Matthew 15:1
Τότε προσέρχονται τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων Φαρισαῖοι καὶ γραμματεῖς λέγοντες
Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus saying,
Paraphrase: While Jesus was still in this deserted area, some Pharisees and Scribes came to him. They had some questions for Him.
Comments:
Starting in Matthew 14:13, we have Jesus’ withdrawals, first into a deserted place and then into the region of Phoenicia (Matthew 15:21), then to the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 15:29), and finally to Magadan. (Matthew 15:39)
See Schurer and Edersheim on the Pharisees.
Matthew 15:2
Διὰ τί οἱ μαθηταί σου παραβαίνουσιν τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων; οὐ γὰρ νίπτονται τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν.
“On account of what, do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Paraphrase: “Why are your disciples so careless about the traditions which have come down to us from the founders and leaders of our religion?” they asked. “We have even noticed that sometimes they don’t even wash before they sit down to eat a meal!”
Comments:
Matthew 15:3
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Διὰ τί καὶ ὑμεῖς παραβαίνετε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν;
But answering, He said to them, “On account of what do even you transgress the law of God on account of your tradition?
Paraphrase: Jesus responded sharply, “Why are you so careless about God’s laws? I have noticed on repeated occasions that observing your traditions requires one to violate the laws of God!”
Comments:
Matthew 15:4
ὁ γὰρ θεὸς εἶπεν· Τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καί· Ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω·
For God said, “Honor your father and your mother and the one insulting his father or mother let him be terminated by death.”
Paraphrase: “Let me give you an example. God says in his law that we are to honor our father and our mother and that anyone who does not do so, shall be brought to his end by being executed. (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9)
Comments:
See principle 18.
For τελευτάτω, see BBG 33.3.
Matthew 15:5
ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε· Ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί· Δῶρον ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς,
but you say,
Paraphrase:
Comments:
Both the position and the fact that it is explicit shows the increased emphasis being given to ὑμεῖς. cf principle 2.
Matthew 15:6
οὐ μὴ τιμήσει τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν.
Matthew 15:7
ὑποκριταί, καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν περὶ ὑμῶν Ἠσαΐας λέγων·
Matthew 15:8
Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ·
Matthew 15:9
μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων.
Matthew 15:10
Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἀκούετε καὶ συνίετε·
and summoning the crowd, He said to them, “Listen and understand;”
Paraphrase: As Jesus was explaining the problems with the Jewish understanding of the law, a crowd had gathered, interested in hearing the dispute. Jesus beckoned with His hand and told them to gather around. “Listen up,” He said, “I want you all to understand the true nature of evil; it’s not what the Pharisees and the other teachers of the Jewish law are telling you.”
Comments:
Matthew 15:11
οὐ τὸ εἰσερχόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦτο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
Not the thing entering into the mouth makes a man unclean, but the thing leaving the mouth; this makes a man unclean.
Paraphrase: You all have been taught that it is what you eat and touch that makes you unclean. (Leviticus 11:8) This is no longer the case. I am telling you on the authority of God Himself that there is no longer any such thing as unclean food. All food is now clean. (Mark 7:19; Romans 14:14) Let me tell you what really makes a person unclean. Not what goes into his mouth but what comes out of his mouth; that is what really defiles a person. In fact, it stains his entire body! (James 3:6)
Comments:
Matthew 15:12
Τότε προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Οἶδας ὅτι οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν;
Matthew 15:13
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Πᾶσα φυτεία ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος ἐκριζωθήσεται.
Matthew 15:14
ἄφετε αὐτούς· τυφλοί εἰσιν ὁδηγοί τυφλῶν· τυφλὸς δὲ τυφλὸν ἐὰν ὁδηγῇ, ἀμφότεροι εἰς βόθυνον πεσοῦνται.
Matthew 15:15
Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολήν ταύτην.
Then Peter answering said to Him, “Explain to us this parable.”
Paraphrase: Then Peter shook his head in bewilderment. “I just don’t understand.” he said. “Please clarify your point when you were saying that we are not defiled by what we eat but by what we say.”
Comments:
Matthew 15:16
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἀκμὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε;
Then He said, “Still even you are not understanding?”
Paraphrase: Jesus looked at Peter. “Do you still not understand what I am teaching? Let me explain.” (Matthew 16:12)
Comments:
Matthew 15:17
οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν χωρεῖ καὶ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκβάλλεται;
Do you not understand that all what enters into the mouth, proceeds to the belly, and is cast into the sewer?
Paraphrase: Surely you understand that everything a person eats goes into his mouth, then into his stomach and bowels, and is finally thrown out into the sewers. At no point in this process is a person defiled or rendered unclean. All of this is perfectly natural, and the person’s soul remains unaffected by any of this.
