Do not cast your pearls before swine??

[peebly63]

what do you take this scripture to mean??

 

[QueSi]

I take it as the same as the new wine in old jars or new cloth on an old garment.

 

[skylark1]

Perhaps is is best understood by reading the entire verse.


Matthew 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."


I think that there a a few things in John Gill's commentary that are worth considering. I'm including the commentary for the entire verse, but it is the second part that is concerned with swine and pearls. The first part is about holy things and dogs.

Give not that which is holy to the dogs,.... Dogs were unclean creatures by the law; the price of one might not be brought into the house of the Lord, for a vow, Deuteronomy 23:18 yea, these creatures were not admitted into several temples of the Heathens (h). Things profane and unclean, as flesh torn by beasts, were ordered to be given to them, Exodus 22:31 but nothing that was holy was to be given them, as holy flesh, or the holy oblations, or anything that was consecrated to holy uses; to which is the allusion here. It is a common maxim (i) with the Jews, "that they do not redeem holy things, to give to the dogs to eat".''

Here the phrase is used in a metaphorical sense; and is generally understood of not delivering or communicating the holy word of God, and the truths of the Gospel, comparable to pearls, or the ordinances of it, to persons notoriously vile and sinful: to men, who being violent and furious persecutors, and impudent blasphemers, are compared to "dogs"; or to such, who are scandalously vile, impure in their lives and conversations, and are therefore compared to swine;

neither cast ye your pearls before swine. But since the subject Christ is upon is reproof, it seems rather to be the design of these expressions, that men should be cautious, and prudent, in rebuking and admonishing such persons for their sins, in whom there is no appearance or hope of success; yea, where there is danger of sustaining loss;

lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you: that is, despise the admonitions and reproofs given, and hurt the persons who give them, either by words or deeds; see Proverbs 9:7. The Jews have some sayings much like these, and will serve to illustrate them (k);
​

As Gill pointed out, the idea is similiar to that expressed in Proverbs 9:7:

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse​

Augustine wrote:

68. Now, in this precept by which we are forbidden to give what is holy to the dogs, and to cast our pearls before swine, we must carefully require what is meant by holy, what by pearls, what by dogs, what by swine. A holy thing is something which it is impious to violate and to corrupt; and the very attempt and wish to commit that crime is held to be criminal, although that holy thing should remain in its nature inviolable and incorruptible. By pearls, again, are meant whatever spiritual things we ought to set a high value upon, both because they lie hid in a secret place, are as it were brought up out of the deep, and are found in wrappings of allegory, as it were in shells that have been opened. We may therefore legitimately understand that one and the same thing may be called both holy and a pearl: but it gets the name of holy for this reason, that it ought not to be corrupted; of a pearl for this reason, that it ought not to be despised. Every one, however, endeavours to corrupt what he does not wish to remain uninjured: but he despises what he thinks worthless, and reckons to be as it were beneath himself; and therefore whatever is despised is said to be trampled on. And hence, inasmuch as dogs spring at a thing in order to tear it in pieces, and do not allow what they are tearing in pieces to remain in its original condition, "Give not," says He, "that which is holy unto the dogs:" for although it cannot be torn in pieces and corrupted, and remains unharmed and inviolable, yet we must think of what is the wish of those parties who bitterly and in a most unfriendly spirit resist, and, as far as in them lies, endeavour, if it were possible, to destroy the truth. But swine, although they do not, like dogs, fall upon an object with their teeth, yet by recklessly trampling on it defile it: "Do not therefore cast your pearls before swine, test they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." We may therefore not unsuitably understand dogs as used to designate the assailants of the truth, swine the despisers of it.

69. But when He says," they turn again and rend you," He does not say, they rend the pearls themselves. For by trampling on them, just when they turn in order that they may hear something more, they yet rend him by whom the pearls have just been cast before them which they have trampled on. ...

Book II - Sermon on the Mount - Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1 - Writings of the 'Early Church Fathers' - History - StudyLight.org​

I hope that helps.

 

[Norah63]

Not being a complicated person myself, I would just take the OP question to mean,
a swine would not know a pearl. Or care for the value of a fine pearl. Throwing one at a swine might just aggravate and cause them to turn and attack.

 

[ChetSinger]

Reveal on a non-Christian internet forum that you've spoken in tongues. That'll bring out a swine attack.

 

[Norah63]

Why would you throw them?

 

[Phantasman]

You don't give that which is precious to you to just anyone. Many won't treat them as a precious thing, but those who see the value of it's preciousness, give it to them. Just another "Pharisee's evading the truth" comment.

 

[Heterodoxus]

what do you take this scripture to mean??

What it might mean to you might be understood differently by someone else since the meaning of Matt. 7:6 all depends on how one defines "swine".

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

Christ said when you throw pearls before swine they will try to use them to destroy you.

