Does “race” exist?
Question:
In Mark 7:26, Mark mentions that the mother of the daughter who had the unclean spirit was a member of the Syrophoenician race. Don't races not exist, as stated in Galatians 3:28 and Acts 17:24-26?
Answer:
The Greek word genos has several meanings. It can refer to a race, a nation, a kind (or species), offspring, or a family. Probably the best English phrase to capture the meaning of genos is "originated from."
For example, in Matthew 13:47, it refers to various species of fish.
In Acts 4:6; 7:13; 13:26; and Revelation 22:16, the term "genos" refers to being a descendant of a person, and it can also refer to being an offspring of God, as seen in Acts 17:28-29.
It can refer to where you were born, such as in Acts 4:36; 18:2, 24. It can also refer to your lineage, as seen in II Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 1:14; and Philippians 3:5.
"Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:26 NASB).
"The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:26 NKJV).
"The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:26 NIV).
The word "Greek" is sometimes used as a generic term for someone not a Jew (Galatians 3:28 is an example). The NASB translators chose this meaning and concluded that her actual lineage was a mixture of Syrian and Phoenician people. The NKJV and NIV translators decided to leave it as "Greek" and concluded that her lineage was Greek, while her birth was in the Syrian and Phoenician region.
The problem arises when you examine the parallel account. "And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed'" (Matthew 15:22). "From that region" would match the area of Syria and Phoenecia. "Canaanite" would be more specific than "Greek," as the latter term can also refer to anyone who is not a Jew. Thus, I would conclude that, ancestry-wise, the woman is a Canaanite who was born (genos) in the Syrian-Phoenician region. The word genos is not being used in the sense of claiming that the woman is of a different species.
