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Worms.


The worm is used symbolically to show the extreme feebleness of man. Job 17: 14; Job 25: 6. In blessing Israel Jehovah said, "Fear not, thou worm Jacob," Isa. 41: 14; and the Lord, to indicate the low estate in which He was, said, "I am a worm and no man." Ps. 22: 6. In the grave man's body becomes the companion of worms, if they do not actually feed upon it. Job 21: 26; Job 24: 20; Isa. 14: 11. Of the eternal punishment of the wicked it is recorded "their worm dieth not." Mark 9: 44, 46, 48; cf. Isa. 66: 24. Herod Agrippa, being smitten by an angel, was literally 'eaten of worms.' Acts 12: 23. In Job 25: 6 man is compared to a worm — literally 'a maggot' — an apt figure of moral corruption.