DOG, a domestick animal, with which we are very well acquainted. By the law it was declared unclean, and was very much despised among the Jews. The most offensive expression they could use, was to compare a man to a dead Dog. David, in order to make Saul sensible that the unjust persecution which he carried on against him, did 1 Sam. xxiv. 14.himself no honour, said to him, After whom is the King of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead Dog? And when David did Mephibosheth the honour 2 Sam. ix. 8.to receive him at his Table, Mephibosheth making his acknowledgements, used this expression, What is thy servant, that thou Job xxx. 1.shouldst look upon such a dead Dog as I am. Job says, that in his misfortunes the young people had the impudence to insult him, whose fathers he would have disdained to have set with the Dogs that kept his flocks.
The name of Dog is sometimes put for one, who has lost all modesty1, for one who prostitutes himself by committing any abominable action; for in this manner several understand the injunction delivered by Moses of not offering in the Tabernacle of the Lord the hire of a whore, or the price of a Dog; and what is said in Ecclesiasticus, What fellowship is there between a pure and sanctified person2, and a dog? Jesus Christ in the Revelations, excludes dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, and idolaters, &c. from his House. St. Paul calls the false Apostles Dogs, by reason of their impudence, and greedy love of sordid gain. Lastly, Solomon and St. Peter compare sinners, who continually relapse into their sins, to Dogs returning to their vomit. David compares his enemies to Dogs, that were continally barking at him with their slanders, and biting him with their persecutions and evil treatment.
I do not observe that the Hebrews made use of hounds. Any sort of game killed by Dogs, would have been unclean, and no one could have made any use of it. I do not find any mention of Dogs, when hunting is spoke of, nor of hunting when any thing is said of Dogs. In the East they rather make use of Lions, or some other such like animals, which a man on horse-back may carry either before or behind him, and as soon as he perceives the game, he takes away a sort of blind, which the creature has upon his eyes, and pointing out his prey to him, he springs upon it with very great agility. Notwithstanding, I would not absolutely deny, but that they might make use of Dogs, provided they prevented them from killing the creatures, which they were pursuing : for a Dog is not unclean as long as he is alive.
The Arabians as well as Jews hold Darvieux Mœurs des Arabes, c. 8. p. 182.Dogs to be unclean ; they speak kindly to them, and feed them well, but do not touch them : particularly if they should happen to be wet, they would not suffer them to come near them, lest a drop of water should fall upon their clothes, which would incapacitate them to say their prayers. But they who love sports, do notwithstanding keep Gray-hounds and setting Dogs : alledging, that these Dogs being always tied up, and eating nothing that is unclean, are exempted from the common rule. The same they plead for little Lap-Dogs ; no one among them does any harm to Dogs, and if any person were to kill one of them deliberately and with design, he would be punished in a judicial way.
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