Comments:
Matthew 15:18
τὰ δὲ ἐκπορευόμενα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχεται, κἀκεῖνα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
But the things proceeding out of the mouth, come out of the heart, and it defiles a man.
Paraphrase: On the other hand, the words which a person speaks do come from that person’s soul. That is why I am teaching you that a person’s conversation is a window into that person’s heart. When evil words are spoken, we know that these words did not originate in that person’s mouth; they originated in his soul. Such kind of speaking and conversation is the real indicator that a person, at their deepest level, is evil, unclean, and not fit to stand in God’s presence. (Ephesians 5:4)
Comments:
Here ἐκπορευόμενα is a substantival participle functioning as the subject of ἐξέρχεται.
Matthew 15:19
ἐκ γὰρ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχονται διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί, φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, βλασφημίαι.
For out of the heart, proceed bitter arguments, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, perjury, blasphemy.
Paraphrase: The teaching you have received on this subject, Peter, has always been focused on external acts of human behavior, and this is why you don’t understand what I am saying here. Such teaching misses the real truth. All these choices which we make such as fights, bitter quarrels, murder, sexual immorality, stealing, lying, blasphemy, and the rest; all these do not originate from nothing. They get their start in our soul, and that is why our thinking about good and evil has to penetrate past our external actions and speech and go deeper to the real source of these actions. We need to focus on our soul; this is the factory which produces and gives rise to the choices we make. This is the fountain from which evil flows.
Comments:
Watson (p222):
Never was a stronger and more humbling picture drawn of the corruption of human nature. Of whatever evil we can conceive, of whatever evils manifest themselves, and spread desolation and misery through society, the human heart is the fountain. The seat is there; they all spring from that source; and on this is grounded the necessity of that renewal of the heart, that entire regeneration of the will, affections, and all other moral faculties of the soul, upon which our Lord insisted in opposition to the Pharisees, who placed holiness in external acts, and left the vices of the heart unremedied. And it is here to be remarked that “the heart” of which our Lord speaks is not the heart of any individual exclusively, nor of the Pharisees, nor of the Jews, but the HEART OF MAN; and so this is a most unequivocal declaration and proof of the fall of man’s nature from that original state of “righteousness and true holiness” in which it was first created.
Matthew 15:20
ταῦτά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸ δὲ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν φαγεῖν οὐ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
This is the thing defiling a man; but with unwashed hands to eat, does not defile a man.
Paraphrase: When a person chooses to do these kinds of evil, these are the true and reliable indicators that such a person is unclean and not fit to enter God’s presence. Eating with unwashed hands or breaking some other fine point of Jewish tradition is of no consequence.
Comments:
Matthew 15:21
Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος.
and Jesus, departing from there, withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Paraphrase: After these disputes with the Jewish leadership, Jesus withdrew from Gennesaret (Matthew 14:34) and entered the district where the cities of Tyre and Sidon were.
Comments:
Matthew 15:22
καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ Χαναναία ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων ἐκείνων ἐξελθοῦσα ἔκραζεν λέγουσα· Ἐλέησόν με, κύριε υἱὸς Δαυίδ· ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται.
and behold a Canaanite woman from that area, coming out cried saying, “Mercy me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is terribly demon-possessed.”
Paraphrase: As they passed through this country, they were accosted by a woman who was clearly in great distress. She was from one of the cities in this district and had heard of Jesus’ arrival. She had quickly gone out to find Him; and when she did, she began to call out loudly to him, “Have pity on me, please, Jesus.” she cried out. “Clearly, you are the great King which Israel is expecting and Lord of heaven and earth. You have the power to help me. A demon has entered into my daughter and is torturing her terribly. Please don’t pass me by; please help me; please come and heal my daughter!”
Comments:
Matthew 15:23
ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον. καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἠρώτουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Ἀπόλυσον αὐτήν, ὅτι κράζει ὄπισθεν ἡμῶν.
Then, He did not answer her a word and his disciples, coming to, were asking Him saying, “Please dismiss her because she is crying out after us.”
Paraphrase: But Jesus continued on His way without even acknowledging her presence. The disciples were irritated by her constant calling and loud cries. “Please, Jesus,” they said, “Give her what she wants and send her on her way. She is driving us crazy with her constant crying and pleading. We won’t have a moment’s peace and quiet if she continues to follow us everywhere!”
Comments:
Ἀπόλυσον is an imperative but softened into an entreaty; cf Robertson (p947).
That the disciples did want Jesus to grant her request and then send her on her way is implied by Jesus’ answer in the next verse.
Matthew 15:24
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ.
Then answering, He said, “I did not come except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Paraphrase: “Listen,” said Jesus to His disciples, “My Father has sent me on a mission to save the lost remnant of Israel. The Son of man is here to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10)
Comments:
For εἰ μὴ, see §476.
