In Psalms, when David writes, “But I am a worm, and not a man...", the word used for “worm” is tôlāʿ (תּוֹלָע), which refers to the crimson worm (short video)

youtube ^

[RoosterRedux]

I thought this short video was interesting—it was certainly new to me.

The crimson worm (coccus ilicis) is a small insect that was used in the ancient world to produce a deep red dye. This dye was highly valuable and used in sacred contexts, including the coloring of priestly garments and elements of the Tabernacle.

The crimson worm also has unique biological characteristics that carry profound symbolic meaning.

When the female is ready to lay eggs, she attaches herself permanently to a tree or wooden surface. In the process of giving life to her young, she dies, and her body secretes a crimson fluid that stains both her offspring and the wood beneath her. After a few days, the carcass dries out and flakes off, turning white like wool or snow.

David’s use of tôlāʿ in Psalm 22 is more than a statement of feeling low or humiliated. It is a poetic and prophetic expression of self-sacrificial suffering. Psalm 22 as a whole has long been recognized as a Messianic psalm that foreshadows the suffering of Christ. Jesus himself quoted its opening line on the cross. The image of the crimson worm—clinging to wood, dying to give life, shedding crimson, and leaving behind a white remnant—powerfully mirrors the crucifixion.

[left that other site]

Interesting!

I never knew that.

[RoosterRedux]

The Bible is like a vast, rich archaeological dig. Something new is always turning up.;-)

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Bookmark

[left that other site]

Indeed.

[fidelis]

Just checked the Hebrew on this word used in Psalm 22:6. Yup, that's the type of worm David is describing. The same word is used in Job 25:6 and Jonah 4:7; not sure on the significance of it's use in that verse. There is at least one other Hebrew word for worm: rimmah, as in Job 24:20, but it is most commonly understood as maggot.

[delchiante]

That was short.
But cool.
Good find.

[dadgum]

PING Bible

[Getready]

Thank you.
Will check if the red dye is the same or similar to “carmine” the dye derived from the cochineal insect. Not that it matters...just interesting...

[RoosterRedux]

Just out of curiosity, I looked it up.

And, yes, the crimson worm (Coccus ilicis) and the cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus) are related in that both are scale insects and both are used to produce red dye. But they are not the same species and are not geographically or chemically identical.

Interesting info. Thx for your comment.:-)

[imardmd1]

Thescarlet thread . . .

Gen. 38:28

Ex. 26:1, 35:5

Josh. 2:18

Song. 4:3

Is. 1:18

Heb. 9:19,23

[RoosterRedux]

That is fascinating. I'm going to have to research that carefully. Down another rabbit hole.

Have you done research on this? If you have, tell us what you have found.

As far as I can tell, the statement that the “scarlet thread” of Scripture was literally dyed with the body of the crimson worm is not mere speculation: it seems to rest on a chain of linguistic, historical, legal (rabbinic), and laboratory evidence.

The one caveat is scope: while ritual scarlet virtually demanded the insect dye, ordinary red items (or Rahab’s rope) could, in theory, have used cheaper vegetable reds. But for the sacred crimson that the Bible repeatedly stresses, the tolaʿat shaní insect dye is now firmly documented.

[Getready]

They have a very similar chemical “backbone”...you can look up their chemical structures.
A fascinating rabbit hole. I wonder if other insect coloration use the same chemical backbone.

[Red Badger]

Ezekiel, Hebrews611

[Red Badger]

Ping.....

[RoosterRedux]

You might find this interesting.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thanks for enlightening us with this, RR, and thanks for your ping, Mike. To those who have, more will be given.

Scroll down to the Topical Lexicon for a rather thorough discussion of tola.

[Ezekiel]

Ezekiel, Hebrews611

It's like I've been saying, the Torah is an art and a science.

Art [497] + Science [114] = Torah [611]

אמנות + מדע = תורה

NASA (cf. to lift up) has that iconic worm font.

(All part of my multi-dimensional tag line)

I haven't posted this info for a while, but it relates and I was pinged, so...

The red worm font is here in Ingenuity's logo:

MARS ♂️ literally symbolizes every man --

In Hebrew, the name of the planet Mars is מַאְדִים, ma'adim.

HERE you can see how it's based on the color red/Adam/man, and that

It's easy to see that the body of Ingenuity ("Ginny", which is a nickname for a Virginia) replaced what would have been...

the Scarlet A in the name of MARS.

As such, the red worm font reads as "MRS Helicopter".

Poor Mars was originally some kind of agricultural god but then became known as the god of war, associated with violence and bloodshed.

Come to think of it, that's the same reason King David was not able to build the Temple.

In the fog of history, who knows how that could have happened. For all we know, it was a huge misunderstanding.

Imagine how you'd feel if you had come back from your dream vacation on Kauai (the Garden Isle) -- tanned, refreshed and sporting your new "Red Dirt Shirt" -- and a resentful living-paycheck-to-paycheck coworker starts a nasty rumor that you've actually been getting into fights, digging up dirt on other people..

Then sure enough, word gets out and everyone sees that you're wearing the obvious physical proof of many altercations... what more proof did they need?

Well good luck trying to explain that the shirt was the result of a flood from Hurricane Iniki because nobody but nobody is interested in some lame excuse pulled from ancient history.

Anyway, the point is that Mars had been misunderstood, unloved, and unwanted until the day Lil' Ginny came along. She had the first bird's eye view of Mars, and was really able to check him out like no other.

Recognizing the problem -- that Mars didn't even recognize himself anymore, as Marred as he was -- Ginny Ingeniously stepped right up to become a substitute for his Scarlet Letter, and Voila!

A bride for MARS!! I mean just look at them now, they're inseparable! 🥹

Talk about a "Match Made in Space".

Doesn't that just make your Day?

Now MARS can look at his bride and know that there's hope -- that there truly is someone for every man, even Mars. Naturally, this put a twinkle in his eye, a spring in his step, and a song in his heart:

♫ This Little Light of Mine ♫

See what I mean? He's even got that zippy little retrograde move as he dances around the heavens.

You really can't make this stuff up.

That's the Power of Love!

[RoosterRedux]

Speaking of the color red, David was said to be a redhead (ruddy). And he spoke of the scarlet worm.;-)

Don't let Steve Bannon or Glenn Beck get onto this.

[Ezekiel]

Speaking of the color red, David was said to be a redhead (ruddy).

Thanks for adding that in. In all the excitement of typing up the story (it just came to me in a flash of inspiration), I wasn't thinking about that highly-relevant detail.

It's not on the word list I'd linked because "admoni" [אַדְמוֹנִי] is only used 3x in the Tanakh, first to describe Esau at birth, and the other 2 for David (chs. 16 and 17)

1 Sam 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy (admoni), and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

That's him! Now to find this ginger man in his House of Bread, the gingerbread house where he hangs out.

This place looks really good. What do figure he's got customers lining up around the block?