Proverbs 30:27
The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
Original Language Analysis
וַיֵּצֵ֖א
yet go they forth
H3318
וַיֵּצֵ֖א
yet go they forth
Strong's:
H3318
Word #:
4 of 6
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim
Cross References
Psalms 105:34He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,Joel 2:25And 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.Joel 1:4That 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.
Historical Context
Locust swarms devastated ancient Near Eastern agriculture, sometimes covering hundreds of square miles. Joel 1-2 describes a locust plague as type of the Day of the LORD. Despite their small size and lack of leadership structure, locusts' coordinated movements could darken the sky (Exodus 10:15) and strip entire regions bare.
Questions for Reflection
- How can Christians achieve unity and coordinated mission without heavy-handed hierarchical control?
- What does locust-like discipline require—and how is it cultivated without a 'king'?
- Where has your lack of external structure revealed whether you have internal discipline and commitment?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The locusts have no king (מֶלֶךְ אֵין לָאַרְבֶּה, melekh ein la'arbeh)—אַרְבֶּה (arbeh, 'locust') has no מֶלֶךְ (melekh, 'king'). Unlike bees with queens or ants with organized hierarchy, locusts lack centralized leadership.
Yet go they forth all of them by bands (וַיֵּצֵא חֹצֵץ כֻּלּוֹ, vayyetze chotzetz kullo)—yet they יָצָא (yatza, 'go forth') חֹצֵץ (chotzetz, 'in ranks, in military formation') כֹּל (kol, 'all'). Without a king, they achieve remarkable coordination. Joel 2:7-8 describes their disciplined advance: 'They shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks.' The lesson: discipline and order don't require hierarchical control. The church, though lacking earthly king, moves forward under Christ's headship through shared commitment to divine purpose.