Matthew · The Evangelist

Matthew · Chapter 15

True Defilement and the Faith of the Gentiles

Jesus confronts religious hypocrisy and redefines purity. In this chapter, Jesus challenges the Pharisees' emphasis on external rituals while neglecting matters of the heart. He teaches that moral corruption comes from within, not from ceremonial uncleanness. The chapter then demonstrates God's expanding mercy as Jesus heals the daughter of a Canaanite woman and feeds four thousand people, foreshadowing the gospel's reach to all nations.

Matthew 15:1-20

True Defilement and Human Traditions

LSB Text

¹Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ²"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." ³And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴For God said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.' ⁵But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given as an offering to God," ⁶he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ⁸'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. ⁹And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" ¹⁰And after He called the crowd to Him, He said to them, "Hear and understand. ¹¹It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." ¹²Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" ¹³But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. ¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." ¹⁵And Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain the parable to us." ¹⁶And He said, "Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? ¹⁸But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

Greek Text

¹ Τότε προσέρχονται τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων Φαρισαῖοι καὶ γραμματεῖς λέγοντες· ² Διὰ τί οἱ μαθηταί σου παραβαίνουσιν τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων; οὐ γὰρ νίπτονται τὰς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν. ³ ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Διὰ τί καὶ ὑμεῖς παραβαίνετε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν; ⁴ ὁ γὰρ θεὸς εἶπεν· Τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καί· Ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω. ⁵ ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε· Ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί· Δῶρον ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς, ⁶ οὐ μὴ τιμήσει τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν. ⁷ ὑποκριταί, καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν περὶ ὑμῶν Ἠσαΐας λέγων· ⁸ Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· ⁹ μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων. ¹⁰ καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἀκούετε καὶ συνίετε· ¹¹ οὐ τὸ εἰσερχόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦτο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ¹² Τότε προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Οἶδας ὅτι οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν; ¹³ ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Πᾶσα φυτεία ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος ἐκριζωθήσεται. ¹⁴ ἄφετε αὐτούς· τυφλοί εἰσιν ὁδηγοί τυφλῶν· τυφλὸς δὲ τυφλὸν ἐὰν ὁδηγῇ, ἀμφότεροι εἰς βόθυνον πεσοῦνται. ¹⁵ Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολήν. ¹⁶ ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἀκμὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; ¹⁷ οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν χωρεῖ καὶ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκβάλλεται; ¹⁸ τὰ δὲ ἐκπορευόμενα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχεται, κἀκεῖνα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ¹⁹ ἐκ γὰρ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχονται διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί, φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, βλασφημίαι. ²⁰ ταῦτά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον· τὸ δὲ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν φαγεῖν οὐ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.

¹ Tote proserchontai tō Iēsou apo Hierosolymōn Pharisaioi kai grammateis legontes; ² Dia ti hoi mathētai sou parabainousin tēn paradosin tōn presbyterōn? ou gar niptontai tas cheiras hotan arton esthiōsin. ³ ho de apokritheis eipen autois; Dia ti kai hymeis parabainete tēn entolēn tou theou dia tēn paradosin hymōn? ⁴ ho gar theos eipen; Tima ton patera kai tēn mētera, kai; Ho kakologōn patera ē mētera thanatō teleutatō. ⁵ hymeis de legete; Hos an eipē tō patri ē tē mētri; Dōron ho ean ex emou ōphelēthēs, ⁶ ou mē timēsei ton patera autou; kai ēkyrōsate ton logon tou theou dia tēn paradosin hymōn. ⁷ hypokritai, kalōs eprophēteusen peri hymōn Ēsaias legōn; ⁸ Ho laos houtos tois cheilesin me tima, hē de kardia autōn porrō apechei ap' emou; ⁹ matēn de sebontai me didaskontes didaskalias entalmata anthrōpōn. ¹⁰ kai proskalesamenos ton ochlon eipen autois; Akouete kai syniete; ¹¹ ou to eiserchomenon eis to stoma koinoi ton anthrōpon, alla to ekporeuomenon ek tou stomatos touto koinoi ton anthrōpon. ¹² Tote proselthontes hoi mathētai legousin autō; Oidas hoti hoi Pharisaioi akousantes ton logon eskandalisthēsan? ¹³ ho de apokritheis eipen; Pasa phyteia hēn ouk ephyteusen ho patēr mou ho ouranios ekrizōthēsetai. ¹⁴ aphete autous; typhloi eisin hodēgoi typhlōn; typhlos de typhlon ean hodēgē, amphoteroi eis bothynon pesountai. ¹⁵ Apokritheis de ho Petros eipen autō; Phrason hēmin tēn parabolēn. ¹⁶ ho de eipen; Akmēn kai hymeis asynetoi este? ¹⁷ ou noeite hoti pan to eisporeuomenon eis to stoma eis tēn koilian chōrei kai eis aphedrōna ekballetai? ¹⁸ ta de ekporeuomena ek tou stomatos ek tēs kardias exerchetai, kakeina koinoi ton anthrōpon. ¹⁹ ek gar tēs kardias exerchontai dialogismoi ponēroi, phonoi, moicheiai, porneiai, klopai, pseudomartyriai, blasphēmiai. ²⁰ tauta estin ta koinounta ton anthrōpon; to de aniptois chersin phagein ou koinoi ton anthrōpon.

