Matthew 15:26 Meaning and Explanation
“But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus replies with a saying about not taking the children's bread to give to dogs.
What Does Matthew 15:26 Mean?
Jesus answers with a hard-sounding proverb: it is not fitting to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. The children are Israel, to whom the bread of the gospel was first given. Yet the word He uses for dogs is not the wild scavenger but the household pet, a softening that leaves a door ajar. He is testing her faith, and inviting a reply that He surely knows is coming.
What sounds like refusal is in truth an opening. Jesus speaks in a way that draws her to press further, not to retreat. The verse shows that the Lord's seeming hardness can be the very means by which great faith is summoned forth. He is not closing the door but holding it just enough that a humble heart will find the way through, as the next verse will beautifully reveal.
Matthew 15:26 in the Original Language
kunarion (κυνάριον), 'dogs' -- a little dog or household pet, not the wild scavenger, a gentler word that leaves the door open.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 15:26
What does Matthew 15:26 mean?
Jesus replies with a saying about not taking the children's bread to give to dogs.