Topic
Insects
43 passages cited, from 3 classic reference works.
These works date from 1896–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Exodus 8:16ISBE · Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Lice
¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
- Leviticus 11:22ISBE · Torrey DIVIDED INTO — Clean and fit for food
Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
- Ecclesiastes 10:1ISBE · Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Fly
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
- Isaiah 7:18ISBE · Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Bee
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
- Joel 1:4ISBE · Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Cankerworm
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
- Genesis 1:24Torrey Created by God
¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
- Genesis 1:25Torrey Created by God
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
- Exodus 8:21ISBE
Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
- Exodus 8:22Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Fly
And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
- Exodus 10:12Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Locust
¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.
- Exodus 10:13Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Locust
And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
- Exodus 16:20Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Maggot
Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
Show 31 more
- Leviticus 11:21–25 Nave Clean and unclean (ceremonially speaking)
- Leviticus 11:21 Torrey DIVIDED INTO — Clean and fit for food
- Leviticus 11:23 Torrey DIVIDED INTO — Unclean and abominable
- Leviticus 11:24 Torrey DIVIDED INTO — Unclean and abominable
- Deuteronomy 7:20 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Hornet
- Deuteronomy 14:19 Nave Clean and unclean (ceremonially speaking)
- Judges 6:5 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Grasshopper
- Judges 14:8 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Bee
- 1 Samuel 24:14 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Flea
- Job 4:19 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Moth
- Job 8:14 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Spider
- Job 25:6 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Earthworm
- Job 27:18 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Moth
- Job 39:20 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Grasshopper
- Psalms 78:46 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Caterpillar
- Psalms 104:25 Torrey Fed by God
- Psalms 104:27 Torrey Fed by God
- Psalms 105:31 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Lice
- Psalms 118:12 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Bee
- Psalms 145:9 Torrey Fed by God
- Psalms 145:15 Torrey Fed by God
- Proverbs 6:6 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Ant
- Proverbs 30:25 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Ant
- Proverbs 30:28 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Spider
- Isaiah 33:4 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Caterpillar
- Isaiah 50:9 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Moth
- Amos 4:9 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Palmer-worm
- Micah 7:17 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Earthworm
- Nahum 3:15 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Cankerworm
- Nahum 3:16 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Cankerworm
- Matthew 23:24 Torrey MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE — Gnat
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 7 references
in'-sekts: In English Versions of the Bible, including the marginal notes, we find at least 23 names of insects or words referring to them: ant, bald locust, bee, beetle, cankerworm, caterpillar, creeping thing, cricket, crimson, flea, fly, gnat, grasshopper, honey, hornet, locust, louse, (lice), moth, palmer-worm, sandfly, scarlet-worm, silk-worm. These can be referred to about 12 insects, which, arranged systematically, are: Hymenoptera, ant, bee, hornet; Lepidoptera, clothes-moth, silk-worm; Siphonaptera, flea; Diptera, fly; Rhynchota, louse, scarletworm; Orthoptera, several kinds of grasshoppers and locusts.
The word "worm" refers not only to the scarletworm, but to various larvae of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. "Creeping things" refers indefinitely to insects, reptiles, and beasts. In the list of 23 names given above honey and bee refer to one insect, as do crimson and scarlet. Sandfly has no place if "lice" be retained in Ex 8:16 ff. Bald locust, beetle, canker-worm, cricket, and palmerworm probably all denote various kinds of grasshoppers and locusts. When the translators of English Versions of the Bible had to do with two or more Hebrew words for which there was only one well-recognized English equivalent, they seem to have been content with that alone, if the two Hebrew words occurred in different passages; e.g. zebhubh, "fly" (Ec 10:1; Isa 7:18), and `arobh, "fly" (Ex 8:21). On the other hand, they were put to it to find equivalents for the insect names in Le 11:22; Joe 1:4, and elsewhere. For cale'am (Le 11:22) they evidently coined "bald locust," following a statement of the Talmud that it had a smooth head. For gazam and yeleq they imported "palmer-worm" and "canker-worm," two old English names of caterpillars, using "caterpillar" for chasil. The King James Version "beetle" for chargol is absolutely inappropriate, and the Revised Version (British and American) "cricket," while less objectionable, is probably also incorrect. The English language seems to lack appropriate names for different kinds of grasshoppers and locusts, and it is difficult to suggest any names to take the places of those against which these criticisms are directed. See under the names of the respective insects. See also SCORPION and SPIDER, which are not included here because they are not strictly insects.
Alfred Ely Day
In the topical indexes
Nave's Topical Bible (1896) · 2 references, grouped by sub-topic
- → Clean and unclean (ceremonially speaking) Le 11:21-25; De 14:19
- → See ANT
- → See BEE
- → See BEETLE
- → See CANKERWORM
- → See CATERPILLAR
- → See FLEA
- → See FLIES
- → See GNAT
- → See GRASSHOPPER
- → See HORNET
- → See HORSE-LEECH
- → See LICE
- → See LOCUST
- → See MOTH
- → See PALMERWORM
- → See SCORPION
- → See SNAIL
- → See SPIDER
- → See WORM
Torrey's New Topical Textbook (1897) · 45 references, grouped by sub-topic
- Created by God Ge 1:24,25
- DIVIDED INTO
- MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE
- Ant Pr 6:6; 30:25
- Bee Jud 14:8; Ps 118:12; Isa 7:18
- Beetle Le 11:22
- Caterpillar Ps 78:46; Isa 33:4
- Cankerworm Joe 1:4; Na 3:15,16
- Earthworm Job 25:6; Mic 7:17
- Flea 1Sa 24:14
- Fly Ex 8:22; Ec 10:1; Isa 7:18
- Gnat Mt 23:24
- Grasshopper Le 11:22; Jud 6:5; Job 39:20
- Hornet De 7:20
- Locust Ex 10:12,13
- Bald locust Le 11:22
- Lice Ex 8:16; Ps 105:31
- Maggot Ex 16:20
- Moth Job 4:19; 27:18; Isa 50:9
- Palmer-worm Joe 1:4; Am 4:9
- Spider Job 8:14; Pr 30:28
- Fed by God Ps 104:25,27; 145:9,15
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915); Nave's Topical Bible (1896); Torrey's New Topical Textbook (1897), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.