Thursday, July 24, 2008

All about Locust

  • There are many species of locust
  • The Syrian locust can leap to 200 times their length
  • They fly in swarms with wings spread out, resembling a compact, black mass
  • Called the "darkeners of the sun" as they turn the desert sky black
  • People report hearing the swarm come long before it approaches, sounding like the waves of rain
  • Locust can cross great lengths of space but rely on the wind to carry them as they cannot guide their own flight
  • Invasions of locust are among the heaviest calamities that can befall a country
  • "At their approach the people are in anguish; all faces lose their color"-Joel 2:6
  • "No wall can stop them; no ditches arrest them"-Joel 2:8-9
  • If a door or window is open they enter and destroy everything
  • Every surface is filled with them in an instant until they completely hide the ground
  • They eat every green thing and leave the land barren
  • Often called "the countless" as so many swarm together that they are like sand on the seashore

Easton, M. (1996, 1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

An interesting web site on locust: http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/nes263/spring06/dri6/plagueinjoel.html

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