dust of the land. “The entomologists Kirby and Spence place these minute
but disgusting insects in the very front rank of those which inflict injury
upon man. A terrible list of examples they have collected of the ravages of
this and closely allied parasitic pests.” The plague of lice is referred to in
Psalm 105:31.
Some have supposed that the word denotes not lice properly, but gnats.
Others, with greater probability, take it to mean the “tick” which is much
larger than lice.