Pets?
It is common place that we have pets today: cats, dogs, birds, fish, and even snakes. But what about Bible times? There are accounts of people having live stock, but it seems that owning animals then was more a matter of livelihood. Can anyone think of an account of someone owning a pet in Bible times? Is the reason for no (or little) mention of pets that people either didn’t have the luxury of being able to feed a pet or perhaps that they were too busy working to care for one? Just curious.
J. Randal Matheny 9:15 pm on October 15, 2010 Permalink |
Remember the conversation between Jesus and the Canaanite woman? Little dogs ate the scraps (crumbs?) that fell from the table.
Laura 9:43 pm on October 15, 2010 Permalink |
This is a good one. Could possibly be a reference to pets. Or, could be social, yet wild dogs (a predecessor of domesticated dogs). Hard to say. The reason I question it is that dogs were looked down upon in those days.
J. Randal Matheny 9:20 am on October 16, 2010 Permalink
Here’s the NET note to the term “dogs” in that verse:
Or “lap dogs, house dogs,” as opposed to dogs on the street. The diminutive form originally referred to puppies or little dogs, then to house pets. In some Hellenistic uses κυνάριον (kunarion) simply means “dog.”
J. Randal Matheny 9:23 am on October 16, 2010 Permalink
Also, TDNT: “… Jesus has in mind little dogs which could be tolerated in the house.”