Topical Encyclopedia
Locusts are a type of grasshopper known for their swarming behavior and are frequently mentioned in the Bible as instruments of divine judgment and symbols of destruction. They are depicted as both literal and metaphorical agents of devastation, often associated with God's wrath and the call for repentance.
Biblical References:1.
Plague in Egypt: One of the most notable mentions of locusts is in the account of the plagues of Egypt. In
Exodus 10:12-15 , God commands Moses to stretch out his hand over Egypt so that locusts will swarm over the land and consume everything left after the hail. The passage describes the locusts as covering the ground until it was black and devouring all that was left after the previous plagues, demonstrating their role as a tool of divine judgment against Pharaoh's hardened heart.
2.
Judgment and Repentance: In the book of Joel, locusts are used as a metaphor for an invading army and a call to repentance.
Joel 1:4 states, "What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten." This vivid imagery underscores the totality of destruction and serves as a warning to the people to return to God.
3.
Symbol of Destruction: Locusts are also mentioned in the book of Revelation as part of the apocalyptic vision.
Revelation 9:3 describes locusts coming out of the smoke upon the earth, given power like that of scorpions. These locusts are not ordinary insects but are symbolic of demonic forces unleashed during the end times, emphasizing their role as harbingers of divine judgment.
Cultural and Historical Context:In the ancient Near East, locust swarms were a well-known natural disaster, capable of devastating crops and causing famine. Their sudden appearance and overwhelming numbers made them a fitting symbol for divine intervention and punishment. The biblical portrayal of locusts reflects the historical reality of their impact on agrarian societies, where a single swarm could obliterate the food supply and lead to widespread suffering.
Theological Significance:From a theological perspective, locusts in the Bible serve as a reminder of God's sovereignty over creation and His ability to use natural phenomena to accomplish His purposes. They are a call to humility and repentance, urging people to recognize their dependence on God and to turn away from sin. The recurring theme of locusts as instruments of judgment highlights the seriousness of disobedience and the need for spiritual vigilance.
Conclusion:While locusts are a natural part of the ecosystem, their biblical representation transcends their physical characteristics, embodying themes of judgment, repentance, and divine sovereignty. Through the imagery of locusts, the Bible communicates profound spiritual truths about the consequences of sin and the hope of restoration through repentance.
Topical Bible Verses
Mark 1:6And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
Topicalbible.orgLeviticus 11:22
Even these of them you may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
Topicalbible.org
Greek
200. akris -- a locust... locust Definition: a locust. Word Origin a prim. word Definition a locust
NASB Word Usage
locusts (4). locust. Apparently from the
...Strong's Hebrew
1373b. gobay --locusts...locusts. Transliteration: gobay or gobay Short Definition: locust-swarm. Word Origin
from the same as gebeh Definition
locusts NASB Word Usage locust-swarm (1).
...1462. gob --locusts
... 1461, 1462. gob. 1463 .locusts. Transliteration: gob Phonetic Spelling:
(gobe) Short Definition: grasshoppers. Word Origin from...
1501. gazam --locusts
... 1500, 1501. gazam. 1502 .locusts. Transliteration: gazam Phonetic Spelling:
(gaw-zawm') Short Definition: locust. Word Origin from...
697. arbeh -- (a kind of) locust
... 696, 697. arbeh. 698 . (a kind of) locust. Transliteration: arbeh Phonetic
Spelling: (ar-beh') Short Definition:locusts. Word Origin...
1361a. gebeh -- locust
... locust. Transliteration: gebeh Short Definition:locusts. Word Origin from an unused
word Definition locust NASB Word Usagelocusts (1). 1361, 1361a....
3218. yeleq -- (a kind of) locust
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition (a kind of) locust NASB Word Usage
creeping locust (5), locust (1),locusts (2), younglocusts (1)....
1471. goy -- nation, people
... root as gevah (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also
(figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight oflocusts -- Gentile, heathen...
