Συροφοινίκισσα G4949
Syrophoenician (ethnic designation: Phoenician from the Syrian province)
Mark identifies the woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter as 'Syrophoenician,' distinguishing her from Libyan Phoenicians. The compound ethnic label situates her in the Phoenician coastal region under Syrian administration. Her persistence despite Jesus' initial resistance becomes a model of Gentile faith breaking through ethnic boundaries. Multilingual glosses transliterate the term, respecting the specific regional-ethnic identity essential to Mark's narrative of gospel expansion beyond Israel.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Mark 7:26 describes the woman as 'Syrophoenician by race,' an ethnic marker highlighting her Gentile status and regional origin. The term distinguishes coastal Phoenicians in the Syrian province from those in North Africa, grounding the encounter in specific geography. Translations universally transliterate ('Syrophoenician,' 'Syro-phénicienne'), preserving the ethnic complexity essential to Mark's portrayal of Jesus' reluctant-then-generous response to Gentile faith. 1×
AR["سُورِيَّةً-فِينِيقِيَّةً"]·ben["সুর-ফিনিকীয়া"]·DE["Syrophoenikerin"]·EN["Syrophoenician"]·FR["Syro-phénicienne"]·heb["סוּרוֹ-פִינִיקִית"]·HI["पहले"]·ID["Siro-Fenisia"]·IT["surophoinikissa"]·jav["Sirofinisia"]·KO["수로보니게인"]·PT["siro-fenícia"]·RU["сирофиникиянкой"]·ES["Syrophoníkissa"]·SW["Msirofoinike"]·TR["Siro-Fenikeli"]·urd["سروفینیکی"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Συροφοινίκισσα (Rec. -φοίνισσα), -ης, ἡ a Syropænician woman: Mrk.7:26, WH, txt., RV (cf. ἡ Φοινίκη Συρία, Diod., 19, 93).† (From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)