Key Words

παράδοσιν paradosin tradition, what is handed down

From παραδίδωμι ("to hand over, deliver"). The noun denotes that which is transmitted from one generation to the next. In Pharisaic Judaism, paradosis tōn presbyterōn ("tradition of the elders") referred to the oral Torah—the body of halakhic interpretation later codified in the Mishnah—believed to have been delivered to Moses at Sinai alongside the written Torah. Paul uses the same noun positively for apostolic tradition (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6); the term itself is theologically neutral. The issue here is not whether tradition exists but whether human tradition can override divine commandment. Jesus' critique anticipates the apostolic principle: tradition is good when it transmits the apostolic deposit; ruinous when it displaces Scripture.

δῶρον dōron gift, offering (Korban)

"Gift," the Greek translation of Aramaic קָרְבָּן (qorban), preserved as a transliterated technical term in Mark 7:11. In Second Temple practice, declaring property "Korban" meant dedicating it to the temple, removing it from ordinary use even before actual transfer. The Mishnah (Nedarim 9) records that such vows could be invoked to evade obligations to one's parents. Jesus exposes the moral perversity: a man could withhold material support from his aging father by formally declaring those resources "consecrated"—and the Pharisaic tradition treated the vow as binding even when it nullified the fifth commandment. The case is the textbook example of paradosis overriding entolē.

ἠκυρώσατε ēkyrōsate you invalidated, made void

Aorist active of ἀκυρόω, from ἀ- (alpha-privative) and κῦρος ("authority, validity"). The verb is technical legal language: to nullify a contract, void a will, render an authoritative document inoperative. Paul uses the same verb in Galatians 3:17 of the impossibility that Mosaic Law could nullify the Abrahamic promise. Here Jesus says the Pharisees have done what Paul argues the Law cannot do—they have invalidated the very word of God by the weight of their own tradition. The aorist captures completed action: not "you are weakening" but "you have made it void."

ὑποκριταί hypokritai hypocrites, stage-actors

From ὑποκρίνομαι ("to answer back, play a part on stage"). In classical Greek, hypokritēs meant "actor"—one who delivered lines from behind a mask. Matthew uses the term thirteen times of Jesus' opponents, with full Christological force: hypocrisy is not merely insincerity but the wearing of a religious mask over a heart pointed elsewhere. The Isaiah citation that follows defines the term: lips that honor God, heart that is far from Him. The vocative is direct address, not third-person description—Jesus names them to their faces.

κοινοῖ koinoi defiles, makes common

Present active of κοινόω, from κοινός ("common"). In Levitical thought, the opposite of holy (hagios) is not sinful but common (koinos)—what is unsanctified, ordinary, profane. The verb means "to render common," i.e., to remove from the sphere of holiness. Acts 10:15 uses the same root in Peter's vision ("What God has cleansed, no longer consider koinon"). Jesus' redefinition is radical: the source of religious common-ness is not contact with food, surfaces, or persons but the inner life of the heart. This single sentence dismantles the whole Levitical purity-code as the Pharisees practiced it—and Mark 7:19 makes the implication explicit ("thus He declared all foods clean").

καρδίας kardias heart

Genitive of καρδία. In biblical anthropology, the kardia is not the seat of sentiment alone but the integrative center of the person—will, intellect, moral disposition, and affection unified. The LXX uses kardia over 850 times to translate Hebrew לֵב (lev). Jesus' diagnosis follows the prophetic line of Jeremiah 17:9 ("the heart is more deceitful than all else") and Ezekiel 36:26 (the promise of a new heart). The seven evils that follow (v. 19) are not random but a sweeping inventory of decalogue-violations issuing from the heart: murders (sixth), adulteries and fornications (seventh), thefts (eighth), false witness (ninth), blasphemies (third)—the Decalogue's ethical second-half, all sourced inward.

τυφλοὶ ὁδηγοί typhloi hodēgoi blind guides

A devastating compound metaphor. ὁδηγός is "one who shows the way" (from ὁδός + ἡγέομαι), the technical role the Pharisees claimed for themselves as teachers of Israel. Romans 2:19 has Paul give voice to the Jewish self-understanding: "you are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind." Jesus inverts the claim: the guides are themselves blind. The image of the blind leading the blind into a bothynon (pit, cistern) recurs in 23:16, 24, and the rabbinic literature uses similar imagery for failed teachers. The judgment is total—they cannot lead because they cannot see.

φυτεία phyteia plant, planting

Noun from φυτεύω ("to plant"). The image draws on a long prophetic tradition in which Israel is Yahweh's planting (Isa 5:1-7; 60:21; 61:3; Jer 2:21). The Qumran community used the same imagery for itself (1QS 8:5; CD 1:7). Jesus' saying assumes the field-of-Israel imagery and announces eschatological uprooting: every plant the Father did not plant will be uprooted. This is not antinomian rejection of Israel but a sifting within Israel—the same logic as the wheat-and-weeds parable of 13:24-30. Paul will draw on the same root-imagery in Romans 11:17-24 with the olive tree.

