Fly

This word occurs in Exo 8:21-22; Exo 8:24; Exo 8:29; Exo 8:31; Psa 78:45; Psa 105:31; all which passages relate to the plague of flies inflicted upon Pharaoh and his people. Some suppose that the dog-fly is meant. Philo, in his Life of Moses, expressly describes this insect as a biting insidious creature, which comes like a dart, with great noise, and rushing with great impetuosity on the skin, sticks to it most tenaciously. All the ancient translators understand by the original word a mixture of noxious creatures. More modern writers are of opinion that a single species only is intended, and have proposed several different insects. Thus, one of the meanings of the original word is ’to darken,’ and Mouffet observes that the name agrees with no kind of flies better than with those black, large, compressed flies, which boldly beset cattle, and not only obtain ichor, as other flies, but also suck out blood from beneath, and occasion great pain. He observes that they have no proboscis, but, instead of it, have double sets of teeth, like wasps, which they infix deeply in the skin; and adds that they, greatly infest the ears of days. Other’s have proposed the biatta Orientalis or Ægyptia of Linnaeus, as answering considerably to the characteristics of voracity, intrusion into houses, etc. etc. The miracle involved in the plague of flies consisted, partly at least, in the creature being brought against the Egyptians in so great an abundance during winter. The particular species is, however, at present undetermined.

A genus of insects, of which there are a great many species. Moses declares them and most other insects to be unclean, Lev 11:42 . They abound in Egypt, and are annoying and vexatious in the extreme, attacking the eyelids, etc., in swarms and with the utmost pertinacity. How intolerable a plague of flies may be, is evident from the fact that whole districts in the Levant have been for a time depopulated by them, the inhabitants being unable to stand against their incessant attacks, Exo 8:24 . The Philistines and Canaanites adored Beelzebub, the fly-god, probably as a patron to protect them against these tormenting insects.\par In Isa 7:18, the prophet describing the armies of Egypt and Assyria, each under the symbol of one of the prevalent insects in those countries, says, "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt;" (or rather, as the same Hebrew word is rendered in Exo 16:35, the fly that is in the borders of the streams of Egypt,)" and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria." It is thought by some that the fly here spoken of is the zimb, or Ethiopian fly, of which Mr. Bruce says, "It is, in size, very little larger than a bee, of a thicker proportion, and has wings which are broader than those of a bee, placed separate, like those of a fly; they are of pure gauze, without color or spot upon them; the head is large. As soon as this plague appears, and their buzzing is heard, all the cattle forsake their food, and run wildly about the plain till they die, worn out with fatigue, fright, and hunger. No remedy remains but to leave the black earth, and hasten down to the sands of the desert; and there they remain while the rains last, this cruel enemy never daring to pursue them farther." The camel is also obliged to fly before these insects; and the elephant and rhinoceros coat themselves with a thick armor of mud.\par

Fly. See Flies.

(See EGYPT and (See EXODUS on the plague of flies. Psa 78:45; Psa 105:31. ’Arob, Septuagint translated "dog flies"; their bites severely inflame the eyelids. However, an old Egyptian word retained in Coptic abeb, "a beetle," seems related. The sun god in Egypt was represented in the form of a beetle; thus their sin would be made their instrument of punishment. But the "flies," whether gnats, mosquitoes, or dog flies, literally "devour" (Psa 78:45), conveying the well-known ophthalmia from one to another, and by the larvae entering beneath the skin and intestines, and generating deadly disease. Found in swarms about the arms and canals of the Nile. Figure for troublesome and numerous foes, as Pharaoh Necho’s hosts who slew king Josiah at Megiddo (2Ki 23:29-30). Isa 7:18, "the Lord shall hiss for (i.e. summon, as a beemaster whistles for bees) the fly (zibub) in the rivers of Egypt."

