Toggle navigation Search Browse The Bible Toggle Dropdown Search The Bible Find it! What Do Locusts Symbolize in the Bible? Bible / Bible Study / Topical Studies Lucas Hagen | Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer Sunday, January 3, 2021 Share Tweet Save Locusts are commonly mentioned in Scripture, and due to their prevalence in ravaging the land of the Middle East, they served as a useful image for the metaphors and symbolism of many books of the Bible. However, locusts are not as common outside of the Middle East. For modern Western readers of the Bible who have never encountered swarms of locusts and their destruction, reading about locusts in Scripture may be confusing or simply unimportant. However, locusts are mentioned over thirty times in the Bible, and it is important to understand what they are and what they represent when used as a symbol.  What Are Locusts, and Where Do We See Them in Scripture?  Locusts are a flying insect that look similar to a grasshopper. They are notorious for flying in swarms of thousands, so dense in the sky that they can block sunlight. When a locust swarm descends upon a field of crops, it is expected that the damage will be so great as to entirely wipe out the crops. For the agrarian lifestyle of the people of ancient Israel, there were few things more devastating than a swarm of locusts descending on one’s field.  Locusts are mentioned in seventeen books of the Bible, over thirty instances in total. Their mentions are most prevalent in books such as Exodus, Psalms, Jeremiah, Joel, and famously in Revelation. Certainly the most well-known reference to locusts in Scripture is found in Exodus.  Locusts: The Eighth Plague of Egypt When the people of Israel were oppressed by the people of Egypt, the Lord used ten plagues to deliver His people out of oppression. The eighth plague that the Lord sent against Israel was the plague of locusts, following the plague of hail. Each of the plagues that God sent were deliberate. They each had a purpose, and the order in which they were sent was intentional as well.  Before the coming of this plague, the Lord announced to Moses that the coming plague is from the Lord. This is significant, because, as previously mentioned, swarms of locusts descending on fields were not unknown in this area. While they were certainly not common, it is something that happened every once in a great while. God’s declaration confirms that the coming swarms of locusts are no coincidence, but are a means of God’s judgment on Pharaoh and Egypt’s oppression of Israel.  The plague of the locusts came after the plague of hail and before the plague of darkness. This placement is intentional, as the locusts finished what was started with the hail, and preceded what was to come with the darkness.  The plague of hail is described as striking down the flax and barley crop, but not the wheat and emmer crop. The plague of locusts, on the other hand, completely devastated the land. It is written in Exodus, “Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt” (Exodus 10:15b). In this way, the locusts finished the work that the hail had begun in stripping the people of Egypt of their food source.  The plague of locusts also brought a temporary darkness over the land, as Exodus says, “They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened” (Exodus 10:15a). This preceded the three days of darkness that God sent over Egypt in the ninth plague.  Locusts were a devastating sentence for the people of Egypt. Their damage was nothing short of brutal. For this reason, swarms of locusts are used as symbolism and imagery throughout the remainder of the Bible. While there are several such examples, the most well-known is found in the book of Revelation. Photo credit: Public Domain Image Locusts in Revelation John writes in Revelation as he sees his heavenly vision, “When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth” (Rev. 9:2-4, 7-8).  The army coming out of the Abyss is described as a swarm of locusts, but it is clear based on the physical description in these verses and the following verses that John is not describing literal locusts. Based on the anthropomorphic features John details, it is most likely that John is describing an army of demonic beings. This interpretation fits with the aim of said army, to harm those who are not protected by the seal of God.  If John is describing a demonic army, why use locusts as an image to symbolize what he was seeing? While it would certainly be challenging to describe heavenly scenes with earthly terminology, John’s reference to locusts was intentional.  Locusts were seen as brutal, merciless creatures that could arrive by the thousands and leave nothing but utter destruction in their wake. It is with this connotation in mind that John describes this demonic army as locusts. John uses the word to conjure certain feelings in his readers, feelings of fear and an understanding of how forceful this army appears to be. This army serves a king whose name in Hebrew is “Abaddon” which means “destroyer” (Rev. 9:11). This name for the king fits in with how John describes the army. Locusts were known as destroyers, and John used the image intentionally to symbolize what he saw in his vision.  Other References to Locusts in Scripture There are many other instances of locusts being mentioned in Scripture, sometimes literally and often in the form of simile. Here are some examples of locusts mentioned in the Bible: Judges 7:12 – “The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.” Jeremiah 46:23 – “’They will chop down her forest,’ declares the Lord, ‘dense though it be. They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.’” Jeremiah 51:14 – “The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.” Nahum 3:16 – “You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away.” Throughout the Bible, locusts are referenced for their habit of completely destroying the land and food supply of whichever tribe has become their victim. While there are some instances in the Bible in which literal locusts are described, they are often used in figurative language to describe merciless, senseless destruction, or a group of great numbers. While locusts are not common in many places in the world, it is important for all Christians to understand what they are and what they represent in order to have a complete understanding of the biblical text.  Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Luke Dray/Stringer Lucas Hagen is a freelance writer, recently graduated from Taylor University with majors in Biblical Literature and Youth Ministries. When he is not writing for Crosswalk, you can find him reading great books, playing guitar, competing in professional disc golf tournaments, and spending quality time with his lovely wife, Natalie, and their fluffy cat, Woodward. You can read more of his writing at habitsofholiness.com. Popular Articles What Do Locusts Symbolize in the Bible? 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