Matthew 15:23

But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus remains silent toward a Canaanite woman pleading for her demon-possessed daughter, prompting His disciples to approach Him and urge Him to dismiss her because she persistently follows them.

The words — The Greek οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον (ouk apekrithē autē logon) literally records that He did not answer her a word. προσελθόντες (proselthontes) describes the disciples having come to Him to make their request.

The thread — This silence and subsequent intercession echo the disciples' later plea to dismiss a crowd in Matthew 14:15 and Joseph's harsh treatment of his brothers in Genesis 42:7. The woman's persistent cry also mirrors the psalmist's plea in Psalm 28:1 for God not to remain deaf.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe that Jesus’ silence is a deliberate pause, not an absence, before He addresses the disciples' concern. It asks the reader to accept that God's mission may appear restricted before it is fully revealed, demanding patience rather than immediate resolution.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

Cross-references

Matthew 14:15 When 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.”
Genesis 42:7 And 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.”
Psalms 28:1 Of 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.
Lamentations 3:8 Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
Mark 10:47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember 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.