Insects, as mentioned in the Bible, play various roles and hold different symbolic meanings throughout the Scriptures. They are often associated with plagues, destruction, and divine judgment, but also with lessons on diligence and wisdom.

Biblical References and Symbolism

1. Locusts: One of the most frequently mentioned insects in the Bible, locusts are often associated with devastation and divine judgment. In the book of Exodus, locusts are the eighth plague that God sends upon Egypt to compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites: "So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts" (Exodus 10:13). Locusts also appear in the prophetic writings, symbolizing overwhelming destruction, as seen in 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."

2. Bees: Bees are mentioned in the context of danger and aggression. In Deuteronomy 1:44, the Amorites are compared to bees in their pursuit of the Israelites: "Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees, beating you down from Seir as far as Hormah" . Despite this, bees are also associated with the production of honey, a symbol of abundance and blessing in the Promised Land (Exodus 3:8).

3. Ants: Ants are highlighted in the book of Proverbs as models of industriousness and wisdom. Proverbs 6:6-8 advises, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food at harvest" . This passage encourages diligence and foresight, using the ant as an example of prudent behavior.

4. Flies: Flies are associated with corruption and decay. Ecclesiastes 10:1 states, "As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor" . This imagery underscores the idea that small, seemingly insignificant actions can have a disproportionately large impact on one's reputation and life.

5. Grasshoppers: Similar to locusts, grasshoppers are used metaphorically to describe insignificance and vulnerability. In Numbers 13:33, the Israelite spies report feeling like grasshoppers in comparison to the inhabitants of Canaan: "We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them" .

Dietary Laws

Insects are also addressed in the dietary laws given to the Israelites. Leviticus 11:20-23 outlines which insects are considered clean and permissible to eat: "All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. However, you may eat the following kinds of winged creatures that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper" . This distinction highlights the importance of obedience to God's commandments and the maintenance of ritual purity.

Conclusion

Insects in the Bible serve as powerful symbols and practical examples, illustrating themes of judgment, diligence, and the consequences of sin. They remind believers of the importance of heeding God's word and living a life marked by wisdom and foresight.1. (n.) One of the Insecta; esp., one of the Hexapoda. See Insecta.

2. (n.) Any air-breathing arthropod, as a spider or scorpion.

3. (n.) Any small crustacean. In a wider sense, the word is often loosely applied to various small invertebrates.

4. (n.) Fig.: Any small, trivial, or contemptible person or thing.

5. (a.) of or pertaining to an insect or insects.

6. (a.) Like an insect; small; mean; ephemeral.

2847. kokkinos -- scarlet
... scarlet, crimson. From kokkos (from the kernel-shape of the insect); crimson-colored --
scarlet (colour, coloured). see GREEK kokkos. (kokkinen) -- 1 Occurrence ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2847.htm - 6k6550. parosh -- a flea
... flea. Probably from para' and ash; a flea (as the isolated insect) -- flea. see
HEBREW para'. see HEBREW ash. 6549, 6550. parosh. 6551 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/6550.htm - 6k

8144. shani -- scarlet
... crimson, scarlet thread. Of uncertain derivation; crimson, properly, the insect
or its color, also stuff dyed with it -- crimson, scarlet (thread). ...
/hebrew/8144.htm - 6k

2728. chargol -- (a kind of) locust
... beetle. From charag; the leaping insect, ie A locust -- beetle. see HEBREW
charag. 2727, 2728. chargol. 2729 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/2728.htm - 6k

The Glory of the Trinity
... In God, in the ever blessed Trinity"Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"we, and not we only,
but every living thing"each flower, each insect"lives, and moves ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xvi the glory of.htm

Death
... The marvellous insect-life beneath its shadow excites in it no wonder. ... To
stream and insect and bird it is insensible, torpid, dead. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/natural law in the spiritual world/death.htm