Ecc 10:1, "dead flies (zibubim) cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor," i.e. "flies" small in appearance, answer to "a little folly" (sin); "the ointment" of the perfumer answers to the man’s "repudiation for wisdom and honor" (Ecc 7:1; Gen 34:30). The more delicate the perfume, the more easily a small corruption, as a dead fly, can spoil it; so the more excellent a character, the greater pity it is to allow a small inconsistency to mar it; e.g., David (2Sa 12:14), Solomon (1 Kings 11), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 18; 2Ch 19:2), Josiah (2Ch 35:21-22). A little sin, if unchecked, will undermine the whole character (1Co 5:6; Gal 5:9). Beelzebub, the parent of sin, is (as the name means) "the prince of flies." The dthebab of Egypt (Sir G. Wilkinson, Transact. Entom. Soc., 2:183), is like our cleg in N. of England. It assails camels, and generates a disease which, if neglected, kills them; it attacks man too.

is the rendering in the Auth. Vers. of two Heb. words. (Egli has a curious article on the name of the butterfly among the Hebrews, in the Zeitschr fur uissenschaftl. Theologie, Jena, 1864, 1.) SEE ANT; SEE BEE;SEE FLEA; SEE GNAT; SEE HORNET; SEE LICE; SEE LOCUST; SEE SCORPION, etc.

1. Zebub’ ( זְבוּבSept. μυῖα, Vulg. musca) occurs only in two passages (comp. Wis 16:9; Wis 19:10), namely, Ecclesesiastes 10:1, “Dead zebubim cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor,” and in Isa 7:18, where it is said, “The Lord shall hiss for the zebub that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt.” The Hebrew name, it is probable, is a generic one for any insect, but the etymology is a matter of doubt (see Gesenius, Thes. p. 401; Heb. and Chald. Lex. s.v.; and Furst, Heb. Concord. s.v.). The word zebub, fly, enters as an element into the name originally appropriated to an idol worshipped at Ekron, Baalzebub (2Ki 1:2); but, according to the English version and the Vulgate, in the time of our Lord applied to the prince of daemons, interchangeable with “Satan” (Mat 12:24; Mat 12:26-27). . This “lord of flies” corresponds to the Ζεὺς ἀπόμυιος and the ᾿Ηρακλῆς μυίαγρος of time Greeks and Romans, as if a defender from flies (see Kitto, Pict. Bible, note on 2Ki 1:2). The Greek in the New Testament reads Beelzebul (Βεελ-ζεβούλ, which is said to mean “lord of dung” instead of “lord of flies,” and has been considered as one of those contemptuous puns which the Jews were in the habit of making by slight changes of letters. There might be a peculiar sting in this particular case, from the circumstance that flies are chiefly bred in dunghills, and many species do greatly congregate thither; hence the deity in question, being confessedly a “lord of flies,” must ipso facto be a “dungy lord.” One of the names by which “idols” are expressed in the Old Testament is גַּלּוּלַים, which has the closest affinity with גֵּלֶל, ge’lel, dung. The margin of the English Bible, indeed gives “dungy gods” as the rendering of this Word in Deu 29:17. SEE BEELZEBUL.

In the first quoted passage allusion is made to flies, chiefly of the family Muscidae, getting into vessels of ointment or other substances: even in this country we know what an intolerable annoyance the houseflies are in a hot summer when they abound, crawling everywhere and into everything; but in the East the nuisance is tenfold greater. There the common houseflies (Musca domestica) swarm in immense numbers; and though they inflict no physical injury, yet, from their continual settling on the face, they are inexpressibly annoying. (Rosenmuller, Alterth. IV, 2:420 sq.; Russel, Aleppo, 2:123 sq.; Tavernier, 1:74; compare Prosp. Alp. Dassr. AEgypt. 4:3, p. 207). — In Egypt the peasants are so subject to a virulent kind of ophthalmia that almost every second person is said to be affected with it, and multitudes are blind of either one or both eves. The complaint is greatly augmented by the constant presence of the flies, which congregate around the diseased eyes, attracted by the moisture which exudes; and so useless is it to drive them away, that the miserable people submit to the infliction, and little children are seen with their eyes margined with rows of black flies, of whose presence they appear unconscious, though presenting a most painful sight to Europeans (Lorent. pages 25, 48; compare Forskal, Descr. Anim. page 85; Rosenmuller, in Bochart’s Hieroz. 3:342). Thee “ointment of the apothecary,” composed of substances perhaps peculiarly attractive to these impudent intruders, would be likely to become choked up with their entangled bodies, which, corrupting, would be the more offensive for their contrast with the expected odor. Thus would little follies render despicable him who bad a reputation for wisdom. The man is the ointment, his reputation the perfume, his little folly the dead fly, his disgrace the stinking savor. SEE UNGUENT.

