Wormwood is a term used in the Bible to describe a bitter plant, often associated with sorrow, judgment, and calamity. The Hebrew word for wormwood is "la'anah," and it appears several times throughout the Old Testament, symbolizing bitterness and divine retribution.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, wormwood is frequently mentioned in the context of God's judgment upon His people for their disobedience and idolatry. In Deuteronomy 29:18, Moses warns the Israelites against turning away from the Lord, cautioning them that such rebellion could lead to a root bearing "poisonous fruit and wormwood." This imagery underscores the consequences of forsaking God's covenant, suggesting that spiritual infidelity results in bitterness and ruin.

The prophet Jeremiah also uses wormwood to describe the bitterness of God's judgment. In Lamentations 3:15, the prophet laments, "He has filled me with bitterness; He has sated me with wormwood." Here, wormwood symbolizes the profound sorrow and suffering experienced by the people of Judah during the Babylonian exile, a direct result of their persistent sin and rebellion against God.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 9:15, the Lord declares, "Therefore, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.'" This pronouncement serves as a metaphor for the severe consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness, emphasizing the bitterness of divine punishment.

New Testament Reference

In the New Testament, wormwood appears in the apocalyptic imagery of the Book of Revelation. Revelation 8:10-11 describes the third trumpet judgment: "Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters."

This passage portrays wormwood as a harbinger of divine wrath during the end times, with the star named Wormwood causing widespread devastation and death. The bitterness of the waters symbolizes the severity of God's judgment upon a sinful world, highlighting the ultimate consequences of humanity's rebellion against Him.

Symbolism and Interpretation

Throughout Scripture, wormwood serves as a powerful symbol of bitterness, judgment, and the consequences of sin. Its frequent association with divine retribution underscores the seriousness with which God views disobedience and idolatry. The imagery of wormwood as a bitter plant reflects the spiritual and physical desolation that results from turning away from God's righteous path.

In a broader theological context, wormwood reminds believers of the importance of faithfulness to God's covenant and the need for repentance and obedience. It serves as a sobering reminder of the bitterness of sin and the necessity of seeking God's grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.Deuteronomy 29:18
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood;
Nave's Topical Index

894. apsinthos -- wormwood
... Noun, Masculine Transliteration: apsinthos Phonetic Spelling: (ap'-sin-thos) Short
Definition: wormwood Definition: wormwood. 894 -- a bitter plant known as ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/894.htm - 6k

Spiritual Appetite
... is the "Rose of Sharon," that famous "plant of renown ... of his, and woes unutterable,
and bloody death, how bitter! The wormwood and the gall were his, but to our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/spiritual appetite.htm

The Germination of the Earth.
... makes the fruits swell"it gives to the plant its gum ... the mouth rough when it is found
in wormwood and in ... we have the most opposite flavours, as bitter in the ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily v the germination of.htm

Conflict.
... It grows into the poisonous plant of a bitter spirit, which, "like a root that beareth
gall and wormwood," spreads through "a family or tribe,"[354] and turns ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xiv conflict.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many ... by the waters, because they
were made bitter.""Rev.8:10 ... some heavy cannon, they feared to plant them on ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

The Preface to the Commandments
... Egypt, it is not desirable or safe to plant one's self ... 1:6. The body sometimes needs
a bitter portion more ... If he mingle his people's cup with wormwood he will ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/1 3 the preface to the.htm

A Discourse
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm

Introduction to Oration ii.
... of honey can impart its sweetness to wormwood: and the ... equally dangerous error: like
some distorted plant if bent ... who at one time brings bitter charges against ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction to oration ii.htm

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
... that this broken tender heart is not a plant that rows ... his drink, yea, that cordials
have a bitter taste in ... doth mean, cry out that gravel, wormwood, gall, and ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the acceptable sacrifice.htm

A Canticle of Love
... oneself as a Victim of Love is not to be dedicated to sweetness and consolations;
it is to offer oneself to all that is painful and bitter, because Love lives ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/martin/the story of a soul/chapter xi a canticle of.htm

What is gall in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What are the seven trumpets of Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

Questions about the End Times (All) | GotQuestions.org

Wormwood: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus