Psalms 78:46 Meaning: When God Gave the Crops to Locusts
He also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.
And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.
And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust;
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 78:46 recounts one of the plagues of Egypt. Why does the psalmist say God gave their crops to the caterpillar? A look at God's sovereign judgment.
Context
Psalm 78 is a long history lesson set to music. The writer retells Israel's story from Egypt to the time of David, alternating between God's mighty acts and the people's rebellion. By verse 46, he is deep into the plagues that struck Egypt before the Exodus. He describes the eighth plague: locusts devouring everything the Egyptians had grown. The psalmist's language is striking, he says God gave their crops to the locusts. This is not fortune or bad luck. It is God acting directly. The verse sets up a pattern: when people forget God, He uses creation to wake them up. Here the judgment falls on Egypt, but later in the psalm similar themes warn Israel themselves.
Key Words
The psalmist uses two Hebrew words for the insects that devour Egypt. The first, chasil, is translated as caterpillar in older Bibles. It means the devourer, a name that describes what it does, not what it is. The second, arbeh, is the common word for locust and comes from a root meaning many or multiply. Together they picture a swarm so dense and hungry that nothing remains.
But the most important word in this verse might be the verb natan, meaning gave. The psalmist could have said the locusts came or a plague happened. Instead he says God gave. This is a deliberate choice. Grammar becomes theology: God is not distant when disaster strikes. He is personally involved. That is sobering, but also reassuring. The same hand that gave the locusts their meal also led Israel out of Egypt.
How Christians Read This Verse
Across Christian traditions, commentators read verse 46 as a direct reference to the eighth plague in Exodus 10. Reformed writers like Calvin stress that God uses the locust as an instrument of judgment, displaying His sovereignty over all creation. Wesleyan commentators such as Matthew Henry emphasize the historical lesson: Israel must remember what God did to Egypt so they do not repeat their rebellion. Anglican sources note how the psalm uses the plagues to highlight Israel's ingratitude. Despite these different emphases, all agree that God is not merely permitting destruction. He is acting intentionally to accomplish His purposes.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading assumes that caterpillar refers to the garden insect we know today, or that the verse is about general agricultural pests. In fact, the Hebrew word chasil means the devourer and points specifically to the locust plague in Egypt. This is a historical retelling of one of the ten plagues, where God commanded a swarm to strip Egypt bare. The King James and other older translations used caterpillar because that word once covered any insect that ravaged plants. The meaning is locusts, sent by God.
Living This Out
This week, when something you have worked for is taken away, a project that fails, a relationship that sours, a season of your labour that yields nothing, remember this verse. It asks you to pause before you assign blame or call it bad luck. Could God be speaking through the loss? That is not an easy question, but it is a biblical one. The same God who gave the locusts their appetite also gave the harvest in other years. He is not fickle; He is sovereign. And for those who belong to Him, even the locusts serve His love. You can ask Him: What do You want me to learn from this empty field?
Main takeaway: God's sovereignty reaches to the smallest insect; He commands both the harvest and the locust that consumes it.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God sent a lot of hungry bugs to eat all the food in Egypt. That was because Pharaoh would not let God's people go. But God kept His own people safe.
For ages 9, 12
This verse is from a song that tells the story of when Israel was slaves in Egypt. God sent ten plagues to show He is stronger than any Egyptian god. The locust plague was number eight. The songwriter says God gave the crops to the locusts, meaning God was in control the whole time, even when everything got eaten. It is a reminder that God can use anything to get our attention, and He always keeps His promises to His people.
Questions People Ask
Why does the psalmist say God gave their crops to the caterpillar instead of just saying the locusts came?
The Hebrew word natan (gave) is active. The psalmist wants to emphasize that the locust plague was not an accident or natural disaster independent of God. It was a deliberate act of judgment. This language runs through the whole list of plagues in Psalm 78 (verses 44, 51), each time showing God as the direct agent. It is a way of saying that all of creation obeys its Creator, even the swarming locusts.
Is the caterpillar in Psalm 78:46 really a caterpillar or is it a locust?
The Hebrew word chasil literally means the devourer. Most commentators and modern translations (like the BSB) render it as a type of locust rather than a caterpillar. In the King James, caterpillar meant any leaf-eating insect. The parallel with locust in the second line confirms the same plague is being described. Exodus 10 mentions only locusts, so chasil likely refers to a locust species or a swarm of them.
What does Psalm 78:46 teach about God and natural disasters?
This verse is part of a historical retelling of the plagues on Egypt. It does not claim that every natural disaster is sent by God as judgment. But it does show that God is sovereign over all creation, including destructive insects. In this specific context, God used the locusts to judge Egypt and free Israel. The psalm uses this to remind God's people to remember His works and not rebel. Christians disagree about how God relates to natural disasters today, but all agree nothing happens outside His knowledge.
How does Psalm 78:46 fit into the overall message of the psalm?
The psalm alternates between God's mighty acts for Israel and Israel's repeated rebellion. Verses 42, 51 recount the plagues in Egypt to show how God rescued His people while judging their enemies. Verse 46 specifically highlights the locust plague. The purpose is to contrast God's faithfulness with Israel's forgetfulness. The psalmist wants his generation to learn from history and trust God, rather than repeat the mistakes of their ancestors.
Are there other places in the Bible where locusts are used as judgment?
Yes. The prophet Joel describes a devastating locust invasion as a sign of the day of the Lord and calls the people to repentance. In Revelation 9, locusts with symbolic features are released as part of God's end-time judgment. But locusts are also part of God's provision; in Leviticus 11, certain locusts are clean and could be eaten. So they represent both judgment and sustenance, depending on context.
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