Is the other passage, the zebub from the rivers of Egypt has by some writers, as by Oedmann (Vermisch. Samm. 6:79), been identified with the zimb of which Bruce (Trav. 5:190) gives a description, and which is evidently some species of Tabanus. Sir G. Wilkinson has given some account (Transac. of the Entomological Soc. 2, page 183) of an injurious fly under the name of dthebab, a term almost identical with zebub. It would not do to press too much upon this point when it is considered that Egypt abounds with noxious insects; but it must be allowed that there is some reason for this identification; and though, as was stated above, zebub is probably a generic name for any flea, in this passage of Isaiah ei may be used, to denote some very troublesome and Injurious fly, κατ᾿ ἐξοχήν. “The dthebab is a long gray fly which comes out about the rise of the Nile, and is like the cleg of the north of England; it abounds in calm hot weather, and is often met with in June and July, both in the desert and on the Nile.” This insect is very injurious to camels, and causes their death if the disease which it generates is neglected; it attacks both man and beast. The phrase hissing, or, rather, histing, for the fly (Isa 7:18) is explained in the article BEE SEE BEE.

2. Arob’ (עָרֹב; Sept. κυνόμυια, Vulg. omne genus muscarum, muscae diversi generis, musca gravissima; but in Psalm canomyia; A.V. “swarms of flies,” “divers sorts of flies”), the name of the insect or insects which God, sent to punish Pharaoh (Exo 8:21-31; see Psa 78:45; Psa 105:31). The question as to what particular insect is denoted by arob, or whether any one species is to be understood by it, has long been a matter. of, dispute. The scriptural details are as follows: the arob filled the houses of the Egyptians, they covered the ground, they lighted on the people, the land was laid waste on their account. From the expression in Psa 105:31, “there remained not one,” some writers have concluded that the Heb. word points to some definite species; we do not think, however, that much stress ought to be laid upon this argument; if the arob be taken to denote “swarms,” as the A.V. leaders it, the “not one remaining” may surely have for its antecedent an individual fly understood in the collective “swarms.” The Sept. explain arob by κυνόμυια, i.e., “dog-fly;” it is not very clear what insect is meant by the Greek term, which is frequent in Homer, who often uses it as an abusive epithet. Thus he, represents Mars as applying the epithet to Minerva for instigating the gods to quarrel (II. 21:394). It is also referred to as an insect by AElian, who, in describing the myops, tabanus, or horse-fly, says it is similar to what is called the κυνόμυια (Hist. Anim. 4:51). Philo, in his Life of Joses (1:23, page 401, ed. Mangey), expressly describes it as a biting insidious creature, which comes like a dart, with great noise, and, rushing with great impetuosity on the skin, sticks to it most tenaciously. It seems likely that Jerome, in translating Exodus, derived the word from עָרִב, “to mingle,” and understood by it a mixture of noxious creatures, as did Josephus, Aquila, and all the ancient translators. The diversity of Jerome’s renderings in Exodus, however, betokens his uncertainty, and. in the Psalms he has adopted that of the Septuagint. More modern writers, reasoning on other senses of the Hebrew word, which are somewhat numerous, have proposed several different insects.

