The Bible is full of teeming creatures and swarming things.
These creatures, insects, often play significant roles in the stories
and the events described in them. From the first chapter of the Bible
to the very last book, these flying, creeping, hopping, and crawling
things are prominent.
Terms
for Insects
Insects
are described in the Bible with both general and specific terms. In
the OT, there are three general terms for insects and twenty terms
used to refer to specific types of insects. In the NT, two different
types of insects are referenced: gnats and locusts.
The
two most common general terms for insects are variously translated.
Terms and phrases used to describe them include “living
creatures” (Gen. 1:20), “creatures that move along the
ground” (Gen. 1:24–26; 6:7, 20; 7:8, 14, 23; 8:17, 19;
Lev. 5:2; Ezek. 38:20; Hos. 2:18), that which “moves”
(Gen. 9:3), “swarming things” (Lev. 11:10), “flying
insects” (Lev. 11:20–21, 23; Deut. 14:19), “creatures”
(Lev. 11:43), “crawling things” (Lev. 22:5; Ezek. 8:10),
“reptiles” (1 Kings 4:33), “teeming creatures”
(Ps. 104:25), “small creatures” (Ps. 148:10), and “sea
creatures” (Hab. 1:14). The other general term for insects is
used with reference to swarms of insects, typically flies (Exod.
8:21–22, 24, 29; Pss. 78:45; 105:31). Specific insects named in
Scripture are listed below.
Ants.
Ants are used in Proverbs as an example of and encouragement toward
wisdom. In 6:6 ants serve as an example for sluggards to reform their
slothful ways. Also, in 30:25 ants serve as an example of creatures
that, despite their diminutive size, are wise enough to make advance
preparations for the long winter.
Bees.
Bees
are used both literally and figuratively in Scripture. Judges 14:8
refers to honeybees, the product of which becomes the object of
Samson’s riddle. The other three uses of bees in the OT are
figurative of swarms of enemies against God’s people (Deut.
1:44; Ps. 118:12; Isa. 7:18).
Fleas.
Fleas
are referenced in the OT only by David to indicate his insignificance
in comparison with King Saul (1 Sam. 24:14; 26:20). The irony of
the comparison becomes clear with David’s later ascendancy.
Flies.
The plague of flies follows that of gnats on Egypt (Exod. 8:20–31).
Although the gnats are never said to have left Egypt, the flies are
removed upon Moses’ prayer. In Eccles. 10:1 the stench of dead
flies is compared to the impact that folly can have on the wise. In
Isa. 7:18 flies represent Egypt being summoned by God as his avenging
agents on Judah’s sin. In addition, one of the gods in Ekron
was named “Baal-Zebub,” which means “lord of the
flies” (2 Kings 1:2–3, 6, 16). The reference to
Satan in the NT using a similar name is likely an adaptation of the
OT god of Ekron (Matt. 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15,
18–19).
Gnats.
Gnats are distinguished from flies in the OT, though the distinction
is not always apparent. Gnats are employed by God in the third plague
on Egypt (Exod. 8:16–19), while flies form the means of
punishment in the fourth plague. The two are listed together in Ps.
105:31 and appear parallel, though the former may be a reference to a
swarm. Gnats were also used by Jesus to illustrate the hypocrisy of
the Pharisees and the scribes (Matt. 23:24).
Hornets.
The
Bible uses hornets in Scripture as an agent of God’s
destruction. The term occurs three times in the OT. In each
occurrence these stinging insects refer to God’s expulsion of
the Canaanites from the land that God promised to his people. The
first two times, Exod. 23:28 and Deut. 7:20, hornets are used in
reference to a promise of what God will do; the third time, Josh.
24:12, they illustrate what God did.
Locusts.
Of particular interest is the use of locusts in the Bible. The term
or a similar nomenclature occurs close to fifty times in the NIV.
Locusts demonstrate a number of characteristics in Scripture. First,
they are under God’s control (Exod. 10:13–19). As such,
they have no king (Prov. 30:27). They serve God’s purposes.
