In biblical times, dunghills were heaps of manure or refuse, often used as a metaphor for extreme degradation or lowliness. The term "dunghill" appears in several passages throughout the Bible, symbolizing both physical and spiritual desolation.

Old Testament References

1. 1 Samuel 2:8 · In Hannah's prayer, she praises God for His ability to elevate the humble: "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dunghill. He seats them with princes and bestows on them a throne of honor." . Here, the dunghill represents a place of poverty and disgrace, from which God can deliver His faithful.

2. Job 2:8 · While not explicitly using the term "dunghill," Job's suffering is depicted with him sitting among ashes, a similar image of desolation and mourning. The imagery of sitting in refuse underscores the depth of Job's affliction and humility before God.

3. Psalm 113:7 · Echoing the sentiment found in 1 Samuel, the psalmist declares, "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dunghill." . This verse highlights God's compassion and power to transform the lives of those in dire circumstances.

Symbolism and Cultural Context

In ancient Near Eastern culture, dunghills were common in agricultural societies, serving as places where waste was discarded and later used as fertilizer. The imagery of a dunghill in Scripture often conveys a sense of worthlessness and impurity, contrasting with the holiness and purity of God.

Spiritual Implications

The biblical use of dunghills as a metaphor extends beyond physical poverty to spiritual destitution. It serves as a reminder of humanity's fallen state and the need for divine intervention. The transformation from the dunghill to a place of honor illustrates the redemptive power of God, who can elevate the humble and restore the broken.

New Testament Parallels

While the New Testament does not explicitly mention dunghills, the theme of God lifting the lowly is prevalent. Jesus' teachings often emphasize the reversal of fortunes, where the last shall be first, and the humble are exalted (Matthew 19:30, Luke 14:11). This reflects the consistent biblical theme of God's care for the marginalized and His ability to bring about spiritual renewal.

Conclusion

The concept of dunghills in the Bible serves as a powerful metaphor for God's redemptive work. It illustrates the depths from which God can rescue His people, transforming their lives and elevating them to positions of honor and dignity. Through His grace, the lowly are lifted, and the destitute find hope and restoration.

Zedekiah
... The miseries of the siege live for ever in the Book of Lamentations. Mothers
boiled their children, nobles hunted on dunghills for food. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/zedekiah.htm

The Net Spread
... The gate of Ahasuerus's palace was not a favourable soil for the growth of a devout
soul, but flowers can bloom on dunghills, and there have been 'saints' in ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the net spread.htm

Jerusalem
... And it is customary for dunghill cocks to scrape dunghills, and thence perhaps they
might rake up the bones of creeping things; whence those holy things, which ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 21 jerusalem.htm

Rahab
... So we should not expect old heads on young shoulders, nor wonder if people, lifted
from the dunghills of the world, have some stench and rags of their old ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/rahab.htm

The First Preaching at Antioch
... famine feasting sumptuously on their private stores, whilst women were boiling their
children for a meal and men fighting with dogs for garbage on the dunghills ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture the acts/the first preaching at antioch.htm

Divine Grace.
... But alas, they receive it as stones receive showers, or as dunghills receive the
rain: they either abide as hard as stones still, or else return nothing to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/vi divine grace.htm

The Last Pleading of Love
... We change; 'He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself.' As the sunshine pours
down as willingly and abundantly on filth and dunghills, as on gold that ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the last pleading of love.htm

Ebenezer!
... but think any one of us what a mass of sin we are, if we will but reflect that we
are after all, as one of the fathers writes, "walking dunghills," we should ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/ebenezer.htm

Salvation: Grace: Faith
... Just as the light, because it is light and must radiate, falls upon dunghills and
diamonds, upon black rocks and white snow, upon ice-peaks and fertile fields ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/salvation grace faith.htm

Two Households
... Christian people in, was it? Such flowers do not often grow, or at least
do not easily grow, on such dunghills. And in both these ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/two households.htm

Dunghills (2 Occurrences)
...Dunghills (2 Occurrences). Lamentations 4:5 Those who did feed delicately are desolate
in the streets: Those who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. ...
/d/dunghills.htm - 7k

Nurtured (3 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Lamentations 4:5 Those who did feed delicately are desolate in the streets:
Those who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. (See NIV). ...
/n/nurtured.htm - 7k

Out-places (22 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Lamentations 4:5 Those eating of dainties have been desolate in out-places,
Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills. (YLT). ...
/o/out-places.htm - 13k

Embraced (19 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Lamentations 4:5 Those eating of dainties have been desolate in out-places,
Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills. (YLT). ...
/e/embraced.htm - 11k

Embrace (11 Occurrences)
... Lamentations 4:5 Those who did feed delicately are desolate in the streets:
Those who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. ...
/e/embrace.htm - 11k

Dung-hill (3 Occurrences)
Dung-hill. Dunghill, Dung-hill. Dunghills . Easton's Bible Dictionary ...
(ASV). Dunghill, Dung-hill. Dunghills . Reference Bible.
/d/dung-hill.htm - 7k

Dung-hills (1 Occurrence)
Dung-hills. Dunghills, Dung-hills. Dung-pit . Multi-Version Concordance
Dung-hills (1 Occurrence). ... (DBY). Dunghills, Dung-hills. Dung-pit . Reference
/d/dung-hills.htm - 6k

Dainties (14 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Lamentations 4:5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets:
They that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. (See JPS YLT RSV). ...
/d/dainties.htm - 12k

Delicately (11 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Lamentations 4:5 Those who did feed delicately are desolate in the
streets: Those who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. ...
/d/delicately.htm - 11k

Ash (4 Occurrences)
... Lamentations 4:5 Those who did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: Those
who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. (See NAS RSV NIV). ...
/a/ash.htm - 9k

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