Grammar & Argument

The pericope is a controversy-dialogue in three exchanges, escalating from a halakhic question to a categorical redefinition of purity. The opening (vv. 1-2) is staged by an unusually formal note: the Pharisees and scribes come apo Hierosolymōn ("from Jerusalem")—a delegation, not a local objection. Matthew has flagged Jerusalem as the seat of opposition since 2:3; this is the second such delegation (cf. Mark 3:22) and it carries forensic weight. The charge is precise: parabainousin tēn paradosin tōn presbyterōn—the disciples "transgress" the tradition. The verb parabainō is technical for stepping beyond a fixed boundary, the same root as parabasis (transgression).

Jesus' counter (vv. 3-9) is structured as a chiasm of mutual transgression. They charge the disciples with breaking the paradosis; He charges them with breaking the entolē for the sake of the same paradosis. The Korban example is not random—it is the exact case where Pharisaic halakhah and the fifth commandment most visibly collide. The construction in vv. 4-6 is asyndetic and rapid: God said X (Exod 20:12 + 21:17); you say Y (the Korban escape); the result is ēkyrōsate ton logon tou theou ("you invalidated the word of God"). Note the diction: not "the law" but "the word"—the saying carries scriptural authority because God spoke it. The Isaiah citation (Isa 29:13 LXX) seals the rebuke. The LXX form Jesus quotes ("teaching as doctrines the commandments of men") differs from the MT ("their fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote") in ways that suit the application; Matthew preserves the LXX form against the underlying Hebrew, indicating either that Jesus quoted in Greek for this Hellenistic-Jewish audience or that Matthew's Vorlage shaped the quotation.

The pivot to the crowd (vv. 10-11) is procedural: proskalesamenos ton ochlon. Jesus has been arguing with experts; now He turns to the audience and re-frames the dispute in a sentence anyone can understand. The aphorism is structured as antithetical parallelism: not what enters / but what comes out; the entering does not defile / the proceeding does. The verb koinoō ("to make common, defile") is a Levitical loan-word; Jesus is speaking the Pharisees' own technical vocabulary while inverting their direction. This is the saying that Mark 7:19 will mark as the principle that "declared all foods clean." Matthew, writing for a more Jewish audience, leaves the ceremonial implication implicit; the principle is stated, the application left to be drawn.

The disciples' report in v. 12 (the Pharisees were eskandalisthēsan—offended, made-to-stumble) is met with two parabolic sayings (vv. 13-14) that consign the Pharisees to eschatological judgment. The phyteia-uprooting saying assumes the prophetic Israel-as-planting tradition and announces that what the Father did not plant will not stand. The typhloi hodēgoi saying announces the diagnosis: their teaching authority is invalid because their sight is gone. The juxtaposition of "the Pharisees were offended" with "let them alone, they are blind guides" is striking pastoral realism: Jesus does not chase those who are scandalized by the truth; He releases them to their chosen blindness.

The final exchange with Peter (vv. 15-20) interprets the aphorism. Peter asks for the parable's phrasis (explanation); Jesus' reply is mildly exasperated—akmēn kai hymeis asynetoi este? ("are you also still without understanding?"). Then comes the catalogue (v. 19): seven evils, all Decalogue-categories, all sourced from the heart. The list is structured: dialogismoi ponēroi (evil thoughts) heads the list as the inner spring; the six concrete evils that follow trace from violence (phonoi) through sexual evils (moicheiai, porneiai) to property (klopai) to speech (pseudomartyriai, blasphēmiai). The closing sentence (v. 20) returns to the original handwashing question with deliberate anti-climax: "to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." The whole controversy has been answered by relocating defilement from the body's surface to the heart's interior.

Tradition handed down can be either the apostolic deposit or the Pharisaic substitute—the difference is whether it transmits the word of God or invalidates it. And purity is not surface-borne; it is heart-sourced.

OT Connection

Isaiah 29:13 · Exodus 20:12 · Exodus 21:17 · Jeremiah 17:9

Isaiah 29:13 is Jesus' explicit citation. The Hebrew (v'tehi yir'atam oti mitsvat anashim m'lummadah, "their fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote") reaches Matthew through the LXX in a slightly altered form: matēn de sebontai me didaskontes didaskalias entalmata anthrōpōn. Both forms make the same indictment: outward observance, inward distance. The fifth commandment (Exod 20:12) and its capital-sanction parallel (Exod 21:17, "he who curses father or mother shall surely be put to death") form the divine word the Pharisees had circumvented. Jeremiah 17:9 stands behind the catalog of v. 19: "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?"

Note that LSB renders Isaiah 29:13 in its Old Testament location closely to the Hebrew, but here in the NT citation LSB follows the Greek of Matthew (which follows the LXX). The slight divergence is itself instructive: when the New Testament quotes the Old, LSB respects the form the apostle used, even where it diverges from the MT.

LSB Choices Worth Noting

"Tradition" for παράδοσις — LSB preserves the technical term across both polemical (here, 23:2-3) and positive (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15) uses, allowing the reader to see that Scripture critiques bad tradition without rejecting tradition as such.

"Invalidated" for ἠκυρώσατε — LSB chooses the legal-register word ("invalidated") over the softer "made of no effect" or "nullified." The legal texture matches Paul's parallel use in Galatians 3:17, where the same verb appears.

"Defiles" for κοινοῖ — LSB renders koinoō as "defiles" rather than "makes common" or "renders impure." The choice is interpretively defensible (the practical meaning is defilement), though a footnote on the Levitical sense would aid readers tracing the holiness/commonness vocabulary.

