55 Bible Verses about Insects
Most Relevant Verses
‘All winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you; yet of all winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground. Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper. read more.
But all other winged insects which are four footed are detestable to you.
And all flying insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.
Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and struck you down in Seir as far as Hormah.
They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue [with three thousand men]? A dead dog, a single flea?
Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as when one hunts a [defenseless] partridge in the mountains.”
Then the Lord did so. And there came heavy and oppressive swarms of [bloodsucking] insects into the house of Pharaoh and his servants’ houses; in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted and ruined because of the [great invasion of] insects.
For if you do not let My people go, hear this: I will send swarms of [bloodsucking] insects on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of insects, as well as the ground on which they stand. But on that day I will separate and set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of insects will be there, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the earth.
He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them,
And frogs which destroyed them.
“Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the heavens will be torn to pieces and vanish like smoke,
And the earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die in like manner.
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness (justice) [and faithfully fulfilled promise] will not be broken.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become [biting] gnats (lice) throughout the land of Egypt.’”
You [spiritually] blind guides, who strain out a gnat [consuming yourselves with miniscule matters] and swallow a camel [ignoring and violating God’s precepts]!
They did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were [biting] gnats on man and animal. All the dust of the land became gnats through all the land of Egypt. The magicians (soothsayer-priests) tried by their secret arts and enchantments to create gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats on man and animal.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies
And gnats in all their territory.
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
[It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
There we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
“If there is famine in the land, or if there is pestilence (plague), blight, mildew, migratory locusts, or grasshoppers, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever affliction or plague, whatever sickness [there is],
“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there are [migratory] locusts or grasshoppers, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is,
He spoke, and the [migratory] locusts came,
And the young locusts, even without number,
But there [in the very midst of these preparations] the fire will devour you;
The sword will cut you down;
It will devour you as the locust does.
Multiply yourself like the creeping locusts;
Multiply yourself like the swarming locusts.
I will send hornets ahead of you which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you.
Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet (His terror) against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish.
I sent the hornet [that is, the terror of you] before you, which drove the two kings of the Amorites out before you; but it was not by your sword or by your bow.
“And I will compensate you for the years
That the swarming locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—
My great army which I sent among you.
Now this same John had clothing made of camel’s hair and a [wide] leather band around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a [wide] leather band around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat all the plants of the land, all that the hail has left.” So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; when it was morning, the east wind had brought the [swarms of] locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in the whole territory, a very dreadful mass of them; never before were there such locusts as these, nor will there ever be again.
He also gave their crops to the grasshopper,
And the fruit of their labor to the locust.
The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in groups;
“They have cut down her forest,” says the Lord;
“Certainly it will no longer be found,
Because they (the invaders) are more numerous than locusts
And cannot be counted.
While I waste away like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
“Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;
‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.
“With rebukes You discipline man for sin;
You consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah.
In fact, the Lord God helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me [as guilty]?
Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
“For the moth will eat them like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool.
But My righteousness and justice [faithfully promised] will exist forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim
And like dry rot to the house of Judah [in My judgment against them].
“Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give [donations] to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s webs;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from an egg which is crushed a viper breaks out.
Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.
The leech has two daughters,
“Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four that do not say, “It is enough”:
For if you refuse to let My people go, then hear this: tomorrow I will bring [migratory] locusts into your country.
But they did not listen to Moses, and some left a supply of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul and rotten; and Moses was angry with them.
There are four things that are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are not a strong people,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
The shephanim are not a mighty folk,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
read more.
The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in groups;
You may grasp the lizard with your hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.
What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten [in judgment of Judah].
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;
For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, and they would come in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were innumerable. So they came into the land to devastate it.
From Thematic Bible
Insects » Locusts » Moths
‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.
In fact, the Lord God helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me [as guilty]?
Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
While I waste away like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Insects » Flies
Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.
He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them,
And frogs which destroyed them.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies
And gnats in all their territory.
For if you do not let My people go, hear this: I will send swarms of [bloodsucking] insects on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of insects, as well as the ground on which they stand.
Insects » Bees
Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and struck you down in Seir as far as Hormah.
When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.
They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
Insects » Grasshoppers » Hornets
I sent the hornet [that is, the terror of you] before you, which drove the two kings of the Amorites out before you; but it was not by your sword or by your bow.
I will send hornets ahead of you which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you.
Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet (His terror) against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Fly
Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.
But on that day I will separate and set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of insects will be there, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the earth.
Insects » Fed by God
The eyes of all look to You [in hopeful expectation],
And You give them their food in due time.
There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Creatures both small and great.
The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Grasshopper
Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.
For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, and they would come in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were innumerable. So they came into the land to devastate it.
“Have you [Job] made him leap like a locust?
The majesty of his snorting [nostrils] is terrible.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Bee
When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.
They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
Insects » Locusts » Spiders
They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s webs;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from an egg which is crushed a viper breaks out.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Moth
‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.
In fact, the Lord God helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me [as guilty]?
Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Ant
Insects » Ants
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Lice
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies
And gnats in all their territory.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become [biting] gnats (lice) throughout the land of Egypt.’”
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Caterpillar
Your spoil [of Israel’s foe] is gathered [by the people of Jerusalem] as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts swarming so people swarm on it.
He also gave their crops to the grasshopper,
And the fruit of their labor to the locust.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Spider
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Cankerworm
What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten [in judgment of Judah].
[But] there [in the very midst of these preparations] will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off; it will destroy you as the locusts [destroy]. Multiply yourselves like the licking locusts; make yourselves many like the swarming locusts! You increased your merchants more than the [visible] stars of the heavens. The swarming locust spreads itself and destroys, and then flies away.
Insects » Clean and unclean (ceremonially speaking)
And all flying insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
Yet of all winged insects that go upon all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground. Of these you may eat: the whole species of locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper. But all other winged insects which have four feet shall be detestable to you. read more.
And by [contact with] these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the evening, And whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Earthworm
They shall lick the dust like a serpent;
Like crawling things of the earth
They shall come trembling out of their fortresses and hiding places.
They shall turn and come with fear and dread to the Lord our God
And they shall be afraid and stand in awe before You [O Lord].
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Palmerworm
What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten [in judgment of Judah].
“I wounded you with blight [from the hot, blasting east wind] and with mildew;
And the caterpillar devoured
Your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees;
Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance],” says the Lord.
Insects » Divided into » Unclean and abominable
But all other winged insects which have four feet shall be detestable to you. And by [contact with] these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the evening,
Insects » Divided into » Clean and fit for food
Yet of all winged insects that go upon all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground. Of these you may eat: the whole species of locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Hornet
Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet (His terror) against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Bald locust
Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Locust
Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat all the vegetation of the land, all that the hail has left. 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; when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Beetle
Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.
Insects » Created by God
And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creeping things, and [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so. And God made the [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and domestic animals according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it.
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Flea
After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue [with three thousand men]? A dead dog, a single flea?
Insects » Fleas
After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue [with three thousand men]? A dead dog, a single flea?
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Gnat
Insects » Gnats
Insects » Mentioned in scripture » Maggot
But they did not listen to Moses, and some left a supply of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul and rotten; and Moses was angry with them.
