The Crimson Worm in Psalm 22: A Biblical Type of Jesus Christ

“Didn’t You Get the Memo?”

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the phrase “memo” came into being in the year 1889.

It is of course a shortened form of the word “memorandum.” That word has existed at least since the early 15th Century.

In the Oxford English Dictionary, a memorandum is defined as, “A message in the form of a simple note, without the formulas and signature characteristics of a letter, and conventionally bearing the heading “Memorandum”, and the sender’s name; especially such a message as communicated within an organization.”

In recent years, the phrase “Didn’t you get the memo?” has been popularized in such movies as “Office Space” and “Batman Begins.” It is often used to sarcastically point out another’s ignorance of important facts.

Biblical Typology and Jesus Christ

In Biblical Typology, Jesus is often portrayed in veiled form by certain Biblical characters such as Joseph or Moses.

There are also Biblical Types of Jesus found within the Inanimate World. Jesus is likened unto being a Rock (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 18:2, I Corinthians 10:4), life giving Bread (Matthew 26:26, John 6:32-35, I Corinthians 11:24), and living water (John 4:10,14, 7:38, Revelation 7:17).

The importance of Biblical Typology can also be seen in God’s prophetic timelines, where later events are presented as types or fulfillments of earlier biblical events.

From the Animal Kingdom, we also find Jesus sharing similar characteristic to a strong and formidable Lion, “… the Lion of the Tribe of Judah…” (Revelation 5:5), or as a meek and lowly sacrificial Lamb, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The symbolism of Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb is examined in greater detail in The Examination of the Passover Lamb, which explores Jesus as the perfect sacrifice foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

Jesus as the Worm in Psalm 22

Another member of the Animal Kingdom to which Scripture likens Jesus is the lowly Worm.

Unfortunately, very seldom is the spiritual significance of Jesus depiction as being like a worm given much attention amongst believers.

When thoroughly examined however, Jesus’ representation as being like a worm can arguably be seen to be far more poignant and thought provoking than all the other Biblical Types to be found within God’s Word.

So, just in case “You didn’t get the Memo!” regarding the significance of the “Worm” in Biblical Typology, here goes:

“Memo on the Significance of the Worm in Biblical Typology”

Just a quick heads up: most Christians ignore the fact that Scripture likens Jesus to a “worm” during the Crucifixion. In so doing, they miss out on some of the most important and wondrous aspects of God’s Word.

Psalm 22 and the Crucifixion of Jesus

In Psalm 22, David gives us a vivid prophetic description as to the magnitude of Jesus’ sufferings on the Cross which would occur 1,000 years into the future.

The use of fulfilled prophecy as evidence of God’s sovereign ordering of history is also explored in Is It Really, “Just a Coincidence”?, which discusses Messianic prophecies including Psalm 22.

The narrative reads:

“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.

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.

For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:

they pierced my hands and my feet.

I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” Psalm 22:14-18

Immediately preceding this passage, we find Jesus equated to being like a “worm” in the same chapter:

“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

Psalm 22:6-8

The Hebrew Word Tola’ath

It is of interest to note that David did not use the customary Hebrew word for the common worm in this passage. For this word is “rimmah”.

Rather, he used the Hebrew word “tola’ath,” which depicts “a scarlet or crimson worm.” This same differentiation in the original Hebrew language is also made in the Book of Job. There, sinful man is referred to as a common worm or “rimmah,” and the Son of Man is represented as “tola’ath” (Job 25:6).

The “tola’ath,” or “towla” worm, is crimson or scarlet in color.

It is found throughout the Middle East, most predominantely within the Nation of Israel. This “crimson worm” possesses some quite interesting and unique characteristics.

The Life Cycle of the Crimson Worm

The female crimson worm lays her eggs only once in her life. This occurs at the conclusion of her life cycle.

When she is ready to lay her eggs, she climbs up a tree and attaches herself to it.

Once her body is joined to the tree, a hard crimson shell forms around her body.

She then lays her eggs underneath her body. The eggs feed off the living body of the mother over the course of the next 3 days.

The mother then excretes a crimson or scarlet dye. It stains both the tree and the infant worms.

This dye is quite powerful, as the baby worms remain crimson colored for their entire lives.

On day 4, the tail of the mother pulls up to her head. This forms a heart shaped body that is no longer crimson in color, but snow white.

The mother then dies, her work being finished.

Scarlet Dye in the Old Testament

In Old Testament times, the red dye made from the crimson worm was used to stain the High Priest’s robes. It was also likely used to stain the ram’s skins which formed the outer shell of the Tabernacle.

This dye is still used in the Middle East to this very day and is referred to as “Royal Red Dye”. The waxy residue left from the mother worm is also used in the making of shellac to preserve wood.

The remaining parts of the deceased mother worm are incorporated into medicine. This medicine is used to regulate the human heart.

The Crimson Worm and Jesus Christ

The numerous similarities between the Mother Crimson Worm and Jesus’ death on the cross are truly amazing:

1. Both Were Attached to a Tree

God the Father designed the Mother Crimson Worm to attach herself to a tree at the end of her life cycle. In like manner, He foreordained the same end for His only begotten Son (Acts 2:23

Jesus’ sacrificial death as the fulfillment of the Passover pattern is examined further in the biblical study of Jesus as the Perfect Passover Lamb.

2. The Crimson Stain and the Blood of Christ

As the Mother Worm excretes a red dye that marks and covers her offspring, so too does the Blood of Jesus mark us as being His own (Ephesians 2:13). His Blood also covers the penalty for our sins, washing them all away (Revelation 1:5).

3. From Scarlet to White

Just as the Mother Worm’s color changes from red to white upon her death, so too does Jesus’ death on the Cross change our transgressions from red to white. “…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

4. Jesus Made Himself of No Reputation

When her life is over, the Mother Worm is no more than a stain left behind on a tree.

Likewise, we see that Jesus “made himself of no reputation” (Philippians 2:7). He cast aside the Glory of his Divinity to become a mere worm for the sake of the believer.

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” II Corinthians 8:9

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33

The intricate correspondence between Old Testament patterns and their proposed New Testament fulfillment illustrates the same principle discussed in God’s Finishing Touch on His Daniel Chapter 9 Prophetic Timeline. There, Biblical Typology is used to connect earlier and later events in Scripture.

There you have it folks, you got the “Memo”.

Related Studies from Paradigms Tossed

Continue exploring biblical typology, fulfilled prophecy, and the many ways Scripture points forward to Jesus Christ through these related studies:

The Rapture of the Church: Birds of a Feather Flocking Together
This study examines biblical types such as Abraham, Isaac, Boaz, Hosea, Jonah, Joseph, and Moses, showing how Old Testament people and events can foreshadow Jesus Christ and later prophetic events.

3rd Time is the Charm
Explore the recurring biblical significance of the number three throughout creation, the Trinity, the life of Christ, His crucifixion, resurrection, and other scriptural patterns.

2030 A.D. Prophetic Timeline: The 70 Jubilee Cycles of Daniel
This study examines another recurring biblical pattern—the number seven—and how weeks, sabbatical cycles, and Jubilee years are used throughout Scripture.

Poetic Justice in the Bible: God’s Justice and the Measure We Use
Discover how recurring patterns of judgment and reversal appear throughout Scripture in the lives of Pharaoh, Daniel’s enemies, Haman, David, and others.

Hosea 6 Prophecy and the Year 2030: Prophetic Timeline 4
Examine how earlier Old Testament passages and patterns are interpreted in relation to later prophetic events, including restoration and the Millennial Kingdom.