Thus one of the meanings of עָרִב is “to darken,” and Mouffet observes that the name cynomyia agrees with no kind of flies better than with those black, large, compressed flies which boldly beset cattle, and not only obtain ichor, as other flies, but also suck out blood from beneath, and occasion great pain. He observes that they have no proboscis, but, instead of it, have double sets of teeth, like wasps, which they infix deeply in the skin; and adds that they greatly infest the ears of dogs (Theat. Insect. 111). Pliny describes an insect of this kind (Hist. Nat. 11:40); so also Columella (7:13). (See Pliny by Grandsagne and Cuvier, Parisus, 1828, 2:461, note.) But the ancient naturalists generally describe the cynomyia as a sort of whame-fly (Tabanus), which might include both senses, for this genus is most impudently pertinacious in its assaults, spares neither man nor beast, gorges itself to bursting with blood, infusing an irritating venom at the same time, and occurs, in suitable localities even in our own climate, in immense numbers. If the arob was composed of one or more species of Tabanidae, miraculously augmented in numbers, and preternaturally induced to penetrate into the houses, such a visitation would be a plague of no slight intensity, even supposing their blood-thirstiness and pertinacity, individually considered, to be of no higher standard than we are accustomed to see. It is not improbable that one of the Hippoboscidae, perhaps H. equina, Linn., is the κυνόμυια of AElian (N.A. 4:51), though Homer may have used the compound term to denote extreme impudence, implied by the shamelessness of the dog and the teasing impertinence of the common fly (Musca). As the arob are said to have filled the houses of the

Egyptians, it seems not improbable that common flies (Muscidae) are more especially intended, and that the compound κυνόμυια denotes the grievous nature of the plague, though we see no reason to restrict the arob to any one family. “Of insects,” says Sonnini (Trav. 3:199), “the most troublesome in Egypt are flies; both man and beast are cruelly tormented with them. No idea can be formed of their obstinate rapacity. It is in vain to drive them away; they return again in the self-same moment, and their perseverance wearies out the most patient spirit.” The arob may include various species of Culicidae (gnats), such as the musquito, if it is necessary to interpret the “devouring” nature of the arob (in Psa 78:45) in a strictly literal sense; though the expression used by the Psalmist is not inapplicable to the flies, which even to this day in Egypt may be regarded as a “plague,” and which are the great instrument of spreading the well- known ophthalmia, this being conveyed from one individual to another by these dreadful pests; or the literal meaning of the arob “devouring” the Egyptians may be understood in its fullest sense of the Muscidae if we suppose that the people may have been punished by the larvae gaining admittance into the bodies, as into the stomach, frontal sinus, and intestines, and so occasioning in a hot climate many instances of death (see, for cases of Myasis produced by Dipterous larvae, Transactions of Entomol. Soc. 2:266-269). SEE GNAT.

The identification of the arob with the cockroach (Blatta Orientalis), which Oedmann (Verm. Sam. part 2, c. 7) suggests, and which Kirby (Bridgw. Treat. 2:357) adopts, has nothing at all to recommend it, and is purely gratuitous, as Mr. Hope proved in 1837 in a paper on this subject in the Trans. Ent. Soc. 2:179-183. The error of calling the cockroach a beetle, and the confusion which has been made between it and the sacred beetle of Egypt (Ateuchus sacer), has recently been repeated by M. Kalisch (Hist. and Crit. Comment. Exodus 1.c.). The cockroach, as Mr. Hope remarks, is a nocturnal insect, and prowls about for food at night; “but what reason have we to believe that the fly attacked the Egyptians by night and not by day ?” The miracle involved in the plague of flies consisted, partly at least, in the creature being brought against the Egyptians in so great an abundance during winter. Possibly, however, the better rendering of the Hebrew would be beetles. (See Wibel’s treatise, Ueber der Arob. in the “Fruhaufgelesene Fruchte,” 1738, page 244.) SEE BEETLE.

1. arob, the dog-fly. In Psa 78:45, and Psa 105:31, this word is rendered in the A.V. ’divers sorts of flies,’ referring to one of the plagues in Egypt, and is translated ’swarms [of flies]’ in Exo 8:21-31: so that more than one kind may have been meant.

