The Meaning of Matthew 15:25 Explained

Matthew 15:25

KJV: Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

YLT: And having come, she was bowing to him, saying, 'Sir, help me;'

Darby: But she came and did him homage, saying, Lord, help me.

ASV: But she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  came she  and worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  help  me. 

What does Matthew 15:25 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This woman"s desperate feeling of helplessness and her confidence in Jesus" ability to meet her need are obvious in her posture and her words. Matthew used the imperfect tense to describe her kneeling to make her action even more vivid. She did not just kneel, but she was kneeling. This was the attitude of a humble suppliant.

Context Summary

Matthew 15:21-28 - The Reward Of An Outsider's Faith
A crumb from the table of our Lord can make the heart satisfied and glad. But the suppliant must take the right place and give Him His right place. This poor Gentile mother had no claim on Jesus as the son of David-He was therefore silent. It was impossible for her to come in by the door of the covenant, but His silence led her to knock at another door, and taught her to cry, Lord, help me.
There was yet another lesson for her to learn and the Lord knew that she was capable of learning it. She must realize that for the time His ministry was confined to the Chosen People, so that the Gentile claim could be recognized only incidentally. But when she was willing to take the low place under the table and ask for the children's crumbs, He put the key of His unsearchable riches into her hand, saying, "Woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Those who yield to God most absolutely are able to decree things! See Job 22:28; John 15:7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 15

1  Jesus reproves the Scribes and Pharisees
7  for transgressing God's commandments through their own traditions;
10  teaches how that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man
21  He heals the daughter of the woman of Canaan,
29  and other great multitudes;
32  and with seven loaves and a few small fish feeds four thousand men

What do the individual words in Matthew 15:25 mean?

- And having come she was worshiping Him saying Lord help me
δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγουσα Κύριε βοήθει μοι

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐλθοῦσα  having  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
προσεκύνει  she  was  worshiping 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προσκυνέω  
Sense: to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence.
λέγουσα  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Κύριε  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
βοήθει  help 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: βοηθέω  
Sense: to help, succour, bring aid.
μοι  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.