Second, locusts often occur in very large numbers or swarms (Judg.
6:5; Jer. 46:23; Nah. 3:15). At times, their numbers can be so large
as to cause darkness in the land (Exod. 10:15). Third, in large
numbers these insects have been known to ravage homes, devour the
land, devastate fields, and debark trees (Exod. 10:12–15; Deut.
28:38; 1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chron. 7:13; Pss. 78:46; 105:34;
Isa. 33:4; Joel 1:4–7). Due to their fierceness, they were
compared to horses (Rev. 9:7). Fourth, locusts hide at night (Nah.
3:17). Finally, certain types of locusts were used as food.
Moths.
Moths
are referred to seven times in the OT and four times in the NT. Job
uses moths to illustrate the fragility of the unrighteous before God
(4:19) and the impermanence of their labors (27:18). The other
references to moths in Scripture present them as the consumers of the
wealth (garments) and pride of humankind as a means of God’s
judgment (Job 13:28; Ps. 39:11; Isa. 50:9; 51:8; Hos. 5:12; Matt.
6:19–20; Luke 12:33; James 5:2).
Functions
of Insects in Scripture
As
agents in God’s judgment.
Insects serve a variety of functions in Scripture. Most notably,
insects serve as agents of judgment from God. The OT indicates how
insects were used as judgment on both Israel and their enemies.
Moses
warned of God’s judgment for Israel’s violation of the
covenant. He advised Israel that as a consequence of their sin, they
would expend much labor in the field but harvest little, because the
locusts would consume them (Deut. 28:38).
Solomon,
in his prayer of dedication at the temple, beseeched God regarding
judgment that he might send in the form of grasshoppers to besiege
the land. He asked that when the people of God repent and pray, God
would hear and forgive (2 Chron. 6:26–30). God similarly
responded by promising that when he “command[s] locusts to
devour the land” as judgment for sin, and his people humble
themselves and pray, he will heal and forgive (2 Chron. 7:13–14;
cf. 1 Kings 8:37).
The
psalmist reminded Israel of God’s wonderful works in their
past, one of which was his use of insects as a means of his judgment
(Ps. 78:45–46; cf. 105:34).
Joel
1:4 and 2:25 describe God’s judgment on Israel for their
unfaithfulness in successive waves of intensity (cf. Deut. 28:38, 42;
2 Chron. 6:28; Amos 4:9–10; 7:1–3). The devastation
led to crop failure, famine, destruction of vines and fig trees, and
great mourning. The severity of the judgment is described as being
unlike anything anyone in the community had ever experienced (Joel
1:2–3).
Locusts
are the subject of one of the visions of the prophet Amos. In the
vision, God showed him the destructive power of these insects as a
means of judgment. Upon seeing the vision, the prophet interceded for
the people, and God relented (Amos 7:1–3).
Insects
were also used as judgments on Israel’s enemies. In the plagues
on Egypt, insects were the agents of the third, fourth, and eighth
plagues. The third plague (Exod. 8:16–19) was gnats.
Interestingly, this was the first of Moses’ signs that the
magicians of Pharaoh could not reproduce. Their response to the
Egyptian king was that this must be the “finger of God.”
There is no record of the gnats ever leaving Egypt, unlike the other
plagues.
The
fourth plague was flies (Exod. 8:20–32). Here the Bible
specifically indicates a distinction between the land of Goshen,
where the Israelites dwelled, and the rest of the land of Egypt. The
flies covered all of Egypt except Goshen. This plague led to
Pharaoh’s first offer of compromise. Once Moses prayed and the
flies left Egypt, Pharaoh hardened his heart.
The
eighth plague was in the form of locusts (Exod. 10:1–20). In
response to this plague, Pharaoh’s own officials complained to
him, beseeching him to let Israel leave their country lest it be
entirely destroyed. The threat of this plague led to Pharaoh’s
second offer of compromise. Once the locusts began to devastate the
land of Egypt, Pharaoh confessed his sin before God, but as soon as
the locusts were removed, his heart again became hardened. Thus,
three of the ten plagues on Egypt were in the form of insects.
