Deuteronomy 28:42
The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Deuteronomy 28:42
The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse reveals a subtle but devastating aspect of God's judgment: not just destruction, but utter displacement and ruin of what sustains life. It’s not simply that crops will fail, but that the very trees themselves, the producers of future harvests and shade, will be taken over, leaving a landscape barren and possessed by pests.
This passage is part of a long list of severe curses detailed in Deuteronomy 28, outlining the devastating consequences Israel would face if they disobeyed God's covenant. These curses are presented as the direct result of not listening to God's commands and are meant to be a stark warning, detailing widespread destruction from natural disasters, disease, and oppression by enemies. The verses immediately before and after describe the consumption of their crops and trees by insects and the eventual subjugation by foreign nations.
Why does the Bible describe locusts as 'possessing' trees and land? What's the deeper meaning behind this imagery?
This verse uses powerful imagery to describe the devastating effects of disobedience. When Israel failed to follow God, they weren't just experiencing bad luck; they were subject to a curse that took possession of their livelihood.
A Divine Reclaiming
The Hebrew word for 'locust' here, ṣelaṣal, is thought to relate to a rustling or rattling sound, emphasizing their overwhelming numbers and noise. But the key word is 'possess' (or 'consume' in many translations). This isn't just a natural disaster; it's a reversal of the divine promise. God had promised to give them the land and its produce. Now, the curse would allow these destructive creatures to metaphorically 'possess' what God had intended for them.
This highlights a crucial theological point: when God's blessings are rejected through disobedience, the very things meant to sustain life can become instruments of judgment, turning God's intended gifts into sources of ruin.
Disobedience doesn't just affect one area of life. How does Deuteronomy 28 show that the curse touches everything?
Deuteronomy 28 paints a grim picture of the consequences of breaking God's covenant. Verse 42, speaking of locusts consuming trees and crops, is just one piece of a much larger mosaic of destruction.
From Field to Family
The curses detailed in Deuteronomy 28 are comprehensive. They don't stop at agricultural failures. The text speaks of curses in the city and the field, in one's basket and store, in one's offspring, and even in one's very going and coming (Deuteronomy 28:16-19). The locust consuming the trees and fruit is a specific example of how their entire way of life, their sustenance, and their future would be systematically dismantled.
This illustrates that disobedience to God has a pervasive effect. It's not isolated; it seeps into every aspect of existence, demonstrating that God's covenant blessings and curses are holistic, impacting the whole person and their entire world.
Understand the original words
tselatsal · Hebrew Noun
A general term for an insect or locust that consumes vegetation. In the context of covenant curses, it represents agricultural devastation and famine sent as judgment.
Deuteronomy 28 lays out the consequences of covenant faithfulness. The specific mention of locusts consuming trees and crops points to a devastating, widespread agricultural disaster, a very real threat in ancient Israel, foreshadowing the severe famines and destruction that would accompany future national calamities like the Babylonian exile.
c. 1400 BC— this verse
Moses Delivers the Law
Moses reiterates the covenant, including blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, to the Israelites on the plains of Moab before they enter the Promised Land.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's reign, the united Israelite monarchy splits into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south, weakening their overall stability.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting its people and scattering them, serving as a stark warning to Judah.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling much of Judah's population.
This passage describes the locust as a divine agent of destruction, echoing Deuteronomy's depiction of it consuming crops and trees when Israel disobeys.
Jeremiah 5:17This verse parallels the desolation brought by a foreign nation, similar to the locust, that devours the land's produce and trees, a consequence of forsaking God.
Nahum 3:15-16Nahum describes the devastating effect of the locust swarm on a city's resources, including its trees and harvest, highlighting the destructive power unleashed by God's judgment.
Exodus 10:12-15This earlier account of the locust plague in Egypt shows God using this creature as a powerful force to bring about His judgment, foreshadowing its devastating role in Deuteronomy's curses.
calvinDeuteronomy 28:15-68: "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:"
- But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake th…
gillDeuteronomy 28:42: "All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume."
All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. Which is a creature that not only consumes grass, and herbs, and the corn of the field, but all green trees; see Exodus 10:15 . This sort here has its name from the shade they make, hiding the light of the sun, and darkening the face of the earth at no on day; or from the noise they make with their wings in flying; see Joel 2:5 .
This verse reveals a subtle but devastating aspect of God's judgment: not just destruction, but utter displacement and ruin of what sustains life. It’s not simply that crops will fail, but that the very trees themselves, the producers of future harvests and shade, will be taken over, leaving a landscape barren and possessed by pests.
This passage is part of a long list of severe curses detailed in Deuteronomy 28, outlining the devastating consequences Israel would face if they disobeyed God's covenant. These curses are presented as the direct result of not listening to God's commands and are meant to be a stark warning, detailing widespread destruction from natural disasters, disease, and oppression by enemies. The verses immediately before and after describe the consumption of their crops and trees by insects and the eventual subjugation by foreign nations.
This passage is part of a long list of severe curses detailed in Deuteronomy 28, outlining the devastating consequences Israel would face if they disobeyed God's covenant. These curses are presented as the direct result of not listening to God's commands and are meant to be a stark warning, detailing widespread destruction from natural disasters, disease, and oppression by enemies. The verses immediately before and after describe the consumption of their crops and trees by insects and the eventual subjugation by foreign nations.
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"The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground." — This verse reveals a subtle but devastating aspect of God's judgment: not just destruction, but utter displacement and ruin of what sustains life. It’s not simply that crops will fail, but that the v…