2. zebub, supposed to be the gad-fly. They fell into the ointment and spoilt it. Ecc 10:1. In the judgements of God in the days of Ahaz He hissed for the fly from the rivers of Egypt. Isa 7:18. The stings of the flies in the East are very painful, and torment the animals almost to madness. The word zebub is considered to be a part of the word BAAL-ZEBUB, the idol-god of Ekron, ’the lord of the fly,’ who it was thought could protect persons from its bite.

(Hebr. ):

By: Solomon Schechter, Samuel Krauss

A two-winged insect, especially the common house-fly (Musca domestica). It is referred to in Eccl. x. 1: "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor." Since a fly in food is offensive, its presence there is a ground for divorce; according to some, however, its presence is accidental, and is not the fault of the housewife (Giṭ. 6b). In general, if a fly falls into a cup of wine and is removed, the wine is still fit to drink; fastidious people, however, do not drink it, though the vulgar even eat of a dish into which a fly has fallen (Tosef., Soṭah, v. 9, Yer. 17a; Bab. Giṭ. 90a; Num. R. ix. 12; Midrash in Kohut Memorial Volume, p. 176). The Jews were censured because, while they were willing to drink wine into which a fly had fallen, they would not drink such as the king had merely touched (Meg. 13b).

The fly is extremely annoying when one is eating, and since it persistently returns even after being driven away it is the emblem of evil desires (Ber. 10b, 61a; Targ. Eccl. x. 1). The Egyptian fly (Isa. vii. 18) is so dangerous that it may be killed even on the Sabbath (Shab. 121b). It is used as a symbol for the Egyptian king Shishak (Seder 'Olam R. xx.), and for Sennacherib (Ex. R. xxx. 5). lt is supposed to be the species Culex molestus (Forskal, "Descriptiones Animalium," p. 85, Copenhagen, 1775). The Mishnah (Parah ii. 3) mentions a kind of gadfly (probably the Chrysops cæcutiens) against which cattle are protected by a covering; another kind, the "baḳa," the animals drive away with their tails (Shab. 77b). There were other kinds, especially the gray fly, which the Talmudic writers regarded, apparently, not as flies, but as worms (larvæ). Curtains as a protection against flies were hung over the beds (Yer. Suk. 53b; Bab. 26a; Rashi on M. Ḳ. 27a). There is a species of fly that lives only one day, while the common house-fly lives longer, although not for an entire year. This fact is the subject of a pretty legend in the Talmud (Ḥul. 58b).

The fly occasionally became such a scourge in Palestine that public prayers were ordered (Ta'an. 14a). Hence it is easy to understand that the Philistines at Ekron worshiped a special god of flies, Baal-zebub (II Kings i. 2); but there is no reason to assume that the Aramaic word for "enmity" was derived from it (Geiger, "Urschrift," p. 53). The fly alights on gonorrheal persons and then infects healthy people (Ket. 77b); it also alights on wounds (Pesiḳ. 26b). Strange as it may seem, there were no flies in the abattoir of the sanctuary at Jerusalem (Abot v. 5; Ab. R. N. i., xxxv.); Maimonides believes they were driven away by the smoke of the incense; Rashi, however, attributes their absence to the fact that the tables were of marble (see also Maḥzor Vitry, p. 538). According to another tradition, the "sons of Moses" are in a miraculous manner kept from being troubled by gnats or flies (Gaster, "The Chronicles of Jerahmeel," p. 196). The sons of Eli were blamed for leaving the juicy part of the offering to the flies (Yalḳ., Sam. 86).

