2 Peter 2:22 - Explained
But it is happened unto 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.
The context of 2 Peter 2 is about false prophets and reprobates — people that are reserved for judgment and destined to go to hell. The Bible uses two different animals to describe the very filthy attributes of these false prophets and people reserved for that judgment.
The Bible says the dog is turned to his own vomit again. It is pretty disgusting when a dog goes back to its vomit. And it says the sow was washed to her wallowing in the mire. The sow is a female pig, and the Bible talks about it wallowing in the mud. These are very dirty characteristics of these animals. But the Bible uses these animals to help us understand something deeper.
Throughout the Bible, when you look up the word dog used symbolically, it represents a male homosexual — a sodomite. Notice here in this verse that it says the dog has turned to his own vomit again — the Bible uses the masculine. And of course when you think about dogs, dog may be man's best friend, but they are very filthy animals that do a lot of disgusting things, especially when you think of them being in heat. The Bible is giving you a description of what male homosexuals are like through the animal of a dog.
But then it says: "and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." What the Bible is saying is that the word for a lesbian — a female homosexual — is the sow. Just as a dog is a fitting representation of a male homosexual, the Bible is saying that a sow is a fitting representation of a female homosexual. Pigs are not exactly the most pleasing animal to the eye. They do a lot of dirty things. They are very violent and very dangerous. There is a reason the Bible gives you these particular descriptions.
So 2 Peter 2:22 is giving you a clear indication of how the Bible characterises these groups of people, and you can actually study out those animals further throughout scripture to learn more. The context is reprobates and false prophets — people whose corruption the Bible illustrates through the imagery of a dog returning to its vomit and a sow returning to the mire.
Pastor Matthew Stucky
