locust

A small insect resembling a cricket or grasshopper that seasonally migrates in great swarms, causing damage to all vegetation in its path. This insect is therefore a serious pest, especially to crops. In the Bible it was associated with other major pests, including the canker worm, palmer worm, and caterpillar (Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25). The migrating swarms of locusts were one of the “plagues” of the OT (Exod 10:12-20) imposed by the Lord on the people of Egypt as punishment for the enslavement of the Israelites. This form of punishment was not reserved for foreigners alone, but was also extended to the Israelites as a curse for disobedience to the commandments and statutes of the Lord (Deut 28:42). Locusts served as food for John the Baptist (Matt 3:4).