Wormwood is a term found in the Bible that refers to a bitter substance, often associated with judgment, sorrow, and calamity. The word "wormwood" is derived from the Hebrew term "la'anah" and the Greek "apsinthos," both of which denote bitterness. In biblical literature, wormwood is frequently used metaphorically to describe the consequences of sin and divine retribution.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, wormwood is mentioned several times, primarily in the context of God's judgment upon His people for their disobedience. In Deuteronomy 29:18 , Moses warns the Israelites against idolatry, cautioning that there should not be among them "a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood." This imagery underscores the destructive consequences of turning away from God.

The prophet Jeremiah also uses wormwood to symbolize the bitterness of judgment. In Jeremiah 9:15 , God 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.'" Here, wormwood represents the severe punishment that will befall the people due to their persistent rebellion and idolatry.

Similarly, in Lamentations 3:15,19 , the prophet laments the suffering of Jerusalem, stating, "He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood." The use of wormwood in this context highlights the profound grief and suffering experienced by the prophet and the people as a result of the city's destruction.

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."

In this passage, wormwood is personified as a star that brings calamity upon the earth, turning the waters bitter and causing widespread death. This vivid imagery serves as a warning of the severe judgments that will occur during the end times, emphasizing the consequences of humanity's sinfulness and the ultimate sovereignty of God.

Symbolism and Interpretation

Throughout Scripture, wormwood symbolizes the bitterness and sorrow that result from sin and divine judgment. It serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments and the inevitable suffering that follows disobedience. The recurring theme of wormwood in both the Old and New Testaments underscores the seriousness with which God views sin and the importance of repentance and faithfulness to His covenant.

In a broader theological context, wormwood can be seen as a representation of the moral and spiritual decay that occurs when individuals or nations forsake God. It calls believers to remain vigilant in their faith, to seek God's guidance, and to avoid the spiritual pitfalls that lead to bitterness and destruction.Revelation 8:11
And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Topicalbible.org

Revelation 8:10-11
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell on the third part of the rivers, and on the fountains of waters;
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Jeremiah 23:15
Therefore thus said the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
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Jeremiah 9:15
Therefore thus said the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
Topicalbible.org

Lamentations 3:19
Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
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Revelation 8:10
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell on the third part of the rivers, and on the fountains of waters;
Topicalbible.org

Proverbs 5:4
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
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Hebrews la'anah, the Artemisia absinthium of botanists. It is noted for its intense bitterness (Deuteronomy 29:18; Proverbs 5:4; Jeremiah 9:15; Amos 5:7). It is a type of bitterness, affliction, remorse, punitive suffering. In Amos 6:12 this Hebrew word is rendered "hemlock" (R.V., "wormwood"). In the symbolical language of the Apocalypse (Revelation 8:10, 11) a star is represented as falling on the waters of the earth, causing the third part of the water to turn wormwood.

The name by which the Greeks designated it, absinthion, means "undrinkable." The absinthe of France is distilled from a species of this plant. The "southernwood" or "old man," cultivated in cottage gardens on account of its fragrance, is another species of it.

1. (n.) A composite plant (Artemisia Absinthium), having a bitter and slightly aromatic taste, formerly used as a tonic and a vermifuge, and to protect woolen garments from moths. It gives the peculiar flavor to the cordial called absinthe. The volatile oil is a narcotic poison. The term is often extended to other species of the same genus.

2. (n.) Anything very bitter or grievous; bitterness.

WORMWOOD

wurm'-wood (la'anah (Deuteronomy 29:18 Proverbs 5:4 Jeremiah 9:15; Jeremiah 23:15 Lamentations 3:15, 19 Amos 5:7; Amos 6:12, the King James Version hemlock); apsinthos (Revelation 8:11)): What the Hebrew la`anah may have been is obscure; it is clear it was a bitter substance and it is usually associated with "gall"; in the Septuagint it is variously translated, but never by apsinthos, "wormwood." Nevertheless all ancient tradition supports the English Versions of the Bible translation. The genus Artemisia (Natural Order Compositae), "wormwood," has five species of shrubs or herbs found in Palestine (Post), any one of which may furnish a bitter taste. The name is derived from the property of many species acting as anthelmintics, while other varieties are used in the manufacture of absinthe.

E. W. G. Masterman

WORMWOOD, THE STAR

In Revelation 8:11, the name is figurative, given to a great star which, at the sounding of the third angel's trumpet, fell from heaven upon the third part of the rivers and on the fountains of the waters, turning them to a bitterness of which many died. Wormwood is used of bitter calamities (of Lamentations 3:15), and may here indicate some judgment, inflicted under a noted leader, affecting chiefly the internal sources of a country's prosperity. Older expositors, applying the earlier trumpets to the downfall of the Roman empire, saw in the star a symbol of the barbarian invasions of Attila or Genseric.