At
the end of a series of “woe” passages, the prophet Isaiah
proclaimed God’s judgment against the enemies of his people
because of their oppression. In the end, those who plundered will
themselves be plundered, as if by a “swarm of locusts”
(Isa. 33:1–4; cf. Jer. 51:14, 27).
Insects
were also used as judgment on people who dwelled in the land of
Israel prior to Israel’s occupation. Both before and after the
event took place, the Bible describes how God sent hornets to help
drive out the occupants of the land of Canaan in preparation for
Israel’s arrival. This is described as part of God’s
judgment on these nations for their sins against him (Exod. 23:28;
Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12).
As
food.
Insects also are mentioned in Scripture as food. Certain types of
locusts are listed as clean and eligible for consumption. The NT
describes the diet of John the Baptist, which consisted of locusts
and wild honey—a diet entirely dependent on insects (Matt. 3:4;
Mark 1:6). The OT also notes Samson enjoying the labor of bees as
food (Judg. 14:8–9).
Used
figuratively.
Most often, insects are used figuratively in Scripture. They are used
in the proverbs of Scripture to illustrate wisdom. The sages wrote
about ants (Prov. 6:6; 30:25), locusts (Prov. 30:27), and even dead
flies (Eccles. 10:1) both to extol wisdom and to encourage its
development in humankind.
Another
figurative use of insects is in the riddle about bees and honey posed
by Samson to the Philistines (Judg. 14:12–18). As noted above,
Samson ate honey (Judg. 14:8–9; cf. 1 Sam. 14:25–29,
43). Also, Scripture describes the promised land as a place of “milk
and honey.”
Insects
also are used to symbolize pursuing enemies (Deut. 1:44; Ps. 118:12;
Isa. 7:18), innumerable forces (Judg. 6:5; 7:12; Ps. 105:34; Jer.
46:23; Joel 2:25), insignificance (Num. 13:33; 1 Sam. 24:14;
26:20; Job 4:19; 27:18; Ps. 109:23; Eccles. 12:5; Isa. 40:22),
vulnerability (Job 4:19), God’s incomparable nature (Job
39:20), the brevity of life (Ps. 109:23), wisdom and organization
(Prov. 30:27), and an invading army (Isa. 7:18; Jer. 51:14, 27), and
they are employed in a taunt against Israel’s enemies (Nah.
3:15–17), a lesson on hypocrisy (Matt. 23:24), and an image of
eschatological judgment (Rev. 9:4–11).
Scriptural
Truths about Insects
1. Insects
are part of God’s creation.
In
view of all the uses of insects in Scripture, several key truths
emerge. First, insects are a part of the totality of God’s
creation. The very first chapter of the Bible uses one of the general
terms for insects as part of God’s creative activity on the
sixth day of creation (Gen. 1:24). After God reviewed the creation on
that day, his assessment of it, including the insects, was that it
was “good” (1:25).
2. Insects
are under God’s control.
A
second scriptural truth related to insects in the Bible is that they
are under God’s control. In Deut. 7:20 God promised to send
hornets ahead of the children of Israel to prepare the promised land
for their arrival. Also, in Joel 2:25, when God promised to repair
the damage to the land caused by the locusts, he described them as
“my great army that I sent.” Thus, the picture emerges
that what God has created, he alone reserves the authority to
control.
3. Insects
are cared for by God. A final truth regarding insects in Scripture is
that God takes care of them. Just as Jesus explained God’s care
for the birds of the air (Matt. 7:26), the psalmist explained that
all of God’s creation, specifically insects, “look to you
to give them their food at the proper time” (Ps. 104:25–27).
The conclusion of the psalmist is appropriate for all of God’s
creation: “When you hide your face, they are terrified; when
you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you
send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the
ground” (104:29–30). Thus, in the end, God creates, God
controls, and God cares—a lesson that all of God’s
creation shares.