The term "canker-worm" appears in the Bible as a reference to a destructive locust or caterpillar, often symbolizing devastation and divine judgment. The canker-worm is mentioned in the context of agricultural ruin, which was a significant threat to the agrarian societies of the ancient Near East. In the Scriptures, the canker-worm is one of several stages of locust development, each representing a different phase of destruction.

Biblical References:

1. Joel 1:4 : "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." In this passage, the canker-worm is part of a sequence of locusts that devastate the land, illustrating the totality of the destruction that comes as a judgment from God. The prophet Joel uses this imagery to call the people to repentance and to highlight the severity of the coming day of the Lord.

2. Joel 2:25 : "I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you." Here, God promises restoration to His people after a period of judgment. The canker-worm, as part of the locust plague, is described as God's "great army," emphasizing that even such natural disasters are under divine control and serve His purposes.

3. Nahum 3:15-16 : "There the fire will consume you; the sword will cut you down, and it will devour you like a swarm of locusts. Multiply yourselves like the young locust; multiply like the swarming locust! You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away." In Nahum, the canker-worm is used metaphorically to describe the impending destruction of Nineveh. The imagery of locusts underscores the thoroughness and inevitability of divine judgment.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In the biblical narrative, the canker-worm serves as a symbol of destruction and divine retribution. It is often associated with the consequences of sin and the need for repentance. The locust plagues, including the canker-worm, are depicted as instruments of God's judgment, used to bring His people back to a state of humility and dependence on Him.

The canker-worm's role in the cycle of locust devastation highlights the fragility of human endeavors and the futility of relying on material prosperity without acknowledging God's sovereignty. The promise of restoration in Joel 2:25, however, also points to God's mercy and His willingness to restore and bless those who turn back to Him.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, locust plagues were a well-known and feared phenomenon. They could decimate crops and lead to famine, making them a powerful image for the biblical authors to convey messages of warning and hope. The canker-worm, as part of this imagery, would have been immediately understood by the original audience as a representation of both natural disaster and divine intervention.

The use of the canker-worm in Scripture serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of the natural and spiritual realms, where physical events often carry deeper spiritual significance. Through the lens of the canker-worm, the Bible communicates themes of judgment, repentance, and redemption, central to the biblical message.Canker-Worm

In our English Bible, put where the Hebrew means a species of locust, Joel 1:4 Nahum 3:15,16.

CANKER-WORM

kan'-ker-wurm (yeleq, (Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25 Nahum 3:15, 16)): The name given to a larval stage of the LOCUST (which see).

See also CATERPILLAR.

3218. yeleq -- (a kind of) locust
... cankerworm, caterpillar. From an unused root meaning to lick up; a devourer;
specifically, the young locust -- cankerworm, caterpillar. 3217, 3218. ...
/hebrew/3218.htm - 6k

December 16. "I Will Restore to You the Years that the Locust Hath ...
... DECEMBER 16. "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker
worm and the caterpillar and the palmer worm, my great army, which I sent ...
/.../simpson/days of heaven upon earth /december 16 i will restore.htm

Nahum's Doom of Nineveh
... It shall devour thee like the cankerworm: Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make
thyself many as the locust; Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/xi nahums doom of nineveh.htm

Joel's Rhapsody of the Locust Plague
... That which the palmerworm hath left Hath the locust eaten; And that which the locust
hath left Hath the cankerworm eaten; And that which the cankerworm hath ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/joels rhapsody of the locust.htm

The Locust-Swarms
... What the palmer worm had left, the locust had eaten; what the locust had left, the
cankerworm had eaten; and what the cankerworm had left, the caterpillar had ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xx the locust-swarms.htm

The Answer that Without God's Help not Only Perfect Chastity but ...
... in undertakings, still a man must pray lest there come to him, as Scripture says,
"a heaven of brass and an earth of iron," and "the cankerworm eat what the ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter iii the answer that.htm

Arian Statements.
... willed them to come into being.' Moreover they say also, that Christ is not the
natural and true power of God; but as the locust and the cankerworm are called ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/2 arian statements.htm

The Eternity of Heaven's Happiness.
... if such a revelation were made to the blessed, they would again sorrow and mourn:
the tears would again flow from their eyes, because the canker-worm that eats ...
/.../boudreaux/the happiness of heaven/chapter xxi the eternity of.htm

Prayer and Trouble
... God even claims the locusts, the cankerworm, the caterpillar are His servants,
"My great army," used by Him to correct His people and discipline them. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bounds/the essentials of prayer/v prayer and trouble.htm

Confutation of Arianism Deduced from the Writings of Eustathius ...
... live [353] :' there are, also, they said, many powers; for it is written"All the
power of God went out of the land of Egypt [354] .' The canker-worm and the ...
/.../chapter vii confutation of arianism deduced.htm

The Last Farewell in the Presence of the one Hundred and Fifty ...
... [4303] That which the palmerworm left did the locust eat, and that which the locust
left did the caterpillar eat: then came the cankerworm, [4304] then, what ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xlii the last farewell.htm

Cankerworm (7 Occurrences)
... Psalm 105:34; Jeremiah 51:14, 17 (but RV "canker-worm"). "It spoileth and fleeth
away" (Nahum 3:16), or as some read the passage, "The cankerworm putteth off ...
/c/cankerworm.htm - 10k

Canker-worm (7 Occurrences)
Canker-worm. Cankerworm, Canker-worm. Canneh . Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia
CANKER-WORM. ... (ASV JPS WBS). Cankerworm, Canker-worm. Canneh . Reference ...
/c/canker-worm.htm - 9k

Caterpillar (6 Occurrences)
... Many of them are popularly called worms, as the cutworm, cankerworm, army worm ... Jeremiah
51:14, 27 the King James Version; elsewhere "canker-worm")): A name ...
/c/caterpillar.htm - 10k

Locusts (33 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:4 What is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left
of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm...
/l/locusts.htm - 16k

Insects (17 Occurrences)
... to them: ant, bald locust, bee, beetle, cankerworm, caterpillar, creeping ... Bald locust,
beetle, canker-worm, cricket, and palmerworm probably all denote various ...
/i/insects.htm - 14k

Palmerworm (2 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which
the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the ...
/p/palmerworm.htm - 8k

Palmer-worm (2 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:4 That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which
the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker...
/p/palmer-worm.htm - 7k

Caterpiller (4 Occurrences)
... (KJV). Joel 1:4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that
which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the ...
/c/caterpiller.htm - 7k

Locust (25 Occurrences)
... Yeleq (Psalm 105:34 Jeremiah 51:14, 27 Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25 Nahum 3:15, 16) is
everywhere "canker-worm" in the Revised Version (British and American), except in ...
/l/locust.htm - 34k

Worm (22 Occurrences)
... saying, Surely I will fill you with men, as with the cankerworm; and they ... the locust
eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and ...
/w/worm.htm - 21k

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