Psalm 78:46
New International Version
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.

New Living Translation
He gave their crops to caterpillars; their harvest was consumed by locusts.

English Standard Version
He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

Berean Standard Bible
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.

King James Bible
He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

New King James Version
He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

New American Standard Bible
He also gave their crops to the grasshopper And the product of their labor to the locust.

NASB 1995
He gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the product of their labor to the locust.

NASB 1977
He gave also their crops to the grasshopper, And the product of their labor to the locust.

Legacy Standard Bible
He gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the fruit of their labor to the locust.

Amplified Bible
He also gave their crops to the grasshopper, And the fruit of their labor to the locust.

Christian Standard Bible
He gave their crops to the caterpillar and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He gave their crops to the caterpillar and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

American Standard Version
He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.

Contemporary English Version
God let worms and grasshoppers eat their crops.

English Revised Version
He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He gave their crops to grasshoppers and their produce to locusts.

Good News Translation
He sent locusts to eat their crops and to destroy their fields.

International Standard Version
He gave their crops to caterpillars and what they worked for to locusts.

Majority Standard Bible
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.

NET Bible
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.

New Heart English Bible
He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.

Webster's Bible Translation
He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.

World English Bible
He also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And gives their increase to the caterpillar, "" And their labor to the locust.

Young's Literal Translation
And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will give their produce to the devourer, and their labor to the locust.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he gave up their fruits to mold and their labors to the locust.

New American Bible
He gave their harvest to the caterpillar, the fruits of their labor to the locust.

New Revised Standard Version
He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He gave also their crops to the locusts, and their labor to the caterpillars.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He gave their crops to the locusts and their produce to the crawling locust.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labour unto the locust.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. 46He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust. 47He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.…

Cross References
Exodus 10:4-15
But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. / They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields. / They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence. ...

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.

Exodus 10:12-15
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.” / So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts. / The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be. ...

Deuteronomy 28:38
You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because the locusts will consume it.

Isaiah 33:4
Your spoil, O nations, is gathered as by locusts; like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.

Jeremiah 51:14
The LORD of Hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.”

Nahum 3:15-17
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! / You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. / Your guards are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts that settle on the walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where.

Revelation 9:3-10
And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. / They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. / The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion. ...

Revelation 9:7
And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads; and their faces were like the faces of men.

Revelation 9:10
They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months.

Matthew 6:19-20
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Luke 12:33
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

James 5:2-3
Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15
his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. / If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. / If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.


Treasury of Scripture

He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.

gave also

Psalm 105:34,35
He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, …

Exodus 10:12-15
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left…

Joel 1:4-7
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten…

2 Chronicles 6:28
If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:

2 Chronicles 33:4
Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

2 Chronicles 1:4
But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

Jump to Previous
Caterpillar Caterpiller Crops Fields Fruit Fruits Grasshopper Increase Industry Labor Locusts Produce Product Worms
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Caterpillar Caterpiller Crops Fields Fruit Fruits Grasshopper Increase Industry Labor Locusts Produce Product Worms
Psalm 78
1. An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God
9. The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient
67. The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David.














He gave their crops to the grasshopper
This phrase reflects a divine judgment where God allows a plague of grasshoppers to consume the crops of the people. In the biblical context, grasshoppers and locusts are often used as instruments of God's judgment, as seen in the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 10:12-15). The grasshopper, a smaller relative of the locust, symbolizes destruction and loss. This judgment serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience to God’s covenant. The imagery of crops being devoured is a powerful representation of economic and sustenance loss, which would have been devastating in an agrarian society dependent on harvests for survival.

the fruit of their labor to the locust
The locust is a more formidable and destructive force than the grasshopper, often associated with widespread devastation. In the ancient Near East, locust swarms could obliterate entire fields, leading to famine and hardship. This phrase emphasizes the totality of the destruction, as the "fruit of their labor" signifies the hard work and toil of the people being rendered futile. The locusts consuming the fruit of their labor can be seen as a fulfillment of the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28:38, where disobedience leads to agricultural failure. This also serves as a typology of divine retribution, where God uses natural elements to execute His will. The locust plague is a precursor to the ultimate judgment and a call to repentance, echoing the prophetic warnings found in Joel 1:4 and Revelation 9:3, where locusts are used as symbols of divine wrath.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The central figure in this verse, demonstrating His sovereignty and judgment over the natural world and human affairs.

2. Egypt
The implied location where these events took place, as Psalm 78 recounts the plagues God sent upon Egypt.

3. Israelites
The people of God who were enslaved in Egypt and witnessed these miraculous events as part of their deliverance.

4. Grasshopper and Locust
Insects used by God as instruments of judgment against Egypt, representing His control over creation.

5. Crops and Fruit of Labor
The agricultural produce of Egypt, which was destroyed as part of the plagues, symbolizing the futility of human effort against divine will.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Nature
This verse reminds us that God is in control of all creation, using even the smallest creatures to fulfill His purposes.

Judgment and Deliverance
The plagues, including the locusts, were both acts of judgment against Egypt and steps toward the deliverance of Israel, illustrating God's dual role as judge and savior.

The Futility of Human Effort Against God
The destruction of crops signifies the futility of relying solely on human labor and resources when opposed to God's will.

Call to Repentance
Just as the Egyptians faced consequences for their actions, we are reminded to examine our lives and turn back to God in areas where we may be resisting His will.

Trust in God's Provision
While the Egyptians' resources were destroyed, God provided for the Israelites, teaching us to trust in His provision even in times of scarcity.(46) Caterpillar.--Heb., chasil. (See 1Kings 8:37.) Probably the locust in the larva or pupa state. For locust see Exodus 10:4 seq., and Bib. Ed., iv. 292. The LXX., Vulg., and Symmachus have "blight." but in 2Chronicles 6:28 "cockchafer," as Aquila and Jerome here.

Verse 46. - He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust. Khasil (חָסִיל), here translated "caterpillar," is probably either a particular kind of locust, or the locust in one of its stages. (On the plague of locusts in Egypt, see Exodus 10:14, 15.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He gave
וַיִּתֵּ֣ן (way·yit·tên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

their crops
יְבוּלָ֑ם (yə·ḇū·lām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2981: Produce, a crop, wealth

to the grasshopper,
לֶחָסִ֣יל (le·ḥā·sîl)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2625: The ravager, a locust

the fruit of their labor
וִֽ֝יגִיעָ֗ם (wî·ḡî·‘ām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3018: Toil, a work, produce, property

to the locust.
לָאַרְבֶּֽה׃ (lā·’ar·beh)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 697: (a kind of) locust


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OT Poetry: Psalm 78:46 He gave also their increase to (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 78:45
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