It occurs in papyri and inscriptions, though condemned by the old grammarians. One must never forget that the disciples lived in a Pharisaic environment. Their religious world-outlook was Pharisaic. The mind does not work infallibly, but we should use it for its God-given purpose. Intellectual laziness or flabbiness is no credit to a devout soul.
Spoken words come out of the heart and so are a true index of character.
The captious quibblings of the Pharisees, for instance, had come out of evil hearts. The Phoenicians were descended from the Canaanites, the original inhabitants of Palestine. They were of Semitic race, therefore, though pagan. The disciples greatly disliked this form of public attention, a strange woman crying after them. They disliked a sensation.