Original Word: חָסִיל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chaciyl
Pronunciation: khaw-SEEL
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-seel')
KJV: caterpillar
NASB: grasshopper, stripping locust, caterpillar
Word Origin: [from H2628 (חָסַל - consume)]

1. the ravager, i.e. a locust

caterpillar

From chacal; the ravager, i.e. A locust -- caterpillar.

see HEBREW chacal

Word Origin
from chasal
Definition
(a kind of) locust
NASB Translation
caterpillar (1), grasshopper (3), stripping locust (2).

חָסִיל noun masculine a kind of locust (singular collective) always absolute ׳ח, and always as destructive; 1 Kings 8:37 2Chronicles 6:28; Psalm 78:46 (all "" אַרְבֶּה), Joshua 1:4; Joshua 2:25 ("" יָ֑לֶק, אַרְבֶּה, גָּזָם); compare ׳אֹסֶף הֶחָ Isaiah 33:4 the gathering of the locust, in simile of despoiling of Assyria ("" גֵּבִים).

Agricultural and Historical Setting

In the semiarid climate of the Ancient Near East, a single outbreak of locusts could erase years of labor in hours. The term חָסִיל appears at moments when Israel’s food supply, economy, and national security hung in the balance. Unlike ordinary pests, these insects arrived in massive swarms, stripping every green thing, leaving famine, social unrest, and vulnerability to invading armies.

Occurrences in Scripture

• 1 Kings 8:37 and the parallel 2 Chronicles 6:28 place חָסִיל in Solomon’s temple intercession: “If there is famine in the land, if there is plague or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers… whatever plague or sickness there is.” The king anticipates covenant curses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28) and pleads that prayerful repentance at the temple will move God to avert or lift such calamities.
• Psalm 78:46, recounting the Exodus plagues, records: “He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.” The verse reminds Israel that the God who once used locusts against Egypt can as easily unleash them upon His own covenant people should they persist in rebellion.
• Isaiah 33:4 uses חָסִיל metaphorically: “Your plunder is gathered, as a caterpillar gathers; like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.” The imagery compares Judah’s future enemies to an unstoppable horde, piling up booty as effortlessly as locusts devour foliage.
• Joel 1:4 inaugurates the prophet’s alarm: “What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten….” Joel 2:25 later holds forth hope: “I will restore to you the years eaten by the swarming locust—the devouring locust, the young locust, and the destroying locust—My great army that I sent against you.” The successive waves mirror the life-cycle of the insect and also the relentless stages of covenant judgment.

Instrument of Divine Discipline

In every passage חָסִיל functions as an agent of the LORD. He commands natural forces (Exodus 10:12-15) and employs them ethically—as warnings, punishments, or prodigals’ alarms. Locust plagues materialize the covenant stipulation: “You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because locusts will consume it” (Deuteronomy 28:38).

Call to National Repentance

Joel transforms agricultural crisis into a liturgy of repentance. The ruin that “the devouring locust” brings silences temple worship (Joel 1:9-13) and dries up the priests’ grain offerings, driving leaders to convene a “solemn assembly” (Joel 1:14). Restoration, therefore, is not merely ecological but spiritual: “Yet even now… return to Me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12).

Promise of Restoration and Eschatological Hope

Joel 2:25 anchors one of Scripture’s most tender assurances: the God who sent the devourer can also “restore the years.” The pledge reaches its climax in Joel 2:28-32, where the outpouring of the Spirit heals deeper ravages than ruined harvests. Peter cites the passage at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21), marking the decisive turning of judgment into salvation through the risen Christ.

Ministry Implications

1. Pastoral Counseling: Seasons of severe loss may resemble “years the locust has eaten.” Joel 2:25 authorizes confident proclamation that repentance and faith invite divine restoration—whether relational, moral, or vocational.
2. Preaching: חָסִיל illustrates the reality of divine retribution but also the gospel pattern—judgment swallowed by mercy. Sermons on Psalm 78 or Joel 1-2 can move from historical devastation to Christ’s substitutionary work that absorbs the curse (Galatians 3:13).
3. Missions and Social Concern: Modern food shortages, droughts, and insect infestations echo ancient judgments. The church’s relief efforts witness that the Creator still cares for His world and that redemption will culminate in a renewed creation where “the earth will yield its increase” (Psalm 67:6).

Devotional Reflection

Locusts leave nothing but barrenness; grace leaves nothing unrestored. Believers reading of חָסִיל are invited to exchange despair for the sure promise that the Lord of hosts can transform a stripped field into a harvest of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

הֶֽחָסִ֑יל הֶחָסִֽיל׃ החסיל החסיל׃ וְהֶחָסִ֣יל וְחָסִיל֙ והחסיל וחסיל חָסִיל֙ חסיל לֶחָסִ֣יל לחסיל chaSil ḥā·sîl ḥāsîl he·ḥā·sîl hechaSil heḥāsîl le·ḥā·sîl lechaSil leḥāsîl vechaSil vehechaSil wə·ḥā·sîl wə·he·ḥā·sîl wəḥāsîl wəheḥāsîlInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts