Joel 1:10-12
The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes. Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up, and gladness dries up from the children of man.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Joel highlights that the lament isn't just about crops, but about the very products that sustained life and worship. The failure of grain, wine, and oil directly impacts both daily sustenance and the essential offerings to God, showing how deep a spiritual crisis this ecological disaster represents.
The prophet Joel is describing a devastating plague of locusts that has ravaged the land of Israel. This verse details the destruction of the land's most vital crops – grain, wine, and oil – which are not only essential for sustenance but also for religious offerings. The people are experiencing profound loss, and the land itself is portrayed as mourning this widespread barrenness, which directly impacts their ability to provide for themselves and worship God.
The ground itself is described as mourning. What does it mean for the very earth to grieve, and what does this tell us about God's creation?
Creation in Crisis
Joel paints a vivid picture of devastation. "The field is destroyed, the ground mourns." This isn't just a description of barrenness; it's a personification of the entire land.
A Universal Cry
When creation suffers, it reflects a deeper spiritual crisis. The land's mourning is a outward sign of an inward rot, a response to the sin and disobedience of its inhabitants. It's as if the natural world cries out in pain when God's intended order is disrupted by human failing.
More Than Just Crops
This mourning isn't just about lost harvests. It signifies a loss of divine favor and blessing. The land, which was meant to flourish under God's care, is now parched and barren, mirroring the spiritual emptiness of the people.
Corn, wine, and oil were staples of life in ancient Israel. What does their sudden disappearance signify about the people's relationship with God?
The Triple Loss
Joel specifically calls out the loss of "grain, new wine, and oil." These weren't just commodities; they were foundational to Israelite life and worship.
Sustenance and Celebration
Understand the original words
buwsh · Hebrew Verb
A sense of disgrace, humiliation, or remorse often experienced when one realizes their unworthiness before God or the consequence of their sins. It involves an internal awareness of failure that manifests outwardly.
Joel's vivid description of a devastated land, with ruined crops and dried-up produce, speaks powerfully to the post-exilic community. It evokes the harsh realities of famine and loss, likely referencing a severe drought or plague that mirrored the devastation of the Babylonian conquest, underscoring the need for repentance and reliance on God's restorative power.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Empire Dominance
The Assyrian Empire, a major regional power, exerted significant influence and control over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, impacting their political and economic stability.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its inhabitants. This event served as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of divine judgment.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins his campaigns against Judah, leading to the first wave of exiles, including prominent figures and resources, setting the stage for increasing pressure.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and treasures, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, further weakening the kingdom.
This passage describes a similar agricultural devastation, where crops and produce like wine and oil are lost due to pestilence and blight, directly paralleling Joel's depiction of ruin.
Psalm 104:14-15This psalm celebrates God's provision of grain, wine, and oil for human needs and joy, highlighting what is lost in Joel's lament and showing the profound impact of God's withholding.
Isaiah 24:7Here, the wine mourns and the oil languishes, mirroring Joel's language and illustrating a broader theme of creation's distress when God judges the earth.
Jeremiah 12:4This verse also personifies the land mourning because of wickedness, linking natural devastation to spiritual and moral failure, which is a key underlying theme in Joel's prophecy.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus' parable about the rich fool speaks to the futility of storing up earthly treasures when they can be lost overnight, a sobering thought in light of Joel's description of suddenly vanished bounty.
calvinJoel 1:10: "The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth."
- Vastatus est ager, luxit terra (hoc est, luxerunt terrae incolae;) quia vastatum est (idem est verbum vel, quia periit) frumentum, aruit (est a verbo yvs, non a vvs, quod significat pudefacere: quanquam utraque radix significationem hanc admittit apud Hebraeos: quia ergo aruit) mustum et exterminatum est (infirmatum ad verbum, ab 'ml; sed significat debilitatum esse) o…
pulpitJoel 1:10: "The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth."
Verse 10. - The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. This verse is closely connected with the preceding, for the failure of the meat offerings and drink offerings was owing to the devastation of the country and the destruction of its crops by the locust-plague. The field was laid waste by them, nor was i…
Joel highlights that the lament isn't just about crops, but about the very products that sustained life and worship. The failure of grain, wine, and oil directly impacts both daily sustenance and the essential offerings to God, showing how deep a spiritual crisis this ecological disaster represents.
The prophet Joel is describing a devastating plague of locusts that has ravaged the land of Israel. This verse details the destruction of the land's most vital crops – grain, wine, and oil – which are not only essential for sustenance but also for religious offerings. The people are experiencing profound loss, and the land itself is portrayed as mourning this widespread barrenness, which directly impacts their ability to provide for themselves and worship God.
The prophet Joel is describing a devastating plague of locusts that has ravaged the land of Israel. This verse details the destruction of the land's most vital crops – grain, wine, and oil – which are not only essential for sustenance but also for religious offerings. The people are experiencing profound loss, and the land itself is portrayed as mourning this widespread barrenness, which directly impacts their ability to provide for themselves and worship God.
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A Sign of Divine Displeasure
These three items were also central to the offerings and tithes brought to the Temple. Their destruction meant that the people could no longer properly honor God through their worship. The loss of these essentials was a stark, tangible sign that God's blessings had been withdrawn due to their sin.
The people mourned their loss, but missed the true source of their suffering. What does this blindness reveal about their hearts?
Feeling the Pain, Missing the Point
Joel highlights a critical spiritual failure: the people felt the effects of the disaster but failed to understand its cause. They complained about the hunger and thirst, but didn't connect it to their own sin and God's judgment.
Brute Insensibility
Commentators note that the people were like "brute beasts" – aware of physical discomfort but lacking the spiritual insight to grasp the deeper meaning. They mourned the loss of their crops and comforts, but not their alienation from God.
The Prophet's Task
This is why Joel's message is so urgent and repeated. He isn't just describing a plague of locusts; he's calling people to see God's hand in the devastation and to repent. Their lack of understanding, their inability to see God's judgment in their suffering, is as devastating as the locusts themselves.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem, destroy the city and the Temple, and exile the remaining population, marking the end of Judah as an independent kingdom.
Post-Exilic Period (c. 539 BC onwards)— this verse
Return from Babylonian Exile
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This period sees a gradual restoration, but often with diminished resources and faced with challenges.
"The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes. Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barl…" — Joel highlights that the lament isn't just about crops, but about the very products that sustained life and worship. The failure of grain, wine, and oil directly impacts both daily sustenance and the…