"Blind guides of the blind" for τυφλοί εἰσιν ὁδηγοί τυφλῶν — LSB preserves the chiastic word-order and the doubled typhlos rather than smoothing to "they are blind leaders of blind people." The Greek's economy (literally "blind they-are guides of-blind") is the rhythm of judgment; LSB keeps it.

Matthew 15:21-28

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

LSB Text

²¹And going out from there, Jesus withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying out, saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is demon-possessed in a terrible way.' ²³But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and were asking Him, saying, 'Send her away, because she keeps crying out after us.' ²⁴But He answered and said, 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' ²⁵But she came and was bowing down before Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!' ²⁶And He answered and said, 'It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' ²⁷But she said, 'Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.' ²⁸Then Jesus answered and said to her, 'O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed at once from that hour.

Greek Text

²¹Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος. ²²καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ Χαναναία ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων ἐκείνων ἐξελθοῦσα ἔκραζεν λέγουσα· Ἐλέησόν με, κύριε υἱὸς Δαυίδ· ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. ²³ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον. καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἠρώτουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Ἀπόλυσον αὐτήν, ὅτι κράζει ὄπισθεν ἡμῶν. ²⁴ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. ²⁵ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγουσα· Κύριε, βοήθει μοι. ²⁶ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἔστιν καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις. ²⁷ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· Ναί, κύριε, καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. ²⁸τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις· γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. καὶ ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης.

²¹Kai exelthōn ekeithen ho Iēsous anechōrēsen eis ta merē Tyrou kai Sidōnos. ²²kai idou gynē Chananaia apo tōn horiōn ekeinōn exelthousa ekrazen legousa· Eleēson me, kyrie hyios Dauïd; hē thygatēr mou kakōs daimonizetai. ²³ho de ouk apekrithē autē logon. kai proselthontes hoi mathētai autou ērōtōn auton legontes· Apolyson autēn, hoti krazei opisthen hēmōn. ²⁴ho de apokritheis eipen· Ouk apestalēn ei mē eis ta probata ta apolōlota oikou Israēl. ²⁵hē de elthousa prosekynei autō legousa· Kyrie, boēthei moi. ²⁶ho de apokritheis eipen· Ouk estin kalon labein ton arton tōn teknōn kai balein tois kynariois. ²⁷hē de eipen· Nai, kyrie, kai gar ta kynaria esthiei apo tōn psichiōn tōn piptontōn apo tēs trapezēs tōn kyriōn autōn. ²⁸tote apokritheis ho Iēsous eipen autē· Ō gynai, megalē sou hē pistis· genēthētō soi hōs theleis. kai iathē hē thygatēr autēs apo tēs hōras ekeinēs.

Key Words

Χαναναία Chananaia Canaanite

The term derives from Χαναάν (Canaan), the ancient designation for the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the Promised Land. Matthew's choice of this archaic ethnic label (rather than the contemporary 'Syrophoenician' used in Mark 7:26) deliberately evokes Israel's ancient enemies, the nations dispossessed under Joshua. The woman thus represents the very peoples Israel was commanded to drive out, making her faith all the more striking. Her identity as a Canaanite underscores the scandal of Jesus' mission extending beyond ethnic Israel. The term carries theological weight: she is an outsider by covenant definition, yet she addresses Jesus with Israel's messianic titles.

ἐλέησον eleēson have mercy

This aorist imperative of ἐλεέω (to show mercy, have compassion) appears frequently in the Gospels as a cry for divine intervention. The verb is rooted in ἔλεος (mercy, compassion), which in the LXX regularly translates Hebrew חֶסֶד (ḥesed, covenant loyalty) and רַחֲמִים (raḥamîm, compassion). The woman's plea echoes the liturgical cry 'Kyrie eleison' and reflects the language of the Psalms where the afflicted appeal to God's covenant faithfulness. Her use of this verb demonstrates theological sophistication: she is not merely requesting a favor but appealing to the character of Israel's God. The aorist tense suggests urgency—a decisive act of mercy is needed now.

κύριε kyrie Lord

The vocative of κύριος (lord, master, Lord) functions on multiple levels in this narrative. At minimum it expresses respectful address to a superior, but in Matthew's Gospel it frequently carries christological weight, especially when paired with messianic titles. The woman uses it three times (vv. 22, 25, 27), each time with increasing theological depth. In the LXX, κύριος translates the divine name Yahweh, and Matthew's readers would hear these overtones. Her persistent use of this title, even after apparent rejection, demonstrates her conviction that Jesus possesses divine authority to heal. The term bridges her Gentile status and her recognition of Jesus' true identity.

κυνάριον kynarion little dog, house dog

This diminutive form of κύων (dog) softens what would otherwise be a harsh metaphor. In Jewish usage, 'dog' was a contemptuous term for Gentiles, scavengers outside the covenant community. The diminutive κυνάριον, however, suggests household pets rather than wild street dogs—animals that, while not children, still belong within the domestic sphere. Jesus' use of this term (rather than the standard κύων) leaves room for the woman's brilliant rejoinder. The diminutive form appears only here and in the parallel Markan account in the New Testament. The woman seizes on this nuance: even household dogs have a place at the master's table, receiving what falls from it. The word choice enables her theological argument about the scope of messianic blessing.