The Haggadah often emphasizes the fact that the fly serves a purpose in the world (Gen. R. x. 7; Ex. R. x. 1, etc.); it is also said that a crushed fly is good for a hornet's sting (Shab. 77b). The third plague of the Egyptians, "kinnim" (Ex. viii. 12), is commonly translated "lice." Modern investigation, however, favors the view of the Septuagint that the word means σκνῖφες, which Philo ("De Vita Moysis," ed. Mangey, p. 97) and Origen ("Homilia in Exodum," iv. 6) interpret as a species of gnat, an insect, under the name "yittosh" or "yattush" (), often mentioned in connection with "zebub" in rabbinic sources. It is much more certain that the Biblical "'arob" (Ex. viii. 17-20; Ps. lxxviii. 45) is a species of fly, though even the Tannaim disputed as to its exact meaning (Bacher, "Ag. Tan." ii. 252); according to the Septuagint and Symmachus, who translate it κυνόμυια, it is the dog-fly or stinging-fly, described by travelers as a great scourge in Egypt. According to the critical view, the plague of dog-flies is merely a variant of that of the gnats.

Gnats are referred to in the simile in Matt. xxiii. 24. A fly dipping into the sea is the symbol for the inexhaustibility of the divine doctrine (Soferim, xvi. 8). Titus was plagued by a gnat (Giṭ. 156b; comp. Neubauer, "Med. Jew. Chron." i. 170), and so also was the usurper Paḥda (Seder 'Olam Zuṭa), after whose removal the Jewish princes of the Exile bore a fly in their escutcheon. Abraham ibn Ezra wrote a poem on the fly (ed. Rosin, i. 99).

An earlier expression, "ḳarẓit," found in the Talmud (Giṭ. 86b), is explained as a species of fly living among stones; the word recalls "ḳereẓ" (Jer xlvi. 20), translated "gadfly" by modern scholars. The Rabbis take the expression "creeping things among birds" to mean flies (Rashi on Gen. i. 20; Targ. Yer. Lev. xi. 20; Deut. xiv. 19), but this interpretation is contradicted by the addition of "going upon all four," since insects have at least six feet.

Bibliography:

Bochart, Hierozoicon, Sive de Animalibus Scripturæ Sacræ, iii. 346;

Rosenmüller, Handbuch der Biblischen Alterthümer, iv. 418, 431, 434;

Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talmuds, §§ 426-435;

A. Kinzler, Biblische Naturgeschichte, i. 154-155, 9th ed., 1884.

FLY.—1. zebûb, Ecc 10:1, Isa 7:18: also Baal-zebub [wh. see]. 2. ‘arôb, Exo 8:21 etc., the insects of one of the plagues of Egypt, thought by some to have been cockroaches. Flies of many kinds, mosquitoes, ‘sand-files,’ etc., swarm in Palestine and Egypt. In summer any sweet preparation left uncovered is at once defiled by flies falling into it (Ecc 10:1). Flies carry ophthalmia and infect food with the micro-organisms of other diseases, e.g. cholera, enteric fever, etc. They frequently deposit their eggs in uncleanly wounds and discharging ears, and these eggs develop into maggots. Special flies, in Africa at any rate, carry the trypanosoma, which produce fatal disease in cattle and ‘sleeping sickness’ in man. Mosquitoes, which may have been included in the ‘arôb (the ‘swarms of flies’) in Egypt, are now known to be the carriers of the poison of malaria, the greatest scourge of parts of Palestine.

E. W. G. Masterman.

(Verb; עוּף, ‛ūph πετάομαι, petáomai, or, contracted, ptáomai): Used in preference to “flee” when great speed is to be indicated. “To fly” is used: (1) Literally, of birds, ‛ūph (Gen 1:20; Psa 55:6); dā’āh (Deu 28:49), of sparks (Job 5:7); of the arrow (Psa 91:5); of the seraphim (Isa 6:2, Isa 6:6); of an angel (Dan 9:21, ya‛aph, “to be caused to fly”); of swift action or movement (Psa 18:10; Jer 48:40); of people (Isa 11:14); of a fleet (Isa 60:8; 1Sa 15:19, ‛ı̄t; 1Sa 14:32, ‛āsāh, “to do,” etc.). (2) Figuratively, of a dream (Job 20:8); of man’s transitory life (Psa 90:10); of riches (Pro 23:5); of national glory (Hos 9:11).

For “fly” the Revised Version (British and American) has “soar” (Job 39:26) “fly down” (Isa 11:14); for “flying” (Isa 31:5) the American Standard Revised Version has “hovering.”

