Why did JTB eat locusts?

[LittleLambofJesus]

he also ate honey, kinda sweet and rich for a guy in sackcloth? and wild locust, I read that locust were prized by the egyptians, could be a way of showing that he was an orthodox jew, but also not out of touch with other peoples/cultures?
and what I said before, it was not like he was living on bread and water.

That is the meaning of the word in the Hebrew.
Now I need to figure out why a greek word symbolizing "increase/abundant" wasn't used instead. Pretty interesting though.

Leviticus 11:22 These from them ye shall eat: the locust/0697 'arbeh to species of him, and the 05556 col`am to species of him, and the 02728 chargol to species of him, and the 02284 chagab to species of him.

697 'arbeh ar-beh' from 7235; a locust (from its rapid increase):-- grasshopper, locust.

4766 marbeh mar-beh' from 7235; properly, increasing; as noun, greatness, or (adverbially) greatly:--great, increase

Matthew 3:4 He yet the John had the apparel of him from hairs of a camel and a girdle purse leathern about the loin of him the yet food/trofh <5160> was of him locusts/akrideV <200> and honey, wild

200. akris ak-rece' apparently from the same as 206; a locust (as pointed, or as lighting on the top of vegetation):--locust.

2920. krisis kree'-sis decision (subjectively or objectively, for or against); by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice (especially, divine law):--accusation, condemnation, damnation, judgment.

 

[squint]

All who are led by God eat wild honey and locusts.

The eating of the locust is a sign that John t B was recognizing his OWN personal affliction as signified here for example:

2 Chron.

28 If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:
29 Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
30 Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men 31 That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

The honey in the segment above is the FORGIVE. And John the Baptist SURELY preached FORGIVENESS.

The RENDER is also signified by the plague or wrath spoken of throughout the O.T. then by physical plague, but also in reality showing the fact of our anti-spiritual plague.

So the observation will remain (to me,) not so much as what John externally ATE and the writer(s) may have not been signifying that at all, or if they were they did so with specific methodology in association. Jesus for example FED JOHN with the BREAD OF LIFE. He also kicked in some real bread as an example of His Real Working.

Isaiah 33:

3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.
5 The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

When the writer(s) associated wild honey and locusts with MEAT you KNOW they are not making HONEY or LOCUSTS into MEAT now are they???

John was CRYING in the WILDERNESS was he not?

Now watch the MEAT part come into play...with John's ACTIONS:
Psalm 42:3
My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

Do you hear John's CRYING in the wilderness clearer now?

Psalm 19:
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

John came in both JUDGMENT and in FORGIVENESS. Judgment was HAILED upon the VIPERS in asking THEM 'who has WARNED YOU to flee the JUDGMENT/WRATH that IS to come?'

I could go on, but you'll get the drift on the trail. And don't forget that the honey of God may taste sweet in the mouth, but in the belly it is BITTER.

enjoy!

squint

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

John came in both JUDGMENT and in FORGIVENESS. Judgment was HAILED upon the VIPERS in asking THEM 'who has WARNED YOU to flee the JUDGMENT that IS to come?'

I could go on, but you'll get the drift on the trail. And don't forget that the honey of God may taste sweet in the mouth, but in the belly it is BITTER.

enjoy!

squint

Great post squint. This is about the way I saw it.
I also did a study on those wascally scorpions in Reve and noticed the root word for "pierce" in Reve 1 is similar to the "stingers" in Reve 9. I have a view on this but that is another topic. Thanks for your input!!!!!

Reve 1:7 Behold! He is coming with the clouds, and shall be seeing/oyetai <3700> (5695) Him every eye and/even who any Him they pierce/ex-ekenthsan <1574>. And shall be bewailing over Him all the tribes of the Land. Yea Amen. . [Jeremiah 4:13/Zech 12:10]

Reve 9:10 And they are having tails like-as scorpions and piercers/kentra <2759>, and in the tails of them the authority of them to injure the men months five

 

[squint]

Great post squint. This is about the way I saw it.
I also did a study on those wascally scorpions in Reve and noticed the root word for "pierce" in Reve 1 is similar to the "stingers" in Reve 9. I have a view on this but that is another topic. Thanks for your input!!!!!

Reve 1:7 Behold! He is coming with the clouds, and shall be seeing/oyetai <3700> (5695) Him every eye and/even who any Him they pierce/ex-ekenthsan <1574>. And shall be bewailing over Him all the tribes of the Land. Yea Amen. . [Jeremiah 4:13/Zech 12:10]

Reve 9:10 And they are having tails like-as scorpions and piercers/kentra <2759>, and in the tails of them the authority of them to injure the men months five

He bids us come to walk on the sea.

