Spit; Spittle
Spit as a Symbol of Contempt and Humiliation
Throughout Scripture, spitting directly on or in the face of another person is depicted as one of the ultimate acts of disrespect and degradation. This gesture stripped away dignity and publicly marked someone as despised. The law even institutionalized this act of shame: if a man refused to fulfill his levirate marriage duty, his brother's widow could spit in his face before the elders, permanently branding him with disgrace (Deuteronomy 25:9). Prophets like Isaiah described the suffering servant as one who would not hide his face from "shame and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6). This symbolism reached its climax in the Passion narratives, where Jesus was spat upon by both Jewish officials (Matthew 26:67) and Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:30; Mark 15:19) as a deliberate component of his mockery and torture.
Spittle and Ritual Purity
The Mosaic Law classified bodily discharges, including saliva, as sources of ritual impurity. If a person with a bodily discharge spat on someone who was clean, that person became ceremonially unclean and was required to wash their clothes and bathe (Leviticus 15:8). This regulation placed spittle within the complex purity system that governed Israelite community life, distinguishing between the clean and the unclean. David's feigned madness before King Achish of Gath involved letting saliva run down his beard (1 Samuel 21:13), a portrayal of someone outside the bounds of normal, clean, and rational society.
Jesus and the Transformative Use of Spittle
In a striking contrast to its negative connotations, the Gospels record Jesus using his own spittle in two healing miracles. He spat and touched the tongue of a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment (Mark 7:33), and he made mud with his saliva to anoint the eyes of a man born blind (John 9:6). These acts were not magical but sacramental—outward signs of his divine, creative power at work. In a historical context where spittle was sometimes believed to have medicinal properties, Jesus appropriated a common cultural element. However, he transformed it into a vehicle of his unique authority, demonstrating that the kingdom of God reclaims and redeems even the basest things. His actions directly confronted impurity laws, showing that his touch brings purity and wholeness, not defilement.
Cultural Beliefs and Figurative Language
Extra-biblical sources from the ancient world confirm that saliva, especially from a revered figure, was often thought to possess curative or apotropaic (evil-averting) power. The New Testament itself references the anointing with oil for healing (James 5:14; Mark 6:13), another common physical substance used in a spiritual context. Biblically, spittle also appears in figurative speech. Job's plea for God to look away from him "till I swallow my spittle" (Job 7:19) is an idiom for a brief, momentary pause. The act of spitting, therefore, occupied a multifaceted place in the ancient mindset, spanning the spectrum from vile insult to potential remedy, all of which informs the biblical usage.
Biblical Context
The topic appears across both Testaments in law (Leviticus, Deuteronomy), historical narrative (1 Samuel, Job), prophecy (Isaiah), and the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, John). It plays two primary roles: as a social and legal gesture of extreme contempt and humiliation, and as a physical substance involved in purity regulations. In the Gospels, Jesus uniquely repurposes it as a medium for miraculous healing, directly engaging with and overturning its conventional meanings.
Theological Significance
The biblical use of spit and spittle teaches profound truths about human dignity, shame, and redemption. It reveals the depth of humiliation Christ voluntarily endured for humanity's salvation, fully entering into our disgrace (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30). Conversely, Jesus's healing miracles with saliva demonstrate God's power to transform what is lowly, despised, or associated with impurity into an instrument of grace and restoration. This illustrates the incarnational principle—God using the physical and cultural realities of the world to convey spiritual truth and power. It shows that in God's economy, nothing is beyond redemption.
Historical Background
In the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world, spitting was universally recognized as a severe insult. Archaeological and literary evidence shows it was a common gesture of contempt and rejection. Concurrently, many ancient cultures, including the Romans, believed saliva—particularly fasting saliva—had medicinal or magical properties for healing wounds and eye ailments. Pliny the Elder's Natural History documents this belief. Jewish tradition also recorded debates about the propriety of using spittle for healing on the Sabbath. This dual cultural context—of profound insult and purported remedy—forms the essential backdrop for understanding the Bible's nuanced presentation.