In the Bible, the spider is mentioned in a few passages, often symbolizing fragility, transience, and the futility of human endeavors apart from God. The spider's web, in particular, serves as a metaphor for the delicate and often deceptive nature of human schemes and the fleeting nature of life.

Biblical References:

1. Job 8:14-15 : "His confidence is fragile; his security is in a spider’s web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he holds fast, but it does not endure." In this passage, Bildad the Shuhite speaks to Job, using the spider's web as a metaphor for the fragile and unreliable nature of the wicked's trust in their own strength and resources. The imagery suggests that just as a spider's web can easily be swept away, so too can the false security of those who do not place their trust in God.

2. Isaiah 59:5-6 : "They hatch viper’s eggs and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched. Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands." Here, the prophet Isaiah uses the spider's web to illustrate the futility and deceitfulness of the wicked's actions. The web, though intricate and seemingly well-crafted, is ultimately useless for protection or covering, symbolizing the ineffectiveness of sinful deeds to provide true security or righteousness.

3. Proverbs 30:28 : "a lizard can be caught in the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces." While the Berean Standard Bible translates the creature as a "lizard," some translations and interpretations suggest that the original Hebrew word may refer to a spider. This verse highlights the spider's ability to inhabit even the most prestigious places, suggesting themes of persistence and the surprising reach of seemingly insignificant creatures.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In biblical literature, the spider and its web often symbolize the fragility and impermanence of human endeavors that are not grounded in divine wisdom and righteousness. The web, though intricate and skillfully made, is easily destroyed, reflecting the ultimate futility of relying on human strength and cunning apart from God.

The spider's presence in Scripture serves as a reminder of the need for humility and the importance of placing one's trust in the Lord rather than in the transient and often deceptive securities of the world. The imagery calls believers to examine the foundations of their confidence and to seek refuge in the enduring strength and truth of God's promises.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, spiders were common and their webs were a familiar sight. The use of the spider and its web in biblical texts would have resonated with the original audience, who understood the delicate nature of a web and the ease with which it could be destroyed. This cultural context enhances the metaphorical power of the spider in conveying messages about the nature of human endeavors and the necessity of divine reliance.

Overall, the spider in the Bible serves as a poignant symbol of the need for spiritual discernment and the importance of building one's life on the solid foundation of faith in God.5908. akkabish -- a spider
... 5907, 5908. akkabish. 5909 . a spider. Transliteration: akkabish Phonetic
Spelling: (ak-kaw-beesh') Short Definition: spider's. ...
/hebrew/5908.htm - 5k

A visit from vigilantius
... He had barely time to hide himself in a cave on the mountain-side, and a spider
instantly spun its web over the entrance. The pursuers ...
/.../chapter xl a visit from.htm

Two Kinds of Hope
... THE BOOK OF JOB TWO KINDS OF HOPE. 'Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose
trust shall be a spider's web.'"Job 8:14. 'And hope ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/two kinds of hope.htm

Gregory Further Shows that the Only-Begotten Being Begotten not ...
... and Son; for He is incorruptible." Of such a kind as this, perhaps, is that of which
the prophet says, touching the ungodly, "They weave a spider's web [310 ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 7 gregory further shows.htm

Watch-Night Service
... The Vulgate translation has: "Our years pass away like those of a spider." It implies
that our life is as frail as the thread of a spider's web. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/watch-night service.htm

The Evangel Booklets
... Story. Anna Potter Wright.12. The Penitent Thief, and Naaman the Syrian. DL
Moody.13. Adder's Eggs and Spider's Webs. HA Ironside.14. Samuel Morris. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/moodys stories/the evangel booklets.htm

The Influence of Tradition.
... or destroyed by influences of this sort, and how weak and imitative souls are entangled
in the network of traditional influence as in a spider's web. ...
/.../percival/sermons at rugby/iv the influence of tradition.htm

Children Brought to Christ, and not to the Font
... There is no line of connection so substantial as a spider's web between this incident
and baptism, or at least my imagination is not vivid enough to conceive ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/children brought to christ and.htm

Two Coverings and Two Consequences
... be condemned, will go about and bring a thousand excuses, and ten thousand
circumstances of extenuation, the whole of them weak and attenuated as a spider's ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/two coverings and two consequences.htm

Gathering the Fragments.
... The flight of a bird determined the career of Mohammed; a spider's spinning that
of Bruce; and a tear in his mother's eye that of Washington. ...
/.../sermon lx gathering the fragments.htm

Jesus Christ the Mediator
... Of this wrath it is written: "For all our days are wasted; we are ruined in thy
wrath; our years seem like a spider's web." [64] Likewise Job spoke of this ...
/.../augustine/handbook on faith hope and love/chapter x jesus christ the.htm

Spider's (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Spider's (3 Occurrences). Job 8:14 Whose confidence
shall break apart, Whose trust is a spider's web. (WEB ...
/s/spider's.htm - 7k

Spider (3 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary The trust of the hypocrite is compared to the
spider's web or house (Job 8:14). It is said of the wicked ...
/s/spider.htm - 10k

Web (5 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A whole piece of linen cloth as woven. 4. (n.) The texture of very fine
thread spun by a spider for catching insects at its prey; a cobweb. ...
/w/web.htm - 9k

Egg (3 Occurrences)
... The reference in Isaiah 59:5 is to the egg of a serpent, and is figurative of the
schemes of evil men: "They hatch adders' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he ...
/e/egg.htm - 10k

Breaks (35 Occurrences)
... My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh. (WEB RSV). Job 8:14 Whose confidence
shall break apart, Whose trust is a spider's web. (See RSV). ...
/b/breaks.htm - 16k

Thread (32 Occurrences)
... end without hope. (BBE). Job 8:14 Whose support is cut off, and whose hope
is no stronger than a spider's thread. (BBE). Job 27:18 ...
/t/thread.htm - 16k

Spied (14 Occurrences)

/s/spied.htm - 11k

Viper (8 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 59:5 They hatch adders' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he who eats of
their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. ...
/v/viper.htm - 10k

Vipers (10 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 59:5 They hatch basilisks' eggs, and weave the spider's web; he that eateth
of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. ...
/v/vipers.htm - 9k

Gossamer (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gossamer (1 Occurrence). Job 8:14 Whose confidence shall
break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider's web. (See JPS). ...
/g/gossamer.htm - 7k

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