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Matthew 15:22
ESV And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
NIV A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.'
NASB And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.'
CSB Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon."
NLT A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.'
KJV And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

What does Matthew 15:22 mean?

In a further effort to withdraw from crowds, Jesus has withdrawn from Israel entirely. He has travelled into pagan Gentile territory east of Galilee. Even here, though, it seems He is known at least by some. This is somewhat ironic, as Jesus had earlier referred to this region of "Tyre and Sidon" in His criticism of Israel's stubbornness (Matthew 11:20–24).

Here, a non-Israelite Canaanite woman comes to Him. She is crying, and she asks Jesus for mercy, addressing Him as Lord and Son of David. This woman's reference indicates she knows something about Israel and Judaism. She tells Christ that her daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. His response seems confusing, at first, but proves to have an important lesson attached (Matthew 15:23, 28).

Demon oppression and possession were common around the known world of this era. The existence of demons was not debated. Too many people had seen a person oppressed by a demon to doubt it. Various symptoms of demon oppression witnessed in the New Testament include drastic personality change, refusal to wear clothes, supernatural strength, violent actions, illness, being mute or deaf, and intentional self-harm.
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