“in the snout of a pig.” This verse would hit home much harder in the biblical culture than it does in our modern culture because it was the custom in biblical times for women to wear nose rings rather than earrings. The women not only had long hair, but often wore head coverings, and those things covered any earrings so that they could not be seen, so the women customarily wore nose rings as personal decoration (Gen. 24:22, 30, 47; Isa. 3:21; Ezek. 16:12).

This verse was especially graphic because the pig was an unclean animal to the Jews, and could not be eaten. Humans are impressed by physical beauty, but God, and godly people, are not. A beautiful woman who does not have good judgment is as disgusting to God as a pig wearing a gold ring in its nose. Godly people have to learn to think about humans the way God does. God looks on the heart, not on the flesh (1 Sam. 16:7).

[For more on the custom of nose rings, see commentary on Genesis 24:22.]