Syrophoenician

Mar 7:26; the woman is a remarkable case of faith outside of Israel, and of Jesus’ exceptional healing beyond the precincts of the elect nation, His special sphere; parallel to Elijah’s ministration to the widow of Zarephath (Luk 4:26-27). Mark terms her a "Greek," i.e. a Gentile; Matthew (Mat 15:22) "a woman of Canaan," i.e., like the Phoenicians her countrymen, she was a descendant of Canaan the accursed race, yet she became blessed by Jesus through faith. Syrophoenicia is the northern end of the long strip, Phoenicia, and had Tyre for its capital.

SYROPHŒNICIAN.—This is the designation of a ‘Greek’ (or Gentile) woman whose demoniac daughter Jesus healed when near Tyre (Mar 7:26). She was perhaps Greek-speaking (Swete), but was descended from the old Phœnicians of Syria (|| Mat 15:22 has ‘Canaanitish’).

A. J. Maclean.

sı̄´ro-fḗ-nish´an, sir-ṓ- (Συροφοίνισσα, Surophoinissa, Συροφοινίκισσα, Surophoinı́kissa; Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek has variant Súra Phoinikissa; the King James Version Syrophenician): The woman from the borders of Tyre and Sidon whose daughter Jesus healed is described as “a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race” (Mar 7:26), and again as “a Canaanitish woman” (Mat 15:22). This seems to mean that she was of Canaanite descent, a native of the Phoenician seaboard, Greek in religion, and probably also in speech. The names Syria and Phoenicia are both applied to the same region in Act 21:2, Act 21:3. Syrophoenician may therefore denote simply an inhabitant of these parts. According to Strabo (xvii. 3), this district was called Syrophoenicia to distinguish it from the North African Lybophoenicia.