Moths and worms in the Bible

18 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.

Moths

Moths eat clothesJas 5:2
The verses
Jas 5:2Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.
Moth and rust destroy treasures on earthMatt 6:19–20
The verses
Matt 6:19–20Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
A treasure in heaven, where no moth destroysLuke 12:33
The verses
Luke 12:33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
“Like a moth-eaten garment”Job 13:28
The verses
Job 13:28So man wastes away like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.
“The moth will devour them like a garment”Isa 50:9, Isa 51:8
The verses
Isa 50:9Surely the Lord GOD helps Me. Who is there to condemn Me? See, they will all wear out like a garment; the moths will devour them.
Isa 51:8For the moth will devour them like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will last forever, My salvation through all generations.”
“The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon”Job 27:18
The verses
Job 27:18The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman.
Those in houses of clay, crushed like a mothJob 4:19
The verses
Job 4:19how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth!

Worms

Manna kept overnight bred maggots and began to smellExod 16:20
The verses
Exod 16:20But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
The portion kept for the Sabbath had no maggotsExod 16:24
The verses
Exod 16:24So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots.
At dawn a worm attacked Jonah’s plant, and it witheredJonah 4:7
The verses
Jonah 4:7When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.
Herod was eaten by worms and diedActs 12:21–23
The verses
Acts 12:21–23On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people. And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!” Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Worms eat the grapes, so no one gathers themDeut 28:39
The verses
Deut 28:39You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but will neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes, because worms will eat them.
Job: “My flesh is clothed with worms”Job 7:5
The verses
Job 7:5My flesh is clothed with worms and encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.
In the grave worms cover the prosperous and the bitter alikeJob 21:23–26
The verses
Job 21:23–26One man dies full of vigor, completely secure and at ease. His body is well nourished, and his bones are rich with marrow. Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity. But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both.
“The worm will eat them like wool”Isa 51:8
The verses
Isa 51:8For the moth will devour them like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will last forever, My salvation through all generations.”
“Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket”Isa 14:11
The verses
Isa 14:11Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket.
A psalm: “I am a worm and not a man”Ps 22:6
The verses
Ps 22:6But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.

Sources

From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.

Berean Standard Bible · Public domain