Matthew 15:24
New International Version
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

New Living Translation
Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

English Standard Version
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Berean Standard Bible
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Berean Literal Bible
And answering He said, "I was sent only to those being lost sheep of the house of Israel."

King James Bible
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

New King James Version
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

New American Standard Bible
But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

NASB 1995
But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

NASB 1977
But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Amplified Bible
He answered, “I was commissioned by God and sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Christian Standard Bible
He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

American Standard Version
But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus said, "I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep."

English Revised Version
But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus responded, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel."

Good News Translation
Then Jesus replied, "I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel."

International Standard Version
But he replied, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel."

Majority Standard Bible
He answered, ?I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.?

NET Bible
So he answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

New Heart English Bible
But he answered, "I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Webster's Bible Translation
But he answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Weymouth New Testament
"I have only been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," He replied.

World English Bible
But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and He answering said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Berean Literal Bible
And answering He said, "I was sent only to those being lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Young's Literal Translation
and he answering said, 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And he, having answered, said, I was not sent except to the sheep having been lost, of the house of Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he answering, said: I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And responding, he said, “I was not sent except to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel.”

New American Bible
He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

New Revised Standard Version
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he answered and said to them, I am not sent, except to the sheep which went astray from the house of Israel.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But he answered and said to them, “I am not sent except to the sheep that have strayed from the house of Israel.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
But he answered and said: I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Godbey New Testament
And He responding said, I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Haweis New Testament
But he said in reply, I am not sent, save only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mace New Testament
but he answered, my commission was only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Weymouth New Testament
"I have only been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," He replied.

Worrell New Testament
But He, answering, said, "I was not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Worsley New Testament
But he answered and said, I am sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Faith of the Canaanite Woman
23But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.…

Cross References
Matthew 10:5-6
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. / Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Romans 15:8
For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

John 1:11
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Acts 3:25-26
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ / When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Isaiah 53:6
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

Jeremiah 50:6
My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place.

Ezekiel 34:5-6
They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts. / My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them out.’

Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

Isaiah 40:11
He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

Ezekiel 34:23-24
I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd. / I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

Isaiah 56:8
Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”

Micah 5:2-4
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. / Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel. / He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.


Treasury of Scripture

But he answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

I am not.

Matthew 9:36
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Matthew 10:5,6
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: …

Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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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














He answered
This phrase indicates a direct response from Jesus, emphasizing His role as a teacher and communicator of divine truth. The Greek word used here is "ἀποκριθεὶς" (apokritheis), which implies a thoughtful and authoritative reply. Jesus often used such responses to clarify His mission and purpose, especially when addressing misunderstandings or challenges to His ministry.

I was sent
The phrase underscores Jesus' divine mission and purpose. The Greek word "ἀπεστάλην" (apestalēn) is derived from "apostellō," meaning "to send forth." This highlights the intentionality and divine commissioning of Jesus' work on earth. It reflects the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, who was to be sent by God to accomplish a specific mission.

only
This word emphasizes exclusivity in Jesus' mission at this point in His ministry. It is crucial to understand this in the context of God's broader redemptive plan, which initially focused on Israel as the chosen people through whom the Messiah would come. The exclusivity here is not a denial of the eventual inclusion of the Gentiles but a reflection of the order of God's salvific plan.

to the lost sheep
The imagery of "lost sheep" is rich in biblical symbolism, often used to describe those who have strayed from God's covenant and guidance. In the Old Testament, Israel is frequently depicted as God's flock, with God as the shepherd. The term "lost" indicates a state of spiritual waywardness and need for redemption. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, came to seek and save those who were lost, fulfilling the prophetic imagery found in passages like Ezekiel 34.

of the house of Israel
This phrase specifies the initial focus of Jesus' earthly ministry. "House of Israel" refers to the descendants of Jacob, the twelve tribes that formed the nation of Israel. Historically, Israel was chosen by God to be a light to the nations, and Jesus' ministry began with them to fulfill the promises made to the patriarchs. This focus on Israel is consistent with the covenantal themes throughout the Bible, where God’s redemptive work often begins with a specific group before expanding to all nations.

(24) I am not sent (better, I was not sent) but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.--This, then, was what had restrained Him. Those wandering sheep, without a shepherd, were the appointed objects of His care. Were He to go beyond that limit in a single case, it might be followed by a thousand, and then, becoming, as it were, before the time, the Apostle of the Gentiles, He would cease to draw to Himself the hearts of Israel as their Redeemer. We call to mind the case of the centurion's servant (Matthew 8:10), and wonder that that was not decisive as a precedent in the supplicant's favour. The two cases stood, however, on a very different footing. The centurion who had built a synagogue was practically, if not formally, a proselyte of the gate. As the elders of the synagogue pleaded for him as worthy, the work of healing wrought for him would not alienate them or their followers. The woman belonged, on the contrary, to the most scorned and hated of all heathen races, to the Canaan on which the primeval curse was held to rest (Genesis 9:25), and had as yet done nothing to show that she was in any sense a convert to the faith of Israel.

Verse 24. - I am (was) not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Doubtless the woman had listened to the apostles' intercession, and thought her cause won; but the repulse is only repeated; this Gentile is beyond the sphere of his mission; he cannot help her without departing from the rule which he had set himself. Jesus says nothing here about the rejection of the Jews and the future ingathering of the Gentiles; he states merely that his personal mission while he was on earth was confined to the Hebrew nation. He was, as St. Paul calls him (Romans 15:8), "a Minister of the circumcision." Later, he would send others to evangelize those who were now aliens from the chosen commonwealth; at present he has come unto his own possessions. Lost sheep. There is a tenderness in this expression natural from the mouth of the good Shepherd. He had used it when he sent forth the twelve on their apostolical journey (Matthew 10:6); the metaphor is found in the Old Testament (see Jeremiah 50:6, etc.) It is appropriate here, where he is emphasizing his attitude towards the chosen people, and teaching the Canaanitish woman the relative position of Jew and Gentile.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
He answered,
ἀποκριθεὶς (apokritheis)
Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 611: From apo and krino; to conclude for oneself, i.e. to respond; by Hebraism to begin to speak.

“I was sent
ἀπεστάλην (apestalēn)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 649: From apo and stello; set apart, i.e. to send out literally or figuratively.

only
εἰ (ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

the
τὰ (ta)
Article - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

lost
ἀπολωλότα (apolōlota)
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 622: From apo and the base of olethros; to destroy fully, literally or figuratively.

sheep
πρόβατα (probata)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4263: A sheep. Probably neuter of a presumed derivative of probaino; something that walks forward, i.e., a sheep.

of [the] house
οἴκου (oikou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3624: A dwelling; by implication, a family.

of Israel.”
Ἰσραήλ (Israēl)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2474: Of Hebrew origin; Israel, the adopted name of Jacob, including his descendants.


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