Hedges: Filled With Grasshoppers
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In biblical literature, the term "hedges" often refers to protective barriers or enclosures, typically made of thorny bushes or stone walls, used to safeguard vineyards, fields, or properties. The imagery of hedges is employed in various scriptural contexts to convey themes of protection, separation, and divine judgment.

The concept of hedges filled with grasshoppers is not directly mentioned in the Bible; however, it can be understood through the broader biblical symbolism of grasshoppers and locusts. Grasshoppers, often synonymous with locusts in biblical texts, are frequently depicted as agents of divine judgment and destruction. They are emblematic of swarming, overwhelming forces that consume and devastate the land.

In the Book of Joel, locusts are described as a formidable army sent by God as a judgment upon the land of Israel: "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). This passage illustrates the comprehensive and devastating nature of a locust plague, which can be likened to hedges filled with grasshoppers, symbolizing a complete and inescapable judgment.

The imagery of hedges filled with grasshoppers can also be connected to the theme of divine protection being removed. In Isaiah 5:5, God speaks of removing the hedge of protection around His vineyard, allowing it to be trampled and consumed: "Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled." This removal of protection can lead to the invasion of destructive forces, akin to grasshoppers filling the hedges.

In the New Testament, the concept of hedges is used in the parable of the Great Banquet, where the master instructs his servant to "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame" (Luke 14:21). The hedges here symbolize the boundaries of society, and the call to go beyond them reflects the inclusive nature of God's kingdom.

From a theological perspective, the imagery of hedges filled with grasshoppers serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of remaining within the protective boundaries established by God. It underscores the need for repentance and the seeking of divine mercy to restore protection and blessing.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Nahum 3:17
Your crowned are as the locusts, and your captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun rises they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Nahum's Doom of Nineveh
... his whelps, And strangled for his lionesses; And filled his caves ... locusts, and thy
marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, Which camp in the hedges in the ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/xi nahums doom of nineveh.htm

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... it to take deep root, and it filled the land ... Then God breaks down its hedges, so
that every passer ... The prophet Amos has a vision of grasshoppers, and afterwards ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... was protected by a wide moat which could be filled from the ... as the locusts and thy
marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Resources
What is a hedge of protection? | GotQuestions.org

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Subtopics

Hedges

Hedges of God's Protection

Hedges of Heavy Judgments

Hedges of Holy Ordinances

Hedges of Numerous Afflictions

Hedges of the Way of the Slothful

Hedges: (Broken Down) of the Taking Away of Protection

Hedges: Afforded Protection in Danger

Hedges: Antiquity of

Hedges: Danger of Breaking Through

Hedges: Designed for Protection

Hedges: Desolation Caused by Removing

Hedges: Difficulty of Breaking Through

Hedges: Filled With Grasshoppers

Hedges: Making up Gaps In, Alluded To

Hedges: Often Made of Thorns

Hedges: Placed Around: Gardens

Hedges: Placed Around: Vineyards

Hedges: Poor Travellers Sought Rest Under

Related Terms

Thorn-hedges (1 Occurrence)

Hedge (12 Occurrences)

Thorn (30 Occurrences)

Flesh (468 Occurrences)

Botany

Netaim (1 Occurrence)

Lanes (2 Occurrences)

Lane

Gederathite (1 Occurrence)

Gardens (14 Occurrences)

Garden (68 Occurrences)

Gederah (2 Occurrences)

Grasshoppers (11 Occurrences)

Impalement (1 Occurrence)

Farm (9 Occurrences)

Fence (12 Occurrences)

Fences (6 Occurrences)

Thorn-hedge (1 Occurrence)

Rugged (7 Occurrences)

Reduced (16 Occurrences)

Marshals (1 Occurrence)

Polling (1 Occurrence)

Pastures (25 Occurrences)

Brier (10 Occurrences)

Breached (4 Occurrences)

Brambles (5 Occurrences)

Compel (10 Occurrences)

Clefts (10 Occurrences)

Crowned (14 Occurrences)

Constrain (6 Occurrences)

Ariseth (20 Occurrences)

Shunem (3 Occurrences)

Strongholds (44 Occurrences)

Stake (2 Occurrences)

Hedge-rows (1 Occurrence)

Hedgest (1 Occurrence)

Valleys (38 Occurrences)

Thorns (56 Occurrences)

Plucked (46 Occurrences)

Rocks (48 Occurrences)

Plants (70 Occurrences)

Filled (336 Occurrences)

Fenced (61 Occurrences)

Fro (54 Occurrences)

Spoiled (69 Occurrences)

Gird (44 Occurrences)

Along (500 Occurrences)

Locust (25 Occurrences)

Rises (56 Occurrences)

Ruin (135 Occurrences)

Holds (67 Occurrences)

Desolate (189 Occurrences)

Highways (14 Occurrences)

Worked (145 Occurrences)

Howl (29 Occurrences)

Slave (148 Occurrences)

Servant (738 Occurrences)

Hedges: Difficulty of Breaking Through
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