Encyclopedia entry
Moth
Heb. ‘ash, from a root meaning “to fall away,” as moth-eaten garments fall to pieces (Job 4:19; 13:28; Isa. 50:9; 51:8; Hos. 5:12).
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Gr. ses, thus rendered in Matt. 6:19, 20; Luke 12:33. Allusion is thus made to the destruction of clothing by the larvae of the clothes-moth. This is the only lepidopterous insect referred to in Scripture.
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
By the Hebrew word we are certainly to understand some species of clothes-moth (tinea). Reference to the destructive habits of the clothes-moth is made in (Job 4:19; 13:28; Psalms 39:11) etc. (The moth is a well-known insect which in its caterpillar state is very destructive to woollen clothing, furs, etc. The egg of the moth, being deposited on the fur or cloth, produces a very small shining insect, which immediately forms a house for itself by cuttings from the cloth. It east away the nap, and finally ruins the fabric. There are more than 1500 species of moths.—McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia.)
In the Bible
10
Verses where Moth is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- Hosea 5:12
So I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like decay to the house of Judah.
- Isaiah 50:9
Surely the Lord GOD helps Me. Who is there to condemn Me? See, they will all wear out like a garment; the moths will devour them.
- Isaiah 51:8
For the moth will devour them like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will last forever, My salvation through all generations.”
- Job 4:19
how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth!
- Job 13:28
So man wastes away like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.
- Job 27:18
The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman.
+4 more verses naming Moth.
Voices on Moth
24
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.