Logos Bible Study

Joel 1:8–13

The NET BibleOther versions

English

Arabic

Czech

French

German

Hebrew

Hungarian

Italian

Korean

Latin

Portuguese

Russian

Simplified Chinese

Spanish

Traditional Chinese

A Call to Lament

1:8Wail32 like a young virgin33 clothed in sackcloth,

lamenting the death of34 her husband-to-be.35

1:9No one brings grain offerings or drink offerings

to the temple36 of the Lord anymore.37

So the priests, those who serve the Lord, are in mourning.

1:10The crops of the fields38 have been destroyed.39

The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished.

The fresh wine has dried up;

the olive oil languishes.

1:11Be distressed,40 farmers;

wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.

For the harvest of the field has perished.

1:12The vine has dried up;

the fig tree languishes—

the pomegranate, date, and apple41 as well.

In fact,42 all the trees of the field have dried up.

Indeed, the joy of the people43 has dried up!

1:13Get dressed44 and lament, you priests!

Wail, you who minister at the altar!

Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God,

because no one brings grain offerings or drink offerings

to the temple of your God anymore.45

Read in Logos

Footnotes

  1. 32 The verb is feminine singular, raising a question concerning its intended antecedent. A plural verb would be expected here, the idea being that all the inhabitants of the land should grieve. Perhaps Joel is thinking specifically of the city of Jerusalem, albeit in a representative sense. The choice of the feminine singular verb form has probably been influenced to some extent by the allusion to the young widow in the simile of v. 8.
  2. 33 Or “a young woman” (, ). See the note on the phrase “husband-to-be” in the next line.
  3. 34 Heb “over the death of.” The term “lamenting” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  4. 35 Heb “the husband of her youth.” The woman described here may already be married, so the reference is to the death of a husband rather than a fiancé (a husband-to-be). Either way, the simile describes a painful and unexpected loss to which the national tragedy Joel is describing may be compared.
  5. 36 Heb “house.” So also in vv. 13, 14, 16.
  6. 37 Heb “grain offering and drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord,”
  7. 38 Heb “the field has been utterly destroyed.” The term “field,” a collective singular for “fields,” is a metonymy for crops produced by the fields.
  8. 39 Joel uses intentionally alliterative language in the phrases שֻׁדַּד שָׂדֶה (shuddad sadeh, “the field is destroyed”) and אֲבְלָה אֲדָמָה (’avlah ’adamah, “the ground is in mourning”).
  9. 40 Heb “embarrassed”; or “be ashamed.”
  10. 41 This Hebrew word וְתַפּוּחַ (vétappuakh) probably refers to the apple tree (so most English versions), but other suggestions that scholars have offered include the apricot, citron, or quince.
  11. 42 These words are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  12. 43 Heb “the sons of man.”
  13. 44 Heb “put on.” There is no object present in the Hebrew text, but many translations assume “sackcloth” to be the understood object of the verb “put on.” Its absence in the Hebrew text of v. 13 is probably due to metrical considerations. The meter here is 3 + 3, and that has probably influenced the prophet’s choice of words.
  14. 45 Heb “for grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth

for the bridegroom of her youth.

The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off

from the house of the Lord.

The priests mourn,

the ministers of the Lord.

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.

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;

wail, O ministers of the altar.

Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,

O ministers of my God!

Because grain offering and drink offering

are withheld from the house of your God.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth

grieving for the betrothed of her youth.

Grain offerings and drink offerings

are cut off from the house of the Lord.

The priests are in mourning,

those who minister before the Lord.

The fields are ruined,

the ground is dried up;

the grain is destroyed,

the new wine is dried up,

the olive oil fails.

Despair, you farmers,

wail, you vine growers;

grieve for the wheat and the barley,

because the harvest of the field is destroyed.

The vine is dried up

and the fig tree is withered;

the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—

all the trees of the field—are dried up.

Surely the people’s joy

is withered away.

Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn;

wail, you who minister before the altar.

Come, spend the night in sackcloth,

you who minister before my God;

for the grain offerings and drink offerings

are withheld from the house of your God.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth,

mourning for the husband of her youth.

Grain and drink offerings have been cut off

from the house of the Lord;

the priests, who are ministers of the Lord, mourn.

The fields are destroyed;

the land grieves;

indeed, the grain is destroyed;

the new wine is dried up;

and the fresh oil fails.

Be ashamed, you farmers,

wail, you vinedressers,

over the wheat and the barley,

because the harvest of the field has perished.

The grapevine is dried up,

and the fig tree is withered;

the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple—

all the trees of the orchard—have withered.

Indeed, human joy has dried up.

Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests;

wail, you ministers of the altar.

Come and spend the night in sackcloth,

you ministers of my God,

because grain and drink offerings

are withheld from the house of your God.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Weep like a bride dressed in black,

mourning the death of her husband.

For there is no grain or wine

to offer at the Temple of the Lord.

So the priests are in mourning.

The ministers of the Lord are weeping.

The fields are ruined,

the land is stripped bare.

The grain is destroyed,

the grapes have shriveled,

and the olive oil is gone.

Despair, all you farmers!

Wail, all you vine growers!

Weep, because the wheat and barley—

all the crops of the field—are ruined.

The grapevines have dried up,

and the fig trees have withered.

The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees—

all the fruit trees—have dried up.

And the people’s joy has dried up with them.

Dress yourselves in burlap and weep, you priests!

Wail, you who serve before the altar!

Come, spend the night in burlap,

you ministers of my God.

For there is no grain or wine

to offer at the Temple of your God.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Lament like a virgin girded in sackcloth

for the husband of her youth.

The offering and libation are withheld

from the house of Yahweh.

The priests mourn,

the ministers of Yahweh.

The field is destroyed;

the earth mourns

because the grain is destroyed,

the new wine dries up,

the olive oil languishes.

Be ashamed, farmers;

Wail, vinedressers,

over the wheat and over the barley,

because the harvest of the field is ruined.

The vine withers

and the fig tree droops.

The pomegranate tree, and also the palm tree, the apple tree

—all the trees of the field—are dried up.

Indeed, joy is dried up

among the sons of men.

Gird yourselves and lament, O priests!

Wail, O ministers of the altar!

Come spend the night in sackcloth,

O ministers of my God,

because offering and libation

are withheld from the house of your God.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord;

The priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.

The field is wasted, the land mourneth;

For the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

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.

The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth;

The pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree,

Even all the trees of the field, are withered:

Because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests:

Howl, ye ministers of the altar:

Come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God:

For the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Public Domain