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Foreshadows & Types

Scarlet Worm (Pslam 22 Types) WORM תּוֹלָע tôwlâʻ

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The scarlet worm, or tola (Coccus ilicis), is a scale insect in the Middle East known for producing a brilliant red dye used historically for priestly garments and tabernacle textiles, symbolizing sacrifice and purification, with its unique life cycle (mother’s self-sacrifice for young, turning white after death) often interpreted as a powerful Christian allegory for Jesus’s crucifixion and redemption, appearing in biblical texts like Psalm 22.

We used Google to ask the following :Date: 01-01-2026 – query: ‘scarlet worm’
‘Below we display the search results including ( if applicable ) our mark-ups in  ‘green italics‘

AI Results : 

The scarlet worm, or tola (Coccus ilicis), is a scale insect in the Middle East known for producing a brilliant red dye used historically for priestly garments and tabernacle textiles, symbolizing sacrifice and purification, with its unique life cycle (mother’s self-sacrifice for young, turning white after death) often interpreted as a powerful Christian allegory for Jesus’s crucifixion and redemption, appearing in biblical texts like Psalm 22.

Biological & Historical Significance

Source of Dye: The dye comes from the dried bodies of the female insects, which adhere to oak trees.
Hebrew Word: The Hebrew word tola (or towla) means both “scarlet” and “worm,” linking the color to the insect.
Usage: Used in ancient Israel for coloring priestly garments, the veil, and parts of the Tabernacle, as noted in the Old Testament.

Christian Allegory (The Gospel in the Worm)

Life Cycle: The female attaches to a tree, forms a protective shell, lays eggs, and nourishes the young with her body.
Sacrifice: After three days, the mother’s body hardens and turns white, releasing a red fluid that stains the offspring and the tree.
Symbolism: This cycle is seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus:
The worm’s self-sacrifice mirrors Christ’s death.
The red dye symbolizes His blood and sin.
The white, waxy remains symbolize purification and new life through Him, as in “scarlet sins can become white as snow”.

Biblical Link: This imagery connects to Psalm 22, where the Messiah describes Himself as a lowly “worm” (tola), as cited by Jesus on the cross.

We have reviewed this Ai response and it appears in line with our understanding, which is limited to the study we have done over the years and we are not experts.  We are learning still as well always.

Let’s do a little ‘digging’…

The word used by David of Messiah in Psalm 22 was not the ‘common’ word for worm (rimmâh) which would have been more like a common maggot here: 

Strong’s Definitions 

רִמָּה rimmâh, rim-maw’; from H7426 in the sense of breeding (compare H7311); a maggot (as rapidly bred), literally or figuratively:—worm.

 

———However, when he spoke of the messiah He spoke of the tôwlâʻ the scarlet or crimson worm : 

Strong’s Definitions

תּוֹלָע tôwlâʻ, to-law’; and (feminine) תּוֹלֵעָה tôwlêʻâh; or תּוֹלַעַת tôwlaʻath; or תֹּלַעַת tôlaʻath; from H3216; a maggot (as voracious); specifically (often with ellipsis of H8144) the crimson-grub, but used only (in this connection) of the color from it, and cloths dyed therewith:—crimson, scarlet, worm