3767. kera -- a leg
... leg. From kara'; the leg (from the knee to the ankle) of men orlocusts (only in
the dual) -- leg. see HEBREW kara'. 3766, 3767. kera. 3768 . Strong's Numbers
4264. machaneh -- an encampment, camp
... chanah; an encampment (of travellers or troops); hence, an army, whether literal
(of soldiers) or figurative (of dancers, angels, cattle,locusts, stars; or...
Library
The Locust-Swarms
... Whether these names are rightly rendered, or whether they mean different sorts of
locusts, or thelocusts in their different stages of growth, crawling at...
Joel
... In an unusually devastating plague oflocusts, which, like an army of the
Lord,[1] has stripped the land bare and brought misery alike upon city and country...
Another Part of My Smoke' which You Frequently Laugh at is My...
... might be applied, "Thou touchest the hills and they smoke." You do not understand
the allusion of the Prophet when he speaks of the smoke of thelocusts; it is...
The Scope of the Apocalypse is Indicated by Its Place in the...
... 2. The next allusion to the Antichrist is found in Rev.9:11 where he is given a
threefold appellation, namely, King over thelocusts, The Angel of the Abyss...
The Rod that Troubled Egypt.
... Then Moses told Pharaoh that the face of the earth would be covered with clouds
oflocusts that would eat every green thing left by the storm, if he did not...
The Cost of Being Cruel and Stubborn
... For if you refuse to let my people go, then to-morrow I will bringlocusts into
your land, and they will cover the surface of the earth, so that no one will be...
The Twelve Minor Prophets.
... The immediate occasion of his prophecies is a double plague of drought andlocusts,
which has already invaded the land, and whose desolating progress he...
Hosea and Joel.
... (1) The occasion of the prophecy was four successive plagues of insects, particularly
thelocusts.... 1. By the past scourge oflocusts and drought, Ch.1....
John the Baptist
... And as he grew older, he made up his mind that he would leave his home and friends,
and go and live in the wilderness; and his food there waslocusts and wild...
Not Enough, as the Marcionites Pretend, that the Supreme God...
... One work is sufficient for our god; he has delivered man by his supreme and most
excellent goodness, which is preferable to (the creation of) all thelocusts....
Thesaurus
Locusts (33 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Locusts (33 Occurrences).
... His food was
locusts and
wild honey. (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV).
...Swarm (26 Occurrences)
... Exodus 10:12 Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt
for thelocusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every...
Swarms (18 Occurrences)
... Judges 6:5 For they came up with their livestock and their tents; they came in as
locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and...
Apollyon (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Destroyer, the name given to the king of the
hosts represented by thelocusts (Revelation 9:11). It is...
Border (233 Occurrences)
... Exodus 10:4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will
I bringlocusts into thy border: (ASV DBY JPS WBS YLT)....
Borders (104 Occurrences)
... WBS). Exodus 10:4 For, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, I will
to-morrow bringlocusts into thy borders; (DBY). Exodus...
Insects (17 Occurrences)
... Lepidoptera, clothes-moth, silk-worm; Siphonaptera, flea; Diptera, fly; Rhynchota,
louse, scarletworm; Orthoptera, several kinds of grasshoppers andlocusts....
Locust (25 Occurrences)
... In the New Testamentlocusts are mentioned as forming part of the food of John the
Baptist (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6). By the Mosaic law they were reckoned "clean...
Wore (19 Occurrences)
... His food waslocusts and wild honey. (WEB WEY RSV).... (WEB WBS). Revelation 9:7
The shapes of thelocusts were like horses prepared for war....
Dense (11 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Exodus 10:14 Thelocusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and
rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous....
Resources
Is Joel 1:4 referring to literal locusts? When was this prophecy fulfilled? | GotQuestions.orgHow does God restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25)? | GotQuestions.orgSummary of the Book of Joel - Bible Survey | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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