The term "cankerworm" appears in the Bible as a reference to a type of locust or caterpillar that is particularly destructive to vegetation. In the context of the Scriptures, the cankerworm is often associated with divine judgment and serves as a symbol of devastation and loss. The Hebrew word for cankerworm is "yeleq," which is typically translated as "caterpillar" or "young locust" in various Bible translations.

Biblical References:

1. Joel 1:4 : "What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten." In this passage, the cankerworm is part of a sequence of locusts that bring about complete destruction. The prophet Joel uses this imagery to describe a severe plague that devastates the land, symbolizing the judgment of God upon the people for their sins.

2. Joel 2:25 : "I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you." Here, the Lord promises restoration to His people after a period of judgment. The cankerworm, as part of the locust plague, represents the years of hardship and loss that God will restore, highlighting His mercy and faithfulness.

3. Nahum 3:15-16 : "There the fire will consume you; the sword will cut you down, and it will devour you like the young locust. Multiply yourselves like the young locust; multiply like the swarming locust! You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away." In Nahum, the cankerworm is used metaphorically to describe the fleeting and destructive nature of Nineveh's wealth and power. The imagery underscores the impending judgment and downfall of the Assyrian empire.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In the biblical narrative, the cankerworm serves as a powerful symbol of divine retribution and the consequences of disobedience to God. The destructive nature of the cankerworm, along with other locusts, illustrates the severity of God's judgment upon a nation or people who have turned away from His commandments. The imagery of the cankerworm is often used to convey the totality of devastation that sin brings upon the land and its inhabitants.

However, the mention of the cankerworm is not solely negative. In passages like Joel 2:25, the promise of restoration after the devastation caused by the cankerworm reflects God's grace and willingness to forgive and restore those who repent. This dual aspect of judgment and restoration is a recurring theme in the prophetic books, emphasizing both the justice and mercy of God.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, locust plagues were a well-known and feared natural disaster. The cankerworm, as a stage in the locust's life cycle, would have been familiar to the original audience of the biblical texts. These plagues could devastate crops and lead to famine, making them a fitting metaphor for divine judgment. The use of such imagery would have resonated deeply with the people, who understood the severity of a locust invasion.

Overall, the cankerworm in the Bible serves as a vivid reminder of the consequences of sin and the hope of redemption through God's intervention.Cankerworm

[LOCUST]

(Hebrews yelek), "the licking locust," which licks up the grass of the field; probably the locust at a certain stage of its growth, just as it emerges from the caterpillar state (Joel 1:4; 2:25). The word is rendered "caterpillar" in Psalm 105:34; Jeremiah 51:14, 17 (but R.V. "canker-worm"). "It spoileth and fleeth away" (Nahum 3:16), or as some read the passage, "The cankerworm putteth off [i.e., the envelope of its wings], and fleeth away." (n.) The larva of two species of geometrid moths which are very injurious to fruit and shade trees by eating, and often entirely destroying, the foliage. Other similar larvae are also called cankerworms.CANKER-WORM

kan'-ker-wurm (yeleq, (Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25 Nahum 3:15, 16)): The name given to a larval stage of the LOCUST (which see).

See also CATERPILLAR.

3218. yeleq -- (a kind of) locust
... cankerworm, caterpillar. From an unused root meaning to lick up; a devourer;
specifically, the young locust -- cankerworm, caterpillar. 3217, 3218. ...
/hebrew/3218.htm - 6k

Nahum's Doom of Nineveh
... It shall devour thee like the cankerworm: Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make
thyself many as the locust; Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/xi nahums doom of nineveh.htm

Joel's Rhapsody of the Locust Plague
... 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 ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/joels rhapsody of the locust.htm

The Locust-Swarms
... What the palmer worm had left, the locust had eaten; what the locust had left, the
cankerworm had eaten; and what the cankerworm had left, the caterpillar had ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xx the locust-swarms.htm

The Answer that Without God's Help not Only Perfect Chastity but ...
... in undertakings, still a man must pray lest there come to him, as Scripture says,
"a heaven of brass and an earth of iron," and "the cankerworm eat what the ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter iii the answer that.htm

Arian Statements.
... willed them to come into being.' Moreover they say also, that Christ is not the
natural and true power of God; but as the locust and the cankerworm are called ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/2 arian statements.htm

Prayer and Trouble
... God even claims the locusts, the cankerworm, the caterpillar are His servants,
"My great army," used by Him to correct His people and discipline them. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bounds/the essentials of prayer/v prayer and trouble.htm

The Last Farewell in the Presence of the one Hundred and Fifty ...
... [4303] That which the palmerworm left did the locust eat, and that which the locust
left did the caterpillar eat: then came the cankerworm, [4304] then, what ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xlii the last farewell.htm

Our Expectation
... yet. Worldliness has gone a long way to destroy the church of God. I judge
it to be the worst cankerworm that assails us. Persons ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/our expectation.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off,... make thyself
many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

The Second vision "On Earth"
Commentary on Revelation. <. ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the second vision on earth.htm

Cankerworm (7 Occurrences)
... "It spoileth and fleeth away" (Nahum 3:16), or as some read the passage, "The
cankerworm putteth off [ie, the envelope of its wings], and fleeth away.". ...
/c/cankerworm.htm - 10k

Locusts (33 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:4 What is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left
of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm...
/l/locusts.htm - 16k

Palmerworm (2 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:4 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 ...
/p/palmerworm.htm - 8k

Caterpillar (6 Occurrences)
... It is also found (Psalm 105:34; Jeremiah 51:14, 27; RV, "cankerworm") as the rendering
of a different Hebrew word, yelek, a word elsewhere rendered "cankerworm...
/c/caterpillar.htm - 10k

Caterpiller (4 Occurrences)
... (KJV). Joel 1:4 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 ...
/c/caterpiller.htm - 7k

Worm (22 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:4 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 ...
/w/worm.htm - 21k

Canker-worm (7 Occurrences)
Canker-worm. Cankerworm, Canker-worm. Canneh . Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia
CANKER-WORM. ... (ASV JPS WBS). Cankerworm, Canker-worm. Canneh . Reference ...
/c/canker-worm.htm - 9k

Innumerable (12 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV). Psalms 105:34 He hath said, and the locust
cometh, And the cankerworm -- innumerable, (YLT). Jeremiah ...
/i/innumerable.htm - 10k

Infant (14 Occurrences)
... it nations, Summon against it the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz, Appoint
against it an infant head, Cause the horse to ascend as the rough cankerworm...
/i/infant.htm - 12k

Insects (17 Occurrences)
... 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 ...
/i/insects.htm - 14k

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