Scorpion

A scorpion is an eight-legged armoured creature, related to spiders, found across the desert and rocky regions of the Middle East. During the day it hides under flat stones, in crevices, and inside sandals left on the ground at night. After dark it hunts insects and small creatures. Its tail curls up over its back, ending in a curved stinger that delivers venom. Palestine has many species; the yellow desert scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus) found in the Sinai and Negev is among the most dangerous in the world — its sting causes intense burning pain that can last days, convulsions, and in children or the elderly it can kill. What makes the scorpion feared is its hiddenness: you rarely see it until it stings you.

Moses reminded Israel that God had led them through a wilderness 'full of fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water' (Deuteronomy 8:15) — the scorpion was a marker of the wilderness's deadliness. When Solomon's son Rehoboam threatened to punish the people 'with scorpions' (1 Kings 12:11), he meant whips studded with metal spikes — the scorpion had become language for the worst possible cruelty. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:19 that he had given them authority to tread on serpents and scorpions. In Luke 11:12 he contrasted a loving father with one who would give his child a scorpion instead of an egg. Revelation 9:3–5 describes demonic locusts given the power of scorpions — permitted to sting and torment, but not to kill.