Flea

Easton's Bible Dictionary

David at the cave of Adullam thus addressed his persecutor Saul (1 Sam. 24:14): "After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea?" He thus speaks of himself as the poor, contemptible object of the monarch's pursuit, a "worthy object truly for an expedition of the king of Israel with his picked troops!" This insect is in Eastern language the popular emblem of insignificance. In 1 Sam. 26:20 the LXX. read "come out to seek my life" instead of "to seek a flea."

Related Words

Flea
·vt To <<Flay>>. II. Flea ·noun An insect belonging to the genus Pulex, of the order Aphaniptera. F...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Flea
an insect but twice mentioned in Scripture, viz., in (1 Samuel 24:14; 26:20) Fleas are abundant in t...

William Smith's Bible Dictionary
Flea-beetle
·noun A small beetle of the family Halticidae, of many species. They have strong posterior legs and ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Flea-bite
·noun The bite of a flea, or the red spot caused by the bite. II. Flea-bite ·noun A trifling wound ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Flea-bitten
·adj Bitten by a flea; as, a flea-bitten face. II. Flea-bitten ·adj White, flecked with minute dots...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Flea-louse
·noun A jumping plant louse of the family Psyllidae, of many species. That of the pear tree is Psyll...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Water flea
·- Any one of numerous species of small aquatic Entomostraca belonging to the genera Cyclops, Daphni...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
flea bite
A trifling injury. To send any one away with a flea in his ear; to give any one a hearty scolding. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
sand-flea
(Genus, orchestra. Leach.) A small crustacea common along the shores of Long Island, and other sandy...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
beach-flea
(Genus, orchestra. Leach.) A small crustacea common along the shores of Long Island, and other sandy...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
flea-bane
(Erigeron Canadense.) One of the most hardy and common weeds. It propagates itself rapidly, and sinc...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
beach-flea
A small crustacean (Talitra) frequenting sandy shores. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book