Joel 1:7
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)
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What's striking here is the progression of devastation: the locusts first strip the leaves and fruit, then move to the bark, leaving the branches stark white. This isn't just about losing produce; it's a violent stripping away of the tree's very life and protective covering, a profound image of complete ruin.
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Psalm 80:8", "connection": "This psalm also uses the metaphor of God's vine to represent Israel, highlighting God's care and the devastation that occurs when that care is removed or turned to wrath." }, { "reference": "Isaiah 5:1-7", "connection": "This passage famously describes God's 'beloved' vineyard, which is Israel, and details its destruction due to unfruitfulness, mirroring the desolation described in Joel." }, { "reference": "Matthew 21:33-43", "connection": "Jesus recounts the parable of the wicked vinedressers, where the vineyard is taken from tenants and given to others, further emphasizing the spiritual significance of God's vine and the consequences of its neglect or abuse." }, { "reference": "Hosea 9:10", "connection": "Hosea refers to Israel as 'grapes in the wilderness' and a 'fig tree in the first ripe fruit,' illustrating the tender, precious nature of God's people that is vulnerable to destruction." }, { "reference": "Luke 13:6-9", "connection": "The parable of the barren fig tree speaks directly to the judgment that comes upon what is unproductive, even after a period of patience, connecting to the idea of a fig tree being stripped bare and useless." } ] }
Have you ever felt like God's own precious things were being destroyed right before your eyes? Joel uses language that makes it clear: this isn't just any vine or fig tree being ruined.
Joel doesn't just describe a natural disaster; he paints a picture of God's direct, though often mysterious, involvement. Notice how the text states, 'He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree.'
Divine Ownership
This 'He' isn't a distant force. Commentators highlight that God claims ownership of this afflicted land and its vital crops. The vine and fig tree were symbols of prosperity and God's favor in ancient Israel. When they are destroyed, it's not merely a random act of nature but an action that God, in His sovereignty, allows or even orchestrates.
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A Father's Discipline
This ownership carries a weight of relationship. It suggests that the affliction, while devastating, might stem from a divine purpose, perhaps discipline for a beloved people. It's the tender, yet firm, hand of a Father allowing hardship to bring His children back to Him. It doesn't diminish the pain, but it re-frames the source, reminding us that even in destruction, God's purposes are at work.
The imagery in Joel 1:7 is brutal. It’s more than just a bit of damage; it’s total ruin. What does this vivid description tell us about the enemy’s power?
The verse details the relentless and comprehensive destruction caused by the locusts. The language used—'laid waste,' 'barked,' 'made it clean bare,' 'cast it away,' and 'branches… made white'—paints a picture of absolute devastation.
Beyond Leaves and Fruit
Locusts don't just eat the tender shoots or the fruit. Joel describes them stripping the bark from the trees. This is a critical detail because it signifies a damage that goes to the core of the tree’s life, leaving it vulnerable and unlikely to recover quickly, if at all.
A Skeleton Left Behind
The final phrase, 'their branches are made white,' evokes an image of bare, stripped wood, devoid of life and color. It's like seeing the skeleton of what was once a thriving tree. This extreme depiction serves to communicate the totality of the loss, leaving nothing green or fruitful behind. It underscores the severity of the judgment being described.
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 a devastating locust plague, which strips trees bare and leaves branches white, likely served as a prophetic warning or a reflection on past devastation. It vividly portrays the complete ruin of the land, mirroring the catastrophic consequences of the Babylonian conquest and exile, emphasizing God's judgment on Judah's unfaithfulness.
c. 8th Century BC
Assyrian Empire's Dominance
The prophet Joel likely prophesied during a time when the Assyrian Empire was a dominant regional power, creating an atmosphere of fear and instability for the surrounding nations, including Judah.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. This event would have been a stark demonstration of military devastation.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon began its rise to power, leading to the first significant deportation of Judeans to Babylon, including figures like Daniel.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, were taken to Babylon, marking a deepening crisis for Judah.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, a cataclysmic event that left the Judean people scattered and in despair.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon, eventually leading to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland.
This passage also uses the imagery of a vineyard, but here it represents God's people, Israel, highlighting a deep personal connection and expectation that was ultimately disappointed, mirroring the devastation described in Joel.
Jeremiah 8:13This verse describes a similar agricultural devastation, explicitly linking it to God's judgment and the withdrawal of His blessing, underscoring the consequence of disobedience depicted in Joel's prophecy.
Matthew 21:19Jesus curses a fig tree, and the imagery of a barren tree with leaves but no fruit connects to the idea of what is stripped bare and ultimately unfruitful, touching upon themes of judgment and divine expectation.
Psalm 80:15-16This psalm pleads with God to protect His 'vine' and the 'branch' He appointed for Himself, showing the deep spiritual significance of the vine imagery that Joel is employing in his description of destruction.
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…
What's striking here is the progression of devastation: the locusts first strip the leaves and fruit, then move to the bark, leaving the branches stark white. This isn't just about losing produce; it's a violent stripping away of the tree's very life and protective covering, a profound image of complete ruin.
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Psalm 80:8", "connection": "This psalm also uses the metaphor of God's vine to represent Israel, highlighting God's care and the devastation that occurs when that care is removed or turned to wrath." }, { "reference": "Isaiah 5:1-7", "connection": "This passage famously describes God's 'beloved' vineyard, which is Israel, and details its destruction due to unfruitfulness, mirroring the desolation described in Joel." }, { "reference": "Matthew 21:33-43", "connection": "Jesus recounts the parable of the wicked vinedressers, where the vineyard is taken from tenants and given to others, further emphasizing the spiritual significance of God's vine and the consequences of its neglect or abuse." }, { "reference": "Hosea 9:10", "connection": "Hosea refers to Israel as 'grapes in the wilderness' and a 'fig tree in the first ripe fruit,' illustrating the tender, precious nature of God's people that is vulnerable to destruction." }, { "reference": "Luke 13:6-9", "connection": "The parable of the barren fig tree speaks directly to the judgment that comes upon what is unproductive, even after a period of patience, connecting to the idea of a fig tree being stripped bare and useless." } ] }
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Psalm 80:8", "connection": "This psalm also uses the metaphor of God's vine to represent Israel, highlighting God's care and the devastation that occurs when that care is removed or turned to wrath." }, { "reference": "Isaiah 5:1-7", "connection": "This passage famously describes God's 'beloved' vineyard, which is Israel, and details its destruction due to unfruitfulness, mirroring the desolation described in Joel." }, { "reference": "Matthew 21:33-43", "connection": "Jesus recounts the parable of the wicked vinedressers, where the vineyard is taken from tenants and given to others, further emphasizing the spiritual significance of God's vine and the consequences of its neglect or abuse." }, { "reference": "Hosea 9:10", "connection": "Hosea refers to Israel as 'grapes in the wilderness' and a 'fig tree in the first ripe fruit,' illustrating the tender, precious nature of God's people that is vulnerable to destruction." }, { "reference": "Luke 13:6-9", "connection": "The parable of the barren fig tree speaks directly to the judgment that comes upon what is unproductive, even after a period of patience, connecting to the idea of a fig tree being stripped bare and useless." } ] }
"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." — What's striking here is the progression of devastation: the locusts first strip the leaves and fruit, then move to the bark, leaving the branches stark white. This isn't just about losing produce; it…
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