Jesus’ answer here is given to the disciples and was for their training. That Jesus’ answer here is not to be understood as His real intent is hinted at by the very fact that he is now in Gentile country. What was He doing here if He had nothing to do with them? See what Jesus’ real intent was in these passages: Matthew 21:43; 24:14; 28:19. Riddle (bottom of p205) writes:
This answer might suggest to the disciples: ‘Is not such a one really a daughter of the spiritual Israel, though a woman of Canaan.’ It was not a refusal, but a postponement, to educate her faith and train the disciples for their world-wide mission.
Matthew 15:25
ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγουσα· Κύριε, βοήθει μοι.
Then coming, she worshipped Him saying, “Lord, help me.”
Paraphrase: Finally, the woman caught up to them. Immediately, she fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him for help.
Comments:
Matthew 15:26
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἔστιν καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις.
Then, answering He said, “It is not good to take the bread of the children and to cast it to dogs.”
Paraphrase: Then Jesus looked at her. “Listen,” He said, “you know that I came for the salvation of My own people. I can’t take what is rightfully theirs and give it to you. You have no place at My table. The meal I am serving is for the Jewish people, not for you outsiders.”
Comments:
On dogs, see p89. Jeremias, however, asserts that Aramaic, which is the language Jesus would have spoken here, has no has no such diminutive form. He says, “We must assume that Jesus used the word כֵּלְבָּא (dog), and He is not likely to have used גוּרָא (‘cub’, ‘puppy’). Jesus’ Promise to the Nations, p29.
Matthew 15:27
ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· Ναί, κύριε, καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν.
Then, she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat from the crumbs falling from the table of their lords.
Paraphrase: Then, the woman looked up and replied, “I don’t deny that I am an outsider and that I am not entitled to the blessings which You brought for Your people. I know that I have no place at your table; I am no member of Your family, but you did mention the bread of the children. Now isn’t it the case that even here, the dogs eat the bread which the children carelessly drop from their plates? Could not there be something then on Your table even for an outsider like me? something that perhaps could fall from it and bless a dog like me?”
Comments:
Henry (right column (para 2): “With a holy skillfulness of faith…”
Matthew 15:28
τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις· γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. καὶ ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης.
Then answering, Jesus said to her, “Oh woman, great is your faith; let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Paraphrase: Then Jesus exclaimed with joy, “Dear woman, your faith is powerful and persistent. This is the faith that God loves and cherishes more than any other thing. This kind of faith shows your complete confidence in Me to save. Now, your faith shall have its reward. Whatever you desire, it will be done. Do you desire your daughter to be healed? It will be done. Do you desire the forgiveness of your sins and reconciliation to God? It will be done. Do you desire to serve God faithfully in your life while it lasts? It will be done.” Then, the woman returned to her home and found it even as Jesus had said. Her daughter was completely healed.
Comments:
Matthew 15:29
Καὶ μεταβὰς ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἦλθεν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ ἀναβὰς εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἐκάθητο ἐκεῖ.
Matthew 15:30
καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἔχοντες μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν κωφούς, τυφλούς, χωλούς, κυλλούς, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλούς, καὶ ἔρριψαν αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς·
Matthew 15:31
ὥστε τὸν ὄχλον θαυμάσαι βλέποντας κωφοὺς λαλοῦντας κυλλοὺς ὑγιεῖς καὶ χωλοὺς περιπατοῦντας καὶ τυφλοὺς βλέποντας· καὶ ἐδόξασαν τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραήλ.
Matthew 15:32
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· Σπλαγχνίζομαι ἐπὶ τὸν ὄχλον, ὅτι ἤδη ἡμέραι τρεῖς προσμένουσίν μοι καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν τί φάγωσιν· καὶ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτοὺς νήστεις οὐ θέλω, μήποτε
ἐκλυθῶσιν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ.
Matthew 15:33 καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταί· Πόθεν ἡμῖν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ ἄρτοι τοσοῦτοι ὥστε χορτάσαι ὄχλον τοσοῦτον;
Matthew 15:34 καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Πόσους ἄρτους ἔχετε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Ἑπτά, καὶ ὀλίγα ἰχθύδια.
Matthew 15:35 καὶ παραγγείλας τῷ ὄχλῳ ἀναπεσεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν
Matthew 15:36 ἔλαβεν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἄρτους καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ τοῖς ὄχλοις.
Matthew 15:37 καὶ ἔφαγον πάντες καὶ ἐχορτάσθησαν, καὶ τὸ περισσεῦον τῶν κλασμάτων ἦραν ἑπτὰ σπυρίδας πλήρεις.
Matthew 15:38 οἱ δὲ ἐσθίοντες ἦσαν τετρακισχίλιοι ἄνδρες χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων.
Matthew 15:39 καὶ ἀπολύσας τοὺς ὄχλους ἐνέβη εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὰ ὅρια Μαγαδάν.