the representative in the Authorized Version of several Hebrew words. Sas , which occurs in (Isaiah 51:18) probably denotes some particular species of moth, whose larva is injurious to wool. Rimmah , (Exodus 16:20) points evidently to various kinds of maggots and the larvae of insects which feed on putrefying animal matter, rather than to earthworms. Toleah is applied in (28:39) to some kinds of larvae destructive to the vines. In (Job 19:26; 21:26; 24:20) there is an allusion to worms (insect larvae) feeding on the dead bodies of the buried. There is the same allusion in (Isaiah 66:24) which words are applied by our Lord, (Mark 9:44,46,48) metaphorically to the torments of the guilty in the world of departed spirits. The valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, where the filth of the city was cast, was alive with worms. The death of Herod Agrippa I, was caused by worms. (Acts 12:23)

(tola`ath shani (Exodus 25:4, etc.)): Cermes vermilio, a scale insect from which a red dye is obtained.

See COLOR; DYEING; WORM.

WORM; SCARLET-WORM

wurm, skar'-let-wurm:

(1) tola`, tole`ah, tola`ath, tola`ath, from tala`; compare Arabic tala, "to stretch the neck"; usually with shani, "bright" (of Arabic sana, "a flash of lightning"), the term tola`ath shani being translated "scarlet" in English Versions of the Bible; also in the same sense the following: sheni tola`ath (Leviticus 14:4), tola` (Isaiah 1:18, English Versions of the Bible "crimson"), shanim (Proverbs 31:21 Isaiah 1:18, English Versions of the Bible "scarlet"), shani (Genesis 38:28 Joshua 2:18 Songs 4:3); also kokkos, and kokkinos (Matthew 27:23 Hebrews 9:19 Revelation 17:3, 4; Revelation 18:12, 16).

(2) rimmah, from ramam, "to putrefy" (Exodus 16:20); compare Arab ramm, "to become carious" (of bone).

(3) cac (only in Isaiah 51:8); compare Arabic sus, "worm"; ses, "moth" (Matthew 6:19).

(4) zochalim (Micah 7:17, the King James Version "worms," the Revised Version (British and American) "crawling things"), from zachal, "to crawl."

(5) skolex (Mark 9:48), skolekobrotos, "eaten of worms" (Acts 12:23).

Besides the numerous passages, mostly in Exodus, referring to the tabernacle, where tola`ath, with shani, is translated "scarlet," there are eight pasages in which it is translated "worm." These denote worms which occur in decaying organic matter or in sores (Exodus 16:20 Isaiah 14:11; Isaiah 66:24); or which are destructive to plants (Deuteronomy 28:39 Jonah 4:7); or the word is used as a term of contempt or depreciation (Job 25:6 Psalm 22:6 Isaiah 41:14). Rimmah is used in the same senses. It occurs with tola`ath as a synonym in Exodus 16:24 Job 25:6 Isaiah 14:11. In Job 25:6, English Versions of the Bible, rendering both tola`ath and rimmah by "worm," 'enosh and 'adham by "man," and introducing twice "that is a," makes a painfully monotonous distich out of the concise and elegant original, in which not one word of the first part is repeated in the second. Cac (Isaiah 51:8), English Versions of the Bible "worm," is the larva of the clothes-moth. See MOTH. In none of the cases here considered are worms, properly so called, denoted, but various insect larvae which are commonly called "worms," e.g. "silkworm," "apple-worm," "meal-worm," etc. These larvae are principally those of Diptera or flies, Coleoptera or beetles, and Lepidoptera or butterflies and moths.

Tola`ath shani, "scarlet," is the scarlet-worm, Cermes vermilio, a scale-insect which feeds upon the oak, and which is used for producing a red dye. It is called by the Arabs dudeh, "a worm," a word also used for various insect larvae. It is also called qirmiz, whence" crimson" and the generic name Cermes. This scarlet-worm or scale-insect is one of the family Coccidae of the order Rhynchota or Hemiptera. The female is wingless and adheres to its favorite plant by its long, sucking beak, by which it extracts the sap on which it lives. After once attaching itself it remains motionless, and when dead its body shelters the eggs which have been deposited beneath it. The males, which are smaller than the females, pass through a complete metamorphosis and develop wings. The dye is made from the dried bodies of the females. Other species yielding red dyes are Porphyrophora polonica and Coccus cacti. The last named is the Mexican cochineal insect which feeds on the cactus and which largely supplanted the others after the discovery of America. Aniline dyes have in turn to a great extent superseded these natural organic colors, which, however, continue to be unsurpassed for some purposes.

