Flea

The flea appears twice in the Old Testament, both times in the mouth of David when addressing Saul during his time as a fugitive. At the cave of Adullam, David asked Saul: "After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea" (1 Samuel 24:14). The second instance echoes this: "the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea" (1 Samuel 26:20).

David's use of the flea as a self-designation is a deliberate expression of self-abasement before the king — the flea being among the smallest and most insignificant of creatures, certainly no worthy quarry for a king and his army. The irony is pointed: Israel's greatest military hero represents himself as a negligible creature to highlight the disproportionate and unjust nature of Saul's pursuit. The flea itself is the common human flea (Pulex irritans), abundant throughout the ancient Near East. Beyond these two references, the term has no further biblical significance.