ψιχίον psichiōn crumb, morsel

This diminutive of ψίξ (bit, morsel) appears only here and in Mark's parallel in the New Testament. The term denotes small fragments of bread that fall during a meal, scraps that would naturally go to household animals. The woman's use of this word is rhetorically brilliant: she accepts Jesus' metaphor but reframes it. She is not demanding the children's full portion but asking only for what would otherwise be wasted. The diminutive form matches κυνάριον, creating a consistent domestic scene. Her argument implies that blessing the Gentiles does not diminish Israel's inheritance—there is abundance enough for both. The word captures the woman's humility (she asks for crumbs, not the loaf) and her insight (even crumbs from the Messiah's table bring healing).

πίστις pistis faith, trust, faithfulness

This noun, derived from πείθω (to persuade, trust), denotes trust, belief, faithfulness, or reliability. In the New Testament it becomes the central term for saving faith in Christ. Jesus' declaration 'great is your faith' (μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις) is remarkable given that only one other person in Matthew receives this commendation—the Roman centurion (8:10), also a Gentile. The woman's πίστις is demonstrated not in correct doctrine but in persistent trust despite apparent rejection, in theological insight that grasps the scope of messianic mercy, and in refusal to be turned away. Her faith sees past the scandal of Jesus' silence and harsh words to the reality of his compassion. Matthew presents her as a model of the faith that transcends ethnic boundaries.

προσκυνέω proskyneō to worship, bow down, prostrate oneself

This compound verb (προς + κυνέω, literally 'to kiss toward') denotes the act of prostration in worship or homage. In the LXX it translates Hebrew הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hištaḥăwâ), the standard term for worship of God. Matthew uses προσκυνέω frequently, often with christological significance—the magi worship the infant Jesus (2:11), and the disciples worship the risen Lord (28:17). The woman's act of prostration (v. 25) follows Jesus' apparent refusal and precedes her final appeal. The imperfect tense (προσεκύνει) suggests continuous action: she kept worshiping him. This physical posture embodies her spiritual stance—she recognizes Jesus' authority and submits to it even when he seems to deny her request. Her worship is not contingent on receiving what she asks.

ἰάομαι iaomai to heal, cure, restore

This verb, common in medical contexts, denotes physical healing and restoration. In the LXX it translates Hebrew רָפָא (rāpāʾ, to heal), used both literally and metaphorically for God's restorative work. The passive form here (ἰάθη, 'was healed') indicates divine action—the daughter is healed by Jesus' word, not by human agency. The aorist tense marks the instantaneous nature of the healing, and the phrase 'from that hour' (ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης) emphasizes the immediate effectiveness of Jesus' word spoken at a distance. Matthew's use of ἰάομαι (rather than θεραπεύω, his more common healing verb) may echo Isaiah 53:5, where the Servant's suffering brings healing. The healing demonstrates that faith, not ethnicity, determines access to messianic blessing.

Grammar & Argument

The narrative unfolds through a carefully structured dialogue that escalates in intensity and theological depth. Matthew frames the encounter with a geographical note (v. 21) that signals boundary-crossing: Jesus withdraws into Gentile territory, the region of Tyre and Sidon. The woman's initial cry (v. 22) is remarkable for its theological sophistication—she addresses Jesus with three titles ('Lord,' 'Son of David,' and implicitly 'Healer') that demonstrate her understanding of his messianic identity despite her Canaanite heritage. The verb ἔκραζεν (imperfect, 'she was crying out') suggests persistent, repeated appeals, setting up the tension that drives the narrative.

Jesus' response—or rather, his non-response—is shocking: 'He did not answer her a word' (οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον). The emphatic negation and the cognate accusative λόγον intensify the silence. This is not mere inattention but deliberate refusal to engage. The disciples' intervention (v. 23) is ambiguous: ἀπόλυσον could mean 'send her away' (dismiss her) or 'release her' (grant her request), though the context favors dismissal. Jesus' explanation (v. 24) articulates the scandal of particularity: 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' The double negative (οὐκ... εἰ μή) creates an emphatic restriction. The perfect passive ἀπεστάλην points to divine commissioning—this is not Jesus' preference but his mission parameters. The metaphor of 'lost sheep' echoes Ezekiel 34 and Jesus' earlier mission discourse (10:6), framing Israel as the primary object of messianic restoration.

The woman's response (v. 25) is physical and verbal: she comes closer, prostrates herself in worship (προσεκύνει, imperfect suggesting sustained posture), and reduces her appeal to its essence: 'Lord, help me!' The shift from her daughter's need to her own need is rhetorically powerful—she identifies completely with her child's suffering. Jesus' reply (v. 26) employs a domestic metaphor that, while seemingly harsh, uses the diminutive κυνάριοις (household dogs) rather than the contemptuous κύων (street dogs). The statement 'it is not good' (οὐκ ἔστιν καλόν) is milder than 'it is wrong' or 'forbidden,' leaving logical space for the woman's response. She seizes this opening brilliantly (v. 27): 'Yes, Lord' (ναί, κύριε) accepts the premise of Israel's priority, but 'even the dogs' (καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια) argues that Gentile blessing need not diminish Jewish privilege. Her use of the present tense ἐσθίει ('feed on,' habitual action) suggests this is the normal household order—dogs do receive from the master's table.

