26. Tuv rsxvuv, the children's) Our Lord spoke severely to the Jews themselves, but honourably of them [to those without]; see John iv. 22. Thus we, concerning the Evangelic Church. xwapio^, to little dogs1) who are not worthy to receive it. But yet xwupiov, the word employed by our Lord, is a diminutive, and Jesus thereby gives a handle to the woman to take hold of Him. Midrasch Tillim.2 says, "The nations of the world are like dogs."
27. Na/, yea) The woman seizes upon the appellation xwapia, for she says immediately, xai 'yap, which must be rendered, for even (etenim). The particle v«/ partly assents, partly as it were places on our Lord's tongue the assent to her prayers, i.e. prays. The word is thus used in Philem. ver. 20, and Judith ix. 12.3 — fffditi, eat) since the children often waste their bread. — OCTO ruv •^1%/uv, of the crumbs) She does not say the morsels, nor the bread. — rav vtvrovrw, which fall) in opposition to ^afStn xai /SaXs/i', to take and cast, in the last verse. She asks for it as a favour, essential to herself, injurious to no one. — a-ro, from) She does not ask to be admitted to the table, but implies that she was not far distant from it. Her nation was contiguous to Israel. — ruv xvpiw avruv, of their masters) This indicates the pre rogative of the children, and yet a certain tie of connection (necessitudinem) with them on the part of the little dogs. The language of the Canaanitess corresponds with the curse ad dressed to Canaan, Gen. ix. 26 : "A servant of servants shall he be," etc.
28. rft yvvai, 0 woman) Now at length our Lord addresses her.4 — psydXri, great) Modesty does not interfere with greatness of faith ; see ch. viii. 8, 9. — us, as) After the hard struggle, so
1 Diminutives are used as terms of endearment. Therefore *v»etpioi<; probably here means the household dogs — pet dogs. — ED.
Even the third effort was seeming likely to be abortive. Yet she did not give over. — V. g.
2 i.e. "Allegorical Commentary on the Psalms," a Rabbinical work of high repute among the Jews. — (I. B.)
8 Such modes of pleading she could not have learned from books by anti cipation. The Spirit of faith supplies the best forms of prayer. — V. g. " * Assigning to her no ordinary phrase, with which there was no danger of the woman being inflated on account of her extraordinary humility of mind. -V g.