Original Word: גּוֹב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: gowb
Pronunciation: gob
Phonetic Spelling: (gobe)
KJV: grasshopper, X great
NASB: hordes of grasshoppers
Word Origin: [from H1461 (גּוּב - Pit)]

1. the locust (from its grubbing as a larvae)

grasshopper, great

From guwb; the locust (from its grubbing as a larvae) -- grasshopper, X great.

see HEBREW guwb

Word Origin
from the same as gebeh
Definition
locusts
NASB Translation
hordes of grasshoppers (1).

גּוֺב noun [masculine] locusts, Nahum 3:17; compare גֹּבַי.

גֹּבַי, גּוֺבָ֑י noun masculine^{Amos 7:1}, compare see 2

collective locusts (swarm, multitude; Aramaic גּוּבָא, plural גוּבָאֵי; on formative see Ol^{§ 216 d}), גֹּבַי symbol of Yahweh's judgment on Israel Amos 7:1; in simile of disappearance of Assyrian leaders at destruction of Nineveh גּוֺב גּוֺבָ֑י Nahum 3:17 (locust-) swarm of locusts ("" אַרְבֶּה); but strike out גּוֺב as dittograph We and others

Definition and Imagery

גּוֹב depicts a massed swarm of locusts. In the ancient Near East the locust was dreaded for its power to strip vegetation bare within hours, leaving famine and economic collapse in its wake. Scripture uses the term figuratively for anything that moves with relentless force, devours resources, and then vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Amos 7:1 – The prophet sees the Lord forming “swarms of locusts” just after the king’s mowing. Israel’s second harvest, normally reserved for the common people, is placed in jeopardy, dramatizing how divine judgment threatens every social class.
2. Nahum 3:17 (twice) – Assyria’s military officers and scribes are compared to “clouds of locusts” that settle on hedges in cold weather, only to flee when the sun rises. Their seeming strength is exposed as transient; at the first heat of divine wrath they will disperse.

Historical Background

Ancient records from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant repeatedly mention locust invasions. Farmers depended on two main rainy seasons; locusts hatching in the spring could destroy the standing or budding crops before harvest. Because entire national economies rode on a single successful harvest, a locust plague constituted a geopolitical crisis. Amos prophesied in the eighth century B.C. when the Northern Kingdom enjoyed relative affluence; a sudden agricultural disaster would shatter the illusion of security. Nahum, about a century later, addressed Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, which had previously used economic dominance and military power to subdue its neighbors. Locust imagery thus exposes the vulnerability of even the mightiest nations when faced with God’s sovereign intervention.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Judgment – Locust swarms personify the Lord’s discipline (Amos 7:1–3). The prophet intercedes, and God relents, illustrating both severity and mercy.
2. Ephemerality of Human Power – Nahum pictures government officials as insects perching only while conditions suit them. Earthly authority cannot withstand the heat of the Lord’s anger.
3. Corporate Accountability – In Amos the entire community suffers; in Nahum the entire empire collapses. Public sin invites public consequences.
4. Providence and Prayer – Amos’ plea, “O Lord GOD, please forgive!” (7:2), demonstrates that judgment announced is not necessarily judgment finalized. The righteous may stand in the gap.

Lessons for Ministry

• Preach both warning and hope. God forms the swarm, yet He also answers intercession.
• Expose false securities. Political power, economic surplus, and bureaucratic sophistication can evaporate like locusts at sunrise.
• Cultivate intercessors. Amos’ prayer shifted history, modeling how the church should respond to looming crises.
• Call for repentance before devastation arrives. Unlike crops, hardened hearts can still be redeemed.

Messianic and Eschatological Echoes

Locust plagues reappear in Joel 1–2 and Revelation 9, framing a biblical pattern: devastating judgment precedes salvation and restoration. Amos’ halted swarm anticipates the ultimate stay of wrath provided by the cross, while Nahum’s fleeing locusts foreshadow the final overthrow of all earthly powers opposed to Christ’s kingdom. The image urges believers to look beyond temporary upheavals to the day when “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15).

גֹּבַ֔י גֹּבָ֑י גבי כְּג֣וֹב כגוב gō·ḇay gō·ḇāy gōḇay gōḇāy goyAi kə·ḡō·wḇ keGov kəḡōwḇInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts