Encyclopedia entry
Cankerworm
(Heb. 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 Ps. 105:34; Jer. 51:14, 17 (but R.V. “canker-worm”). “It spoileth and fleeth away” (Nah. 3:16), or as some read the passage, “The cankerworm putteth off [i.e., the envelope of its wings], and fleeth away.”
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
[Locust]
In the Bible
4
Verses where Cankerworm is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 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.
- 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.
- Nahum 3:15
There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust!
- Nahum 3:16
You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away.
Scripture on Cankerworm
5
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.