the adoption belonged; who, as a nation and people, were the children of God in a large sense; being distinguished by many blessings and favours, which others had not, and being under the more peculiar care and notice of God; not that all of them were the children of God by special grace: by the bread; which belonged to them, is meant the external ministry of the word, and the miracles of Christ wrought among them: and particularly such outward favours which related to the good of the bodies of men, by healing their diseases, and dispossessing them of devils: and by the dogs are designed the Gentiles, so called by the Jews in a way of contempt, because of their ignorance, idolatry, and impurity. Christ here speaks not his own mind, as if he reproached the Gentiles, and held them in scorn and contempt, but uses the common dialect of the people; and which, this woman, living upon the borders of the Israelitish nation, was acquainted with; so that it was not so shocking and surprising, or quite so discouraging, as it would otherwise have been. The Jewish doctors say f903 , that the idolatrous Gentiles are not called men, that they are comparable to the beasts or the field f904 , to oxen, rams, goats f905 , and asses f906 : the foetus in the bowels of a Canaanitish servant, they say f907 , ymd hmhb y[mb dlwk , is like the foetus in the bowels of a beast. Take the following passage, as an illustration of this, and as a further proof of the Jews calling the Gentiles dogs f908 . A king provides a dinner for the children of his house; whilst they do his will they eat their meat with the king, and he gives to the dogs the part of bones to gnaw; but when the children of the house do not do the kings pleasure, he gives the dogs the dinner, and the bones to them: even so: while the Israelites do the will of their Lord, they eat at the kings table, and the feast is provided for them, and they of their own will give the bones to the Gentiles; but when they do not do the will of their Lord, lo! the feast is yblkl , for the dogs, and the bones are theirs.
And a little after, thou preparest a table before me; this is the feast of the king; in the presence of mine enemies; yblk wnya , these are the dogs that sit before the table, looking for their part of the bones.
In which may be clearly discerned the distinction between children and dogs, and the application of the one to the Jews, and the other to the Gentiles, and the different food that belongs to each: and hence it is easy to see from whom Christ borrowed this expression, and with what view he made use of it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 21-28 - The dark corners of the country, the most remote, shall share Christ' influences; afterwards the ends of the earth shall see his salvation The distress and trouble of her family brought a woman to Christ; an though it is need that drives us to Christ, yet we shall not therefor be driven from him. She did not limit Christ to any particular instanc of mercy, but mercy, mercy, is what she begged for: she pleads no merit, but depends upon mercy. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children, and to be earnest in prayer for them, especially for their souls. Have you a son, a daughter, grievously vexed with a prou devil, an unclean devil, a malicious devil, led captive by him at his will? this is a case more deplorable than that of bodily possession and you must bring them by faith and prayer to Christ, who alone i able to heal them. Many methods of Christ's providence, especially of his grace, in dealing with his people, which are dark and perplexing may be explained by this story, which teaches that there may be love in Christ's heart while there are frowns in his face; and it encourage us, though he seems ready to slay us, yet to trust in him. Those who Christ intends most to honour, he humbles to feel their ow unworthiness. A proud, unhumbled heart would not have borne this; but she turned it into an argument to support her request. The state of this woman is an emblem of the state of a sinner, deeply conscious of the misery of his soul. The least of Christ is precious to a believer even the very crumbs of the Bread of life. Of all graces, faith honour Christ most; therefore of all graces Christ honours faith most. He cured her daughter. He spake, and it was done. From hence let such a seek help from the Lord, and receive no gracious answer, learn to tur even their unworthiness and discouragements into pleas for mercy.
Greek Textus Receptus
ο 3588 T-NSM δε 1161 CONJ αποκριθεις 611 5679 V-AOP-NSM ειπεν 2036 5627 V-2AAI-3S ουκ 3756 PRT-N εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S καλον 2570 A-NSN λαβειν 2983 5629 V-2AAN τον 3588 T-ASM αρτον 740 N-ASM των 3588 T-GPN τεκνων 5043 N-GPN και 2532 CONJ βαλειν 906 5629 V-2AAN τοις 3588 T-DPN κυναριοις 2952 N-DPN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
26. Children's (twn teknwn). Bengel observes that while Christ spoke severely to the Jews, he spoke honorably of them to those without. Compare John iv. 22.Dogs (kunarioiv). Diminutive: little dogs. In ver. 27, Wyc. renders the little whelps, and Tynd., in both verses, whelps. The picture is of a family meal, with the pet house-dogs running round the table.
Their masters. The children are the masters of the little dogs. Compare Mark vii. 28, "the children's crumbs."
