Then, as they were coming in from abroad, they espied a little robin with a great spider in his mouth. So the Interpreter said, “Look here.” So they looked; and Mercy wondered. But Christiana said, “What a disparagement is it to such a pretty little bird as the robin redbreast is; he being also a bird above many, that loves to maintain a kind of sociableness with man! I had thought they had lived upon crumbs of bread, or upon other such harmless matter. I like him worse than I did.”
The Interpreter then replied, “This robin is an emblem very apt to set forth some professors by; for to sight they are as this robin, pretty of note, color, and carriage; they seem also to have a very great love for professors that are sincere; and above all other, to desire to sociate with and to be in their company, as if they could live upon the good man’s crumbs. They pretend also, that therefore it is that they frequent the house of the godly, and the appointments of the Lord; but when they are by themselves as the robin, they can catch and gobble up spiders, they can change their diet, drink iniquity, and swallow down sin like water.”
Notes and Commentary
Before returning to the house for supper, the Interpreter draws another spiritual lesson from nature. The pilgrims see “a little robin with a great spider in his mouth.” They are familiar with robins. Its recognizable color is a welcome sight and its cheerful song is a delight to hear. Robins are beloved and associated with happiness and glad tidings. The sighting of a robin is often believed to be a sign of the passing of winter and the arrival of spring. Robins are friendly, willing to be around people and feed on bread crumbs.
Yet here the pilgrims see the robin’s true nature. While it can easily feed on berries and bread crumbs, its diet is more instinctively insects, worms, spiders, and even small snakes. Christiana is taken aback to see such a beautiful, sociable bird feasting on such a meal!
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The text for The Pilgrim’s Progress is public domain.
Notes and Commentary for Part II ©2014, 2023 Ken Puls
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from
the New King James Version (NKJV) ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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