Footnote

b Jehovah himself feels this disgust. For example, Ephesians 4:29 describes bad language as “rotten saying.” The Greek word used for “rotten” literally refers to putrefying fruit, fish, or meat. Such a term vividly portrays the repulsion that we should feel toward abusive or obscene speech. Likewise, idols are often described in the Scriptures as “dungy.” (Deuteronomy 29:17; Ezekiel 6:9) Our natural aversion to dung, or excrement, helps us to understand God’s feeling of disgust for any form of idolatry.