See COLORS.

Alfred Ely Day

(1.) Hebrews sas (Isaiah 51:8), denotes the caterpillar of the clothes-moth.

(2.) The manna bred worms (tola'im), but on the Sabbath there was not any worm (rimmah) therein (Exodus 16:20, 24). Here these words refer to caterpillars or larvae, which feed on corrupting matter.

These two Hebrew words appear to be interchangeable (Job 25:6; Isaiah 14:11). Tola'im in some places denotes the caterpillar (Deuteronomy 28:39; Jonah 4:7), and rimmah, the larvae, as bred from putridity (Job 17:14; 21:26; 24:20). In Micah 7:17, where it is said, "They shall move out of their holes like worms," perhaps serpents or "creeping things," or as in the Revised Version, "crawling things," are meant.

The word is used figuratively in Job 25:6; Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 41:14; Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Isaiah 66:24.

2. (n.) Any small creeping animal or reptile, either entirely without feet, or with very short ones, including a great variety of animals; as, an earthworm; the blindworm.

3. (n.) Any helminth; an entozoon.

4. (n.) Any annelid.

5. (n.) An insect larva.

6. (n.) Same as Vermes.

7. (n.) An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one's mind with remorse.

8. (n.) A being debased and despised.

9. (n.) Anything spiral, vermiculated, or resembling a worm

10. (n.) The thread of a screw.

11. (n.) A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.

12. (n.) A certain muscular band in the tongue of some animals, as the dog; the lytta. See Lytta.

13. (n.) The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to economize space. See Illust. of Still.

14. (n.) A short revolving screw, the threads of which drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel by gearing into its teeth or cogs. See Illust. of Worm gearing, below.

15. (v. i.) To work slowly, gradually, and secretly.

16. (v. t.) To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means; -- often followed by out.

17. (v. t.) To clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge from, as a firearm. See Worm, n. 5 (b).

18. (n.) To cut the worm, or lytta, from under the tongue of, as a dog, for the purpose of checking a disposition to gnaw. The operation was formerly supposed to guard against canine madness.

19. (n.) To wind rope, yarn, or other material, spirally round, between the strands of, as a cable; to wind with spun yarn, as a small rope.

8439b. toleah -- a worm
toleah or tolaath. << 8439a, 8439b. toleah or tolaath. 8440 >>. a worm.
Transliteration: toleah or tolaath Short Definition: worm. Word ...
/hebrew/8439b.htm - 5k

8438. tola -- worm, scarlet stuff
... << 8437, 8438. tola. 8439 >>. worm, scarlet stuff. Transliteration: tola
Phonetic Spelling: (to-law') Short Definition: crimson. Word ...
/hebrew/8438.htm - 6k

2119. zachal -- to shrink back, crawl away
... be afraid, serpent, worm A primitive root; to crawl; by implication, to fear --
be afraid, serpent, worm. << 2118, 2119. zachal. 2119a >>. Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/2119.htm - 5k

8439. Towla' -- two men of Issachar
... crimson, scarlet, worm The same as towla'; worm; Tola, the name of two Israelites --
Tola. see HEBREW towla'. << 8438, 8439. Towla'. 8439a >>. Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/8439.htm - 5k

1501. gazam -- locusts
... palmer-worm. From an unused root meaning to devour; a kind of locust --
palmer-worm. << 1500, 1501. gazam. 1502 >>. Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1501.htm - 5k

7537. raqeb -- to rot
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to rot NASB Word Usage rot (2). rot. A primitive
root; to decay (as by worm-eating) -- rot. << 7536, 7537. raqeb. 7538 >>. ...
/hebrew/7537.htm - 5k