“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.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 7:6 Mean?
Matthew 7:6 is one of Jesus's most enigmatic sayings — a warning about discernment in sharing sacred things, using two of the most vivid and disturbing images in the Sermon on the Mount.
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs" — the Greek to hagion (the holy thing) likely refers to sacred truth, the gospel, or the pearls of spiritual insight Jesus has been teaching. "Dogs" (Greek kynasin) in the Jewish context were not pets but scavengers — ritually unclean, associated with contempt (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15). The instruction is not about animals but about discernment: some audiences will not merely reject what's holy — they'll treat it as garbage.
"Neither cast ye your pearls before swine" — the parallelism intensifies. Pearls (Greek margaritas) represent what is most precious. Swine (Greek choirōn) were the paradigmatic unclean animal in Jewish law. A pig has no framework for recognizing a pearl's value. It can't eat a pearl. From the pig's perspective, a pearl is a useless rock — and the person who threw it is a frustration.
"Lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" — two responses follow the misplaced generosity. First, the holy thing is trampled — not just rejected but desecrated. Second, the giver is attacked. The recipients don't just fail to appreciate the gift — they become hostile toward the giver. The sharing produces violence, not gratitude.
Jesus is not endorsing elitism or withholding the gospel from unworthy people (He consistently welcomed sinners). He's teaching discernment about context and readiness. Not everyone is in a position to receive what you have to offer. And offering prematurely or indiscriminately doesn't just waste the truth — it can damage both the truth and you.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you shared something sacred — a truth, a conviction, a vulnerable part of yourself — with someone who trampled it? What did that experience teach you about discernment?
- 2.Jesus warns against indiscriminate sharing, not against sharing altogether. How do you discern when someone is ready to receive what you have to offer?
- 3.The verse says the recipient may 'turn again and rend you.' When has vulnerability with the wrong person or at the wrong time resulted in attack? How did you recover?
- 4.This teaching sits inside the Sermon on the Mount alongside 'judge not' (7:1). How do you practice discernment about who's ready without becoming judgmental about who's worthy?
Devotional
Not everyone is ready for what you're carrying. Jesus says that. Directly.
This verse feels harsh until you've lived it. Until you've poured your heart out to someone who not only didn't care but used what you shared against you. Until you've offered your most sacred truth to someone who treated it like garbage and then turned on you for the audacity of sharing it. That's what this verse describes: the trampling and the rending. The desecration and the attack.
Jesus isn't saying some people are dogs and pigs. He's saying some moments are dog-and-pig moments — contexts where the holiest thing you carry will not be recognized, not be valued, and not produce anything but hostility. And in those moments, the loving thing isn't to share more. It's to stop.
This runs counter to the instinct many of us have — the belief that if we just explain it better, share it more passionately, offer it one more time, the other person will finally see. But Jesus says: sometimes discernment means withholding. Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do with a pearl is keep it in your pocket.
The verse protects three things simultaneously: the holy thing (from desecration), the other person (from the guilt of trampling what they can't yet receive), and you (from the attack that follows misjudged vulnerability). Discernment isn't stinginess. It's wisdom about timing, context, and readiness.
Not every person who rejects your truth is a permanent reject. They might just not be ready yet. And sharing again later, in a different context, might produce a completely different result. But right now — in this moment, with this person, in this condition — the pearl stays in your pocket.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Give not that which is holy to the dogs,.... Dogs were unclean creatures by the law; the price of one might not be…
Give not that which is holy ... - By some the word “holy” has been supposed to mean “flesh offered in sacrifice,” made…
Our Saviour is here directing us how to conduct ourselves in reference to the faults of others; and his expressions seem…
(b) The Father's love for the children of the Kingdom shewn by answering prayer, 7 11.
6. The connection between this…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture