What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse isn't just about locusts eating crops; it paints a devastating picture of utter, progressive destruction. Each type of locust consumes what the previous one left behind, signifying a complete annihilation where nothing is spared, emphasizing the totality of the judgment. This layered devastation highlights the relentless, escalating nature of God's discipline when His people refuse to turn.
What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Joel begins by calling the elders and inhabitants of the land to attention, asking if they have ever witnessed such devastation. He then describes a horrifying scenario where successive swarms of locusts, each more destructive than the last, have completely stripped the land bare, leaving nothing for harvest or future sustenance. This vivid imagery sets the stage for his prophecy, highlighting the severity of God's judgment and the impending famine.
Imagine a plague so devastating that it wipes out your entire food supply, not once, but multiple times in a row. Joel vividly describes this nightmare.
Joel doesn't just mention generic bugs; he names four distinct types of locusts (or stages of locusts) to emphasize the completeness of the destruction.
The progression isn't just a list; it shows a relentless, escalating judgment. Each wave leaves less than the one before, until nothing remains. This isn't random natural disaster; it's a divinely orchestrated plague showing God's power to bring judgment.
This isn't just about bugs eating crops. Joel uses this devastating scene to paint a much larger, more terrifying picture.
The detailed description of the locusts' progression serves as a powerful metaphor. It signifies a complete and utter ruin, leaving no hope for recovery within the natural order.
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This verse is the stark introduction to Joel's message, setting the stage for a much broader pronouncement of judgment and, ultimately, a call to repentance.
Understand the original words
arbeh · Hebrew Noun
A locust or insect species often used in Scripture as a symbol of divine judgment or a devastating plague sent to bring a nation to repentance.
The prophet Joel uses the devastating imagery of successive locust plagues to describe a total destruction of the land, a profound crisis that resonated deeply with a people who had experienced or were still facing cycles of invasion, exile, and hardship from empires like Assyria, Babylon, and later Rome.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Invasions
The Assyrian Empire, under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sennacherib, exerted significant pressure and control over the Kingdom of Judah, leading to deportations and political subjugation.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon begins his campaigns against Judah, initiating a series of deportations that included the elite and skilled workers, significantly weakening the kingdom.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Babylon deports King Jehoiachin and more of Judah's population, including the prophet Ezekiel, further dismantling the nation's structure.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar finally destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and leading to the Babylonian Exile of the majority of the Jewish people.
c. 450-400 BC— this verse
Prophecy of Joel
The prophet Joel delivers his message, likely during a period of post-exilic rebuilding but still facing significant hardship and the memory of past devastations.
c. 4th-2nd century BC
Hellenistic Period
Following Alexander the Great's conquests, the region comes under Greek influence and rule, leading to cultural and religious pressures, and later conflicts with the Seleucids.
1st century BC - 1st century AD
Roman Influence and Rule
The Roman Republic and later Empire extends its dominion over Judea, culminating in direct Roman governance and periods of significant unrest and revolt.
This passage directly warns Israel that locusts would consume their crops as a form of divine judgment, aligning with Joel's depiction of agricultural devastation.
Nahum 3:15-16Nahum uses similar imagery of locust swarms devouring everything to describe the destruction of Nineveh, showing this was a common metaphor for overwhelming devastation.
2 Corinthians 4:7Paul speaks of having God's treasure in 'earthen vessels,' a concept that resonates with how God uses seemingly fragile or destructive forces, like locusts, to carry out His purposes, highlighting the vulnerability and power dynamic.
Revelation 9:1-11This apocalyptic passage describes a plague of locusts released from the abyss, with imagery that echoes Joel's account of devastating swarms, suggesting a spiritual dimension to such calamities.
Amos 4:9Amos also describes plagues of locusts and blight as divine judgments that Israel endured but did not heed, reinforcing Joel's theme of recurring divine discipline through natural disaster.
jfbJoel 1:4: "That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten."
- This verse states the subject on which he afterwards expands. Four species or stages of locusts, rather than four different insects, are meant (compare Le 11:22). Literally, (1) the gnawing locust; (2) the swarming locust; (3) the licking locust; (4) the consuming locust; forming a climax to t…
calvinJoel 1:1-4: "The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel."
Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
Audite hoc senes, et auscultate omnes incolae terrae, an fuerit hoc diebus vestris, et si diebus patrum vestrorum.
Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
Super hoc filiis vestris narrate, et filii vestri…
The verse isn't just about locusts eating crops; it paints a devastating picture of utter, progressive destruction. Each type of locust consumes what the previous one left behind, signifying a complete annihilation where nothing is spared, emphasizing the totality of the judgment. This layered devastation highlights the relentless, escalating nature of God's discipline when His people refuse to turn.
The prophet Joel begins by calling the elders and inhabitants of the land to attention, asking if they have ever witnessed such devastation. He then describes a horrifying scenario where successive swarms of locusts, each more destructive than the last, have completely stripped the land bare, leaving nothing for harvest or future sustenance. This vivid imagery sets the stage for his prophecy, highlighting the severity of God's judgment and the impending famine.
The prophet Joel begins by calling the elders and inhabitants of the land to attention, asking if they have ever witnessed such devastation. He then describes a horrifying scenario where successive swarms of locusts, each more destructive than the last, have completely stripped the land bare, leaving nothing for harvest or future sustenance. This vivid imagery sets the stage for his prophecy, highlighting the severity of God's judgment and the impending famine.
"What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten." — The verse isn't just about locusts eating crops; it paints a devastating picture of utter, progressive destruction. Each type of locust consumes what the previous one left behind, signifying a comple…
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Last reviewed October 2026