Two views of why Matthew 15:31 specifies that the crowds glorified the God of Israel
:
Since these healings took place in the Decapolis, most of the ill that Jesus healed in Matthew 15:31 were Gentiles, so the text stresses that
they glorified the God of Israel.
The varied (all kinds of illnesses) and unrestricted (all are healed) nature of the healings amazes the crowd (Matthew 15:31), causing them to glorify
the God of Israel.
Not only outsiders would speak in this way about God, for the doxologies in Psalm 41:13 and Luke 1:68 also call the Lordthe God of Israel,
and in Matthew 9:33, the Jews themselves cry out thatNever was anything like this seen in Israel.
These words show people looking up from Jesus to God, seeing how God reveals his mercy on all of Israel through Jesus. They confess this because Jesus willingly helps all. While he helped only one woman in Tyre and Sidon, he fully restores in Israel, so the people praise Israel’s God. This doxology is very close to confessing Jesus as the Messiah. The crowds see that at Jesus’ feet they have actually come before the God of Israel himself.
Interpretation 1:
The fact that these miraculous healings took place in the Decapolis means that most of the ill that Jesus healed here in Matthew 15:31 were Gentiles. This is why the text here also specifically highlights that they glorified the God of Israel
1
Interpretation 2:
Because of the multifaceted (all kinds of illnesses) and unrestricted (all are healed) nature of the healings, the crowd is greatly amazed (Matthew 15:31). All who are brought to Jesus are once again made socially functional: they walk, see, speak, and hear again, and the sick are restored to health. Because of their amazement, they proceed to glorify the God of Israel.
It is assumed by many that only outsiders would speak in this manner about the God of a people to whom they do not belong. However, the doxologies found in Psalm 41:13 and Luke 1:68 also identify the Lord as the God of Israel,
and in Matthew 9:33 the Israelites themselves cry out that Never was anything like this seen in Israel.
The special power of this choice of words is that people look up from Jesus to God, recognizing that God reveals his mercy on all of Israel through Jesus. God accepts the people in mercy. They acknowledge this because Jesus helps all without hesitation. While Jesus helped only one woman in Tyre and Sidon, he fully and completely restores and heals Israel. It is for that reason that the people emphasize the praise of Israel’s God. In this doxology, they come very close to recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. The crowds come to realize that at Jesus’ feet they have actually come before the God of Israel himself.2
31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.