The woman urged her case with increased earnestness, bowing at Christ's feet, and crying, "Lord, help me." Jesus, still apparently rejecting her entreaties, according to the unfeeling prejudice of the Jews, answered, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." This was virtually asserting that it was not just to lavish the blessings brought to the favored people of God upon strangers and aliens from Israel. This answer would have utterly discouraged a less earnest seeker. But the woman saw that her opportunity had come. Beneath the apparent refusal of Jesus, she saw a compassion that He could not hide. "Truth, Lord," she answered, "yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." While the children of the household eat at the father's table, even the dogs are not left unfed. They have a right to the crumbs that fall from the table abundantly supplied. So while there were many blessings given to Israel, was there not also a blessing for her? She was looked upon as a dog, and had she not then a dog's claim to a crumb from His bounty?

Med forøget styrke fremførte kvinden nu sin bøn, kastede sig ned for Kristi fødder og råbte: "Herre, hjælp mig!" Jesus tilbageviste stadig tilsyneladende hendes tryglen og svarede i overensstemmelse med jødernes fordom: "Det er ikke smukt at tage børnenes brød og kaste det til de små hunde." Dette var i virkeligheden en tilkendegivelse af, at det ikke var retfærdigt at ødsle de velsignelser, der tilkom Guds udvalgte folk, på fremmede og sådanne, som ikke tilhørte Israel. Dette svar ville helt have taget modet fra en mindre inderligt bedende. Men kvinden så, at nu var hendes mulighed kommet. Bag Jesu tilsyneladende afslag så hun en medlidenhed, som han ikke kunne skjule. Hun svarede: "Jo, Herre! thi de små hunde æder dog af de smuler, der falder fra deres herrers bord." Skønt husets børn spiser ved deres faders bord, så lader man dog heller ikke hundene sulte. De har ret til de smuler, der falder fra det rigt forsynede bord. Skønt der var givet Israel så mange velsignelser, var der så ikke alligevel også en velsignelse til hende? Hun blev betragtet som en hund, og havde hun så ikke også en hunds krav på at få en krumme af hans gaver?