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Mira calligraphiae monumenta (Model Book of Calligraphy) G. Bocskay 1562 J. Hoefnagel illumination 1596 Ms.20 (86.MV.527) fol. 007 Fly, Caterpillar, Pear, and Centipede (Getty Museum)Folios 1-129 written 1561–1562 by Georg Bocskay (Hungarian calligrapher, died 1575) Illumination/illustrations added about 1591–1596 by Joris Hoefnagel (Flemish / Hungarian painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman, and merchant, 1542–1600) Page from an original manuscript in the collections of J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California Public domain · 1561–96 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Caterpillar

חָסִיל/KAT-er-pil-er/

“Consumer, devourer”

Summary

A destructive insect, likely referring to a stage of the locust, sent as divine judgment to consume crops.

☩Hebrew Terms

The English word 'caterpillar' translates two Hebrew words: chasil (from a root meaning 'to consume') and yeleq (elsewhere translated 'cankerworm'). While the English term refers to larvae of butterflies and moths, the Hebrew words more likely refer to stages of the locust, which was the most destructive agricultural pest in the ancient Near East.

Key verses:1 Kings 8:37Psalm 78:46Joel 1:4

☩Instrument of Judgment

The caterpillar or consuming locust appears in Scripture as an instrument of divine judgment. Solomon prayed concerning times when caterpillar would destroy the land's produce. The psalmist recounts how God gave Israel's crops to the caterpillar in Egypt. Joel describes a devastating succession of locust plagues, with the chasil representing the most consuming stage.

Key verses:1 Kings 8:37Psalm 105:34Joel 2:25

☩Prophetic Imagery

Jeremiah uses the imagery of the caterpillar to describe invading armies that would devastate Babylon, comparing their multitude to locusts without number. Some interpreters see Joel's locust plagues as representing successive foreign powers that would ravage Judea: Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Rome.

Key verses:Jeremiah 51:14Jeremiah 51:27

Related Verses5 mentions

Joel· 2 verses

1:42:25

1 Kings· 1 verse

8:37

Psalms· 1 verse

105:34

Jeremiah· 1 verse

51:27

See Also

Insects
Insects

References

  1. 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Caterpillar," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
  2. 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Caterpillar," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
  3. 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Caterpillar," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).