Caterpillar

Joel opens with a ruined harvest: “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.” Each stage of the swarm finishes off what the last one spared. Solomon’s prayer names the caterpiller among the troubles that might strike the land, and the psalmists recall that God gave Egypt’s increase to the locust and the caterpiller. Yet Joel 2:25 holds out a promise: “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.” Joel 1 and 2 belong together.

6 verses

1 Kings

1 Kings 8:37

If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;

Psalms

Psalms 78:46

He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

Psalms 105:34

He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 51:27

Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.

Joel

Joel 1:4

That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

Joel 2:25

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

The consumer. Used in the Old Testament (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chr. 6:28; Ps. 78:46; Isa. 33:4) as the translation of a word (hasil) the root of which means “to devour” or “consume,” and which is used also with reference to the locust in Deut. 28:38. It may have been a species of locust, or the name of one of the transformations through which the locust passes, locust-grub. It is also found (Ps. 105:34; Jer. 51:14, 27; R.V., “cankerworm”) as the rendering of a different Hebrew word, yelek, a word elsewhere rendered “cankerworm” (q.v.), Joel 1:4; 2:25. (See LOCUST.)

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

The representative in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word chasil and yelek .

(1.) Chasil occurs in (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chronicles 6:28; Psalms 78:46; Isaiah 33:4; Joel 1:4) and seems to be applied to a locust, perhaps in its larva state.

(2.) Yelek. [LOCUST].