In their ongoing obsession with σκύβαλον, the Koine-Greek blog put up another post recently discussing the use of the term in agricultural contexts. Specifically, the piece covers how σκύβαλον is used by Philo. By going over a handful of examples, it becomes clear that Philo doesn’t intend for σκύβαλον to be seen as an obscenity. The author writes,
But again, none of these examples of σκύβαλον suggest a word that is taboo, obscene or profane. The referent of the word is certainly viewed by the culture as profane (vs. sacred) and certainly unclean. It seems dubious that it can merely mean indistinct refuse without reference to dung or excrement, but these examples in Philo do at least suggest that σκύβαλον include types of waste that become easily associated and mixed up with dung and excrement in the normal day to day experiences of life, especially in threshing floor contexts.
You can read the rest of the post here.
The Amateur Exegete 