Joel1

Joel prophesies a devastating plague of locusts, described as an invading nation, which has utterly consumed all vegetation, leaving the land barren. This unprecedented destruction leads to the cessation of temple offerings and widespread mourning among all inhabitants, from drunkards to priests. The prophet calls for a solemn fast and assembly, warning that this calamity signals the imminent "day of the LORD."
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Superscription and Call to Attention

1
This is the word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel: ​
2
Hear this, O elders; and give ear, all who dwell in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? ​
3
Tell it to your children; let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.

The Devastation of the Locust Plague

4
What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten. ​
5
Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth. ​
6
For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness. ​
7
It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away; the branches have turned white.

A Call to Widespread Lamentation

8
Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth. ​
9
Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. ​
10
The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails.
11
Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. ​
12
The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple— all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up. ​

Priests Commanded to Lead Repentance

13
Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. ​
14
Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. ​

The Prophet's Prayer and the Day of the LORD

15
Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. ​
16
Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17
The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered away. ​
18
How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering. ​
19
To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. ​
20
Even the beasts of the field pant for You, for the streams of water have dried up, and fire has consumed the open pastures. ​

Study Notes for Joel 1

Verse 1

The book opens with a standard prophetic superscription, identifying the prophet Joel, whose name means 'The LORD is God.' Unlike many prophets, his ministry is dated by the events themselves (the plague) rather than by kings.

Verse 2

Joel begins by addressing the elders, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of the impending disaster. The severity of the event is so great that it must be recorded as a historical benchmark for future generations.

Verse 4

Four different Hebrew terms are used here, all referring generally to stages or types of devastating crawling insects (likely locusts). This poetic stacking emphasizes the totality of the destruction—what one wave missed, the next consumed.

Verse 5

Joel addresses the 'drunkards' (those reliant on wine) because the destruction of the vines immediately affects their way of life, forcing even the most complacent to recognize the judgment.

Verse 6

The locust swarm is described metaphorically as a 'nation' or invading army—strong, innumerable, and possessing devastating teeth. This anthropomorphic language highlights the military precision and comprehensive nature of the attack.

Verse 8

The call for lamentation is compared to the deepest personal grief: a young woman mourning the death of her fiancé (the 'husband of her youth') before the marriage could be consummated, representing the total loss of future promise.

Verse 9

The disaster has theological consequences. The destruction of grain and wine means the required public 'meat offering' (grain offering) and 'drink offering' cannot be presented, effectively severing the standard ritual connection between God and Israel.

Verse 11

Joel shifts his focus specifically to the farmers and vinedressers, whose economic and social existence has been ruined by the loss of the staple crops (wheat and barley).

Verse 12

The comprehensive destruction of all fruit-bearing trees (including pomegranates, palms, and apples) signifies the complete removal of joy, as harvest festivals and celebration were intrinsically tied to these crops.

Verse 13

The prophet commands the priests to lead the nation in repentance, demanding that they wear sackcloth and stay overnight in the temple complex, demonstrating extreme grief and desperation.

Verse 14

The necessary response to divine judgment is a communal act of repentance. 'Sanctify ye a fast' means to declare and prepare for a solemn religious assembly, gathering all segments of society (elders and inhabitants) to cry out to the LORD.

Verse 15

The current disaster is immediately linked to the climactic 'Day of the LORD,' a prophetic theme referring to a decisive time when God intervenes to judge the earth. Joel treats the present plague as a terrifying foretaste of that ultimate judgment.

Verse 17

The description highlights the complete breakdown of the agricultural cycle; even the seed intended for next year’s planting has spoiled, ensuring future famine and desolation.

Verse 18

The lament expands beyond humanity to include the suffering of the livestock. The groaning of the beasts emphasizes the cosmic scope of the judgment—the entire created order is affected by the curse.

Verse 19

Joel shifts from describing the disaster to addressing God directly in prayer. The 'fire' likely refers to the scorching drought and heat accompanying the locust plague, which has withered the pastures.

Verse 20

The prophet concludes the chapter by emphasizing that even the wild animals instinctively appeal to their Creator for sustenance, underscoring the severity of the drought where 'rivers of waters are dried up.'

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