Topical Bible: Locust: Sun Obscured By

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In the biblical context, locusts are often depicted as agents of divine judgment and instruments of devastation. One of the most striking images associated with locusts is their ability to obscure the sun, creating an atmosphere of darkness and foreboding. This phenomenon is vividly described in the Scriptures, where locust swarms are portrayed as a symbol of overwhelming destruction and divine retribution.

The book of Exodus provides a foundational account of locusts obscuring the sun during the plagues of Egypt. In Exodus 10:15 , it is recorded: "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 of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on any tree or plant in the field throughout the land of Egypt." This passage highlights the sheer density and magnitude of the locust swarm, which was so vast that it darkened the land, effectively blocking out the sunlight.

The prophet Joel also uses the imagery of locusts to convey a message of impending judgment. In Joel 2:2 , the day of the Lord is described as "a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come." Here, the locusts are likened to an invading army, and their presence is associated with darkness and despair, emphasizing the severity of God's judgment.

In the book of Revelation, locusts appear again as part of the apocalyptic vision. Revelation 9:2-3 states: "When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of scorpions of the earth." This passage underscores the symbolic use of locusts in apocalyptic literature, where they are associated with darkness and the unleashing of divine wrath upon the earth.

Throughout the Bible, the obscuring of the sun by locusts serves as a powerful metaphor for the consequences of sin and the severity of divine judgment. The imagery of darkness and devastation brought about by locust swarms is a recurring theme that underscores the seriousness of turning away from God's commandments and the inevitable consequences that follow.

Nave's Topical Index

Joel 2:2,10
A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains: a great people and a strong; there has not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Struggle for the Life of Others
... individual Struggle for Existence seems to have obscured, if not ... the helpless, so
that when the sun wakens them ... banana and the bread-fruit, the locust and the ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter vii the struggle for.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... the servants of God, and that these locust-warriors were ... from heaven, the cloud,
the rainbow, the sun-like face ... light of the Bible began to be obscured by the ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm