Who are the Swine and What are the Pearls? (Matthew 7:6)

[ciicii]

So I saw a thumbnail that made me think about Matthew 7:6

“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.

I have always admired that verse, and know it is a rule for our sake. I have not done a deep dive into it yet, I am going to (Lord willing tonight).

But one main question that came to mind is “what are the pearls?” I have always just assumed it is anything precious. But what doesn’t scripture have to say about, and where?

Because off hand, I would think pearls could be the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as an example. But we are told to be kind and patient to everyone including our enemies that would qualify under “swine”? Maybe defining the people that are considered dogs and swine would be beneficial too.

Please tell me your thoughts if you have any thank you in advance.

 

[SoulFaith]

I’ve always understood “pearls” in this verse as the sacred message of the gospel or spiritual truth in general.The idea seems to be that not everyone is receptive to it and forcing it in the wrong context can lead to rejection or hostility rather than understanding.I don’t think it’s necessarily about withholding kindness, but more about wisdom in how and when truth is shared.

 

[GWH]

I’ve always understood “pearls” in this verse as the sacred message of the gospel or spiritual truth in general.The idea seems to be that not everyone is receptive to it and forcing it in the wrong context can lead to rejection or hostility rather than understanding.I don’t think it’s necessarily about withholding kindness, but more about wisdom in how and when truth is shared.

Yes, Matt. 10:16 seems to be in the same vein as 7:6.

 

[tablet123]

So I saw a thumbnail that made me think about Matthew 7:6

“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.

I have always admired that verse, and know it is a rule for our sake. I have not done a deep dive into it yet, I am going to (Lord willing tonight).

But one main question that came to mind is “what are the pearls?” I have always just assumed it is anything precious. But what doesn’t scripture have to say about, and where?

Because off hand, I would think pearls could be the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as an example. But we are told to be kind and patient to everyone including our enemies that would qualify under “swine”? Maybe defining the people that are considered dogs and swine would be beneficial too.

Please tell me your thoughts if you have any thank you in advance.

Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Mat 15:26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Dogs are the heathen of the world and swine considered an unclean animal.

Jesus spoke in parables so only the spiritually hungry would enquire and they did not really care but he spoke plainly to the disciples and explained them.

The dogs and swine are the people who reject the truth with great determination so it is a waste of time to try to reach them.

Unless they happen to become sincere with a desire to know.

If they scoff, and mock, leave them alone and do not put forth the goodness and treasures of the kingdom that are valuable.

Will you keep preaching the blessings of God, salvation, and eternal life when they do not care and will go against you despite you caring about their welfare.

I’ve always understood “pearls” in this verse as the sacred message of the gospel or spiritual truth in general.The idea seems to be that not everyone is receptive to it and forcing it in the wrong context can lead to rejection or hostility rather than understanding.I don’t think it’s necessarily about withholding kindness, but more about wisdom in how and when truth is shared.

That sounds good.

 

[Dino246]

So I saw a thumbnail that made me think about Matthew 7:6

“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.

I have always admired that verse, and know it is a rule for our sake. I have not done a deep dive into it yet, I am going to (Lord willing tonight).

But one main question that came to mind is “what are the pearls?” I have always just assumed it is anything precious. But what doesn’t scripture have to say about, and where?

Because off hand, I would think pearls could be the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as an example. But we are told to be kind and patient to everyone including our enemies that would qualify under “swine”? Maybe defining the people that are considered dogs and swine would be beneficial too.

Please tell me your thoughts if you have any thank you in advance.

The "pearls" in this saying are anything of value that you offer to stubborn or rebellious persons, specifically wisdom or truth. They reject outright what you offer and attack you for saying it.

The stereotypical leftist Westerner would be a perfect example today. A ranting feminist would be another.

 

[ciicii]

I’ve always understood “pearls” in this verse as the sacred message of the gospel or spiritual truth in general.The idea seems to be that not everyone is receptive to it and forcing it in the wrong context can lead to rejection or hostility rather than understanding.I don’t think it’s necessarily about withholding kindness, but more about wisdom in how and when truth is shared.

That is true too, I know Jesus walked away at times when they did not have the ears to hear or eyes to see.

do you have any passages to lean on for that claim. (sorry i know claim is the wrong word, but I am tryign to store up passages to look into when i do the mini study eventually)

thank you for answering though!

 

[ciicii]

Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Mat 15:26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Dogs are the heathen of the world and swine considered an unclean animal.

Jesus spoke in parables so only the spiritually hungry would enquire and they did not really care but he spoke plainly to the disciples and explained them.

The dogs and swine are the people who reject the truth with great determination so it is a waste of time to try to reach them.