Job 5:7 (a) As the sparks ascend heavenward from the fire, so we should speed our way at once to GOD when trouble comes.

Psa 18:10 (a) This figure represents the speed with which GOD will come to the rescue of David when in trouble. (See also Dan 9:21; Isa 6:6; Isa 60:8; Luk 15:20. Some think this passage may refer to the airplane).

Pro 23:5 (a) Here is a very fine picture of the way that our money and other assets disappear. Usually it is a slow disappearance. When the eagle flies away toward Heaven it gets smaller and smaller to our vision until finally it disappears. So sometimes our health and our wealth gradually disappear until we are left hopeless, hapless and helpless.

Jer 48:40 (a) By this expression the Lord is describing the speed with which He would destroy the country of Moab.

Eze 13:20 (c) This may represent the wiles of evil women who would and did lure men from GOD’s path of righteousness.

Hab 1:8 (a) This is the way GOD describes the speed of the Chaldeans when they invaded Israel.

Fly. The "flies" of the Bible included the common housefly, as well as other two-winged insects. Many of these were biting insects. This explains the "devouring" flies of (Psa 78:45). The flies visited as a plague upon the Egyptians probably included the housefly and the stinging sand fly, as well as gnats and mosquitoes.

The prophet Isaiah’s reference to the "fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt" (Isa 7:18) may have been a symbol of swarms of Egyptian soldiers. Or, he could have had in mind the dreaded tsetse fly of Africa, which spreads sleeping sickness. Still another possibility is the olive fly, which could ruin a crop of ripe olives.

Solomon’s "fly in the ointment" (Ecc 10:1) has become a proverb. So also has Jesus’ "straining out a gnat"-- which referred to the custom of straining wine to take out the impurities before it was served (Mat 23:24).

A fly is an insect with two wings. It belongs to a group of insects called Diptera. However, people also use the word “fly” for other winged insects, such as dragonflies and butterflies, even though they belong to different groups.

Types of Flies

Scripture mentions several species, including the common housefly in Ecclesiastes 10:1 and the horsefly in Isaiah 7:18.

As in almost all parts of the world, flies are abundant in Palestine. One of the most numerous is the common housefly (Musca domestica). It is found mostly around dung heaps and garbage. The female lays her eggs, out of which emerge white maggots that feed on refuse. After a few days, the maggot develops into a cocoon, out of which emerges the adult housefly. In the summer, the whole cycle lasts about 12 days, so a fly can breed about 20 generations a year.

Another fly common to Palestine is the botfly (family Oestridae). It irritates livestock and spreads diseases. The Tabanid flies (family Tabanidae), like the horsefly (genus Tabanus) and related species, also live in Palestine. Both the botfly and horsefly are called gadflies because of the constant torment they cause. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar is spoken of as a gadfly because he invaded Egypt (Jeremiah 46:20).

The fourth plague in Egypt before the exodus was “swarms of flies” (Exodus 8:21–31; compare Psalms 78:45; 105:31). Those swarms may have included any or all the flies mentioned above. The maggots mentioned in Job 25:6 and Isaiah 14:11 and the worms in Exodus 16:24 and Job 7:5 and 17:14 were probably fly larvae.

A proverb in Ecclesiastes 10:1 probably refers to the housefly. It would be attracted to an open, perfumed ointment bottle. Once inside, it would drown and eventually decay, causing the ointment to spoil and stink. The fly is also referred to in Isaiah 7:18, where it symbolizes Egypt. Isaiah may have meant a horsefly (Tabanus arenivagus). It attacks humans and animals.

The Philistine God Called the "Lord of the Flies"

The Philistines that lived in the city of Ekron worshiped a god named Baal-zebul. The name Baal-zebul means “Lord of the high places.” The Hebrews mockingly call them "Baal-zebub," meaning “Lord of the flies” (2 Kings 1:2). The New Testament calls them Beelzebub (Matthew 10:25; 12:24, 27).

See also Animals.

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