Locust: Plague of
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The Plague of Locusts is one of the most dramatic and significant events recorded in the Bible, illustrating both the power of God and His judgment upon those who oppose His will. This event is most notably chronicled in the Book of Exodus as one of the ten plagues that God inflicted upon Egypt to compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage.

Biblical Account:

The Plague of Locusts is the eighth plague that God sent upon Egypt. In Exodus 10:1-20, the narrative describes how God instructed Moses to approach Pharaoh with a warning of the impending disaster. Pharaoh's continued refusal to let the Israelites go led to the unleashing of this devastating plague. The Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, so that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them" (Exodus 10:1).

Moses and Aaron warned Pharaoh that if he refused to let the Israelites go, God would bring locusts into the country. These locusts would cover the face of the land and devour what little was left after the previous plagues. Despite the warning, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and the locusts were sent. "So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts" (Exodus 10:13).

The locusts were so numerous that they covered the ground until it was black, consuming every plant and fruit on the trees that the hail had left. "They covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was black, and they consumed every plant in the land and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in the field throughout the land of Egypt" (Exodus 10:15).

Pharaoh, in desperation, summoned Moses and Aaron, confessing his sin against the Lord and pleading for the removal of the locusts. Moses prayed to the Lord, and a strong west wind carried the locusts into the Red Sea, removing them from Egypt. However, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart once more, and he did not let the Israelites go.

Symbolism and Significance:

The Plague of Locusts serves as a powerful symbol of divine judgment and the futility of resisting God's will. In the ancient Near East, locusts were feared for their ability to destroy crops and cause famine, representing a natural disaster of immense proportions. The biblical account emphasizes God's sovereignty over nature and His ability to use it as an instrument of judgment.

The locusts also symbolize the completeness of God's judgment. Just as the locusts left nothing green in Egypt, God's judgment is thorough and leaves no aspect of sin unaddressed. This event foreshadows the ultimate judgment that will come upon the world, as seen in prophetic literature.

Prophetic References:

The imagery of locusts is also used in prophetic literature to describe future judgments. In the Book of Joel, a locust invasion is depicted as a harbinger of the "Day of the Lord," a time of divine reckoning. Joel calls the people to repentance, urging them to return to God with fasting and weeping. "What the locust swarm has left, the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left, the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left, other locusts have eaten" (Joel 1:4).

In the Book of Revelation, locusts appear as part of the apocalyptic vision, symbolizing demonic forces unleashed upon the earth during the end times. These locusts are described as having the power to torment those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Revelation 9:3-4).

Theological Implications:

The Plague of Locusts underscores the themes of repentance, obedience, and the consequences of hard-heartedness. It serves as a reminder of God's patience and mercy, as He provides opportunities for repentance before executing judgment. The narrative also highlights the importance of recognizing God's authority and submitting to His will, as resistance leads to devastation and loss.

The Plague of Locusts remains a vivid illustration of God's power and a call to heed His warnings, emphasizing the need for faithfulness and obedience to His commands.
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Exodus 10:1-19
And the LORD said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before him:
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 105:34,35
He spoke, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number,
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Library

Joel's Rhapsody of the Locust Plague
... LYRICS JOEL'S RHAPSODY OF THE LOCUST PLAGUE. i The Land Desolate and Mourning. OLD
MEN. Hear this, ye old men, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land! ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/joels rhapsody of the locust.htm

Rhapsody
... III. Joel's Rhapsody of the Locust Plague./ This rhapsody may be founded on an historic
plague of locusts, but the notion is idealised into mystic forces of ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/rhapsody 2.htm

Select Masterpieces of Biblical Literature
... HABAKKUK'S RHAPSODY OF THE CHALDEANS. JOEL'S RHAPSODY OF THE LOCUST PLAGUE. THE
HURT OF THE DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE. THE LORD'S CONTROVERSY BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/

Reference Table
... 157 II Rhapsody of the Chaldeans Habakkuk I 2 Minor Prophets 77 III Rhapsody of
the Locust Plague Joel I 2 Jeremiah 35 IV The Hurt of the Daughter of my People ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/reference table.htm

On Psalm Lxxvii. Or Lxxviii.
... Symmachus renders it: "Who gave up their cattle to the plague, and their possessions
to ... herb and every tree, yet there were left some which the locust, as it ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/on psalm lxxvii or lxxviii.htm

The Last Farewell in the Presence of the one Hundred and Fifty ...
... the time should allow; while a gloomy darkness, far more oppressive than the ninth
plague of Egypt ... [4303] That which the palmerworm left did the locust eat, and ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xlii the last farewell.htm

The Plagues of Egypt
... where the sun always shines: then came the last and most terrible plague of all. ...
thunder and hail was never seen before; the Lord of the locust swarms"able ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon x the plagues of.htm

