Why is "se le" used here?

Question

I am confused by the phrase "se le acercó" in the sentence below which comes from the bible:

Jesús se dirigió de allí a la región de Tiro y Sidón. Y una mujer cananea, de aquella región, se le acercó, gritando:—¡Señor.... (San Mateo 15:21-22 Dio Hablas Hoy version)

It seems this "se le" construction is quite common. I think "se le acercó" here translates as "she approached him". So there are two persons in the phrase, a him and a her. But why is an indirect object "le" being used? And does it refer to Jesus or the woman? It seems like there are two indirect objects in the phrase.

And what is the function of "se"? Is this refleive or passive or a second "le" which became "se"?

"herself to him (Jesus) she approached" as bosqueroble explains. - Jubilado, Sep 28, 2014

Answer 1

Acercar means to bring something closer to something else.

So if you are bringing yourself closer, you need acercarse

She brought herself near to him.

So I guess that would be "reflexive".

"To him" in English is indirect. What she brought was herself. But she brought herself to him.

Hola. - Jubilado, Sep 28, 2014

Hola, es un placer verte aquí de nuevo. :) - bosquederoble, Sep 28, 2014

Thanks both of you for your explanations. Very clear now. - Jacky658, Sep 28, 2014

De nada. :) - bosquederoble, Sep 28, 2014