Psalms 78:46

Psa 78:46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

Ver. 46. He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar] Together with the grasshopper, Exo 10:12-15, God’s great army, Joe 2:11

And their labour] i.e. The fruits of the earth, which they had laboured for; they lost both their husbandry and their harvest.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

46. (Psa 78:46) And he gave (up) to the caterpillar their produce, and their labour to the locust. Both the animal names in this verse are really designations of the locust, one meaning the devourer, and the other denoting the vast numbers of that insect. Their labour, i. e. its effect or fruit. Compare the narrative in Exo 10:12-19.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He repeateth not here all the miracles that God did in Egypt, but certain which might be sufficient to convince the people of malice and ingratitude.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 46. The caterpillar and - the locust.] See on Ex 10:13.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(46) Caterpillar.—Heb., chasîl. (See 1Ki_8:37.) Probably the locust in the larva or pupa state. For locust see Exo_10:4 seq., and Bib. Ed., iv. 292. The LXX., Vulg., and Symmachus have “blight.” but in 2Ch_6:28 “cockchafer,” as Aquila and Jerome here.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

46. The eighth plague, Exo_10:1 ff.

their increase] The produce of the land (Psa_67:6). The word rendered ‘caterpillar’ is not used in Exodus, but often occurs elsewhere, and probably denotes the locust in the larva or pupa state.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He destroyed their vines with hail,.... Or "killed" (k) them; for there is a vegetative life in plants: this was the seventh plague of Egypt, attended with thunder and lightning, and was very terrible to Pharaoh, Exo 9:23, with this compare Rev 16:21,

and their sycamore trees with frost: sycamore trees, according to Kimchi, were a sort of wild figs, and these with the vines are only mentioned; though the plague of hail destroyed all sorts of trees; because there were many of these in Egypt, and are put for all others; and who also observes, that the word rendered "frost", which is only used in this place, signifies a kind of hail; and so Aben Ezra interprets it of great hailstones which beat off the fruit of the sycamore trees: but R. Saadiah Gaon explains it by the Arabic word "Al-sakia", which signifies a strong frost which breaks the buds of trees, and dries up their moisture. Jarchi will have it to be, according to the Midrash, a kind of locust, which comes and sits and cuts off the green of the trees and grass, and eats it. Aben Ezra makes mention of this sense, but rejects it.

(k) "occidit", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "interfecit", Gejerus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar - The increase or the produce of their fields. Exo 10:12-14. The word חסיל châsı̂yl - is supposed to denote a species of locust rather than the caterpillar. It literally means the devourer. In our version, however, it is uniformly rendered caterpillar as here; 1Ki 8:37; 2Ch 6:28; Isa 33:4; Joe 1:4; Joe 2:25. It occurs nowhere else.

And their labor unto the locust - The fruit of their labor; the harvests in their fields.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The herbs and grains which were come up by their care and diligent labour.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 46. He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust. Different sorts of devourers ate up every green herb and tree. What one would not eat another did. What they expected from the natural fertility of the soil, and what they looked for from their own toil, they saw devoured before their eyes by an insatiable multitude against whose depredation no defense could be found. Observe in the text that the Lord did it all"he sent, " "he gave, ""he destroyed, ""he gave up, "etc.; whatever the second agent may be, the direct hand of the Lord is in every national visitation.

Ver. 46. Caterpillar. (lyox), chasil, is rendered broucos by the LXX, in 2Ch 6:28, and by Aquila here, and also by the Vulgate in Chronicles and in Isa 33:4, and is rendered by Jerome here, bruchas, "the chaffer, "which everyone knows to be a great devourer of the leaves of trees. The Syriac in Joe 1:4 2:25, renders it (arwuru) tzartzooro, which Michaelis, from the Arabic (ruru) tzartzar, a cricket, interprets the mole cricket, which in its grub state, is also very destructive to corn, grass, and other vegetables, by cankering the roots on which it feeds. Editorial note to Calvin in loc.

Ver. 46. Caterpillar, In former times, any destructive, crawling creature occurring in cultivated places was thus called; now, by general consent, we restrict the term to the second stage of insects of the Lepidopterous order, namely, butterflies and moths. These caterpillars, by the voracity with which they attack the leaves, the fruit, and sometimes the solid wood of plants and trees, are made conspicuous even to those who are little acquainted with natural history. "Biblical Treasury."

Ver. 46. Locust. Their quantity is incredible to all who have not themselves witnessed their astonishing numbers; the whole earth is covered with them for the space of several leagues. The noise they make in browsing on the trees and herbage may be heard at a great distance, and resembles that of an army plundering in secret. The Tartars themselves are a less destructive enemy than these little animals. One would imagine that fire had followed their progress. Wherever their myriads spread, the verdure of the country disappears; trees and plants stripped of their leaves and reduced to their naked boughs and stems, cause the dreary image of winter to succeed in an instant to the rich scenery of spring. When these clouds of locusts take their flight, to surmount any obstacles, or to traverse more rapidly a desert soil, the heavens may literally be said to be obscured with them. F. C., Comte de Volney.

None.

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

46. Caterpillar… locust—If, as some suppose, the former word (הסיל, hhaseel) denotes the larva, or caterpillar stage of the locust, then the latter word (ארבה, arbeh,) must signify the winged locust: but if the former be taken for locust, the latter must be understood of some particular species, like the Acridium peregrinum, more terrible for its destructive habits. The Septuagint has ερυσιβη, blight, canker, and in Psa_105:34, βρουχος, a species of locust without wings, or otherwise answering to the unwinged locust when it emerges from the caterpillar stage, at which time they are as destructive as in the mature state, moving along on the ground in vast numbers. In this state, Van Lennep say, “They are correctly pictured on a Babylonian gem.” See more on Psa_105:34

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust. Khasil (lysij), 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 Exo_10:14, Exo_10:15)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

labour - The herbs which were come up by their care and labour.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.