This is Part 5 of a multipart series connecting Jesus to Psalm 22. In my last entry I wrote about how the Jews viewed Psalm 22 since their return from the exile. Further I shared the common rabbinical practice of citing the first line of a passage to lead their audience to the rest of the text. Thus, the reason I suggested that the Father didn’t abandon Jesus on the cross based on the psalter’s words:
In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame… For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him (22.4-5, 24).
In this post, I want to continue my exploration of the psalm starting with verses 6-8 where the messianic figure cries out:
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
A Worm But Not an Ordinary Worm
The suffering servant laments that he is “but a worm and not a man” in midst of mockery and persecution from humanity. The popular interpretation is that in anguish he compared himself to a helpless, powerless, down-trodden worm, the weakest among all the creatures. However, here the psalter had more in mind than just the feeling of contempt and rejection. There are two Hebrew words for “worm”: rimmah and tôlaʿath. First, rimmah is the word broadly used to denote a maggot or worm. The second tôlaʿath is a narrower term that refers to a grub or worm (cf. Exo 16.20; Deu 28.39; Isa 14.11; 66.24), and particularly, it refers to the kermes ilicis, or the Crimson Worm (cf. Psa 22.6; Jon 4.7).
The Crimson Worm
Kermes ilicid is a species of scale insect. The common name kermes also represent the red dye extracted from the dried bodies of these insects. It’s the oldest known red dyestuff that dyed cloths into a very deep, blackish-red color, i.e., blood-like red. Jars of kermes have been found in a Neolithic cave-burial site at Adaouste (France). Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used them to dye clothes and fabrics. It was so valuable in that in the first century AD, kermes was often part of the tribute paid to conquering Roman armies.
According to an article from BioScience, the dye had a very special use during the Second Temple period Israel:
The scarlet dye—known as shani in Hebrew—was used in the Holy Land during the biblical period. This dye was widely used for religious rituals in the second temple until the temple’s destruction in AD 70 (Feliks 1966). According to a source from the same period, only the best shani dye product should be used, and it should come “from the worm in the mountain area” (Zuckermandel 1970).
Amar, Z. [1]
The largest of the species of the crimson worms were found in northern Israel, particularly in the Upper Galilee region [2]. Keep in mind the Upper Galilee as we will encounter it later when we get to “Bulls of Bashan” in Psalm 22.12.
The Crimson Dye
The adult female kermes ilicis is covered with a protective shell that is integral part of her body formed by the wax secretion from her pores. She has a maxilliped that she uses to suck the sap of the host plant, and with a wax that she secretes, she attaches herself to the branch or trunk. She lays eggs only once in her life because once laid she dies. Her abdominal cavity shrinks afterwards and becomes nourishment for her offsprings after the eggs hatch. The female crimson worm produces the dye pigment in both her body and in her eggs. Her offsprings are stained red by the dye and remain so for the rest of their lives.
To make the scarlet dye, where approximately 50,000 to 60,000 scale insects are needed to produce one kilogram of the dried dyestuff, the insect is first dried and grounded to powder. Next, the powdery dyestuff is placed in a pot of water and cooked on a low heat, which turns the water red. The dye-maker then strains the water and it is ready for use. In a blog posted by Shari Abbott she writes:
In biblical times, the red dye excreted from the Crimson Worm (Ps 22:6, Isa 1:18, Isa 66:24) was used in the High Priest’s robe and probably for red dye used on ram’s skins to create the covering of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Uses of this red dye continue today. The worm’s body and shell, while still red and attached to the tree, are scraped off and used to make what is called “Royal Red Dye.” The waxy material is used to make high-quality shellac, which is used in the Middle East as a wood preserver. And the remains of the Crimson Worm are also used in medicines that help in regulating the human heart
Jesus, S.A. [3]
Typology of the Tola’ath
When Jesus directed those within an earshot to Psalm 22, he was revealing a truth hidden within about himself. He is the tola’ath of the psalm. Just as the mother tola’ath willingly attached herself to the wood to die in order to bear offsprings, Jesus willfully allowed his enemies to nailed him to the wooden cross because he desired to fulfill his mission of making others to be offsprings of God (cf. 1Jo 3.16; Gal 1.4). Just as her offsprings feed on her body to live, the followers of Jesus are to “feed” on his body and his blood to live eternally (cf. Mat 26.26). And just as the mother tola’ath when crushed excreted a crimson, scarlet dye that covers her offsprings, which “stains” (or marks) them permanently, Jesus was also crushed for our iniquities where his blood covered us and marked us as his (Isa 53.5; Eph 2.13).
We’re not told whether those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah beneath the cross understood the significance of his self-identification to the crimson worm in Psalm 22.6. We know that it was after they hurled insults and shook their heads at him, and divided his garments, when Jesus quoted Psalm 22. Certainly they must’ve felt the sting of their mockery as he reminded them they were foretold verbatim in 22.7-8 (Mat 27.39, 43; Mar 15.29; Luk 23.35; Joh 19.24). But they likely missed the psalm’s implications just as they missed many of his parables as demonstrated by their continual denial and coverup of the resurrection. And even if they did, it would’ve been a realization that came a little too late.
Your Thoughts
I hope the typology of the crimson worm gave you new appreciation to the psalm. More importantly, I hope it shows you the richness of the text as well as how even the least significant word at first glance can be filled with deep meanings and significant implications. This is the genius of the writers of the Bible, both human and divine.
Next time I will contrast the humble worm of Galilee with the powerful bulls of Bashon. But until then, I’m interested to hear your feedback. How has this post added to or changed the way you understood Easter to be? And how will you approach this Easter differently because of it?
References
[1] Amar, Z., Gottlieb, H., Varshavsky, L., Iluz, D., (n.d.). https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/55/12/1080/407161
[2] Zohar Amar (2007). Yaron Serri (ed.). Tracking the scarlet dye of the Holy Land (Be-ʻiḳvot tolaʻat ha-shani ha-Erets-Yiśreʼelit) (in Hebrew). Neṿeh Tsuf (Modi’in). ISBN 965-90818-2-0. OCLC 645876294.
[3] Jesus, S. A., Reasons for Hope*. (2021, March 15). How was Jesus Like a Worm? What’s the Crimson (or Scarlet) Worm? A Remez In Psalm 22? Reasons for Hope* Jesus. Retrieved 22 April 2022, https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/psalm-22-crimson-scarlet-worm/
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