{That which is holy unto the dogs} ( o hagion tois kusin).
It is not clear to what "the holy" refers, to ear-rings or to
amulets, but that would not appeal to dogs. Trench (_Sermon on
the Mount_, p. 136) says that the reference is to meat offered in
sacrifice that must not be flung to dogs: "It is not that the
dogs would not eat it, for it would be welcome to them; but that
it would be a profanation to give it to them, thus to make it a
_skubalon_, Ex 22:31 ." The yelping dogs would jump at it. Dogs
are kin to wolves and infest the streets of oriental cities.
{Your pearls before the swine} ( ous margaritas h(966d)(936e) emprosthen
t(936e) choir(936e)). The word pearl we have in the name Margarita
(Margaret). Pearls look a bit like peas or acorns and would
deceive the hogs until they discovered the deception. The wild
boars haunt the Jordan Valley still and are not far removed from
bears as they trample with their feet and rend with their tusks
those who have angered them.
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