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Moth

Moth [Heb. 'ash; Grk. sēs]. A term designating varied species of insects that destroy the textures of natural fabrics by breeding in and feeding on them.

The word is used in several passages to depict the fragility of human existence (Job 4:19), the gradual decay of mortal life (Job 13:28), the flimsiness of human handiwork (Job 27:18), the effect of God's judgment (Ps 39:11; Hos 5:12; Jas 5:2), and the ruin of Israel's enemies (Isa 50:9; 51:8). In His heaven-earth antithesis, Jesus uses the term to illustrate the transience of things on this sinful planet where everything is subject to destruction and invites His listeners to seek the imperishable treasures of heaven instead (Matt 6:19-20; Luke 12:33).

C. Adelina Alexe

Citation

Footnote:

C. Adelina Alexe, “Moth,“ Seventh-day Adventist International Biblical-Theological Dictionary (2026-), ed. Daniel K. Bediako and Keldie Paroschi, https://dictionary.adventist.org/moth, accessed October 28, 2026

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