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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
1:1-2:17 The Judgment against Judah and the Day of the Lord. This first part of Joel introduces the Lord's judgment in the form of a locust infestation, drought, and the coming of a great army. These events on the "day of the Lord" are followed by a call to seek the Lord.
1:1-20 Locust Invasion: Forerunner of the Day of the Lord. The first unit (vv. 1-14) describes the devastation that has come upon Judah, providing the reason for the call to lament in the second unit (vv. 15-20).
1:1 The word . . . came to. (See Hos. 1:1; Jonah 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Zech. 1:1.) This message has a divine source, and the prophet is given the privilege and responsibility of bearing that message to his hearers.
1:2 Elders (see v. 14; 2:16) likely refers to older members of the community rather than a formal office (cf. 2:28; but see also note on 1 Sam. 4:3). Commands are imparted to a wide range of groups (elders, drunkards, priests, farmers) within the community. Verses 2 and 14 of Joel 1 set limits for the first subsection (vv. 2-14) as each mentions "elders" and all inhabitants.
1:3 Tell your children. The people of Judah should recount this to four generations (cf. Ex. 10:1-2, 4-6). The telling of the Lord's great deeds and words occurs in the context of the covenant community (Ex. 13:8, 14; Deut. 4:9; 6:4-7, 20-21; Ps. 78:4-6).
1:4 The locust is a kind of grasshopper; under the right conditions they travel in large swarms and devastate all plant life in their path. cutting . . . swarming . . . hopping . . . destroying. Joel likely uses these terms as names for one kind of locust (perhaps in successive swarms), rather than four different types, in order to emphasize the totality of destruction (note the different sequence in 2:25). The Bible often uses four agents of destruction to stress utter devastation (cf. Jer. 15:2-3; Ezek. 14:21; Rev. 6:1-8; 9:15).
1:5 drunkards, drinkers of wine. Both groups, unaware of the coming chaos, must be aroused from their ignorance. They will have no sweet wine to drink when the locusts lay waste to the vines. Sweet wine was intoxicating, though its shorter fermentation time made it less so than wine fermented for a longer period.
1:6 Locusts are compared to a nation, equivalent to a great army (cf. Prov. 30:27; Jer. 5:15-17; Joel 2:25; Rev. 9:7). Armies are compared to locusts elsewhere in the OT (Judg. 6:5; 7:12; Isa. 33:4; Jer. 46:23; 51:14, 27) and other ancient Near Eastern texts.
1:7 The vine and fig tree are symbols of a prosperous and peaceful life for Israel (2 Kings 18:31; Mic. 4:4), which the Lord sees as his property. With the destruction of vine and fig tree, the validity of the "lions' teeth" metaphor (Joel 1:6) becomes clear.
1:8 bridegroom of her youth. Or, "husband of her youth." The people are called to a grief as deep as that of a betrothed virgin whose promised husband dies before the marriage is consummated. sackcloth. A garment of goat or camel hair worn during times of mourning, repentance, or fasting.
1:9 offering. Nothing is left for the offerings that accompany the daily burnt offering (Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 23:13). priests mourn. Their loss is personal since they ate a portion of the offering.
1:10 ground mourns . . . oil languishes. Joel poetically personifies these things as experiencing grief. The presence of grain, wine, and oil is evidence of God's covenant blessing (Deut. 7:13; 11:14; Joel 2:19, 24), and their absence is evidence of God's judgment (Deut. 28:49-51; Hos. 2:8-9).
1:11-12 Be ashamed (Hb. hobishu) sounds like dries up (Hb. hobish, used to say that "wine dries up" in v. 10 and "gladness dries up" in v. 12; also Hb. hobishah, used to say the "vine dries up" in v. 12). The loss of harvest means a loss of joy.
1:13 This is the peak of this section, filled with specific commands to priests. The commands to put on and lament mimic the actions of the virgin (v. 8). The reason for the priests' lament is that the offering is withheld.
1:14 Consecrate and gather are further tasks for the priests. a fast . . . cry out. OT fasts are undertaken as a sign of mourning, repentance, humility, and as a means of seeking God's help, guidance, or forgiveness (Judg. 20:26; 1 Sam. 7:6; 2 Sam. 1:12; Ezra 8:21-23; Neh. 1:4; 9:1; Dan. 9:3).
1:15-20 These verses, forming the second unit of vv. 1-20, comprise the content of the communal "cry" mentioned in v. 14.
1:15 The day of the Lord (see Introduction: Key Themes) is a major theme in Joel; it can refer both to the particular devastation of the locusts (v. 15) and to a final vindication of God and his people (3:18-21). It can refer to a day of destruction and threat for Israel (2:1, 11), or for the nations (3:14). However, for God's people, it is also associated with his presence (2:27), blessing (3:18), and salvation (2:31-32; 3:16). For more on "the day of the Lord," see note on Amos 5:18-20; and The Day of the Lord in the Prophets. destruction . . . Almighty. Joel uses an alliteration with the Hebrew words shod . . . Shadday (see ESV footnote), which suggests that the wordplay implies something like "destruction of the Destroyer."
1:17 seed shrivels . . . clods. These three words occur only here in the Masoretic text, and thus their precise meaning is uncertain (see ESV footnote). Nevertheless, it is clear from what follows that a drought has also come upon the land (v. 20).
1:18 the flocks of sheep suffer. The Hebrew for "suffer" is ’asham, and here it means "to suffer punishment" or "to bear guilt." The idea would be that creation suffers for Israel's guilt. It is also possible to read this as a form of shamem, "to be desolate" (see ESV footnote).