Little Sins
... Why this? The locust is but a little thing! ... The plague of lice, or the plague of
flies in Egypt, was perhaps the most terrible that the Egyptians ever felt. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/little sins.htm

The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the Blessing and the ...
... All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess. ... Also every sickness,
and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/i the oration of moses.htm

A Cultivated Conservative Friend of Mine once Exhibited Great ...
... such cases it has been very common to compare the invasion to a plague of lice ... But
never before, I think, have Christians called a Turk a locust and meant it ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 42 a cultivated conservative.htm

Resources
Why did God use a locust swarm to punish Israel (Joel 1:4)? | GotQuestions.org

Is Joel 1:4 referring to literal locusts? When was this prophecy fulfilled? | GotQuestions.org

How does God restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25)? | GotQuestions.org

Locust: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Locust

Locust used As Food

Locust: Authorized As Food

Locust: Devastation By

Locust: Figurative

Locust: Instincts of

Locust: Plague of

Locust: Sun Obscured By

Locust: Symbolical

Locust: Translated "Grasshopper"

The Locust of Destructive Enemies

The Locust of False Teachers of the Apostasy

The Locust of Ungodly Rulers

The Locust: (Destruction of) of Destruction of God's Enemies

The Locust: A Small Insect

The Locust: Carried Every Way by the Wind

The Locust: Clean and Fit for Food

The Locust: Flies in Bands and With Order

The Locust: Immensely Numerous

The Locust: Like to Horses Prepared for Battle

The Locust: One of the Plagues of Egypt

The Locust: Rapid in Movement

The Locust: The Jews used As Food

The Locust: The Jews: Deprecated the Plague of

The Locust: The Jews: Often Plagued By

The Locust: The Jews: Promised Deliverance from the Plague of, on Humiliation

The Locust: The Jews: Threatened With, As a Punishment for Sin

The Locust: Voracious

The Locust: Wise

Related Terms

Locust's (1 Occurrence)

Locust-swarm (1 Occurrence)

Grasshopper (12 Occurrences)

Caterpillar (6 Occurrences)

Cankerworm (7 Occurrences)

Swarming (19 Occurrences)

Locusts (33 Occurrences)

Canker-worm (7 Occurrences)

Palmerworm (2 Occurrences)

Palmer-worm (2 Occurrences)

Gnawing (4 Occurrences)

Stripping (4 Occurrences)

Beetle (7 Occurrences)

Insects (17 Occurrences)

Caterpiller (4 Occurrences)

Swarm (26 Occurrences)

Bald (12 Occurrences)

Cricket (2 Occurrences)

Creeping (43 Occurrences)

Grasshoppers (11 Occurrences)

Field-fly (2 Occurrences)

Plant-worm (2 Occurrences)

Blight (5 Occurrences)

Worm (22 Occurrences)

Hopping (2 Occurrences)

Joel (22 Occurrences)

Mildew (26 Occurrences)

Pestilence (57 Occurrences)

Lifteth (69 Occurrences)

Resteth (18 Occurrences)

Bloweth (10 Occurrences)

Besiege (17 Occurrences)

Coasts (58 Occurrences)

Cutter (3 Occurrences)

Attackers (41 Occurrences)

Turneth (249 Occurrences)

Consume (136 Occurrences)

Hopper (1 Occurrence)

Damaged (44 Occurrences)

Destroying (64 Occurrences)

Destroyer (23 Occurrences)

Disaster (131 Occurrences)

Crops (48 Occurrences)

Devour (118 Occurrences)

Lod (4 Occurrences)

Kinds (110 Occurrences)

Lifted (466 Occurrences)

Distressed (70 Occurrences)

Sickness (40 Occurrences)

Locks (29 Occurrences)

Repay (79 Occurrences)

Famine (99 Occurrences)

Fruits (109 Occurrences)

Gates (156 Occurrences)

Zoology

Katydid (1 Occurrence)

Leap (20 Occurrences)

Lengtheneth (1 Occurrence)

Lengthens (1 Occurrence)

Loud-sounding (8 Occurrences)

Gardens (14 Occurrences)

Gangrene (1 Occurrence)

Innumerable (12 Occurrences)

Fade (16 Occurrences)

Fried (3 Occurrences)

Thing (4185 Occurrences)

Tossed (19 Occurrences)

Restrain (31 Occurrences)

Rank (42 Occurrences)

Refusing (21 Occurrences)

Recompensed (20 Occurrences)

Devastating (1 Occurrence)

Declineth (4 Occurrences)

Deer (15 Occurrences)

Majestic (22 Occurrences)

Product (5 Occurrences)

Blasting (4 Occurrences)

Besieges (1 Occurrence)

Locust: Instincts of
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