The locust is a large grasshopper and so shares the symbolism of other grasshoppers. It often travels in swarms devouring everything in its path and in biblical times was considered one of the worst disasters that could befall a country. The locust is sometimes referred to as "the destroyer." The Chinese believed swarms of locusts were an indication that the cosmos was disturbed.
Ever since Moses stretched out his hand inviting the locust to plague Egypt, this insect has been a symbol of God's judgment upon wayward nations (Ex 10:4-10:19; Ps 78:46; 105:34; Rev 9:3). Gregory I described the locust as Christ's companion in the battle against the heathens.
Paintings of the Christ child holding a grasshopper are symbolic of the conversion of the Gentiles. This symbolism may stem from the idea that adversity is often the occasion of repentance or from the Proverbial passage: "The locust have no king, yet they all advance in ranks" (Prov 30:27). Some commentators believe this passage refers to Gentile nations which appear to have no heavenly leader and yet prosper in war and by nature follow the rules of the Mosaic Law (Rom 2:14).
In the Bible, God reveals that He is the one who sends locusts upon disobedient Israel (2 Chr 7:13; Amos 7:1). Moses warns the people before entering the Promised Land that if they will not obey the laws of the Lord, they will "carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it" (Deu 28:38, 42). God's sending of the locust plagues upon Israel is not merely to punish, but to call His people to repentance and dependence upon the one true God. In Amos 4:9, He comments on the people's obstinacy, "I have blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees, the locust devoured them; yet you have not returned to Me."
Huge armies and large nations are considered "as numerous as locusts and grasshoppers" (Judg 6:5; Jer 51:14; 46:23; 51:27). Gideon was told to attack a people as "numerous as the locusts" with only 300 men (Judg 7:12). The Bible refers to the Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian and Roman invasions of Israel as successive plagues of chewing locusts, swarming locusts, crawling locusts, and consuming locusts (Joel 1:4, 25; Jamieson, Fausset, Brown).
Sudden and total devastation is comparable to being plundered or devoured by locusts (Is 33:4; Nahum 3:15-16). Locusts are a symbol of moral indecision, demonic attacks, spiritual torments, death, and ruin. David, when he was shaken by the trials of his life, complained, "I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust" (Psa 109:23). He meant he was tossed to and fro in the wind like a wave of locusts.
Heretics, false teachers and others who would damage the vineyards of Christ are represented by locusts. The random hopping of the grasshopper causes it to symbolize irresponsibility, lack of foresight, and fitful poets, but also, the joys of summer, fertility, and children.
Small opponents or weights are considered grasshoppers (Num 13:33; Is 40:22). And yet, a grasshopper is capable of frightening a horse (Job 39:20). In old age, even a grasshopper is considered a great weight (Eccl 12:5).
In ancient Greece, the nobility wore golden grasshoppers in their hair, possibly because the grasshopper's fertility made it a symbol of abundance. The grasshopper's song during the day and its silence during the night made it an attribute of Apollo the sun god and the kind of friend or helper who makes a lot of noise but disappears when help is needed. In China, the grasshopper paired with a chrysanthemum indicated high office. For Christians, the locust became another symbol of Christ's resurrection or rebirth because it sheds its carapace. St. John the Baptist came eating locusts and wild honey as was permitted by Levitical law (Lev 11:22; Mt 3:4; Mk 1:6).
The book of Revelation describes a strange swarm of locusts emerging from the bottomless pit. Instead of consuming vegetation and causing famine, these locusts have the power to sting the enemies of God like scorpions do. All those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads are tormented by these man-faced locusts for five months. Those who believe that the events prophesied in Revelation have already happened believe the locusts symbolize the Saracen (Muslim) campaigns against Rome which lasted from 612 to 763 A.D. (Rev 9:1-11).
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible.
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© 1997 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "ChristStory Grasshopper or Locust Page." ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1997. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/grasshop.htm ().