It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The stark image of white branches isn't just about emptiness; it reveals the utter devastation. The locusts have stripped away not only the bark but also the very life and greenness, leaving the trees exposed and seemingly dead, a chilling symbol of total ruin.
It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Joel is vividly describing a devastating plague of locusts that has ravaged the land of Judah. These insects have completely stripped the trees bare, leaving nothing but white, lifeless branches. This utter destruction is presented not just as a natural disaster, but as a divine judgment, turning God's once fruitful "vine" and "fig tree"—symbols of His people—into a desolate wasteland.
When God's people suffer, it's not just a distant observation for Him. He feels it deeply.
Joel describes a devastating scene: vines laid waste, fig trees stripped bare. But notice how God refers to these as 'my vine' and 'my fig tree.' This isn't just about crops being destroyed; it's about His cherished possession being harmed.
This language reveals God's deep personal investment in His people and His land. These weren't just random trees; they were symbols of His covenant love and the blessings He intended for them. The devastation isn't just an environmental disaster; it's an attack on something precious to God Himself, causing Him pain and grief, even as He justly brings judgment.
The imagery here is stark and visceral. What does this complete stripping away signify?
The verse paints a picture of utter ruin. The locusts don't just nibble; they 'lay waste,' 'bark,' 'strip clean bare,' and 'throw down.' This isn't partial damage; it's annihilation. The bark is removed, the branches are exposed and dried, turning white.
This graphic description emphasizes the thoroughness of the judgment coming upon Judah. It signifies more than just a loss of crops; it represents a stripping away of all that was precious, fruitful, and protective. It leaves the land, and by extension the people, vulnerable, exposed, and seemingly lifeless. The imagery of the 'white branches' speaks of a deathly stillness, a complete absence of life and vitality.
Ask a follow-up
Who or what is behind this devastating plague, and what does it reveal about God's power?
Joel identifies the cause of this ruin: a plague of locusts, which he describes in vivid, terrifying detail. However, the ancient Near Eastern mindset, and especially the biblical perspective, doesn't see such plagues as mere natural occurrences.
These locusts are presented as instruments in God's hand. He is the one who unleashes them. They are His 'great army' (Joel 1:6), acting according to His sovereign will. This shifts the focus from the insects themselves to the divine power behind them. Even the most destructive natural forces are under God's control, and He can use them to carry out His judgment against sin and rebellion.
Understand the original words
sum shammah · Hebrew Verb
To cause ruin, devastation, or desolation, typically as a result of judgment, war, or divine wrath.
Joel's vivid imagery of locusts stripping vines and fig trees bare paints a picture of utter devastation. This prophetic vision likely resonated deeply with a people who had witnessed or heard firsthand accounts of the brutal efficiency of empires like Assyria and Babylon, whose conquests literally stripped the land bare and brought their nation to its knees.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Threat Looms
The Assyrian Empire under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II exerts immense pressure on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, leading to vassalage, tribute, and deportation for many.
701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. While Jerusalem is spared, the surrounding land suffers devastation.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon defeats the Egyptians and begins his campaigns against Judah, leading to the first wave of exiles, including prominent figures and the prophet Daniel.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem and deports King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces utterly destroy Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, followed by a final deportation of the remaining population, marking the end of Judah as an independent kingdom.
c. 586 BC - 538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The majority of the Jewish people live in exile in Babylon, a period of profound spiritual and national crisis that shapes their identity and religious practice.
This psalm directly calls Israel 'the vine that you planted,' echoing Joel's imagery of God's own chosen people as a vine being devastated.
Isaiah 5:1-7Isaiah's famous allegory of God's vineyard, which was intended to produce good fruit but instead produced wild grapes, parallels Joel's theme of a beloved vine being laid to waste due to unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 8:13This passage describes a similar destruction of the land's produce, specifically mentioning the vine and the fig tree, showing a recurring prophetic pattern of judgment involving these symbolic plants.
Matthew 21:19Jesus cursing the fig tree that had no fruit directly links the fig tree to spiritual fruitfulness, suggesting that the devastation described by Joel could also represent a spiritual barrenness or judgment.
1 Peter 5:8This verse warns about the devil, the adversary, 'prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,' which can be seen as a spiritual parallel to the destructive locusts that Joel describes as devouring God's people.
clarkeJoel 1:7: "He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white."
He hath laid my vine waste - The locusts have eaten off both leaves and bark. חשף חשפה chasoph chasaphah, he hath made it clean bare; שדד שדה suddad sadeh, the field is laid waste, Joel 1:10 ; and כשד משדי kesod mishshaddai, a destruction from the Almighty, Joel 1:15 ; are all paronomasias in which this prophet seems to delight.
jfbJoel 1:7: "He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white."
- barked—Bochart, with the Septuagint and Syriac, translates, from an Arabic root, "hath broken," namely, the topmost shoots, which locusts most feed on. Calvin supports English Version.my vine … my fig tree—being in "My land," that is, Jehovah's (Joe 1:6). As to the vine-abounding nature of ancient Palestine, see Nu 13:23, 24.cast it away—down to t…
The stark image of white branches isn't just about emptiness; it reveals the utter devastation. The locusts have stripped away not only the bark but also the very life and greenness, leaving the trees exposed and seemingly dead, a chilling symbol of total ruin.
The prophet Joel is vividly describing a devastating plague of locusts that has ravaged the land of Judah. These insects have completely stripped the trees bare, leaving nothing but white, lifeless branches. This utter destruction is presented not just as a natural disaster, but as a divine judgment, turning God's once fruitful "vine" and "fig tree"—symbols of His people—into a desolate wasteland.
The prophet Joel is vividly describing a devastating plague of locusts that has ravaged the land of Judah. These insects have completely stripped the trees bare, leaving nothing but white, lifeless branches. This utter destruction is presented not just as a natural disaster, but as a divine judgment, turning God's once fruitful "vine" and "fig tree"—symbols of His people—into a desolate wasteland.
"It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white." — The stark image of white branches isn't just about emptiness; it reveals the utter devastation. The locusts have stripped away not only the bark but also the very life and greenness, leaving the tree…
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Last reviewed October 2026