How is Matt 7:6 --Swine Vs Pearls --explained?

Question

Jesus says in Matt 7:6 :

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. "

Certain animals are traditionally believed to be sensitive to particular objects, for instance, a fighter bull to the red-colored flag waved against it. One can understand that swine do not consider pearls edible. But, do they, by some design of Creation, get irritated by the sight of pearls so as to attack the one scattering the pearls?

My question therefore is: How is Matt 7:6--Swine Vs Pearls--explained ?

Answer 1

The image in Matt 7:6 is stated twice in Hebrew parallelism, viz:

1. Do not give what is holy to the dogs
2. Do not cast your pearls before swine

That is, in both cases, the animals (both being unclean!) do not understand the value of what is being done; specifically -

1. dogs do not distinguish between the holy and the unholy
2. pigs do not want or even understand the value of pearls as an ornament

In modern parlance, it might be the equivalent of suggesting that someone should not "put lipstick on a pig".

Meyer's commentary says this succinctly:

Dogs and swine, these impure and thoroughly despised animals, represent those men who are hardened and altogether incapable of receiving evangelic truth, and to whom the holy is utterly foreign and distasteful.

Answer 2

The notion that a fighter bull is sensitive to the red-colored flag waved at it is an urban myth. The poor beast is goaded into charging at the person waving - whatever is waved. It could equally be a tartan flag. Further, the scenario is a deliberate set-up weighted against the bull.

As for the parable Jesus gave about swine and pearls, that bears no relation to reality with actual pearls being strewn in front of a swine. Jesus was teaching a spiritual truth. He knew that his audience was well aware of how a herd of swine churn land into mud very quickly, as they root around grass fields and forest floors for food. If anyone actually threw pearls down in front of them, they would quickly scrabble around with hooves and snouts to see if this was food (like nuts) that could be eaten. The pearls would not be eaten but simply trampled into the mud. The silly person who threw them down would have a hard time trying to recover any of them.

Note how often Jesus never answered many of the questions put to him? He knew when questions were foolish, or argumentative, or designed to trap him. He never gave such people the satisfaction they sought. They would have turned on him. They would have - effectively - been like swine trampling his pearls of wisdom into their dirty mud.

That is how Jesus' illustration is explained.

Answer 3

Matthew 7:6 NIV

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Matthew 7:6 mentions two animals: dogs and pigs. Pigs are considered unclean according to Leviticus 11:7. While there is no explicit statement on dogs, they are often associated with negative connotations in the Bible. For example, in Matthew 15:26, Jesus told the Canaanite Women, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

In the same verse, two things are mentioned: sacred things and pearls. Pearls are first mentioned in Genesis 2:12, in the first river separated from the river flowed from Eden. Pearls also represent the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:21. In this perspective, pearls are also considered sacred.

Matthew 7:1-6 is a sub-section of the Discourse, The Sermon on the Mount, which covers ethics and the law (Matthew 5-7). It is puzzling to understand how Matthew 7:6 relates to 7:1-5, which taught the disciples not to judge others. Perhaps the answer is that Jesus set apart His disciples from the world, and they become holy. They preach His gospel to the rest of the world, but not all the world will receive them. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus told his disciples, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves". Therefore His disciples need to distinguish the preaching object. The dogs and pigs represent those who are the wolves, who will not receive the words of God but instead hurt them.

Answer 4

Since NT teaches that the truth must be shared as widely as possible, even among the heathen, the teaching of pearls before swine probably has a meaning particular to the time and place in which it was taught. Two considerations:

First, we find this teaching in Matthew's gospel alone. It is also only Matthew's gospel in which Jesus tells his disciples:

Go nowhere among the Gentiles and do not go into any town of the Samaritans. (10:5)

Thus, it is safe to say that Matthew displays a unique emphasis on avoiding sharing the Gospel with non-Jews. Although Matthew would later show Jesus to withdraw this restriction, in his account it remained in force until very late in Jesus' ministry, perhaps even until after the Resurrection. (Matthew 28:19) Thus, the teaching about pearls and swine may reflect Matthew's particular concern that the Good News not be shared with non-Jews.

Second, in the synoptic gospels generally, Jesus avoided publicly proclaiming himself as the Messiah until nearly the end of his life, at the Triumphal Entry. He even instructed his disciples not to tell others that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:20, Mark 8:30, Luke 9:21) He would eventually direct them to proclaim the Gospel to everyone, but during most of his public ministry, he avoided sharing this key element of the Good News because people were not prepared, making it dangerous to share this truth except within a relatively small circle.

Conclusion: the teaching about pearls and swine generally means that Gospel should not be shared with those who are not prepared to receive it. But since the NT also teaches that everyone should receive the Good News, the lesson of "pearls before swine" seems to have a meaning specific to time and place in which Jesus taught it. Specifically, he told his disciples keep the "messianic secret" by not telling others he was the Christ until the time was right. Also, this teaching is unique to Matthew's Gospel, which emphasized that the Good News should not, at this point, be spread among Samaritans and Gentiles.