A lot of the people that post on this forum pretend to ask serious questions only so they can insult the people who answer, and crap on what they have to say. Christ is basically saying: "Don't feed the trolls."

Trolls don't deserve holy knowledge, and holy truth deserves to be treated with respect.

 

[Heterodoxus]

Christ is basically saying: "Don't feed the trolls."

So you're defining "swine" to mean trolls? Now really, do you presume to speak for your Messiah? Or, did he whisper some secret message in your spiritual ear, yet you just had to share it with the world?

Why caused you to say that Jesus was "basically speaking" to trolls here in the Internet age? Did the writer of Matthew misidentify Jesus' audience? Wasn't Jesus addressing, in his time and place, a crowd of pro-Israel, anti-Roman Jews who likely had no doubt as to whom or what Jesus referred when he spoke─or when the writer of Matthew or the Roman Church's rewrite staffs penned─ΤΩΝΧΟΙΡΩΝ (των χοιρων "the swine")?

Trolls don't deserve holy knowledge,...

Oh yeah, nothing judgmental in that statement Would not the mandate to "Go ye ... and teach all" (Matt. 28:19) include trolls

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

Unless Christ is talking about literal pigs, then trolls fit the bill. I'll leave that to you to decide.

Also, saying "Don't cast pearls before swine," is statement of judgement. Christ said it, not me, so why don't you take it up with Him? If you want to know something holy you have to seek for it. If you don't seek, you don't deserve to find.

 

[Heterodoxus]

Unless Christ is talking about literal pigs, then trolls fit the bill.

ΤΩΝΧΟΙΡΩΝ (των χοιρω&#957 literally means the hogs. Has it occurred to you that you might be incorrectly spinning the words reportedly spoken by Jesus in that part of Matt. 7:6 into meaning, instead, someone who disagrees with your faith-based opinions?

"Don't cast pearls before swine," is statement of judgement. Christ said it, not me,.....

In its entirety, Matthew 7:6 is ***Correction: an instruction based in fact***. ΤΩΝΧΟΙΡΩΝ (των χοιρων) directly refers to the wild hogs which, to this day, live in the Jordan valley and:

trample with their feet and rend with their tusks those who have angered them (Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament at Matt. 7:6.)

By comparing "swine" with trolls, you and not Jesus made a statement of judgment.

 

[Norah63]

Is swine not to be understood? The troll thing made me chuckle, pretty close maybe, I've never seen one in the flesh. I have been around swine, they can be pretty ornery when upset.

 

[Phantasman]

What it might mean to you might be understood differently by someone else since the meaning of Matt. 7:6 all depends on how one defines "swine".

Swine were the dirtiest animals. Consume anything without regard to what it's worth was.

 

[Rescued One]

Sometimes the Gospel falls on deaf ears. Generally, we know that we are wasting time, to repeatedly share the Gospel with those who are vehemently opposed to it.

Luke 10
1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 5And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

 

[Norah63]

Phoebe, thank you for that scripture.
Beautiful words of life. May all our pearls be received with gladness of heart.

 

[Heterodoxus]

I have been around swine, they can be pretty ornery when upset.

To be sure! Yet sometimes I wonder which is worse: a mad hog, or a mad rooster?

Had I been speaking to that crowd, I think I'd likely have used a rooster analogy.

 

[Heterodoxus]

Granted, the Greek language clause underlying Matt. 7:6 (ΜΗ...ΒΑΛΗΤΕΤΟΥΣΜΑΡΓΑΡΙΤΑΣΥΜΩΝΕΜΠΡΟΣΘΕΝΤΩΝΧΟΙΡΩ&#925 might be made, as various Orthodox Christian commentators have done, to seem like a possible reference to "trolls" on Christian forums.

But there's the rub: it has to be made to say that.

 

[Xpistis sopheiaX]

I'm sure we're all very impressed that you can read Greek

If you want to think Christ was referring to literal "swine" and literal "pearls" by all means, please do so. If you want to argue about Greek then you win, b/c I don't care enough about the language to want to read it

 

[Heterodoxus]

I'm sure we're all very impressed that you can read Greek

I'm not trying to impress. I'm trying to point out how the Greek text seen in pro-Catholic codices read since they are what the Textus Receptus and the subsequently translated KJV are chiefly based upon.

If you want to think Christ was referring to literal "swine" and literal "pearls" by all means, please do so.

Where did I make a reference to "pearls" other than to quote your saying:

Don't cast pearls before swine," is statement of judgement.

???

If you want to argue about Greek then you win, b/c I don't care enough about the language to want to read it

If you wish to better pooh-pooh unorthodox opinions on an "Unorthodox Theology" forum, then perhaps you should care enough to learn the languages of the Bible

Doing so would only take a few years of concentrated study.