Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 7:6

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you." — Matthew 7:6 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: Because the simplicity He was directing in the preceding precepts might lead some to wrongly conclude that it is as wrong to hide the truth as it is to speak what is false, He appropriately adds, Give not that which is holy to the dogs, and cast not your pearls before swine.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, the Lord had commanded us to love our enemies and to do good to those who sin against us. So that priests might not think themselves obligated by this to also share the things of God with such people, He corrected any such thought, saying, Give not that which is holy to the dogs. This is as if to say, "I have commanded you to love your enemies and do them good from your temporal goods, but not from My spiritual goods, without distinction." For they are your brothers by nature but not by faith, and God gives the good things of this life equally to the worthy and the unworthy, but not so with spiritual graces.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Let us now examine what is the holy thing, what are the dogs, what are the pearls, and what are the swine. The holy thing is anything that it would be impious to corrupt—a sin that can be committed by the will, even if the thing itself remains uncorrupted. The pearls are all spiritual things that are to be highly esteemed. Thus, although one and the same thing may be called both the holy thing and a pearl, it is called holy because it is not to be corrupted, and a pearl because it is not to be despised.¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, "that which is holy" denotes baptism, the grace of Christ's body, and similar things; but the pearls signify the mysteries of the truth. For as pearls are enclosed in shells in the depths of the sea, so the divine mysteries, enclosed in words, are found in the deep meaning of Holy Scripture.

St. John Chrysostom: And to those who are right-minded and have understanding, these mysteries appear good when revealed; but to those without understanding, they seem more deserving of reverence precisely because they are not understood.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The dogs are those who assault the truth; the swine we may suitably interpret as those who despise the truth. Therefore, because dogs leap forth to tear things to pieces and do not allow what they tear to remain whole, He said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs, because they strive with all their power to destroy the truth. The swine, though they do not assault by biting as dogs do, nevertheless defile by trampling, and therefore He said, Cast not your pearls before swine.

Rabanus Maurus: Or, the dogs are those who have returned to their vomit; the swine are those who have not yet returned, but are wallowing in the mire of their vices.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, the dog and the swine are unclean animals. The dog is unclean in every respect, as it neither chews the cud nor divides the hoof. The swine, however, is unclean in only one respect, since it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud. Therefore, I think we are to understand the dog to mean the Gentiles, who are altogether unclean in both their life and their faith. By the swine, we are to understand heretics, because they appear to call upon the name of the Lord.

Therefore, Give not that which is holy to the dogs, for baptism and the other sacraments are not to be given to anyone except those who have the faith. In the same way, the mysteries of the truth—that is, the pearls—are not to be given except to those who desire the truth and live with human reason. If, then, you cast them to the swine—that is, to those who are groveling in the impurity of their lives—they do not understand their preciousness. Instead, they value them like other worldly fables and trample them underfoot with their carnal lives.

St. Augustine of Hippo: That which is despised is said to be trampled underfoot; hence it is said, Lest they trample them underfoot.

Glossa Ordinaria: He says, Lest perhaps, because it may be that they will wisely turn from their uncleanness.ⁱ²

St. Augustine of Hippo: Regarding what follows, Turn again and tear you to pieces, He is not referring to the pearls themselves, for they trample these underfoot. When they turn back to hear something more, they then tear to pieces the one by whom the pearls they had trampled on were cast. For you will not easily find what will please someone who has despised good things obtained through great effort. Therefore, whoever undertakes to teach such people, I do not see how they will avoid being trampled on and torn to pieces by those they teach.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Or, the swine not only trample upon the pearls with their carnal lives, but after a little while they turn and, through disobedience, tear to pieces those who offend them. Indeed, when offended, they often bring false accusations against them as sowers of new doctrines. The dogs also, having trampled upon holy things through their impure actions, tear the preacher of truth to pieces with their arguments.

St. John Chrysostom: It is well said, Lest they turn, for they feign meekness so that they may learn; and when they have learned, they attack.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: With good reason, He forbade pearls to be given to swine. For if pearls are not to be set before swine, which are the less unclean, how much more should they be withheld from dogs, which are so much more unclean? But regarding the giving of that which is holy, we cannot hold the same view, since we often give the benediction to Christians who live like beasts. We do this not because they deserve to receive it, but lest perhaps, being more grievously offended, they should perish completely.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We must be careful, therefore, not to explain anything to one who does not receive it, for people are more likely to seek what is hidden than what is openly revealed. Such a person either attacks with the ferocity of a dog or ignores with the stupidity of a swine.

However, it does not follow that if the truth is kept hidden, a falsehood is spoken. The Lord Himself, who never spoke falsely, sometimes concealed the truth, as in the passage, I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now (John 16:12). But if anyone is unable to receive these things because of his impurity, we must first cleanse him as far as lies in our power, either by word or by deed.

Regarding the fact that the Lord said some things which many who heard Him did not receive, but either rejected or despised, we should not think that in doing so He gave the holy thing to the dogs or cast His pearls before swine. He gave it to those who were able to receive it and who were in the company; it was not right that they should be neglected because of the impurity of the others. And although those who tested Him might perish by the answers He gave them, yet those who were able to receive them heard many useful things on the occasion of these inquiries.

Therefore, he who knows what should be answered ought to give an answer, at least for the sake of those who might fall into despair if they were to think the question posed cannot be answered. This applies only to matters that pertain to the teaching of salvation. Nothing should be said about things that are superfluous or harmful; instead, it should be explained why we ought not to answer the inquirer on such points.

1. Serm. in Mont., ii, 20
2. interlin.