worms

The members of the phylum Annelida as well as the larvae of numerous insects. Most biblical references are probably to larvae or maggots because of their association with death and decay (Job 7:5; Job 21:26; Isa 14:11; Acts 12:23; Mark 9:48). Such a creature assaulted the vine of Jonah (Jonah 4:7), and its appetite for wool is a metaphor for destruction visited on those who oppose God’s people (Isa 51:8).