Worms in the Bible may be either maggots or larvae of various kinds of insect. It is a term of contempt when applied to human beings (Job 25: 6) and is particularly associated with death and decay (Isa. 14: 11; Acts 12: 23). It was a worm that attacked the bush under which Jonah was sheltering (Jonah 4: 7) outside Nineveh.