Jesus' final response (v. 28) is emphatic and climactic. The vocative ὦ γύναι with the exclamation marks heightened emotion—this is not cold approval but warm commendation. The adjective μεγάλη is fronted for emphasis: 'Great is your faith!' The passive imperative γενηθήτω ('let it be done') invokes divine action, and the phrase ὡς θέλεις ('as you wish') grants her complete agency in the outcome. The healing is immediate (ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης), demonstrating that Jesus' word is effective at a distance. The narrative structure—initial silence, apparent rejection, persistent faith, and ultimate commendation—creates a dramatic arc that highlights the woman's extraordinary faith and foreshadows the Gentile mission that will follow Jesus' resurrection.

Faith that refuses to be turned away, that seizes even the crumbs of messianic mercy, is faith that Jesus calls 'great'—and such faith, remarkably, first appears in full flower not among the covenant people but among the ancient enemies of Israel.

Matthew 15:29-39

Healing and Feeding the Four Thousand

LSB Text

²⁹And departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. ³⁰And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet, and He healed them. ³¹So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. ³²And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the crowd, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might collapse on the way." ³³And the disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a great crowd?" ³⁴And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." ³⁵And He directed the crowd to recline on the ground; ³⁶and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. ³⁸And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

Greek Text

²⁹ Καὶ μεταβὰς ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἦλθεν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ ἀναβὰς εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἐκάθητο ἐκεῖ. ³⁰ καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἔχοντες μεθ' ἑαυτῶν χωλούς, τυφλούς, κυλλούς, κωφούς, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλούς, καὶ ἔρριψαν αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς· ³¹ ὥστε τὸν ὄχλον θαυμάσαι βλέποντας κωφοὺς λαλοῦντας, κυλλοὺς ὑγιεῖς καὶ χωλοὺς περιπατοῦντας καὶ τυφλοὺς βλέποντας· καὶ ἐδόξασαν τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραήλ. 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. ³³ καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταί· Πόθεν ἡμῖν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ ἄρτοι τοσοῦτοι ὥστε χορτάσαι ὄχλον τοσοῦτον; ³⁴ καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Πόσους ἄρτους ἔχετε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Ἑπτά, καὶ ὀλίγα ἰχθύδια. ³⁵ καὶ παραγγείλας τῷ ὄχλῳ ἀναπεσεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ³⁶ ἔλαβεν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἄρτους καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς, οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ τοῖς ὄχλοις. ³⁷ καὶ ἔφαγον πάντες καὶ ἐχορτάσθησαν, καὶ τὸ περισσεῦον τῶν κλασμάτων ἦραν, ἑπτὰ σπυρίδας πλήρεις. ³⁸ οἱ δὲ ἐσθίοντες ἦσαν τετρακισχίλιοι ἄνδρες χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων. ³⁹ καὶ ἀπολύσας τοὺς ὄχλους ἐνέβη εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὰ ὅρια Μαγαδάν.

²⁹ Kai metabas ekeithen ho Iēsous ēlthen para tēn thalassan tēs Galilaias, kai anabas eis to oros ekathēto ekei. ³⁰ kai prosēlthon autō ochloi polloi echontes meth' heautōn chōlous, typhlous, kyllous, kōphous, kai heterous pollous, kai erripsan autous para tous podas autou; kai etherapeusen autous; ³¹ hōste ton ochlon thaumasai blepontas kōphous lalountas, kyllous hygieis kai chōlous peripatountas kai typhlous blepontas; kai edoxasan ton theon Israēl. ³² Ho de Iēsous proskalesamenos tous mathētas autou eipen; Splanchnizomai epi ton ochlon, hoti ēdē hēmerai treis prosmenousin moi kai ouk echousin ti phagōsin; kai apolysai autous nēsteis ou thelō, mēpote eklythōsin en tē hodō. ³³ kai legousin autō hoi mathētai; Pothen hēmin en erēmia artoi tosoutoi hōste chortasai ochlon tosouton? ³⁴ kai legei autois ho Iēsous; Posous artous echete? hoi de eipan; Hepta, kai oliga ichthydia. ³⁵ kai parangeilas tō ochlō anapesein epi tēn gēn ³⁶ elaben tous hepta artous kai tous ichthyas kai eucharistēsas eklasen kai edidou tois mathētais, hoi de mathētai tois ochlois. ³⁷ kai ephagon pantes kai echortasthēsan, kai to perisseuon tōn klasmatōn ēran, hepta spyridas plēreis. ³⁸ hoi de esthiontes ēsan tetrakischilioi andres chōris gynaikōn kai paidiōn. ³⁹ kai apolysas tous ochlous enebē eis to ploion, kai ēlthen eis ta horia Magadan.

Key Words

σπλαγχνίζομαι splanchnizomai to feel compassion, have pity

This verb derives from σπλάγχνα (splanchna), the inward parts or viscera—the bowels, heart, liver—considered in ancient physiology the seat of deep emotion. The term denotes not mere sympathy but a visceral, gut-level compassion that moves one to action. In the Gospels, it is used almost exclusively of Jesus, revealing His profound emotional engagement with human suffering. The word captures the embodied nature of divine mercy: God's compassion is not abstract benevolence but a felt, physical response to the plight of His creatures. Here Jesus' compassion for the hungry crowd echoes His earlier feeding miracle (14:14) and anticipates His ultimate self-giving on the cross.

