Hebrew word · H1501

גָּזָם

hagazam

locust

A kind of locust or a stage of locust. The root gzm probably means 'to cut off or shear', so it may mean 'the cutter'. It appears in a list with ʾarbeh, yeleq and ḥasil in Joel 1:4 and 2:25.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

locusts

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Amos 4:9

Range of meaning

A kind of locust or a stage of locust. The root gzm probably means 'to cut off or shear', so it may mean 'the cutter'. It appears in a list with ʾarbeh, yeleq and ḥasil in Joel 1:4 and 2:25.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'palmerworm', an old English word for a hairy, wandering caterpillar. Modern versions have 'locust(s)'. Some older versions have 'caterpillar'.

How it drifted

'Palmerworm' was a living word in 1611 and is obscure today. It also wrongly suggests a caterpillar. The Hebrew word belongs to the locust vocabulary.

Used elsewhere in the period

Joel 1:4 and 2:25. Old Testament curse texts list locusts among covenant curses (Deut 28:38-42), and so do other ancient Near Eastern treaty curses. The 8th-century BC Aramaic Sefire treaty, for example, calls for seven years of locusts and 'worm' devouring the land.

From the study of Joel 1:4

Range of meaning

A kind of locust, or locusts in a particular phase. It is generally linked to a root meaning 'cut, shear', which survives in later Hebrew and Aramaic, so: 'the cutter'. It occurs only three times: Joel 1:4, Joel 2:25 and Amos 4:9.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'palmerworm', an old English word for a hairy caterpillar. BSB has 'devouring locust'. ESV's 'cutting locust' and NASB's 'gnawing locust' are closer to the probable derivation.

How it drifted

Early English translators did not know which insect was meant. They followed the Greek and Latin (kampē, eruca, both meaning 'caterpillar') and chose the familiar English garden pest of the day.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Amos 4:9 the gazam devours 'your gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees', presented as one of God's warning blows that Israel ignored. The Greek Septuagint translates it kampē ('caterpillar'), and the Latin Vulgate eruca.

Where it appears

Joel · 2

  1. Joel 1:4 הַגָּזָם֙ the locust[s]

    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.

    Here: A locust named for cutting or shearing, probably from a root meaning 'to cut off'. It opens the chain as the first destroyer. Elsewhere it is found only in Joel 2:25 and Amos 4:9, where it eats gardens, vineyards, figs and olives.

  2. Joel 2:25 וְהַגָּזָ֑ם and the locust[s]

    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.

    Here: Probably from a root meaning 'to cut,' for the way locusts shear off plants. In 1:4 it came first in the list. Here it comes last.

Amos · 1

  1. Amos 4:9 הַגָּזָ֑ם the locust

    “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.

    Here: One of several Hebrew words for locusts (compare Joel 1:4; 2:25). Its root probably means 'to cut or shear', hence 'the cutter'. It may name a particular stage of the locust's growth, but that is uncertain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.