On the first Passover night, Yahweh promises that “against any of the sons of Israel a dog shall not sharpen his tongue, whether against man or beast” (Exodus 11:7). By implication, dogs will be sharpening their tongues against the Egyptians. Dogs are urban scavengers in the Bible, typically feeding on the corpses of slain people. In Goshen, there will be no corpses to feed on; but Egypt will be a canine banquet.
Exodus 11:7 is the Bible’s first reference to dogs, and sets the pattern for later uses. A number of times in 1-2 Kings, Yahweh threans to send the dogs to eat the slain members of a corrupt dynasty, a sign of utter destruction (1 Kings 14:11; 16:4; 21:19, 23-24, 38; 2 King s9:10, 36). When Hazael calls himself a dog (2 Kings 8:13), it means that he regards himself as a scavenger, picking at bones, rather than a king. And he will be a dog, sharpening his tongue against Israel.
All of these later references to dogs reach back to the Exodus. The houses of Jeroboam, of Baasha, of Ahab – all are “Egyptian” houses against which the Lord sends the dogs of Egypt.
Thanks to Toby Sumpter and CJ Bowen for a discussion of this passage.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