κυλλός kyllos crippled, maimed, deformed

This adjective describes those with limbs that are twisted, withered, or missing—a term for physical deformity or mutilation. The root may be related to κυλίω (to roll), suggesting a rolling or twisted condition. In the LXX, similar terms describe those excluded from priestly service (Lev 21:18) or from offering sacrifices. Matthew's inclusion of the κυλλοί among those healed underscores the comprehensive nature of Jesus' restorative work. The healing of the maimed fulfills Isaiah's vision of messianic restoration (Isa 35:5-6) and demonstrates that Jesus' kingdom reverses all the effects of the fall, including physical brokenness.

ἐδόξασαν edoxasan they glorified, praised

The aorist active indicative of δοξάζω (to glorify, honor, praise), from δόξα (glory, splendor, reputation). The verb means to ascribe weight, honor, or radiant majesty to someone. In biblical usage, glorifying God means recognizing and proclaiming His true character and mighty works. The crowd's response—glorifying 'the God of Israel'—is theologically significant: these Gentiles (in the region of the Decapolis) acknowledge the covenant God of Israel as the source of Jesus' healing power. Their praise anticipates the ingathering of the nations and the fulfillment of Israel's mission to be a light to the Gentiles.

ἐρημία erēmia wilderness, desolate place

A noun denoting an uninhabited, barren region—a desert or wasteland. The term derives from ἔρημος (deserted, abandoned, lonely). In biblical theology, the wilderness is a place of both testing and divine provision, recalling Israel's forty years in the desert where God fed them with manna. The disciples' question—'Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place?'—echoes Moses' question in Numbers 11:13. Jesus' feeding in the wilderness thus evokes the Exodus narrative and positions Him as the new Moses, the prophet like Moses who provides bread from heaven and leads a new exodus.

εὐχαριστήσας eucharistēsas having given thanks

The aorist active participle of εὐχαριστέω (to give thanks), from εὖ (well) and χάρις (grace, favor). The verb means to express gratitude, especially to God for His gifts. This thanksgiving before the meal reflects Jewish table blessings (berakah) and acknowledges God as the source of all provision. The term became central to Christian liturgical vocabulary, giving us 'Eucharist' for the Lord's Supper. Jesus' thanksgiving before multiplying the loaves models dependence on the Father and transforms an ordinary meal into a sacramental sign of God's abundant grace. The act of thanksgiving precedes and enables the miracle of multiplication.

σπυρίς spyris large basket, hamper

A noun denoting a large woven basket or hamper, typically used for provisions or cargo. This term differs from κόφινος (kophinos), the smaller basket used in the feeding of the five thousand (14:20). The σπυρίς was large enough to hold a man (Acts 9:25, where Paul is lowered in one). The use of different basket terms in the two feeding accounts is not incidental but reflects Matthew's careful preservation of distinct historical details. The seven large baskets full of leftovers demonstrate not only the abundance of Jesus' provision but also the care with which nothing of God's gift is to be wasted.

χορτάζω chortazō to satisfy, fill, feed to the full

This verb originally meant to feed or fatten livestock (from χόρτος, grass or fodder), then came to mean satisfying hunger completely. The term implies not merely eating but being fully satisfied, filled to contentment. In the LXX, it often describes God's provision for His people (Ps 37:19; 132:15). The passive form here—'they were satisfied'—emphasizes that the crowd received satisfaction as a gift, not something they achieved. Jesus' feeding miracles fulfill the messianic promise that God will abundantly satisfy the needs of His people (Isa 55:1-2), pointing forward to the eschatological banquet where all hunger will be forever ended.

τετρακισχίλιοι tetrakischilioi four thousand

A compound numeral from τετράκις (four times) and χίλιοι (thousand). The specific enumeration—four thousand men besides women and children—underscores the historical particularity of this event and distinguishes it from the feeding of the five thousand. The number four often symbolizes universality in Scripture (four corners of the earth, four winds), and some interpreters see significance in Jesus feeding four thousand in predominantly Gentile territory after feeding five thousand in Jewish territory. The careful counting and the mention of leftovers demonstrate that this is not legend or myth but a concrete historical event with verifiable details.

Grammar & Argument

The pericope is a paired panel to the feeding of the 5,000 in 14:13-21, but Matthew has been careful to make it a doublet, not a duplicate. The geography is different: 14:13 has Jesus on the western (Jewish) shore; 15:29 has Him return to a mountain by the Sea of Galilee, but in context (after the Tyre-Sidon excursion of 15:21-28 and before the return to "the region of Magadan" in v. 39) the Decapolis or eastern, Gentile-leaning side is in view. Mark 7:31, the parallel, makes this explicit ("through the midst of the region of Decapolis"). The crowd that edoxasan ton theon Israēl ("glorified the God of Israel," v. 31) is a giveaway: only outsiders speak of Yahweh as "the God of Israel"—this is Gentile recognition, not Jewish self-identification.

The healing-summary in vv. 30-31 is a deliberate Isaianic catalog. Isaiah 35:5-6 promises: "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy." Matthew lists the categories—chōloi (lame), typhloi (blind), kylloi (crippled), kōphoi (mute/deaf)—and reports Jesus' healing of all four, with the crowd's marvel echoing Isaiah's promised messianic age. The same Isaianic catalog appeared in Jesus' answer to John the Baptist's question (11:5). What was offered as evidence to John is here enacted in Gentile territory—the Isaianic kingdom is reaching beyond Israel.

