Insects in the Bible

This insightful collection explores the role of insects in Scripture, unveiling spiritual truths through the smallest of God’s creations. These images bring to life scenes of locust swarms, honey from wild bees, and the industrious ant, illustrating their enduring lessons on judgment, provision, and wisdom. These visual representations offer a compelling glimpse into how even the smallest creatures are woven into God’s eternal story.

Exploring the Stories Behind the Images

Each image is intricately designed using original biblical texts and manuscripts, with insights from Hebrew and Greek studies uncovering the deeper meaning behind every insect mentioned. Discover their symbolic value through concise interpretations, enriched by reflections from historical Christian thinkers, revealing how these creatures illustrate God’s nature and plans.

A Visual Testament to Divine Design

Witness the spiritual insights hidden in beetles, moths, lice, and flies, captured in meticulous detail and guided by original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic sources. Highlights include:

Authenticity in Every Detail

Original Biblical Texts: Ensuring accuracy in portraying insects as described in Scripture.

• Historical Manuscripts: Providing cultural and theological depth behind these often-overlooked creatures.

Discover and Reflect

Journey through the plagues of Egypt, the wisdom of the ant, and the honeycomb of the wilderness. Explore how these tiny beings taught lessons of diligence, judgment, and spiritual sweetness. This carefully curated experience invites viewers to see how insects bear witness to the divine order in creation.

 Locust Plague, judgment Joel 1:4 

 BeeSwarm, fear, enemiesDeuteronomy 1:44 

 Hornet God's judgment on enemiesDeuteronomy 7:20 

 AntDiligence, wisdomProverbs 6:6 

 WormDecay, mortalityJonah 4:7; Isaiah 66:24 

 Flea Insignificance1 Samuel 24:14 

 Grasshopper Smallness, human frailtyNumbers 13:33 

 Cankerworm Destruction, part of locust plagueJoel 1:4 

 Palmerworm Destruction, part of locust plagueJoel 1:4 

 Caterpillar Destruction, part of judgment Joel 1:4 

 📖 Verse (KJV): Matthew 6:19-20 – "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."

📜 Context: Jesus warned His followers against placing their trust in material wealth, which is temporary and easily destroyed. Instead, He encouraged storing up eternal treasures in heaven.

🔎 What the Bible Teaches About Wealth and Decay: Moths, which destroy clothing, symbolize the fragile nature of material possessions. Jesus urged people to invest in spiritual wealth rather than fleeting earthly treasures.

Interesting Facts About Moths in the Bible

• Jesus used moths as a metaphor us for ruining valuable garments (Job  13:28).
• Clothing was considered a sign of wealth, making moth damage significant      (Isaiah 50:9).
• Jesus      used moths as a metaphor for how material things fade away (Matthew      6:19-20).
• God  compared human frailty to a garment consumed by moths (Psalm 39:11).
• Moths symbolize the temporary nature of all things outside of God (Job 4:19).
• The Bible warns that earthly wealth is vulnerable to corruption and theft      (James 5:2).
• True riches are found in a relationship with God, not in material      possessions (Luke 12:33).

 Diklah - Descendant of Joktan, listed in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10). 

Portrait of Ebiasaph - Levite, descendant of Korah 

Title: Swarms of Flies Invade Egypt
Verse: Exodus 8:24 (KJV)

“And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.”
 

Context:
The fourth plague. Swarms of flies invaded the homes and land of Egypt, corrupting everything.
Result:
Only the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was spared. Pharaoh begged for relief but hardened his heart again.

Title: Bees Drive Out the Enemy
Verse: Deuteronomy 1:44 (KJV)

“And the Amorites... chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir.”
 

Context:
A figurative description, but based on literal behavior of bees. The Israelites were disobedient, and their enemies pursued them like a swarm of bees.
Result:
Used to illustrate God’s wrath and the consequences of disobedience.

Also see:

• Psalm 118:12 – “They compassed me about like bees...”
• Isaiah 7:18 – God will “hiss” for the bee from the land of Assyria as a form of judgment.

Title: Locusts Devour the Land
Verse: Exodus 10:14–15 (KJV)

“And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt... they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left.”
 

Context:
The eighth plague. After Pharaoh again refused to let the Israelites go, God sent a strong east wind that brought locusts.
Result:
The locusts devoured every green thing left after the previous plagues. Pharaoh called for Moses but didn’t fully repent.

Title: Lice from the Dust of the Earth
Verse: Exodus 8:16–17 (KJV)

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.”
 

Context:
The third plague upon Egypt. Aaron struck the dust, and it became lice (or gnats) on both man and beast.
Result:
The Egyptian magicians could not duplicate this miracle and acknowledged, “This is the finger of God.”

• Exodus 8:16–17 describes the third plague as turning dust into "lice" (KJV), but the Hebrew word is kinnim.
• Scholars debate what kinnim refers to: 
  • Lice (as in scalp lice)
  • Gnats or mosquito-like insects
  • Possibly sandflies or midges

Modern translations:

• Some Bibles like the NIV or NRSV translate kinnim as "gnats," which could include tiny biting insects similar to mosquitoes.