In the Bible, the term "worm" is often used figuratively to convey themes of decay, insignificance, and judgment. The imagery of worms is employed to illustrate the transient nature of human life, the consequences of sin, and the ultimate fate of the wicked.

1. Human Frailty and Insignificance: The metaphor of a worm is used to highlight human frailty and lowliness in comparison to God's majesty. In Job 25:6, Bildad the Shuhite remarks, "how much less man, who is but a maggot, and the son of man, who is but a worm!" This comparison underscores the humility of humanity before the divine.

2. Judgment and Decay: Worms are also associated with judgment and the decay that follows sin. In Isaiah 66:24, the prophet speaks of the fate of the rebellious: "And they will go out and see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against Me. For their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all mankind." Here, the undying worm symbolizes the eternal nature of divine judgment and the perpetual state of corruption for those who oppose God.

3. Christ's Suffering: In a messianic context, the imagery of a worm is applied to the suffering of Christ. Psalm 22:6, a psalm often associated with the crucifixion, states, "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people." This verse prophetically reflects the humiliation and suffering endured by Jesus, emphasizing His willingness to be abased for the sake of humanity's redemption.

4. Moral Corruption: The worm is also a symbol of moral corruption and the internal decay that sin brings into a person's life. In Acts 12:23, the account of Herod Agrippa's death illustrates this vividly: "Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died." This event serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of pride and failing to honor God.

5. Eternal Consequences: The New Testament further emphasizes the eternal consequences of sin using the imagery of worms. In Mark 9:48, Jesus warns about hell, "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." This passage echoes Isaiah 66:24 and serves as a sobering reminder of the unending torment awaiting those who reject God's salvation.

The figurative use of "worm" in the Bible serves as a powerful tool to communicate the themes of human frailty, divine judgment, and the consequences of sin. Through this imagery, Scripture calls believers to humility, repentance, and a recognition of the eternal realities that lie beyond this life.Job 25:6
How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
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Isaiah 41:14
Fear not, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help you, said the LORD, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
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Isaiah 66:24
And they shall go forth, and look on the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh.
Nave's Topical Index

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... But, says one of this class of expositors, the maiming of the body is figurative
language, and so is the representation of the worm that never dies. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

Other Passages Out of the Prophets Applied to the Resurrection of ...
... enough seem to have consoled their figurative despair with a figurative promise. ...
see the carcases of those who have transgressed: for their worm shall never die ...
/.../on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter xxxi other passages out of.htm

The Disciples as Scribes.
... specially the characteristic of ignorant men, who are unskilled in figurative
interpretation and do ... from the "Proverbs" in which it is written, "a worm in wood ...
/.../origens commentary on the gospel of matthew/14 the disciples as scribes.htm

The Eternity of God
... a crown of glory that fadeth not away.' The wicked have a never-dying worm, and
the ... There is a figurative description of God in Daniel 7:7. The Ancient of Days ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/3 the eternity of god.htm

Prophecies in Isaiah and the Psalms Respecting Christ's ...
... is fairer than the children of men," [3332] yet it is in that figurative state of ...
to the same prophet, however, He is in bodily condition "a very worm, and no ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xvii prophecies in isaiah and.htm

Introduction.
... Certain figurative lessons, differing from the parable on the one hand, and the
allegory on ... He then gently laid a living worm in the centre, and set fire to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/introduction.htm

Notes on Tauler's Teaching
... teacher might now, that all other language about the pains of hell, "the worm that
dieth not and the fire that is not quenched," is merely figurative of that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/iii notes on taulers teaching.htm

On Knowing Christ after the Flesh
... 3. The meaning, then, of this strongly figurative expression appears to be no other
than ... a familiarity which does not so well suit the mouth of a worm of the ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 117 on knowing christ.htm

Of Uncharitable Truth.
... The true Diamond sparkles even in the sunshine: tis but a glow-worm virtue that
owes ... up to a literal sense of what the Psalmist spoke in a figurative, Psa.14. ...
/.../allestree/the government of the tongue/section vi of uncharitable truth.htm

Letter cii. (AD 409. )
... If, however, the story is figurative, be pleased to explain it. ... Moreover, in that
morning-worm, [2365] which by its gnawing tooth made the gourd wither away ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cii a d 409.htm

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