Psalm 105:34
New International Version
He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;

New Living Translation
He spoke, and hordes of locusts came— young locusts beyond number.

English Standard Version
He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number,

Berean Standard Bible
He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number.

Berean Literal Bible
He spoke, and the locust came, and the young locust without number,

King James Bible
He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,

New King James Version
He spoke, and locusts came, Young locusts without number,

New American Standard Bible
He spoke, and locusts came, And creeping locusts, beyond number,

NASB 1995
He spoke, and locusts came, And young locusts, even without number,

NASB 1977
He spoke, and locusts came, And young locusts, even without number,

Legacy Standard Bible
He spoke, and locusts came, And creeping locusts, without number,

Amplified Bible
He spoke, and the [migratory] locusts came, And the young locusts, even without number,

Berean Annotated Bible
He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number.

Christian Standard Bible
He spoke, and locusts came — young locusts without number.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He spoke, and locusts came— young locusts without number.

American Standard Version
He spake, and the locust came, And the grasshopper, and that without number,

Contemporary English Version
God gave the command, and more grasshoppers came than could be counted.

English Revised Version
He spake, and the locust came, and the cankerworm, and that without number,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He spoke, and countless locusts and grasshoppers came.

Good News Translation
He commanded, and the locusts came, countless millions of them;

International Standard Version
Then he commanded the locust to come— grasshoppers without number.

NET Bible
He ordered locusts to come, innumerable grasshoppers.

New Heart English Bible
He spoke, and the locusts came, and the grasshoppers, without number,

Webster's Bible Translation
He spoke, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number,
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number.

World English Bible
He spoke, and the locusts came with the grasshoppers, without number.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He has commanded, and the locust comes, "" And the cankerworm—innumerable,

Berean Literal Bible
He spoke, and the locust came, and the young locust without number,

Young's Literal Translation
He hath said, and the locust cometh, And the cankerworm -- innumerable,

Smith's Literal Translation
He said, and the locust will come and the feeder, and no number.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He spoke, and the locust came, and the bruchus, of which there was no number.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He spoke, and the locust came forth, and the caterpillar, of which there was no number.

New American Bible
He spoke and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number.

New Revised Standard Version
He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He spoke and the locusts came and caterpillars, and that without numbers throughout their land.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He spoke and the locusts came and the crawling locust without number in all their land.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He spoke, and the locust came, And the canker-worm without number,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He spoke, and the locust came, and caterpillars innumerable,

Additional Translations ...



Context
Tell of His Wonders
33He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country. 34He spoke, and the locusts came— young locusts without number. 35They devoured every plant in their land and consumed the produce of their soil.…

Cross References
He spoke, and the locusts came—

Psalm 33:9
For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.

Exodus 10:13-15
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. / They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

Revelation 9:3
And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.
young locusts without number.

Jeremiah 46:23
They will chop down her forest, declares the LORD, dense though it may be, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted.

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.

Judges 6:5
For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.
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.

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.

1 Kings 8:37
When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come,

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.”

Amos 4:9
“I struck you with blight and mildew in your growing gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.

Proverbs 30:27
the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation;

Matthew 3:4
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Mark 1:6
John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.


Treasury of Scripture

He spoke, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number,

the locusts

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

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…

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Cankerworm Canker-Worm Caterpillars Caterpillers Grasshopper Grasshoppers Innumerable Locusts Numbered Word Young
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Cankerworm Canker-Worm Caterpillars Caterpillers Grasshopper Grasshoppers Innumerable Locusts Numbered Word Young
Psalm 105
1. An exhortation to praise God, and to seek out his works
7. The story of God's providence over Abraham
16. Over Joseph
23. Over Jacob in Egypt
26. Over Moses delivering the Israelites
37. Over the Israelites brought out of Egypt, fed in the desert, and planted in Canaan.












