Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageJesus answered her, "The children have to be fed first — it wouldn't be right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GHe said to her, "Let the children be satisfied first — it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
KJV
King James VersionBut Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
BSB
Berean Standard Bible“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Footnotes
Two lexical details matter here. First, proton ("first") signals priority and sequence, not permanent exclusion — the same logic Paul articulates in Rom. 1:16, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The word leaves the door open. Second, kunariois is the diminutive of kuon ("dog") and most naturally refers to household puppies or pet dogs rather than the feral scavengers that functioned as a Semitic slur. This softening is what makes the woman's response in v.28 not merely bold but linguistically apt.
