to.le.ah denotes a worm, especially as a concrete creature and in recurring references to scarlet material.

The term occurs most often in lists of scarlet material used for tabernacle textiles and ritual items; it also denotes a concrete worm that eats, covers, or attacks, and is applied figuratively to Jacob or to a human.

1. Scarlet material in textiles and ritual items · dominant

   In its construct form, the term appears in lists with blue, purple, and linen for curtains and priestly work; in Exodus 28:6 the APB renders the list as including "scarlet worm," and Exodus 39:29 includes "scarlet yarn" in the embroidered girdle. In Leviticus 14:51, an absolute-form occurrence is among the items dipped and used to sprinkle the house, while the APB renders the list with both "scarlet yarn" and "the worm."

   Exodus 28:6Exodus 39:29Leviticus 14:51Numbers 4:8Exodus 26:1Exodus 35:25
2. Concrete worm · occasional

   The absolute form identifies the creature appointed to attack the plant in Jonah 4:7; the APB renders the clause, "God appointed a worm" that "attacked the plant." In Deuteronomy 28:39 it is the agent that eats the vineyard's produce, and Isaiah 66:24 has a construct-form occurrence in the clause rendered "their worm shall not die."

   Jonah 4:7Deuteronomy 28:39Isaiah 14:11Isaiah 66:24
3. Figurative designation for people · rare

   Isaiah 41:14 uses the construct form in the direct address "worm of Jacob" before the assurance of help. Job 25:6 uses the absolute form twice in statements comparing a human and a son of man to a worm; the APB renders both comparisons with "worm."

   Isaiah 41:14Job 25:6

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the textile and ritual passages, the APB varies among "scarlet yarn," "scarlet worm," and "worm scarlet." In creature contexts it uses "worm," while Isaiah 14:11 uses "worms"; these are verse-level renderings rather than definitions.