Locust
Summary
A migratory insect of the grasshopper family notorious for its devastating swarms that could strip vegetation bare, used in Scripture as a symbol of divine judgment and permitted as food under Mosaic law.
☩Nature and Behavior
Locusts belong to the order Orthoptera, characterized by their powerful hind legs adapted for leaping, which Moses describes as 'legs above their feet, wherewith to leap upon the earth.' The most destructive species in biblical lands are the Pachytylus migratorius and Schistocerca peregrina. These migratory locusts are produced chiefly in desert regions on eastern plateaux and are driven westward by the wind into Palestine. Their swarms darken the sun like heavy clouds, and the rattling of their wings sounds like the noise of chariots. They make no distinction between cultivated and wild vegetation, devouring everything green in their path.
☩Hebrew Terminology
The Old Testament uses at least nine different Hebrew words for locusts, reflecting their prominence in Israelite experience. The most common term, 'arbeh,' appears in the plague narrative and generally denotes migratory locusts. Other terms include gazam (the gnawing locust), yeleq (the licking locust), and chacil (the consuming locust). Whether these represent different species, different developmental stages, or simply regional synonyms remains uncertain. The Septuagint translates these various terms inconsistently, using akris, brouchos, and other Greek words interchangeably.
☩Plague and Judgment
The eighth plague of Egypt brought locusts of unprecedented devastation, covering the ground until it was black and devouring every plant and fruit that the hail had left. Moses warned that such destruction would recur if Israel disobeyed God's covenant. Joel's prophecy depicts a locust invasion as divine judgment, describing successive waves that strip the land bare: 'What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten; and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.' In Revelation, demonic locusts emerge from the abyss with power to torment those lacking God's seal.
☩Locusts as Food
The Mosaic law permitted eating locusts as clean food, specifying four types with legs for leaping. John the Baptist lived on locusts and wild honey during his wilderness ministry. The practice of eating locusts continues among Bedouins today. Common preparation methods include throwing them alive into boiling water with salt, removing the wings, legs, and heads, then roasting, frying in butter, or grinding them to mix with flour for cakes. The taste is compared to shrimps.
Related Verses32 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Locust," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Locust," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Locust," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).