Animals are often mentioned in the Bible. Some of those passages have become proverbs–that is, widely quoted sayings that briefly and strikingly express some universal truth or shrewd observation about everyday life.
Here are some of the most memorable animal proverbs from the Bible.
to cast pearls before swine
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6). The Bible frequently refers to troops of dogs wandering the streets and eating dead bodies and other offal (1 Kings 14:11, for example). Dogs, then, were symbols of degradation, as were swine, regarded as “unclean” (Leviticus 11:7). This biblical animal proverb spawned a modern figurative saying: to offer or give something of value to those unable to appreciate it is to cast pearls before swine.
a fly in the ointment
“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour” (Ecclesiastes 10:1). Today any little flaw that ruins what otherwise would be something perfectly good can be called a fly in the ointment.
a fool returns to his folly
“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). Today a common way of saying that a person keeps making the same mistake is to say that a fool returns to his folly.
to hold out the olive branch
And the dove came in to him in the evening; and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth” (Genesis 8:11). Today anything offered as a token of peace is an olive branch, and to offer any sign of goodwill or improved conditions (as the dove did to Noah) is to hold out the olive branch.
a lion in the path
“The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way” (Proverbs 26:13). Today any obstacle, especially one invented as an excuse for inaction, is a lion in the path (or way).
a little bird told me
“Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought…: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter” (Ecclesiastes 10:20). In the ancient world, birds were revered for their powers of flight and vision. Many Greek and Roman soothsayers claimed birds as their sources of information. In this biblical passage, birds symbolize the power of information (true or false, beneficial or destructive) to spread. That idea has led to a modern figurative expression: to keep secret, or to claim intuition as, a source of information, a person simply says that a little bird told me.
lost sheep
“I have gone astray like a lost sheep” (Psalms 119:176). Today any person thought to be on a course of self-destruction can be called a lost sheep.
the Pale Horse
“And I looked, and behold, a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death” (Revelation 6:8). Today death can be referred to as the Pale Horse.
to separate the sheep from the goats
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). This passage describes the Last Judgment, with the sheep being the saved souls and the goats the lost. Today that idea has broadened, so that to separate those people who have any certain ability or quality from those who do not have that ability or quality is to separate the sheep from the goats.
to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel
“Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24). Here the small gnat is metaphorically any trifle, while the large camel is any serious matter. Today, then, to fuss about unimportant issues while assenting too readily in important ones is to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
a wolf in sheep’s clothing
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Today a person who hides harmful intentions under an innocent or friendly appearance is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