He spoke, and the locusts came—

God commanded the locust plague against Egypt after Pharaoh repeatedly refused to release Israel. The swarm arrived at His word, demonstrating His rule over creation and His judgment against Egypt’s rebellion.

Psa 33:9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded…
Exo 10:13-15 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt…
Rev 9:3 And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth,…

young locusts without number.

The vast swarm consumed what remained after the hail, leaving Egypt’s fields stripped and exposing the helplessness of Pharaoh and his gods before the Lord.

Jer 46:23 They will chop down her forest, declares the LORD,…
Jol 1:4 What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust…
Jdg 6:5 For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents…

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The central figure in this verse, God is the one who speaks and commands the locusts, demonstrating His sovereign power over creation.

2. Locusts
These insects are used by God as instruments of judgment. In the context of Psalm 105, they are part of the plagues sent upon Egypt.

3. Egypt
The land where the plagues, including the locusts, were sent as a judgment against Pharaoh and the Egyptians for enslaving the Israelites.

4. Pharaoh
The ruler of Egypt who hardened his heart against God’s command to let the Israelites go, leading to the plagues.

5. Israelites
God's chosen people, who were enslaved in Egypt and whom God was delivering through the plagues.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty
God has control over all creation, including the natural world. His command over the locusts in Egypt demonstrates His authority and power.

Judgment and Mercy
The plagues, including the locusts, were acts of judgment against Egypt but also acts of mercy towards the Israelites, as they led to their eventual freedom.

Obedience to God
Pharaoh's refusal to obey God resulted in severe consequences. This serves as a reminder of the importance of obedience to God's commands.

Repentance and Deliverance
The plagues highlight the need for repentance and the deliverance that comes from turning to God. Just as the Israelites were delivered, we too can find deliverance through Christ.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Psalm 105:34?

2. How does Psalm 105:34 demonstrate God's power over nature and creation?

3. What lessons can we learn from God's judgment in Psalm 105:34?

4. How does Psalm 105:34 connect to the plagues in Exodus?

5. How can we apply the warnings in Psalm 105:34 to our lives today?

6. What does Psalm 105:34 teach about obedience and consequences in a believer's life?

7. How does Psalm 105:34 align with the historical account of the plagues in Egypt?

8. What is the theological significance of God sending locusts in Psalm 105:34?

9. How does Psalm 105:34 reflect God's sovereignty over nature?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Psalm 105?


(34) Caterpillars.--To the locust, 'aarbeh, alone mentioned in Exodus, the psalmist adds, as a poetical synonym to suit his parallelism, caterpillar (yelek), a word occurring in Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25; Nahum 3:15; Jeremiah 51:14; Jeremiah 51:27. By derivation the word means "licker" (comp. Numbers 22:4), and is possibly used in a wide or general sense for insects of the locust kind. (See Bible Educator, IV. 294.) . . .

Verse 34. - He spake, and the locusts came (see Exodus 10:13, 14). And caterpillars. Either a kind of locust, or the locust at one period of its growth. Not mentioned in Exodus. And that without number (see Exodus 10:14, 15).

Psalm 105:34 captures in one sentence the matchless authority of God’s spoken word. With a single command He unleashes an immeasurable army of young locusts, demonstrating His power to judge rebellion, fulfill covenant promises, and advance redemption. What He says happens; therefore His people can rest in every promise and heed every command, confident that the LORD who once spoke locusts into Egypt still rules heaven and earth today.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He spoke,
אָ֭מַר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

and the locusts
אַרְבֶּ֑ה (’ar·beh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 697: (a kind of) locust

came—
וַיָּבֹ֣א (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

young locusts
וְ֝יֶ֗לֶק (wə·ye·leq)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3218: A devourer, the young locust

without
וְאֵ֣ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

number.
מִסְפָּֽר׃ (mis·pār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4557: A number, definite, indefinite, narration


Additonal Resources
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OT Poetry: Psalm 105:34 He spoke and the locusts came (Psalm Ps Psa.)

Psalm 105:33
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