Lexical Summary gazam: Locust, specifically a type of locust or grasshopper. Original Word: גָּזָם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance palmer-worm From an unused root meaning to devour; a kind of locust -- palmer-worm. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition locusts NASB Translation caterpillar (1), gnawing locust (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs גָּזָם noun masculineAmos 4:9 locusts (collective) — absolute גָּזָם Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25; Amos 4:9; — always as devouring, devastating, Joel 1:4 ("" אַרְבֶּה, יֶלֶק, חָסִיל) Joel 2:25 ("" id.); Amos 4:9 alone: your gardens and your vineyards, and your fig-tres and your olive-trees יאֹכַל הַגָּזָם. Topical Lexicon Definition and Natural History The term designates a specific stage or species of locust known for its voracious capability to “cut off” tender vegetation. In the life-cycle sequence described by Joel, it represents one wave in a succession of destructive swarms. Ancient observers classed it among the great scourges of the Near East, capable of stripping orchards, vineyards, and grain fields bare within hours. Its appearance was commonly connected with hot east winds and periods of drought, intensifying the agricultural calamity. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Joel 1:4 introduces גָּזָם as the first of four successive locust hosts. Role in Divine Judgments The insect functions as a tangible instrument of covenant discipline. Under the Mosaic covenant, agricultural plagues were a stipulated consequence for national disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:38). Joel and Amos present גָּזָם not as random natural disaster but as the LORD’s “great army,” emphasizing His sovereignty over creation and history. The precision with which each wave of insects follows the former accentuates the relentlessness of divine chastening when repentance is delayed. Theological Significance 1. Sovereignty: God commands even the smallest creatures to accomplish His purposes (Joel 2:11). Prophetic and Eschatological Implications Joel’s oracles utilize the locust invasion to foreshadow “the day of the LORD,” a climactic future intervention. The layered description—natural plague, historical invasion, ultimate day of judgment—invites readers to see גָּזָם as both literal pest and symbolic harbinger of eschatological realities. Revelation 9:3-11 later echoes locust imagery in an apocalyptic key, underscoring Scripture’s unified prophetic pattern. Historical Background Ancient inscriptions and classical writers (e.g., Pliny, Aristotle) confirm periodic locust devastations across Egypt, Palestine, and Mesopotamia. Archaeological strata display sudden pollen loss corresponding to such events. Farmers stored grain in rock-hewn silos to mitigate risk, yet severe swarms overwhelmed every precaution. This historical backdrop highlights why the prophets’ audiences immediately recognized the theological weight of locust language. Practical and Ministry Applications • Preaching: The sequence—loss, lament, repentance, restoration—provides a ready homiletical framework for calling modern hearers from complacency to revival. Christological and Redemptive Connections The cutting locust lays bare human helplessness, preparing hearts for the gospel’s announcement of a Redeemer who restores what sin destroys. Just as the land is renewed after the plague, so the resurrection of Jesus Christ pledges a recreated order free from decay (Romans 8:20-21). The locust therefore becomes a typological signpost pointing toward the ultimate reversal accomplished at the cross and consummated at His return. Intertextual Parallels and Later Usage Jewish liturgy (e.g., the Tefillat Geshem) recalls locust plagues when beseeching rainfall, while early Christian writers such as Jerome employed Joel’s imagery to describe heretical teachings that ravage the church. In hymnody (“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”), the harvest scene reimagines Joel’s locust narrative, celebrating final ingathering and purification. Through גָּזָם Scripture intertwines natural disaster with moral exhortation, grounding lofty eschatology in the gritty realities of agrarian life and assuring God’s people that no loss is irredeemable in His redemptive economy. Forms and Transliterations הַגָּזָ֑ם הַגָּזָם֙ הגזם וְהַגָּזָ֑ם והגזם hag·gā·zām haggaZam haggāzām vehaggaZam wə·hag·gā·zām wəhaggāzāmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joel 1:4 HEB: יֶ֤תֶר הַגָּזָם֙ אָכַ֣ל הָֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה NAS: What the gnawing locust has left, KJV: That which the palmerworm hath left INT: What the gnawing has eaten the swarming Joel 2:25 Amos 4:9 3 Occurrences |
    |