the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Palmer Worm
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or גזם , Joel 1:4; Amos 4:9 . Bochart says that it is a kind of locust, furnished with very sharp teeth, with which it gnaws off grass, corn, leaves of trees, and even their bark. The Jews support this idea by deriving the word from גוז or גזן , to cut, to shear, or mince, Notwithstanding the unanimous sentiments of the Jews that this is a locust, yet the LXX read καμπη , and the Vulgate eruca, "a caterpillar;" which rendering is supported by Fuller. Michaelis agrees with this opinion, and thinks that the sharp cutting teeth of the caterpillar, which, like a sickle, clear away all before them, might give name to this insect. Caterpillars also begin their ravages before the locust, which seems to coincide with the nature of the creature here intended.
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Palmer Worm'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/p/palmer-worm.html. 1831-2.