Yer gittin' His Drift 4 sure!

 

[Sphinx777]

Greetings. I was doing a word study on "locusts" in Revelation and for the life of me I cannot understand why John was eating locusts even though it was considered "Kosher" by YHWH in the OT.

Does anyone know of any instance of a prophet eating locusts in the OT?

Curiously Hebrews 5:4 mentions that word food and the greek word #1253 is similar to the word locust. Any thoughts on this from anyone.

http://www.olivetree.com/cgi-bin/EnglishBible.htm

Matthew 3:4 He yet the John had the apparel of him from hairs of a camel and a girdle purse leathern about the loin of him the yet food/trofh <5160> was of him locusts/akrideV <200> and honey wild

Mark 1:6 And was John having apparel hairs of a camel and girdle/purse leather about the loin of him and eating locusts/akridaV <200> and honey wild.

Hebrew 5:14 Of perfected ones yet is the solid food/trofh <5160> of the ones because the habit, the faculties exercised having toward thru-judging/di-akrisin <1253> of ideal besides also evil.

1253. diakrisis dee-ak'-ree-sis from 1252; judicial estimation:--discern(-ing), disputation.

1223. dia dee-ah' a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act;

200. akris ak-rece' apparently from the same as 206; a locust (as pointed, or as lighting on the top of vegetation):--locust.

2919. krino kree'-no properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish:--

Entomophagy (from Greek &#7956;&#957;&#964;&#959;&#956;&#959;&#962; éntomos, "insect(ed)", and &#966;&#8112;&#947;&#949;&#8150;&#957; ph&#259;gein, "to eat", which together means "insect eating") is the practice of eating insects as food. Entomophagy is seen in a large number of taxonomic groups including insects (that eat other insects), birds, and mammals.

The term is also used to describe human insect-eating that is common in some cultures in parts of the world including Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, but uncommon and even taboo in some societies.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Entomophagy (from Greek &#7956;&#957;&#964;&#959;&#956;&#959;&#962; éntomos, "insect(ed)", and &#966;&#8112;&#947;&#949;&#8150;&#957; ph&#259;gein, "to eat", which together means "insect eating") is the practice of eating insects as food. Entomophagy is seen in a large number of taxonomic groups including insects (that eat other insects), birds, and mammals.

Where is that word "entomos" used in the NT? The closest I could find in a lexicon was #5114. The prefix "en" before a greek word generally denotes "in'.

http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

1722. en en a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively),

5114. tomoteros tom-o'-ter-os comparative of a derivative of the primary temno (to cut; more comprehensive or decisive than 2875, as if by a single stroke; whereas that implies repeated blows, like hacking); more keen:--sharper.

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

Can we please just stick to the Bible and use Scripture quotes only. Why was Locusts specifically mentioned instead of other insects.

I'm not really using anything theological... they are likely mentioned because that's what he eat, and not other insects. Locusts are more nutritious and edible, whereas other insects aren't. Really quite simple.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I'm not really using anything theological... they are likely mentioned because that's what he eat, and not other insects. Locusts are more nutritious and edible, whereas other insects aren't. Really quite simple.

Greetings. But of course.
But they can can also be so numerous that they can "swarm" and devour crops and cause a food shortage, correct?

Didn't YHWH use locusts as one of the plagues in Exodus and notice in Revelation they are also symbolized. Ya think they caused/will-cause that Famine in that mysterious great city in Revelation? Interesting.

Exodus 10:4 But if refusing thou release My people, behold Me! bringing tomorrow locust/0697 'arbeh in thy boundaries/regions

Reve 9:3 And out of the smoke came out locusts/akrideV <200> into the land, and was given to them authority, as are having authority the scorpions of the Land,

Reve 18:8 by this, in one day shall be arriving the blows of Her, death and sorrow and famine/limoV <3042>. And in fire She shall be being burned, that strong Lord, the God, the one judging Her

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

Greetings. But of course.
But they can can also be so numerous that they can "swarm" and devour crops and cause a food shortage, correct?

Didn't YHWH use locusts as one of the plagues in Exodus and notice in Revelation they are also symbolized. Ya think they caused/will-cause that Famine in that mysterious great city in Revelation? Interesting.