Preaching the Gospel, Healing the Sick
... The well-favoured Goat, aged five years, wears a brilliant yellow cotton jacket,
on which are sketched in bold brush work every species of venomous insect. ...
/.../the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xxii preaching the gospel.htm

Translation from the Greek.
... an orderly manner, as in the spider is formed the phantasy of weaving; and the attempt
to weave follows, the nature of its phantasy inciting the insect in an ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translation from the greek.htm

The Principle of Life in the Creature.
... An insect and a star, the mildew on the wall and the cedar on Lebanon, a common
laborer and a man like Augustine, are all the creatures of God; yet how ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/v the principle of life.htm

A Cultivated Conservative Friend of Mine once Exhibited Great ...
... It is typical of our time that it has to look for its god through a microscope;
and our time has marked a definite adoration of the insect. ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 42 a cultivated conservative.htm

The Disciple, -- Master, in These Days Some Learned Men and their ...
... him to descend. Worse still, the tree on which he sat had been eaten away
at the roots by an insect and it was ready to fall. In a ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/singh/at the masters feet/section ii the disciple 2.htm

Omniscience
... I am shut up in a hermitage; but an insect drops from its leaf, and I see in that
insect, life which God preserves and sustains; yea, shut me out from the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/omniscience.htm

The Future State a Self-Conscious State.
... Like that insect in our gardens which spins a slender thread by which to guide itself
in its meanderings, and which when the clew is cut thrusts out its head ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the future state a self-conscious 2.htm

A Letter from a West Indian Cottage Ornee
... or moths, containing many chrysalids each. Meanwhile, dismiss from your
mind the stories of insect plagues. If good care is taken ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter v a letter from.htm

Insect (6 Occurrences)
... 5. (a.) of or pertaining to an insect or insects. 6. (a.) Like an insect; small;
mean; ephemeral. Multi-Version Concordance Insect (6 Occurrences). ...
/i/insect.htm - 8k

Worm (22 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Any annelid. 5. (n.) An insect larva. ... (tola`ath shani (Exodus 25:4, etc.)):
Cermes vermilio, a scale insect from which a red dye is obtained. ...
/w/worm.htm - 21k

Moth (10 Occurrences)
... Allusion is thus made to the destruction of clothing by the larvae of the
clothes-moth. This is the only lepidopterous insect referred to in Scripture. ...
/m/moth.htm - 13k

Scarlet-worm
... In none of the cases here considered are worms, properly so called, denoted, but
various insect larvae which are commonly called "worms," eg "silkworm," "apple ...
/s/scarlet-worm.htm - 11k

Scarletworm
... In none of the cases here considered are worms, properly so called, denoted, but
various insect larvae which are commonly called "worms," eg "silkworm," "apple ...
/s/scarletworm.htm - 11k

Insects (17 Occurrences)
... In the list of 23 names given above honey and bee refer to one insect, as do crimson
and scarlet. Sandfly has no place if "lice" be retained in Exodus 8:16. ...
/i/insects.htm - 14k

Locust (25 Occurrences)
... The name also occurs in Revelation 9:3, 7, in allusion to this Oriental devastating
insect. Locusts belong to the class of Orthoptera, ie, straight-winged. ...
/l/locust.htm - 34k

Virgin (62 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) A female insect producing eggs from which young are hatched, though there
has been no fecundation by a male; a parthenogenetic insect. ...
/v/virgin.htm - 64k

Grasshopper (12 Occurrences)
... This insect is not unknown in Palestine. ... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) Any jumping,
orthopterous insect, of the families Acrididae and Locustidae. ...
/g/grasshopper.htm - 12k

Grub (2 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To supply with food. 5. (n.) The larva of an insect, especially of a beetle; --
called also grubworm. 6. (n.) A short, thick man; a dwarf. ...
/g/grub.htm - 7k

Why does God call Jacob a worm in Isaiah 41:14? | GotQuestions.org

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Insect: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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