This verse, unique to Matthew’s Gospel, recalls Jesus’ instructions to the twelve (10.6). The Greek text does not indicate to whom Jesus is speaking, whether to the disciples, the woman, or both. But in light of what follows in the narrative, and especially in view of verse 26, it is most natural to conclude that Jesus is here addressing the woman. This is also the exegesis which recommends itself, if “send her away (without granting her request)” is what the disciples advised immediately before, in verse 23. Most translations try to leave it open whom Jesus was specifically addressing, by saying simply “answered” or “replied.”

I was sent may be transformed into an active: “God sent me.” Some translators think that sent is too general and want to specify what Jesus’ mission was, as in “sent to save.” However, this states more than the text does, and should be avoided if possible.

The lost sheep of the house of Israel offers at least two possible interpretations: (1) Of the house of Israel may be understood as a qualifier of certain sheep (meaning people) within the house (meaning nation) of Israel. The literal interpretation of Revised Standard Version and others (New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt) seems to imply this interpretation, as do at (“the lost sheep of Israel’s house”) and New International Version (“the lost sheep of Israel”). (2) Of the house of Israel may be understood as describing the same people referred to figuratively by the lost sheep, which is the basis for Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch: “the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” The Handbook prefers the second interpretation (see comments on 10.6).

There are two separate metaphors that translators have to handle, lost sheep and house of Israel. Sheep, as we suggest above, stands for people, and lost sheep are people who don’t know where they are, who are vulnerable, perhaps because they have wandered from the shepherd’s care (the shepherd would be God). House of Israel refers to the nation or people of Israel. One common way to translate these metaphors is to use similes. Translators who follow the second interpretation of this phrase (see above) can have “the people of Israel who are like lost sheep,” “… who have strayed from God like lost sheep,” or “… who are like sheep that have lost their shepherd.” Those who prefer the first interpretation can have “those of the people of Israel who are like lost sheep.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .