Caterpillar

the consumer. Used in the Old Testament ( 1 Kings 8:37 ; 2 Chr. 6:28 ; Psalms 78:46 ; Isaiah 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 Deuteronomy 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 ( Psalms 105:34 ; Jeremiah 51:14 Jeremiah 51:27 ; RSV, "cankerworm") as the rendering of a different Hebrew word, yelek , a word elsewhere rendered "cankerworm" (q.v.), Joel 1:4 ; 2:25 . (See LOCUST .)

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].

CATERPILLAR

kat'-er-pil-er (chacil (Psalms 78:46; Joel 1:4, etc.); yeleq (Psalms 105:34 the King James Version, the American Standard Revised Version "grasshopper"; Jeremiah 51:14,27 the King James Version; elsewhere "canker-worm")):

A name given to a larval stage of the LOCUST (which see).