Topical Bible: The Wicked are Compared to Dogs

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In biblical literature, the imagery of dogs is often employed to depict the wicked, the unclean, and those who are outside the covenant community. This metaphorical use of dogs serves to convey the moral and spiritual degradation associated with wickedness, as well as the contempt and rejection that such individuals face from the righteous and from God.

Old Testament References

The Old Testament frequently uses the term "dog" in a derogatory sense. In Deuteronomy 23:18, the Israelites are instructed not to bring the earnings of a "dog" into the house of the Lord, referring to male prostitutes, which underscores the association of dogs with impurity and moral corruption. The term "dog" is thus emblematic of those who engage in practices that are abominable to God.

In 1 Samuel 17:43, Goliath derides David by asking, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" This rhetorical question highlights the disdain associated with being likened to a dog, suggesting worthlessness and contempt. Similarly, in 2 Samuel 16:9, Abishai refers to Shimei as a "dead dog" for cursing King David, further illustrating the use of the term to express disdain and the low status of the wicked.

Psalms and Prophetic Literature

The Psalms also employ the imagery of dogs to describe the wicked. In Psalm 22:16, the psalmist laments, "For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me," using the metaphor of dogs to depict the relentless and vicious nature of his enemies. This imagery conveys the threat and hostility posed by the wicked, who are likened to a pack of wild dogs.

In Isaiah 56:10-11, the prophet criticizes Israel's leaders, describing them as "mute dogs" that cannot bark, and "greedy dogs" that never have enough. Here, the metaphor underscores the leaders' failure to fulfill their duties and their insatiable greed, characteristics that align them with the wicked.

New Testament References

The New Testament continues this metaphorical use of dogs. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warns, "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine." This admonition suggests that the wicked, like dogs, are incapable of appreciating what is sacred and valuable, and thus should not be entrusted with it.

In Philippians 3:2, Paul cautions believers to "watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil," using the term to describe false teachers and those who pervert the gospel. This usage reinforces the association of dogs with moral and spiritual corruption, as well as the danger they pose to the faithful.

Revelation

The book of Revelation also employs this imagery in its depiction of the final judgment. Revelation 22:15 states, "Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Here, "dogs" are listed among those excluded from the New Jerusalem, symbolizing their rejection and the eternal separation of the wicked from the presence of God.

Conclusion

Throughout the biblical narrative, the comparison of the wicked to dogs serves as a powerful metaphor for impurity, moral corruption, and exclusion from the covenant community. This imagery underscores the contempt and rejection that the wicked face, both in the temporal realm and in the eschatological judgment.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 7:6
Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Peter 2:22
But it is happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Other Incidents of the Passion Minutely Compared with Prophecy ...
... Other Incidents of the Passion Minutely Compared with Prophecy ... whole event are therein
read: "Dogs compassed me about; the assembly of the wicked enclosed me ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xlii other incidents of the.htm

A Discourse of Mercifulness
... Slanderers are not like those dogs which licked Lazarus, sores to heal them, but
like the dogs which ate Jezebel. ... The wicked are compared to beasts of prey ...
/.../15 a discourse of mercifulness.htm

Letter cxxii. To Rusticus.
... O children of Israel, ye who think deep counsel and wicked. ... weeping must be which
deserves to be compared to a ... and again, "in the place where dogs licked the ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxii to rusticus.htm

Matt. xxvi. 17, 18
... punishment, both because they became wicked, when they ... more fierce than dogs, and
devils after being dogs. ... these are considered child's play compared with those ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxxxi matt xxvi 17.htm

Psalm CXVIII.
... were a great multitude of believers, that might be compared to the ... At least let no
wicked man enter there, that ... where it is said, "Without are dogs." [5117] Be ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxviii.htm

Memento Mori
... decay; he hath but to let slip these dogs and they ... are enduring as the cabs of heaven
compared with the ... verily, its results and terrors to the wicked are the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/memento mori.htm

1 Timothy i. 15, 16
... Compared with Angels, even righteous men are sinners; and if Paul ... if they were to
see this most wicked wretch actually ... The dogs do not assail her; she is like a ...
/.../homily iv 1 timothy i.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... be produced before we pass sentence, and compared with the ... not that which is holy
unto the dogs." Beware of ... proved that they are unholy and wicked men, not ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 30 upon our lords.htm

Aron, Brother of Moses, 486, 487.
... Dogs, use of the word, [288]295, [289]296. ... 315; road to knowledge, [800]577; even
wicked masters have ... which occurred, [809]390; cowards compared with Christian ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/aron brother of moses 486.htm

Of Former Times
... not only the vilest of animals, as dogs and cats ... Dr. Johnson " he was a mere courtier
compared to Mr ... and full of melancholy complaints, "How wicked the world ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 102 of former times.htm