Exodus 10:4 But if refusing thou release My people, behold Me! bringing tomorrow locust/0697 'arbeh in thy boundaries/regions

Reve 9:3 And out of the smoke came out locusts/akrideV <200> into the land, and was given to them authority, as are having authority the scorpions of the Land,

Reve 18:8 by this, in one day shall be arriving the blows of Her, death and sorrow and famine/limoV <3042>. And in fire She shall be being burned, that strong Lord, the God, the one judging Her

Sure, but just because they have symbolic and theological (what you're saying is theological) significance in Exodus, Revelation and other places doesn't mean it matters at all in the gospel narratives.

 

[NorrinRadd]

IVP Bible Background Commentary on Matt. 3:4 -- "John's diet is that of the very poor; although domestic beekeepers were common, John eats only wild honey. (Honey was normally procured by smoking the bees out and then breaking open the honeycomb; honey was the only sweetener for foods, and was considered the sweetest of tastes.) But Essenes and other pious Israelites (2 Macc. 5:27) ate such diets to avoid unclean food.

John dressed like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and other people who lived outside society (some, like Cynics and Josephus's Essene tutor Bannus, were more ascetic); the allusion to Elijah here suggests that the end is near (Mal. 4:5-6)."


IVP Bible Background Commentary on Mark 1:6 -- "Some other poor people in John's day dressed the way he did and ate locusts and honey (the Dead Sea Scrolls give directions for the eating of locusts). But what is most important here is that the Old Testament emphasizes that Elijah dressed this way and, like John, did not depend on society for his sustenance (cf. 1 Ki. 17:4, 9). ..."

 

[BigNorsk]

Locust eating has a long history. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_desert_shrimps/html/1.stm

Is an interesting story about the eating of what these people call desert shrimp because they taste like shrimp.

We might think of eating grasshoppers as a hardship but not these people.

Marv

 

[prodromos]

"Locusts" is a mistranslation due to the limited knowledge the earlier translators had of Greek. Unfortunately this error has propagated into pretty much every translation into other languages because later translators use the early translations as a guide.

&#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#948;&#945; (II), &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#962; &#951;. H &#954;&#959;&#961;&#965;&#966;&#942; &#964;&#959;&#965; &#946;&#955;&#945;&#963;&#964;&#945;&#961;&#953;&#959;&#973;: &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#948;&#945;&#962; &#959;&#965; &#963;&#953;&#964;&#949;&#973;&#959;&#956;&#945;&#953; &#959;&#965;&#948;&#8217; &#945;&#947;&#945;&#960;&#974; &#946;&#959;&#964;&#940;&#957;&#945;&#962; &#928;&#961;&#959;&#948;&#961;. II 103. [&#956;&#964;&#947;&#957;. &#959;&#965;&#963;. &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#962;]

plural form - &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#948;&#949;&#962; - young shoots

I remember the some of the monks on Mount Athos having a real chuckle over this when I brought it up.

John

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

"Locusts" is a mistranslation due to the limited knowledge the earlier translators had of Greek. Unfortunately this error has propagated into pretty much every translation into other languages because later translators use the early translations as a guide.

&#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#948;&#945; (II), &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#962; &#951;. H &#954;&#959;&#961;&#965;&#966;&#942; &#964;&#959;&#965; &#946;&#955;&#945;&#963;&#964;&#945;&#961;&#953;&#959;&#973;: &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#948;&#945;&#962; &#959;&#965; &#963;&#953;&#964;&#949;&#973;&#959;&#956;&#945;&#953; &#959;&#965;&#948;&#8217; &#945;&#947;&#945;&#960;&#974; &#946;&#959;&#964;&#940;&#957;&#945;&#962; &#928;&#961;&#959;&#948;&#961;. II 103. [&#956;&#964;&#947;&#957;. &#959;&#965;&#963;. &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#962;]

plural form - &#945;&#954;&#961;&#943;&#948;&#949;&#962; - young shoots

I remember the some of the monks on Mount Athos having a real chuckle over this when I brought it up.

John

Interesting and thanks. Just for the heck of it, what did they have to say about that greek word for scorpions?

Matthew 12:30 The-one no being with Me against Me is, and the-one no together-gathereth with me is-scattering/skorpizei <4650> (5719)

Luke 10:19 Behold. I have given ye the authority of the to be treading upon serpents and upon scorpions/skorpiwn <4651> and upon all the power of the enemy and nothing ye not no should be injuring.

Reve 9:5 And was given to them that not they should be killing them, but that they should be being tormented months, five. And the torment of them as torment of a scorpion/skorpiou <4651>, whenever it should be striking a man

TexRec) Revelation 9:5 kai edoqh autaiV ina mh apokteinwsin autouV all ina basanisqwsin mhnaV pente kai o basanismoV autwn wV basanismoV skorpiou otan paish anqrwpon