This verse reveals a deeper meaning of "shame" than just embarrassment; it signifies a profound, crushing disappointment when what you've toiled for vanishes, leaving you exposed and realizing your efforts were ultimately in vain without God's blessing. The prophet calls the farmers to lament, not just over lost crops, but over the failure of their hopes and the vanity of their labor when the fundamental sources of sustenance have been destroyed.
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)
Joel is describing a devastating locust plague that has completely wiped out the land's crops, leaving the people facing famine. This verse specifically calls out the farmers and vineyard keepers, the very people whose livelihoods depend on successful harvests, to be ashamed and wail because their fields, especially the vital wheat and barley, have yielded nothing. The complete loss of the harvest signifies the end of their expected joy and provision, setting the stage for further lamentations over other crops and trees.
Why would God tell farmers to feel 'ashamed' over a failed harvest? It's more than just feeling a bit embarrassed.
The Hebrew word here for 'ashamed' often carries the weight of deep disappointment and dashed hopes. It's the feeling when your reliance on something – in this case, the land and your labor – utterly fails you.
The farmers are ashamed, but the vinedressers are told to 'wail.' What's the difference, and what are they truly mourning?
While the husbandmen face shame for the failure of their staple crops like wheat and barley, the vinedressers are called to 'wail.' This intense cry speaks of a deeper, more profound loss.
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Joel doesn't just describe a drought; he paints a picture of total desolation. What does this tell us about God's perspective on sin?
This passage in Joel vividly illustrates the far-reaching consequences of sin and God's judgment. It’s not a gentle nudge but a comprehensive devastation.
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.
The immediate context for Joel's words is a terrifying, natural disaster—a locust plague—that wipes out the agricultural harvest. This literal devastation serves as a stark picture of spiritual barrenness and a wake-up call for the people to confront their sin.
c. 8th century BC
Joel's Prophetic Ministry
Joel prophesies during a period of prosperity in Judah, but warns of impending judgment due to the people's sins, including economic injustice and religious corruption.
c. 8th century BC— this verse
Locust Plague Descends
A devastating locust swarm, described in vivid detail by Joel, consumes the land's crops, including wheat and barley, leaving the fields barren and the people in despair.
c. 8th century BC
Widespread Famine and Drought
The locust plague, possibly exacerbated by drought, leads to a severe famine. Agricultural life, the backbone of Judah's economy, collapses, impacting everyone from farmers to vinedressers.
c. 8th century BC
Call to Repentance
Joel calls the people, specifically the farmers and vinedressers who have lost their livelihood, to shame and lament, urging them to repent and turn back to God.
c. 8th century BC
Prophecy of Future Restoration
Joel contrasts the present devastation with a future hope, promising that God will restore the land and pour out His Spirit upon all people.
This passage parallels Joel's lament by describing the shame and despair of the people due to crop failure, emphasizing how the land is parched and no harvest can be produced, leading to a communal sense of failure and disappointment.
Isaiah 24:7-9This prophecy speaks of a future judgment where joy is removed from the earth, wine mourns, and healthy things languish, mirroring the desolation described in Joel where the harvest, the source of joy and sustenance, perishes.
Amos 8:11-12Similar to Joel's message, Amos prophesies a time of severe famine not of bread or thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord, linking agricultural devastation to a spiritual loss that brings shame and distress.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus' parable of the rich fool highlights the folly of placing all hope and security in earthly harvests and possessions, a theme echoed in Joel where the agricultural 'harvest' fails, leaving those who depended solely on it ashamed and without joy.
jfbJoel 1:11: "Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished."
- Be … ashamed—that is, Ye shall have the shame of disappointment on account of the failure of "the wheat" and "barley … harvest."howl … vine dressers—The semicolon should follow, as it is the "husbandmen" who are to be "ashamed … for the wheat." The reason for the "vine dressers" being called to "howl" does not come till Joe 1:12, "The vine is…
bensonJoel 1:11: "Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished."
Joel 1:11-12 . Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen — Be struck with confusion to see all your hopes disappointed, and no fruit arising from your labour; to find nothing of that which you had made yourselves sure of. Howl, O ye vine-dressers — This is to be referred to what is said in the next verse, and not to the words immediately following, which bel…
This verse reveals a deeper meaning of "shame" than just embarrassment; it signifies a profound, crushing disappointment when what you've toiled for vanishes, leaving you exposed and realizing your efforts were ultimately in vain without God's blessing. The prophet calls the farmers to lament, not just over lost crops, but over the failure of their hopes and the vanity of their labor when the fundamental sources of sustenance have been destroyed.
Joel is describing a devastating locust plague that has completely wiped out the land's crops, leaving the people facing famine. This verse specifically calls out the farmers and vineyard keepers, the very people whose livelihoods depend on successful harvests, to be ashamed and wail because their fields, especially the vital wheat and barley, have yielded nothing. The complete loss of the harvest signifies the end of their expected joy and provision, setting the stage for further lamentations over other crops and trees.
Joel is describing a devastating locust plague that has completely wiped out the land's crops, leaving the people facing famine. This verse specifically calls out the farmers and vineyard keepers, the very people whose livelihoods depend on successful harvests, to be ashamed and wail because their fields, especially the vital wheat and barley, have yielded nothing. The complete loss of the harvest signifies the end of their expected joy and provision, setting the stage for further lamentations over other crops and trees.
"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,…" — This verse reveals a deeper meaning of "shame" than just embarrassment; it signifies a profound, crushing disappointment when what you've toiled for vanishes, leaving you exposed and realizing your e…
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Last reviewed October 2026