Unless they happen to become sincere with a desire to know.

If they scoff, and mock, leave them alone and do not put forth the goodness and treasures of the kingdom that are valuable.

Will you keep preaching the blessings of God, salvation, and eternal life when they do not care and will go against you despite you caring about their welfare.


That sounds good.

tysm - bookmarking

 

[ciicii]

The "pearls" in this saying are anything of value that you offer to stubborn or rebellious persons, specifically wisdom or truth. They reject outright what you offer and attack you for saying it.

The stereotypical leftist Westerner would be a perfect example today. A ranting feminist would be another.

ty ty

 

[ciicii]

Yes, Matt. 10:16 seems to be in the same vein as 7:6.

I have always loved this verse but never considered connecting the two as a reference to support one another this is a great point too. okay ty

 

[SoulFaith]

That is true too, I know Jesus walked away at times when they did not have the ears to hear or eyes to see.

do you have any passages to lean on for that claim. (sorry i know claim is the wrong word, but I am tryign to store up passages to look into when i do the mini study eventually)

thank you for answering though!

No need to apologize!

A few passages come to mind. Jesus told His disciples that if a town would not receive them or listen to their message, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5). That suggests there are times when it's wiser to leave than to keep pressing the message.

Jesus Himself also stopped answering people on some occasions. For example, before Herod, He remained silent (Luke 23:8–9) and after repeated rejection in some places, He simply departed (John 10:39–40).

Paul followed a similar pattern. In Acts 13:46, after persistent rejection, he told the Jews that since they rejected the word of God, he would turn to the Gentiles. A similar thing happens in Acts 18:5–6.

So I see Matthew 7:6 as a call for discernment rather than a command to stop loving people. We should keep showing kindness and praying for others, but we also need wisdom to recognize when someone is genuinely seeking truth and when they're only mocking or hardening themselves against it.

 

[ciicii]

No need to apologize!

A few passages come to mind. Jesus told His disciples that if a town would not receive them or listen to their message, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5). That suggests there are times when it's wiser to leave than to keep pressing the message.

Jesus Himself also stopped answering people on some occasions. For example, before Herod, He remained silent (Luke 23:8–9) and after repeated rejection in some places, He simply departed (John 10:39–40).

Paul followed a similar pattern. In Acts 13:46, after persistent rejection, he told the Jews that since they rejected the word of God, he would turn to the Gentiles. A similar thing happens in Acts 18:5–6.

So I see Matthew 7:6 as a call for discernment rather than a command to stop loving people. We should keep showing kindness and praying for others, but we also need wisdom to recognize when someone is genuinely seeking truth and when they're only mocking or hardening themselves against it.

thank you thank you. this helps a lot like a lot

 

[GaryA]

Somewhere among-and-between all of the good answers given so far in this thread and this verse:

Revelation 22:

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

- is the idea that it can be quite useless - or, even dangerous in come cases - to try to present truth to someone who is not willing to listen and has no inclination or incentive whatsoever to learn anything from it.

As others have indicated, the pearls represent truth and the swine are those who are rebellious against it. They have no understanding of the truth presented to them and have no interest in gaining/obtaining any understanding from it.

The verse is about having the discernment to know when it is better to withhold the truth and let them be how-they-are-going-to-be no-matter-what - in some cases, staying away from them - and, "let God handle it"...

 

[ciicii]

Somewhere among-and-between all of the good answers given so far in this thread and this verse:

Revelation 22:

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

- is the idea that it can be quite useless - or, even dangerous in come cases - to try to present truth to someone who is not willing to listen and has no inclination or incentive whatsoever to learn anything from it.

As others have indicated, the pearls represent truth and the swine are those who are rebellious against it. They have no understanding of the truth presented to them and have no interest in gaining/obtaining any understanding from it.

The verse is about having the discernment to know when it is better to withhold the truth and let them be how-they-are-going-to-be no-matter-what - in some cases, staying away from them - and, "let God handle it"...

okay thank you I didn't consider that either but this makes sense too thank you so much for this. Especially when i find (i say a lot but i don't mean anyone in particular) we see a lot of videos that say we should never give up. After some time i start feeling a bit guilty. But sometimes we need to have that discernment like you said, and it isn't cruel to do so or mean we don't care.

I am not sure where but i know the Lord is also know to weep and that is for the lost souls too, everyone makes their choice but it is still heartbreaking and that is okay. (just typing out loud but yeah thank you)

 

[GaryA]

okay thank you I didn't consider that either but this makes sense too thank you so much for this. Especially when i find (i say a lot but i don't mean anyone in particular) we see a lot of videos that say we should never give up. After some time i start feeling a bit guilty. But sometimes we need to have that discernment like you said, and it isn't cruel to do so or mean we don't care.

