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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_7:24-30
24Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. 25But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27And He was saying to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 28But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." 29And He said to her, "Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 30And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.
Mar_7:24 "Tyre" This is northwest of the Sea of Galilee, out of the boundaries of the OT Promised Land. It was predominately a Gentile area. The phrase "and Sidon" is missing in a few ancient Greek manuscripts, such as D, L, and W, but is present in Mat_15:21 and Mar_7:31 and in manuscripts à , A, and B, as well as the Vulgate and Peshitta.
▣ "yet He could not escape notice" This was the result of His miracles (cf. Mar_3:8). Even in a predominately Gentile area He could find no rest and private time with His disciples.
Mar_7:25 "little daughter had an unclean spirit" How children become demon possessed is not stated here nor in the account in Mar_9:17-29. In neither of these cases does it seem to be a familial spirit (i.e., demon passed from generation to generation within a family). See Special Topic: Exorcism at Mar_1:25.
▣ "fell at His feet" This was a cultural sign of (1) asking a request of a superior or (2) humility. It is possible that she had heard of Jesus' miracles and, out of desperation, approached this Jewish rabbi in fear!
Mar_7:26 "a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race" Remember, Jesus helped other Gentiles (cf. Mar_5:1; Mar_11:17; Mat_8:5-13; John 4), but within the geographical boundaries of the Promised Land. If Jesus had begun a healing ministry in a Gentile land, He would have been rejected by the Jewish populace because of their prejudices.
There is an interesting parallel between Jesus' ministry to a Phoenician woman and Elijah's ministry to a Phoenician woman in 1 Kings 17. In both God's love, concern, and help are available to the hated Gentiles. This may have been another veiled evidence of His Messiahship.
In what language was this interchange between the woman and Jesus conducted? It would seem obvious that it had to have been Greek. Growing up in northern Palestine Jesus would have been tri-lingual. In Luk_4:16-20 Jesus reads from a Hebrew scroll of Isaiah. He would have been exposed to biblical Hebrew at synagogue school. He normally spoke Aramaic. He could speak Koine Greek (i.e., the private conversation with Pilate).
▣ "she kept asking" This is an imperfect tense. She asked repeatedly!
▣ "to cast the demon out" This is aorist active subjunctive. She still had some doubts about Jesus' ability or willingness to act, which is expressed by the subjunctive mood.
Mar_7:27 "the children" This familial term refers to Israel (cf. Mat_15:24).
Mar_7:27-28
NASB, NRSV,
TEV "dogs"
NKJV, NJB "little dogs"
This is the only use of this term in the NT. Its harshness is diminished by the fact that it is diminutive in form (i.e., kunarion), "puppies" (NJB has "house-dogs"). The Jews called the Gentiles "dogs" as a term of derision. This dialogue was intended to help the disciples overcome their prejudice against Gentiles (cf. Mat_15:23). Jesus recognized and publicly affirmed that her faith was great (cf. Mat_15:28).
Mar_7:28 "'Lord'" This is probably used in the cultural sense of "sir" or "mister," as in Joh_4:11. This is surprisingly the only example of the use of kurios spoken to Jesus in Mark's Gospel.
▣ "the children's" This is literally "little children" (paidion). There are several diminutive forms found in this context. In Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 1, p. 326, A. T. Robertson says "the little children purposely dropped a few little crumbs for the dog." One wishes that Jesus' voice inflection, facial expressions, and body language could have been recorded. I think the encounter was much more positive than mere words can record.
▣ "children's crumbs" The wealthy used bread to wipe the hands after eating, like a napkin.
Mar_7:29 "'Because of this answer'" Jesus was impressed with this mother's attitude of persistence and faith (cf. Mat_15:28). Jesus healed/delivered people based on the faith of another several times (cf. Mar_2:3-12; Mar_9:14-29; Mat_8:5-13).
▣ "go; the demon has gone out of your daughter" This woman believed Jesus that He could expel the demons even from a distance with no ritual or magic.
Mar_7:29-30 "has gone" In Mar_7:29 it is a perfect active indicative and in Mar_7:30 it is a perfect active participle, which focus on the abiding result of a past act. The demon was gone and would stay away.
Mar_7:30 "lying on the bed" This is a perfect passive participle which could be understood in two ways: (1) the demon had violently left (cf. Mar_1:26; Mar_9:26) and thrown the little girl on the bed or (2) her demoniac condition had caused her to be bedridden.