But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”
- KJV But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
- NKJV But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
- NASB But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!”
- NLT But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus is silent at first, and the disciples urge him to send the woman away. It matters because his apparent reluctance sets up a test and display of persistent faith.
Overview
Jesus' silence is not indifference but seems designed to draw out and reveal the woman's faith. The disciples, annoyed by her persistence, want her dismissed. This contrast between their impatience and her perseverance heightens the drama. The episode shows that delays in answered prayer can serve to deepen and prove genuine faith.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 14:15When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
- Lam 3:8Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
- Ps 28:1Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
- Gen 42:7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
- Mark 10:47–48When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- Deut 8:2Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 15:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.