Answer 5

The sermon on the mount contrasts the Kingdom principles with the false principles of the religious teaching of the day, represented by the scribes, Pharisees, and the ruling priests. The false interpretation of the law is exposed in 5:17-48, then starting from chapter 6 Jesus condemns the hypocritical practices of the Pharisees. Jesus concludes His sermon by calling His hearers to differentiate between true commitment fueled by living faith and religious pretends. Crowds also recognize the contrast between Jesus’s and Pharisaical teaching in verses 7:29 by noticing that Jesus was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Now let’s zoom in to the verse on the pearls and the pigs (Matthew 7:6). Verses before it, 7:1-5, talk about judging others. That is what the Pharisees often did (see for example John 7:49, John 9:34). Interestingly, in the parallel passage in Luke 6:37-42 there is an insertion of another parable about the blind being led by the blind (Luke 6:39-40). The fact that in Matt. 15:14 the same words are directly addressed to expose the Pharisees confirms the assumption that the passage targets to rebuke religious leaders and their practices. Verses after 7:6 talk about our dependence on God and His willingness to respond with favor (7:7-11) followed by the warning about false teachers (7:15-23).

If the interpretation of 7:6 is about caution to share the good news of the Kingdom with non-believers, it would be a stand-alone sentence with little connection with the previous and following verses, which is non-typical for the Sermon on the Mount.

However, I believe that a better scope is to consider the passage 7:1-12 as a whole since verse 12 (Golden rule) summarizes the two points: a) Don’t be condemning as the Pharisees, accusing people after Satan, their Father. (vs. 7:1-6) b) Be generous and merciful as your Heavenly Father (vs. 7:7-11)

If that is the case, then the dogs and the pigs in 7:6 would refer not to the aggressive non-believers in general, but to those who misinterpret the holy law of God and use it to condemn people, instead of directing them to God. Paul uses the same language towards false law teachers in Phil 3, where he warns his hearers to look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

The pearl, in turn, would be the message of the Kingdom described in God’s revelation, which the Pharisees trampled and then used to attack God’s people.

And, not to give the pearl to the dogs, would be a warning not to follow the teaching of the Pharisees. Again, this aligns with the parallel passage in Luke 6:40 where Jesus warns that a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Everyone who follows the false religion will only harm themselves.

Finally, the idea that we should be wise not to share the message of the Kingdom with the “dogs and pigs” first contradicts the previous passage about not judging, and ultimately it goes against the Gospel itself. We were unclean and unholy, but Jesus graciously brought us the good news. He knew that we would attack him, but he willingly laid His life, so that His blood can sanctify us. He was trampled, so that we could be spared.

Jesus' disciples of all ages followed the Lord in His steps, bringing the good news of salvation despite the threats of losing their lives. And God, by His grace, many times showed how those who would outwardly look like the least candidates to repent, would become devoted followers of Christ.

I believe that interpreting this verse with the context of false teaching (continue reading chapter 7) in mind is more truthful to the original meaning and better equips the church for its mission.

Blessings to all,

Answer 6

I think there's a discourse level structure that is noted in the literature, but not generally talked about. I think it's helpful. The NET translation references the structure in its footnote to this verse.

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; 
   nor cast your pearls before swine,
   lest they trample them under their feet,
and turn and tear you in pieces.

This is a Chiasmus as I've formatted here. Pigs trample, dogs turn and tear.

The OP asks,

One can understand that swine do not consider pearls edible. But, do they, by some design of Creation, get irritated by the sight of pearls so as to attack the one scattering the pearls?

In my opinion, an unwinding of the chiasmus for modern readers provides a better translation:

Do not give what is holy to the dogs lest they turn and tear you in pieces. Nor cast your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet,

That reads very smoothly and conveys the original meaning. So, I think the chiasmus observation answers the question.

There's also hyperbolic contrast. Pearls were very valuable. To the Jew, pigs were worthless. And the mere idea of attacking what was sacred to God was unthinkable.

Also, I think part of the struggle to understand this text is our modern take on "do not judge" is only "do not condemn." I think it has a larger, broader meaning here. Both positive and negative.

The "do not condemn" is immediately taken up by the "log in your eye" instruction. First, deal with the issue in your own life. That will certainly help you empathize with your co-sinner. But, one should consider that πρῶτον ('first') might not mean "first in time". It might mean, "make it the first priority." Glance through the listing here. Choosing to not make a priority of fixing other people's issues aligns with "don't throw pearls to the pigs", but it also rings true as good advice in modern times. We could use a few less, so-called, influencers. One doesn't throw good advice; it's best served respectfully over some coffee or a pint.

That's the positive advice on how to be involved; here's the negative of stay clear of disaster.

Jesus then says that attempting to take the log out of someone else's eye is futile. Note: It's a log. It's not a speck. In other words, these log-holders are like morally dirty pigs or viscous dogs. Explaining what they need to work on will get you corrected. Road rage comes to mind.

This idea of "don't seek to take the log out" is picked up by Jesus himself in the last part of this sub-section of the Sermon on the Mount--verses 21-23 (NASB). Jesus doesn't bother to try to remove the log. They wouldn't have listened anyway.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.'