Dogs were one of the first animals that humans kept as pets. Scientists believe modern dogs (Canis familiaris) came from the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). Dogs in biblical times probably looked similar to today's German shepherd dogs. They had pointed ears, a pointed nose, and a long tail.
Negative Views of Dogs in the Bible
In biblical times, people did not like dogs (Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22). While many people today consider dogs to be close friends, the writers of the Bible saw them differently. Dogs would search for food in the streets and among garbage (Exodus 22:31; 1 Kings 22:38; Matthew 15:26; Luke 16:21). They would even eat dead human bodies (2 Kings 9:35–36). In general, dogs served the same function as vultures and other birds of prey. The Bible mentions dogs 41 times, and most of these mentions are negative. People thought dogs were dirty animals that acted with fear.
Dogs used in hunting occur in paintings in Egyptian tombs, and there is a reference to dogs herding sheep in Job 30:1. One good quality of dogs highly esteemed by the Israelites was watchfulness (Isaiah 56:10). In general, however, in biblical times “dog” was a term of contempt (1 Samuel 17:43; 2 Samuel 16:9). It was used to describe:
Submissive people (2 Samuel 9:8; 2 Kings 8:13)
Evil people (Isaiah 56:10–11; Matthew 7:6; Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15)
Dogs, like pigs, were voracious and omnivorous (eating any kind of food). A gentile woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter. He replied using a metaphor about throwing household food scraps to dogs (Matthew 15:22–28; Mark 7:25–30). In Jesus's time, "dog" was a Jewish insult for Gentiles. They were considered unclean, like dogs. Jesus used a diminutive form of the word, which softened it. Seeing her faith, Jesus granted the woman’s request, giving a non-Jew some of “the children’s bread.”