The dialogue in vv. 32-34 mirrors 14:14-17 with deliberate variation. There Jesus' compassion drives the action; here Jesus names the compassion explicitly: splanchnizomai epi ton ochlon ("I feel compassion upon the crowd"). The reason He gives is striking: "they have remained with Me now three days." The verb prosmenousin implies persistent abiding—a Gentile crowd has stayed with the Jewish Messiah for three days, listening. The disciples' question (pothen hēmin en erēmia, "from where to us in the wilderness") is almost identical to Numbers 11:13 LXX, where Moses asks Yahweh for meat in the wilderness. The disciples' inability to remember the loaves they themselves distributed only weeks earlier is the failure Jesus will rebuke in 16:8-10.

The miracle proceeds with the same liturgical sequence as 14:19—took, blessed/gave-thanks, broke, gave—but with two diction-shifts. First, the verb of blessing here is eucharistēsas (giving thanks) rather than eulogēsen (blessed) of 14:19. The shift is small but theologically suggestive: eucharistia will become the early-church technical term for the Lord's Supper. Second, the basket vocabulary changes: spyrides here, kophinoi there. The kophinos was a small wicker travel-basket associated specifically with Jews (Juvenal, Satires 3.14, mocks the Jews of Rome carrying their cophinus on the Sabbath). The spyris was a larger Gentile-style basket, large enough to lower a man down a city wall (Acts 9:25). The basket-shift mirrors the audience-shift: small Jewish baskets for the Jewish feeding, large Gentile baskets for the Gentile feeding. This is not allegorical reading-into-the-text; it is reading what Matthew (and Mark, who preserves the same vocabulary) has placed there.

The numerical parallelism is also pointed. The Jewish feeding: 5 loaves + 2 fish, 5,000 men, 12 baskets left over (12 = tribes of Israel). The Gentile feeding: 7 loaves + few small fish, 4,000 men, 7 baskets left over (7 = the seven Canaanite nations of Deut 7:1, or the seven nations of Acts 13:19, or simply the Gentile fullness). The numbers cohere with the geography: the Bread of Life is offered first to the children, then to those who sat under the table waiting for the crumbs. The Canaanite woman's faith of 15:21-28 has now expanded into a Decapolis crowd's three-day hunger for Him, and the very same Bread is broken in larger baskets for them. The progression of chapter 15 is unified: traditions that defile (vv. 1-20), Israel's frontiers crossed (vv. 21-28), Gentile multitudes fed (vv. 29-39). The chapter narrates the Bread of Life moving outward.

The same hands break the same kind of bread on both sides of the lake, with the same blessing and the same satisfaction. The God who feeds Israel is the God of Israel—and He has already begun to be the God of the nations, on the Decapolis hillside, before any apostle has been sent.

OT Connection

Isaiah 35:5-6 · Numbers 11:13 · Psalm 107:9

Isaiah 35:5-6 (LSB): "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy." The Hebrew (אָז תִּפָּקַחְנָה עֵינֵי עִוְרִים וְאָזְנֵי חֵרְשִׁים תִּפָּתַחְנָה) inaugurates the messianic restoration of Zion's wilderness highway. Matthew lists the precise categories Isaiah names—blind, deaf, lame, mute—and adds kylloi (crippled) for completeness. The crowd's marveling and glorifying "the God of Israel" is the Isaianic response: Isaiah 35:10 ends with the redeemed "shouting for joy" and "everlasting joy." Numbers 11:13 stands behind the disciples' "from where in the wilderness?"—Moses' identical question to Yahweh, met with the quail and manna. Psalm 107:9 praises Yahweh: "He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good"—the same satisfaction-vocabulary (chortazō) Matthew reports in v. 37.

Note that the crowd's praise of "the God of Israel" (v. 31) marks them as outsiders. Israelites would say "Yahweh" or "the LORD"; only Gentiles or psalmist-summarizers speak of Yahweh as "the God of Israel" (1 Kings 8:23 in Solomon's prayer naming the foreign nations; Ezra 6:14 in the Persian decree). LSB renders this exactly—"the God of Israel"—preserving the outsider perspective Matthew has carefully set up.

LSB Choices Worth Noting

"I feel compassion" for σπλαγχνίζομαι (v. 32) — LSB chooses present-tense "I feel compassion" over the smoother "I have compassion," preserving both the present indicative and the visceral root (splanchna = inward parts). The choice keeps the affective texture the Greek carries.

"Crippled restored" for κυλλοὺς ὑγιεῖς (v. 31) — LSB renders the participle-less Greek pair tersely as "crippled restored" rather than expanding ("the crippled made whole"). The economy matches the catalog rhythm.

"Giving thanks" for εὐχαριστήσας (v. 36) — LSB preserves the eucharist-root rather than smoothing to "blessing" or "saying grace." The same verb appears in 26:27 at the Last Supper; LSB's consistency lets readers see the linkage.

"Large baskets" for σπυρίδας (v. 37) — LSB renders spyris as "large basket" to distinguish it from kophinos ("basket") in 14:20. Many translations collapse the two; LSB's distinction is exegetically alert and worth catching.