Markus 7:24-37

A Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

7:24 After Jesus ¹  left there, he went to the region of Tyre. ²  When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but ³  he was not able to escape notice. 7:25 Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit ⁴  immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet. 7:26 The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. She ⁵  asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 7:27 He said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.” ⁶  7:28 She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 7:29 Then ⁷  he said to her, “Because you said this, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 7:30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Healing a Deaf Mute

7:31 Then ⁸  Jesus ⁹  went out again from the region of Tyre ¹⁰  and came through Sidon ¹¹  to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. ¹²  7:32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. 7:33 After Jesus ¹³  took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s ¹⁴  ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue. ¹⁵  7:34 Then ¹⁶  he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”). ¹⁷  7:35 And immediately the man’s ¹⁸  ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly. 7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more. ¹⁹  7:37 People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

[7:24]  ¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:24]  ² tc Most mss, including early and important witnesses (א A B Ë^1,13 33 2427 Ï lat), have here καὶ Σιδῶνος (kai Sidwno", “and Sidon”). The Western text, as well as several other important mss (D L W Δ Θ 28 565 it), lack the words. Although the external evidence is on the side of inclusion, it is difficult to explain why scribes would omit the mention of Sidon. On the other hand, the parallels in v. 31 and Matt 15:21 would be sufficient motivation for scribes to add Sidon here. Furthermore, every other mention of Tyre in the Gospels is accompanied by Sidon, putting pressure on scribes to conform this text as well. The shorter reading therefore, though without compelling external evidence on its side, is strongly supported by internal evidence, rendering judgment on its authenticity fairly certain.

[7:24]  map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[7:24]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[7:25]  ⁴ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[7:26]  ⁵ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:27]  ⁶ tn Or “lap dogs, house dogs,” as opposed to dogs on the street. The diminutive form originally referred to puppies or little dogs, then to house pets. In some Hellenistic uses κυνάριον (kunarion) simply means “dog.”

[7:27]  sn The term dogs does not refer to wild dogs (scavenging animals roaming around the countryside) in this context, but to small dogs taken in as house pets. It is thus not a derogatory term per se, but is instead intended by Jesus to indicate the privileged position of the Jews (especially his disciples) as the initial recipients of Jesus’ ministry. The woman’s response of faith and her willingness to accept whatever Jesus would offer pleased him to such an extent that he granted her request. This is the only miracle mentioned in Mark that Jesus performed at a distance without ever having seen the afflicted person, or issuing some sort of audible command.

[7:29]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:31]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:31]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:31]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[7:31]  ¹¹ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[7:31]  ¹² sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.

[7:33]  ¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:33]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the deaf man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:33]  ¹⁵ sn After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 267 n. 78.

[7:34]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:34]  ¹⁷ sn The author’s parenthetical note gives the meaning of the Aramaic word Ephphatha.

[7:35]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man who had been a deaf mute) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:36]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “but as much as he ordered them, these rather so much more proclaimed.” Greek tends to omit direct objects when they are clear from the context, but these usually need to be supplied for the modern English reader. Here what Jesus ordered has been clarified (“ordered them not to do this”), and the pronoun “it” has been supplied after “proclaimed.”