Go Ask Your Daddy - What Does “Pearls Before Swine” Mean?

This saying comes from Matthew 7:6. The actual verbiage is specifically from the King James Version which reads, ”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.”

In common usage this phrase usually refers to not offering a good thing to those who don’t appreciate it. Biblically the phrase is, perhaps, a bit more complicated than that. This verse is set within other verses where Jesus discusses judging others. According to the ESV Study Bible:

“Pigs were rejected by Jews, probably because they too were scavenging animals, and they were unclean according to OT law. Pearls symbolize the great value of the message of the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 13:45–46). Believers are to be merciful, forgiving, and slow to judge (7:1–5), yet they should wisely discern the true character of people and not indefinitely continue proclaiming the gospel to those who adamantly reject it, so that they can move on and proclaim the gospel to others (cf. 10:14; also Acts 13:46; 18:6; Titus 3:10–11). "

The IVP commentary provides the following insight:

“In its most general sense 7:6 was probably simply a wisdom saying like Proverbs 23:9: "Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.”… But why did Matthew include this saying here? Some connect the saying to the preceding context by suggesting that it means it is worthless to try to correct (7:1-5) one unwilling to listen….Most likely verse 6 provides a transition between the preceding and following contexts. Correcting those who will not receive correction is futile (vv. 1-5; Prov 9:8; 23:9); we should discerningly continue to offer wisdom (or the gift of the kingdom) only to those willing to receive what we offer, just as God does (Mt 7:7-11)…If verse 6 means something along these lines, it does not allow us to prejudge who may receive our message (13:3-23), but does forbid us to try to force it on those who show no inclination to accept it.”

As you can see, I’ve relied heavily on others wisdom in interpreting this verse. It is somewhat difficult in context but I do think, at a minimum, we can say that we need to be discerning. Do not persist in offering what is sacred or of value to those who have no appreciation for it. We shouldn’t, however, use this as an excuse to not act when we should. We need to be careful in classifying all the wicked as “swine” and offering them no grace. In simpler terms we could say, prejudge but don’t force.