Topical Bible: Worm: General Scriptures Concerning

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In the Bible, the term "worm" is often used both literally and metaphorically, symbolizing decay, destruction, and insignificance. The imagery of worms is employed to convey themes of mortality, judgment, and the transient nature of human life.

1. Symbol of Decay and Mortality: Worms are frequently associated with death and the grave, emphasizing the inevitable decay of the physical body. In Job 17:14, Job refers to the grave as his father and the worm as his mother and sister, highlighting the intimate relationship between death and decay: "I call corruption my father and the worm my mother or my sister."

2. Judgment and Punishment: Worms are also depicted as instruments of divine judgment. In Acts 12:23, Herod Agrippa is struck down by an angel of the Lord, and he is eaten by worms as a sign of God's retribution: "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."

3. Metaphor for Insignificance and Humility: The Bible uses worms to illustrate human frailty and lowliness. In Isaiah 41:14, God reassures Israel, referring to them as a "worm" to emphasize their humble state and His power to redeem: "Do not fear, O worm Jacob, O few men of Israel. I will help you, declares the LORD. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel."

4. Eternal Consequences: In Mark 9:48, Jesus uses the imagery of worms to describe the eternal suffering of the wicked, where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." This passage underscores the perpetual nature of divine judgment and the unending consequences of sin.

5. Natural Imagery: Worms are part of the natural order, illustrating the cycle of life and death. In Jonah 4:7, God appoints a worm to attack the plant that provided Jonah with shade, demonstrating His control over creation: "When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered."

The biblical references to worms serve as powerful reminders of human mortality, the reality of divine judgment, and the need for humility before God. Through these vivid images, Scripture calls believers to reflect on their spiritual condition and the eternal truths of God's Word.

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Exodus 16:20,24
Notwithstanding they listened not to Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
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Jonah 4:7
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
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Library

The General Deliverance
... 2. But how are these Scriptures reconcilable to the present ... A general view of this
is given us in the ... understanding of an elephant is beyond that of a worm. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 60 the general deliverance.htm

Of Creation in General.
... with thee, as to be the food of a worm. ... a particular attribute of God, but is the
general nature of ... be regenerated in the soul; so the scriptures say nothing ...
/.../law/an appeal to all that doubt/of creation in general.htm

Messiah's Easy Yoke
... The general name of Christians, which was first ... a perpetual commentary on what the
Scriptures teach, concerning the ... when addressed to a sinful worm, that they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xv messiahs easy yoke.htm

"The Eternity of Hell-Torments"
... we now to make good the one general proposition asserted ... to be cast into hell, where
the worm dieth not ... the discourse, you believing the Holy Scriptures to be ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the eternity of hell-torments.htm

An Essay on the Scriptural Doctrine of Immortality.
... Commencing now, after the foregoing preliminaries, the general argument, I remark,
in ... to inquire both as to what the Scriptures say concerning death, and ...
/.../an essay on the scriptural.htm

On Transparency.
... and it cannot be pretended that the Scriptures receive that ... historical meanings;
they are Greek to the general. ... bird in securing the first worm, drew precisely ...
/.../jackson/the message and the man/chapter ii on transparency.htm

Saurin -- Paul Before Felix and Drusilla
... of a future state, the solemnities of a general judgment, supply ... For the Scriptures
teach, and experience confirms, that ... become a prey to the worm that dieth ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/saurin paul before felix.htm

The Extent and Reasonableness of Self-Denial
... an objection argues an ignorance of the scriptures, so it ... therefore now to the third
and last general thing proposed ... be cast into hell, where the worm dieth not ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the extent and reasonableness of.htm

Ascetic.
... less of monasticism than of general Christian endurance. ... from the dead, according
to the Scriptures, and was ... to eternal punishment, where their worm dieth not ...
//christianbookshelf.org/basil/basil letters and select works/iii ascetic.htm

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... context and the general tenor of the Scriptures teach us ... so is the representation
of the worm that never ... interpretation must be upon the same general principle ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm