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Matthew 15 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations prefer to set apart quotations of the Old Testament. The ULB and many other English translations indent all the lines of 15:8-9, which is a quotation from the Old Testament.
Special concepts in this chapter
"Traditions"
The "traditions of the elders," that is, the oral laws, are an important concept in this chapter. These were the rules that the religious leaders among the Jews developed in order to ensure that the Law of Moses was obeyed. However, these rules often became more important in practice than the Law of Moses itself. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for this, and they became angry as a result. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses)
Jews and Gentiles
The Canaanite woman's trust in Jesus contrasted greatly with the Jewish leaders' refusal to accept him. This contrast served as a strong rebuke of those leaders.
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Sheep
People are often pictured as sheep in scripture. In this chapter, the image of sheep illustrates that the Jews were spiritually lost without a proper leader to guide them.