Pearl

Occurrences in the Bible

• Old Testament: The New Korean Revised Version uses the word "pearl" in Job 28:18 and Proverbs 3:15, 8:11, 20:15, and 31:10. These passages say that wisdom, or a virtuous woman, is more precious than pearls.
• Matthew 7:6: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "neither cast ye your pearls before swine."
• Matthew 13:45–46: A merchant seeking goodly pearls finds one pearl of great price, sells all that he has, and buys it. Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to this merchant.
• 1 Timothy 2:9: Women are urged to adorn themselves not with gold, pearls, or costly array but with good works. A similar exhortation appears in 1 Peter 3:1–7.
• Revelation: In 17:4 and 18:12, 16, pearls represent the luxury of the great city Babylon. In 21:21, each of the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem is made of a single pearl.

Background and Original Language

The New Testament word for "pearl" is the Greek margarites. In the ancient Mediterranean world, pearls were costly gems imported from the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and elsewhere. A pearl could therefore be regarded as equal in value to a great fortune.

The Hebrew words rendered "pearl" in the Old Testament (such as peninim) are of uncertain meaning. Depending on the scholar or translation, they are also rendered as "coral" or as "red gems."

Significance Across Scripture

In the Old Testament, the pearl serves as a standard against which the value of wisdom is measured. The New Testament takes up this image of "the most precious thing" to speak of the worth of the kingdom of God (Matthew 13). It also uses the pearl in a warning against treating holy things carelessly (Matthew 7).

At the same time, pearls can represent outward adornment and worldly wealth (1 Timothy; Revelation 17–18). In Revelation 21, however, they are the material that displays the glory of the city of God.

Interpretations and Debates

• The parable of the pearl of great price: A widely held interpretation identifies the merchant with the believer, who gives up everything to gain the kingdom of God. Some interpreters instead identify the merchant with Christ and read the pearl as the church, which Christ gained by giving up everything.
• Matthew 7:6: Interpreters differ over whom the "dogs" and "swine" represent. Some take them to be people who repeatedly reject the gospel; others read the verse as a warning against offering holy things without discernment. The early Christian document known as the Didache is known to have applied the first part of this verse to the Eucharist.
• Popular traditions: A popular story places Peter at the "pearly gates" to receive those who arrive. This is a later folk tradition and is not found in the biblical text. Likewise, the frequently used sermon illustration that "an oyster forms a pearl by coating its wound" is an application drawn from a biological fact, not something the biblical text itself states.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints calls one of its books of scripture The Pearl of Great Price.

In the Korean Church

The parable of the pearl of great price is frequently used in sermons in the Korean church. It is cited chiefly when speaking of the decision to give up other things of value for the sake of faith. Expressions such as "pearly gates" and "streets of gold" are also widely used in worship songs and sermons to depict heaven.