Topical Bible: Swine: Herding of, Considered As the Greatest Degradation to a Jew

◄ Swine: Herding of, Considered As the Greatest Degradation to a Jew ►

Topical Encyclopedia

In the cultural and religious context of ancient Israel, swine were considered unclean animals according to the Mosaic Law. The Torah explicitly forbids the consumption of pork, as seen in Leviticus 11:7-8 : "And the pig, though it has a split hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you." This prohibition is reiterated in Deuteronomy 14:8, underscoring the pig's status as an unclean animal.

The herding of swine, therefore, was not only a violation of dietary laws but also a profound cultural and religious degradation for the Jewish people. To engage in the care or herding of pigs was to associate oneself with impurity and to step outside the boundaries of the covenant community's holiness code. This occupation was seen as the antithesis of Jewish identity and religious observance.

The New Testament provides a vivid illustration of this cultural disdain in the account of the Prodigal Son. In Luke 15:15-16 , the parable describes the younger son, having squandered his inheritance, as being reduced to feeding pigs: "So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing." This imagery would have resonated deeply with Jesus' Jewish audience, highlighting the son's fall from grace and the depth of his degradation.

Another significant New Testament reference is found in the account of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. In Mark 5:11-13 , a large herd of pigs is present: "There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus, 'Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.' He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water." This event underscores the cultural and spiritual connotations of swine, as the unclean spirits are cast into an unclean animal, resulting in their destruction.

The herding of swine, therefore, was not merely an economic activity but a symbol of spiritual and cultural defilement. For a Jew, engaging in such an occupation would signify a departure from the covenantal relationship with God and an embrace of Gentile practices, which were often viewed as idolatrous and impure. The Jewish aversion to swine herding reflects a broader commitment to maintaining ritual purity and distinctiveness as God's chosen people.