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Natural Beauty Belongs to Those Possessing Good Sense

Proverbs 11:22 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.[1]

It says literally

“Ring of gold in snout of pig,
woman of beauty but lacking taste.”

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout: Gold rings were previous jewelry worn by women in their noses, not that of a pig. (Gen 24:47; Isa 3:21; Ezek. 16:12) Swine (חֲזִיר chazir) is another more common term for pigs. It is a ceremonially unclean animal.

is a beautiful woman without discretion: Here, the Hebrew verb (סוּר sur or שׂוּר sur) is rendered without, which has the sense of rejecting or turning away from something. Discretion (טַעַם taam) is literally “taste,” meaning good taste. However, we are talking about lacking good sense or judgment in this context.

Nose rings in Bible times were a popular form of adornment. It was decorative and a way of being noticed because a gold ring inserted through the side of the nose or the spectrum, which separated the nostrils would certainly draw attention to oneself. The visual of such a precious piece of jewelry being in the snout of a pig would be inappropriate. How could a beautiful woman be compared to a nose ring in a pig’s snout? So, a woman who is beautiful but lacking in good sense or good judgment is like an inappropriate gold nose ring in a pig’s snout.

It is essential to be focused on how we look, after all, we are ambassadors for Christ. However, it can be foolish to be overly anxious about our face or physical form. In many cases, how we look physical is outside of our control. While we want to be fit and healthy to more effectively have the stamina to carry out the great commission, our physical appearance is not everything. Often, we will find that the most admired people are average looking. Our Physical attractiveness is not the key to our being happy. As servants of God, we seek enduring godly qualities, such as good sense and good judgment.

[1] Lit taste