See also ASTRONOMY, sec. I, 8.

James Orr

STAR OF WORMWOOD

See WORMWOOD.

894. apsinthos -- wormwood
... wormwood. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine; Noun, Masculine Transliteration: apsinthos
Phonetic Spelling: (ap'-sin-thos) Short Definition: wormwood Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/894.htm - 6k

5521. chole -- gall (a bitter herb)
... Feminine of an equivalent perhaps akin to the same as Chloe (from the greenish hue);
"gall" or bile, ie (by analogy) poison or an anodyne (wormwood, poppy, etc ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5521.htm - 6k

3939. laanah -- wormwood
... 3938, 3939. laanah. 3940 . wormwood. Transliteration: laanah Phonetic Spelling:
(lah-an-aw') Short Definition: wormwood. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/3939.htm - 6k

Commandment Fifth. Of Sadness of Heart, and of Patience.
... [183] For if an exceedingly small piece of wormwood be taken and put into a jar
of honey, is not the honey entirely destroyed, and does not the exceedingly ...
/.../pastor/the pastor books first second third/commandment fifth of sadness of.htm

The Third Trumpet.
... It follows: "And the name of the star is called Wormwood." It is the prophetic plan,
that the quality or fate of the thing or person of which it treats should ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the third trumpet.htm

The Second vision "On Earth"
... viii.10, 11. The 3rd Trumpet. Burning star falls on third part of Rivers ("Wormwood").
viii.12, 13. ... 11-. Third part of waters wormwood. g viii. -11. ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the second vision on earth.htm

Love Unknowable and Known
... A man must be hungry to know what hunger is; he must taste honey or wormwood in
order to know the taste of honey or wormwood, and in like manner he cannot know ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/love unknowable and known.htm

The Meaning of the Seventh Seal, that Is, of the Seven Trumpets.
... And the name of the star was Wormwood, and a third part of the waters became as
wormwood, and many men died of he waters because they were embittered."""And ...
/.../mede/a key to the apocalypse/the meaning of the seventh.htm

Joy
... When Stephen was being stoned he saw heaven open, and the Sun of Righteousness
shone upon his face. God candies our wormwood with sugar. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/8 joy.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on the third part of the rivers, and on
the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

The Justice of God
... disinherited? If God deals so favourably with his children, he only puts wormwood
in their cup, whereas he might put fire and brimstone. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/8 the justice of god.htm

Introduction to Oration ii.
... For indeed a little wormwood most quickly imparts its bitterness to honey; while
not even double the quantity of honey can impart its sweetness to wormwood ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction to oration ii.htm

Lama Sabachthani?
... sentence more full of anguish. Here the wormwood and the gall, and all
the other bitternesses, are outdone. Here you may look as ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 36 1890/lama sabachthani.htm

Wormwood (10 Occurrences)
... suffering. In Amos 6:12 this Hebrew word is rendered "hemlock" (RV, "wormwood").
In ... bitterness. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WORMWOOD. wurm ...
/w/wormwood.htm - 13k

Gall (17 Occurrences)
... original probably denotes some bitter, poisonous plant, most probably the poppy,
which grows up quickly, and is therefore coupled with wormwood (Deuteronomy 29 ...
/g/gall.htm - 17k

Poisonous (8 Occurrences)
... turns away this day from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations;
lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood; (See NAS ...
/p/poisonous.htm - 9k

Bitter (203 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or
an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes. ...
/b/bitter.htm - 42k

Poisoned (7 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 9:15 therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, Behold, I
will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall ...
/p/poisoned.htm - 8k

Star (16 Occurrences)
...WORMWOOD, THE STAR. ... See STAR OF THE MAGI. STAR OF BETHLEHEM. See STAR OF THE MAGI.
STAR OF WORMWOOD. See WORMWOOD. STAR; STARS. star, starz. See ASTRONOMY, sec. ...
/s/star.htm - 29k

Vast (54 Occurrences)
... Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is 'Wormwood;' and a third part of the waters
were turned into wormwood, and vast numbers of the people died from drinking ...
/v/vast.htm - 22k

Drinking (114 Occurrences)
... Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is 'Wormwood;' and a third part of the waters
were turned into wormwood, and vast numbers of the people died from drinking ...
/d/drinking.htm - 38k

Waters (386 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS). Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is called
"Wormwood." One third of the waters became wormwood. ...
/w/waters.htm - 42k

Worms (14 Occurrences)

/w/worms.htm - 10k

What is the meaning of wormwood in Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

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