Joel 1 (JND) - Bible Truth Library

The learned Bochart, and others, are of the opinion that the four Hebrew words, {gazam, yelek, arbeh, chasil}, respectively rendered the palmer-worm, locust, canker-worm and caterpillar, denote four different species of locusts.

See on

Ex. 10:4• ⁴For, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, I will to-morrow bring locusts into thy borders; (Ex. 10:4)

the locust eaten.

Ex. 10:12‑15• ¹²And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land--all that the hail hath left.
¹³And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
¹⁴And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt, very grievous; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them will be such.
¹⁵And they covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing on the trees, and in the herbs of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. (Ex. 10:12‑15)

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Deut. 28:38,42• ³⁸Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall devour it.
⁴²All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess. (Deut. 28:38,42)

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1 Kings 8:37• ³⁷If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their gates; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be: (1 Kings 8:37)

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2 Chron. 6:28• ²⁸If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their gates; whatever plague or whatever sickness there be: (2 Chron. 6:28)

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2 Chron. 7:13• ¹³If I shut up the heavens that there be no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; (2 Chron. 7:13)

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Psa. 78:46• ⁴⁶And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust; (Psa. 78:46)

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Psa. 105:34• ³⁴He spoke, and the locust came, and the cankerworm, even without number; (Psa. 105:34)

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Amos 7:1• ¹Thus did the Lord Jehovah shew unto me; and behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. (Amos 7:1)

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Rev. 9:3‑7• ³And out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them as the scorpions of the earth have power;
⁴and it was said to them, that they should not injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but the men who have not the seal of God on their foreheads:
⁵and it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
⁶And in those days shall men seek death, and shall in no way find it; and shall desire to die, and death flees from them.
⁷And the likenesses of the locusts were like to horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as crowns like gold, and their faces as faces of men; (Rev. 9:3‑7)

the canker-worm eaten.

Nah. 3:15‑17• ¹⁵There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the cankerworm. Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locust.
¹⁶Thou hast multiplied thy merchants more than the stars of the heavens; the cankerworm spreadeth himself out and flieth away.
¹⁷Thy chosen men are as the locusts, and thy captains as swarms of grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day: when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. (Nah. 3:15‑17)

the caterpillar.

Isa. 33:4• ⁴And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running of locusts shall they run upon it. (Isa. 33:4)

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Jer. 51:14,27• ¹⁴Jehovah of hosts hath sworn by himself, I will assuredly fill thee with men, as with caterpillars; and they shall raise a shout against thee.
²⁷Lift up a banner in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare nations against her; call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the bristly caterpillars. (Jer. 51:14,27)

• Through this present calamity, the great closing calamities of Israel are seen, as by the far-seeing eye of Him who knows the end from the beginning, and in the grace of Him who would fain sound an alarm in the ears of the people, that they may prepare themselves for a day of visitation. (“Joel”)

• It is a mistake to suppose that God would in any way be demeaned by noticing the depredations of these various locusts. He takes the liveliest interest in His people for their joy and blessing. He concerns Himself about every sorrow which weighs them down, and deigns to use that which is afflicting for good. Consequently the Spirit of God does not think it beneath His notice to bring before the people of God that which God intended by these successive depredations. Chapter 1 brings them before us; but the connection which follows shows that they were only admonitory facts then. (“Joel 1” by W. Kelly)

• “That which the palmerworm [or gnawing locust] hath left hath the [swarming] locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm [or licking locust] eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar [or consuming locust] eaten.” All this I take in its plain literal import, as having actually occurred then. (“Joel 1” by W. Kelly)

J. N. Darby Translation

that which the palmer-worma hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworma eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillarb eaten.

JND Translation Notes

Probably different species of locust, or in different stages of growth, as "grub," "creeper," "feeder." See Note, Ps. 105.34.

Or "devourer." see Ps. 78.46; some think the "locust" in its winged state.