Ant in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Definitions in Biblical History
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What is an Ant?
ANT
Prov 6:6 and Prov 30:25. A small insect remarkable for industry, economy, and architectural skill. These creatures are called by an inspired Writer "exceeding wise," Prov 30:24, and Cicero was so filled with wonder at their wisdom that he declared they must have mind, reason, and memory. The ants were described by the ancients "as ascending the stalks of cereals and gnawing off the grains, while others below detached the seed from the chaff" and carried it home; as gnawing off the radicle to prevent germination, and spreading their stores in the sun to dry after wet weather." The proverb ''As provident as an ant" was no less common among the people of the Mediterranean shores than "As busy as a bee" is with us. Hesiod spoke of the time-- "When the provident one [the ant] harvests the grain." Naturalists and commentators for a long time have been accustomed to deny the truth of such ideas. It is, however, now acknowledged that in such warm climates as Palestine these insects are dormant but a short time during the cooler season, and that they do store up large quantities of grain and seed, and dry them after rain. The writer has often seen in Judaea a quart or two of chaff and seeds upon ant-hills. This the ants were bringing out to dry in the morning, and carrying into their nests as it grew damp toward night. J. T. Muggridge, F. L. S., advances proof to confirm the ancient view, in the case of two species common around the Mediterranean. He has discovered the granaries, sometimes excavated in solid rock, in which the seeds are stored. He has seen the ants in the act of collecting seeds, and traced seeds to the granaries; he has seen them bring out the grains to dry after a rain, and nibble off the radicle from those which were germinating, and feed on the seed so collected. From these granaries Mr.M. collected the seeds of fifty-four species of plants. In one instance the masses of seeds of clover and other small plants taken from a single nest weighed, by careful estimate, over a pound. That the amount of grain gathered by ants was not unworthy of notice appears from the fact that the Mishna, or traditionary law of the Jews, adjudicates upon the ownership of such stores when found by the people. Of the 104 species of European ants, only two are known to store seeds. But these two, called "harvesting-ants," are abundant in the Levant; hence the familiarity of the ancients with them. The prudence of this insect, as well as its industry, may therefore properly instruct us. That the ant is in every respect "exceeding wise" is evident from its history and habits, which have been investigated by modern naturalists. Their habitations are constructed with regular stories, sometimes to the number of thirty or forty, and have large chambers, numerous vaulted ceilings covered with a single roof, long galleries and corridors, with pillars or columns of very perfect proportions. The materials of their buildings, such as earth, leaves, and the fragments of wood, are tempered with rain, and then dried in the sun. By this process the fabric becomes so firm and compact that a piece may be broken out without any injury to the surrounding parts; and it is so nearly impervious that the longest and most violent rains never penetrate more than a quarter of an inch. They are well sheltered in their chambers, the largest of which is placed nearly in the centre of the building. It is much higher than the rest, and all the galleries terminate in it. In this apartment they spend the night and the cold months, during which they are torpid, or nearly so, and require not the food which they lay up. To illustrate their industry and immense labor, it is said that their edifices are more than five hundred times the height of the builders, and that if the same proportion were preserved between human dwellings and those who build them, our houses would be four or five times higher than the pyramids of Egypt, the largest of which is four hundred and eighty feet in height, and requires a base of seven hundred feet square to support it. The largest of one species of ant (the South American) does not stand more than a quarter of an inch high, while their nests or houses are from twelve to twenty feet high, and large enough to hold a dozen men.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'ant' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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