Psa 22:1 KJV – [[To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.]] My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?
Psa 22:2 KJV – O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
Psa 22:3 KJV – But thou [art] holy, [O thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psa 22:4 KJV – Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
Psa 22:5 KJV – They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
Psa 22:6 KJV – But I [am] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 KJV – All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying],
Psa 22:8 KJV – He trusted on the LORD [that] he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psa 22:9 KJV – But thou [art] he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope [when I was] upon my mother’s breasts.
Psa 22:10 KJV – I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou [art] my God from my mother’s belly.
Psa 22:11 KJV – Be not far from me; for trouble [is] near; for [there is] none to help.
Psa 22:12 KJV – Many bulls have compassed me: strong [bulls] of Bashan have beset me round.
Psa 22:13 KJV – They gaped upon me [with] their mouths, [as] a ravening and a roaring lion.
Psa 22:14 KJV – I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
Psa 22:15 KJV – My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
Psa 22:16 KJV – For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Psa 22:17 KJV – I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me.
Psa 22:18 KJV – They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Psa 22:19 KJV – But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Psa 22:20 KJV – Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
Psa 22:21 KJV – Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
Psa 22:22 KJV – I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Psa 22:23 KJV – Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Psa 22:24 KJV – For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
Psa 22:25 KJV – My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
Psa 22:26 KJV – The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
Psa 22:27 KJV – All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28 KJV – For the kingdom [is] the LORD’S: and he [is] the governor among the nations.
Psa 22:29 KJV – All [they that be] fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
Psa 22:30 KJV – A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psa 22:31 KJV – They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this].

Crimson or Scarlett Worm – Psalm 22 –

God has put splendid illustration in nature, from creation onwards, with this ‘worm’ – of the sacrifice that Jesus would make for mankind.

In expounding on Psalm 22:6 (“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people”), Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“There is a little red worm which seems to be nothing else but blood when it is crushed. It seems all gone except a blood-stain. And the Savior, in the deep humiliation of His spirit, compares Himself to that little red worm. How true it is that ‘He made Himself of no reputation’ for our sakes! He emptied Himself of all His Glory, and, if there is any glory natural to manhood, He emptied Himself even of that! Not only the glories of His Godhead, but also the honors of His Manhood He laid aside that it might be seen that ‘though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor.’”

Jesus became poor. And in typology, having the sins of the world upon Himself, Jesus became like a worm, like a lowly crimson worm, hanging on a tree. (Job 25:6 and Isa 41:14 reveal the typology of sinful man as a worm.)

SCARLET WORM tôwlâʻ

Attaches itself to a tree or branch to die in order for it’s young to be born.

When the larvae hatch, they live protected under her body and feed themselves with their living mother.

A scarlet red liquid leaks out at that moment, which colours not only the wood to which they are attached, but the little young worms as well, for the rest of their lives.

Three days after death its body loses its scarlet red colour and goes through a metamorphosis changing into a heart-shaped wax, which falls to the ground like snow. 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.

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.

Just as the worm attaching itself to a tree is part of God’s design for the worm’s lifecycle, and it is crushed to make coverings, beauty and health today

JESUS THE tôwlâʻ

Willfully went to the tree / cross so we could be born again.

Jesus instructs that we eat His body and blood – the Word – and that they are His life that He has given for us.

Once we have accepted Jesus He sends us the Holy Spirit that washes us in His blood and seals us for the rest of our lives until the day we are redeemed.

Three days after death He rose from death, and [Isa 1:18 KJV] 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. He also gives us a new heart! [Eze 36:26 KJV] 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [Psa 22:14 KJV] 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Today, Jesus is our High Priest and we tabernacle with Him in the wilderness we are currently in. In revelation we see: [Rev 19:13 KJV] 13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

God’s design includes crushing Jesus for our sake. [Isa 53:10 KJV] 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise (dâkâʼ) him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

דָּכָא dâkâʼ, daw-kaw’; a primitive root (compare H1794); to crumble; transitively, to bruise (literally or figuratively):—beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise, contrite, crush, destroy, humble, oppress, smite.

GOD THE FISHERMAN, JESUS THE WORM

[Jhn 6:53-55 KJV] 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

[Jhn 6:43-44 KJV] 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

WE THE FISH

We are all fish in the seas of people. [Mar 1:17 KJV] 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Jesus instructs that we eat His body and blood – the Word -[Jhn 6:63 KJV] 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.

His words are the words of life…they cause a metamorphosis in us that our old life dies and we are re-born in Him.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. [Matthew 4:19 KJV]

The worm (Psalm 22:6)

Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm that describes the sufferings and death of the Messiah, who is likened to a worm verse 6.