I am not sure where but i know the Lord is also know to weep and that is for the lost souls too, everyone makes their choice but it is still heartbreaking and that is okay. (just typing out loud but yeah thank you)

When you talk about "never giving up", it is crucial to understand that the context and scope of it is 'general' - as in, this is "generally" the way we should think and act; however, on an individual case-by-case basis, we must have discernment. The 'key' thing to do is that we should try our best to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit - if He says "present the gospel", that is what we should do - if He says "rebuke them with all authority and sincerity", that is what we should do - if He says "get/stay away from them", that is what we should do - make sense?

Inasmuch as you are able - let the Holy Spirit guide you in each and every situation.

 

[GWH]

The swine are indicated in 2Thes. 2:10-12, and the pearls in 2Tim. 3:16-17, which include
John 3:16, 1John 4:7-12, Rom. 5:8, Matt. 5:44&48, Gal. 5:6&14, Eph. 3:17b-19, Eph. 5:2 and 1Tim. 2:3-4.

 

[Aussie52]

I think the swine are those who make themselves unworthy to receive spiritual truth, which is what the pearls are. Just my thoughts.

 

[timf]

But one main question that came to mind is “what are the pearls?”

The admonition touches in how one should conduct oneself with others. Basically it is a caution against trying to get someone to understand something of which they are not capable. The bible describes some who are "brute beasts" and some who are "lewd fellows of the baser sort". These would be those for whom the gospel might not make a dent. You have to take the measure of a situation, but you should judge correctly as to if it is worthwhile.

The bible also touches on this with two adjacent verse that at first seem contradictory;

Pro_26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Pro_26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

The difference is your assessment if the fool might be helped or if it is dangerous (or a waste of time) for you to "answer" him.

In a way it is an example of it being OK to give up on someone.

Mat_10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

 

[JohnDB]

But one main question that came to mind is “what are the pearls?” I have always just assumed it is anything precious. But what doesn’t scripture have to say about, and where?

Pearls are something valuable that came out of an unclean animal.
Just like a special pig bone or something. Except pearls are shiny. Some create black mirrors....or are all sorts of different colors.

The whole pearl market is something of a dishonest trade market. So few actually tell the truth about their wares or purchases.
Sourcing is often a lie, prices are not standardized, nothing is straightforward. You likely will overpay for any purchase. You will never get a bargain....and the product has a shelf life that degrades with use.

That's why Jesus referred to "theology" (what man believes to be true about God) as a Pearl.
And the Gates in Heaven are made of pearls.

Pigs....
Another symbolic reference to Roman culture. Roman's didn't have Barbeque like we do today.....zero bacon.
They did have a "fish sauce" which is a somewhat combination of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauces.....it went on everything.
(Sorry about the diversion)

Anyway pigs were used religiously in ceremonial fashion for "Baal" type worship. (Blood-sports)
Strangling a pig was thought to make your god happy with you and show you favor in your struggles....of course you were required to eat the flesh or drink the pigs blood to seal the deal.
BUT
Ever hear of the contest of catching a greased pig? Something that used to be done at county fairs and rodeos decades ago. The prize was the pig itself. Pigs are not gentle creatures....feral pigs are extremely destructive. The kids catching this greased pig had to be very careful not to lose a finger or eye or something else when trying to catch the pig. Pigs do bite. And look up those feral pigs....they are very smart animals....not easy to hunt.

 

[ciicii]

The swine are indicated in 2Thes. 2:10-12, and the pearls in 2Tim. 3:16-17, which include
John 3:16, 1John 4:7-12, Rom. 5:8, Matt. 5:44&48, Gal. 5:6&14, Eph. 3:17b-19, Eph. 5:2 and 1Tim. 2:3-4.

Ty i will be going over these verses for context. I appreciate the time you put to give me all of these verses!

 

[ciicii]

The admonition touches in how one should conduct oneself with others. Basically it is a caution against trying to get someone to understand something of which they are not capable. The bible describes some who are "brute beasts" and some who are "lewd fellows of the baser sort". These would be those for whom the gospel might not make a dent. You have to take the measure of a situation, but you should judge correctly as to if it is worthwhile.

The bible also touches on this with two adjacent verse that at first seem contradictory;

Pro_26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Pro_26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

The difference is your assessment if the fool might be helped or if it is dangerous (or a waste of time) for you to "answer" him.

In a way it is an example of it being OK to give up on someone.

Mat_10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Ty