יואל, פרק ב׳, פסוק ח׳

The advance of the locust swarm unfolds like a flawless, fearless, and unstoppable military campaign. Rather than appearing as mindless creatures, the massive swarm moves with the precision of a highly disciplined army [שטיינזלץ]. To capture this terrifying order, the locusts are compared to mighty human warriors [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. Their immense strength and focus ensure they never stray from their set path [מלבי״ם]. As they march, they do not push or crowd one another. Instead, each individual locust travels on its own distinct track, maintaining the perfect distance from its neighbor [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

When the swarm breaches a city, human defenses prove completely useless. The locusts leap from the walls and land directly onto the drawn swords and weapons of the defenders [מלבי״ם, רש״י]. Yet, the sharp blades do not deter them. The primary approach among commentators is that the locusts simply are not wounded or cut to pieces by these strikes [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא]. Because of their incredibly light weight, the swords fail to cause them any physical harm [רד״ק]. Ultimately, no human military effort or physical barrier can halt their devastating attack [שטיינזלץ].

Alternatively, a different perspective reads this encounter through a more conceptual lens. In this view, the locusts are not merely surviving physical weapons; rather, they are throwing themselves forward with total dedication to fulfill God's divine mission. Unlike a typical human army that might be appeased, bribed, or paid off to retreat, God's army of locusts accepts no money. They cannot be bought, and their destructive advance cannot be stopped by any worldly wealth [רש״י, רד״ק].