There are three Hebrew words for a worm. The one in this verse is tola’ath, a crimson or scarlet worm, commonly found in Israel. The female crimson worm gives birth only once. At that time, she climbs up a tree or a piece of wood, attaches her body to it, and makes a hard crimson shell. The shell is so firmly attached to the tree, that it can only be removed by ripping her apart and thus killing her.

Underneath the body and protective shell, she lays her eggs, and the baby worms feed on her until she dies. After her death, her body released a red or crimson ink that covers the babies entirely. And the babies remain crimson red for the remainder of their lives.

Then three days later, the dead mother’s body loses its crimson color and turns white wax. The wax falls like snow on the ground.

Like the crimson mother worm died for her children to live, Jesus died so that we may live through him (1 John 4:9). He also climbed on a tree and gave up His life so that His people would be cleansed by His blood (Revelation 1:5), covered by it (Ephesians 2:13), and become white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

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Visual Aids

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Video Playlist

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Types List (1)

תּוֹלַעַת tôwla - Worm VS. Jesus

Scarlet Worm : Attaches itself to a tree or branch to die in order for it’s young to be born.

Jesus : Willfully went to the tree / cross so we could be born again.

Scarlet Worm : When the larvae hatch, they live protected under her body and feed themselves with their living mother.

Jesus : Jesus intructs that we eat His body and blood – the Word – and that they are His life that He has given for us.

Scarlet Worm : A scarlet red liquid leaks out at that moment, which colours not only the wood to which they are attached, but the little young worms as well, for the rest of their lives.

Jesus : Once we have accepted Jesus He sends us the Holy Spirit that washes us in His blood and seals us for the rest of our lives until the day we are redeemed.

Scarlet Worm : Three days after death it’s body loses its scarlet red colour and goes through a metamorphosis changing into into a heart-shaped wax, which falls to the ground like snow. 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 : Three days after death He rose from death, and [Isa 1:18 KJV] 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. He also gives us a new heart! [Eze 36:26 KJV] 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [Psa 22:14 KJV] 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Scarlet Worm : 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.

Jesus : Today, Jesus is our High Priest and we tabernacle with Him in the wilderness we are currently in. In revelation we see: [Rev 19:13 KJV] 13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Scarlet Worm : Just as the worm attaching itself to a tree is part of God’s design for the worm’s lifecycle, and it is crushed to make coverings, beauty and health today

Jesus : God’s design including crushing Jesus for our sake.

[Isa 53:10 KJV] 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise (dâkâʼ) him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

דָּכָא dâkâʼ, daw-kaw’; a primitive root (compare H1794); to crumble; transitively, to bruise (literally or figuratively):—beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise, contrite, crush, destroy, humble, oppress,

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Types List (2)

God The Fisherman, Jesus The Worm ; We The Fish

Jesus The Worm : [Jhn 6:53-55 KJV] 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

We The Fish : Jesus intructs that we eat His body and blood – which is also the Word of God-

[Job 34:3 KJV] For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.

[Jhn 6:63 KJV]  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.

His words are the words of life…they cause a metamophisis in us that our old life dies and we are re-born in Him.

 

Jesus The Worm : On the cross Jesus is like the bait, the worm on the hook that God has dropped into the water to get our attention. 

[Jhn 6:43-44 KJV] 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

We The Fish : If we trust in Jesus we will accept Him, become attached to Him and God the Father will raise us up to Him when we are on the ‘line’ of the Holy Ghost.

Jesus The Worm : Jesus lets His disciples know that they too can use Him to fish with and His Word – so that other’s come to Him and the Father.

 [Mar 1:17 KJV] 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

We The Fish : If we only fish with Jesus and not religion He will catch the fish and they will go to His glory, not our own.

[John 21:5 KJV] Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
[John 21:6 KJV] And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
[John 21:7 KJV] Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher’s coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
[John 21:8 KJV] And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
[John 21:9 KJV] As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
[John 21:10 KJV] Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
[John 21:11 KJV] Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.