TEXT [Commentary]

  4.   The resultant scene (1:16-20)

16 Our food disappears before our very eyes.

No joyful celebrations are held in the house of our God.

17 The seeds die in the parched ground,

and the grain crops fail.

The barns stand empty,

and granaries are abandoned.

18 How the animals moan with hunger!

The herds of cattle wander about confused,

because they have no pasture.

The flocks of sheep and goats bleat in misery.

19 LORD, help us!

The fire has consumed the wilderness pastures,

and flames have burned up all the trees.

20 Even the wild animals cry out to you

because the streams have dried up,

and fire has consumed the wilderness pastures.

NOTES

1:16 Our food disappears. Joel envisions chiefly the food offerings necessary for the sacrificial system, as the parallel line indicates.

joyful celebrations. Lit., “joy and gladness.” The NLT properly renders the two Hebrew nouns as a hendiadys (two words expressing one thought).

1:17 seeds. The Hebrew noun is unusual, occurring only here in the OT. It appears to be related to the Syriac perda’ (grain) (cf. Egyptian prt, “fruit”).

die. The NLT renders the sense of this difficult hapax legomenon (‘abash [TH5685, ZH6308]). The word should probably be related to the Arabic ‘abisa (shrivel up). For a discussion of this verb and other difficulties in this verse, see Allen 1976:61-62, 83-84.

in the parched ground. The NLT renders this difficult Hebrew phrase according to the sense. It is frequently translated “under their clods” (cf. NIV, NRSV, NJB, REB, KJV, NKJV). The Anchor Bible reads “under their shovels,” while GW has “in their shells.”

grain crops fail. The Hebrew verbal form comes from the root yabesh [TH3001, ZH3312] (be dry).

granaries. This noun (mammegurah [TH4460, ZH4923]) is usually considered to be a third hapax legomenon in the verse. However, Hummel has suggested that the form may simply reflect the noun megurah [TH4035, ZH4476] (“barn”; cf. Hag 2:19), the first mem being considered an enclitic, so as to be read with the preceding verbal form.

1:18 animals . . . cattle . . . sheep. The NLT reflects three Hebrew terms: behemah [TH929, ZH989] (“domesticated cattle” in general), baqar [TH1241, ZH1330] (large cattle, herds), and tso’n [TH6629, ZH7366] (sheep, small cattle, flocks). Large and small cattle were often mentioned in ancient Semitic inscriptions. For example, on Sennacherib’s well-known third campaign (against Syro-Palestine) he boasted of taking 46 of Hezekiah’s cities together with “horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle and sheep without number.” See Luckenbill 1927:120; note also the Karatepe Inscription, which mentions (in Phoenician) that the city will be a place for raising bulls (’lpm) and flocks (s’n). See also Donner and Röllig 1966:26A III 9.

moan . . . wander . . . bleat. The three verbs describe the misery of the animal kingdom. The first, ’anakh [TH584, ZH634], is related to the Akkadian anahu, which in a derived stem signifies a moaning sound (The Assyrian Dictionary “A” Part II, A. Oppenheim [Chicago: The Institute, 1968], 105-106); a relationship with Akkadian anahu (be exhausted from toil) is also not that inappropriate. The second, buk [TH943, ZH1003], connotes the thought of the herds’ listless wandering to and fro. The MT form, buk, is not likely to be from the verb bakah [TH1058, ZH1134] (weep) as read in The Anchor Bible, even though the LXX reads eklausan [cf. TG2799, ZG3081] (wept). The third, ’asham [TH816, ZH870] (suffer punishment), signifies the agony of the sheep. Taken together, the three verbs depict an animal kingdom in deep misery and suffering from lack of food—hence, creatures crying out as they wander about searching for good pasturage.

1:19 wilderness pastures. The reference is to uncultivated land where small animals would graze. As Crenshaw (1995:111) remarks, “The emphasis of the verse falls on the region beyond normal cultivation, thus suggesting that the usual area to which one might go to supplement a bad harvest can offer no relief on this occasion.”

flames have burned up all the trees. Although a literal wildfire could be intended, more than likely fire is a metaphor associated with the locust invasions. What a consuming wildfire would do to the countryside, the voracious locusts have done. The disastrous effects of large-scale locust infestations have often been documented (e.g., Driver 1915:84-93; Smith 1929:390-395). Thus, Smith (1929:394) cites the following testimony: “Bamboo groves have been stripped of their leaves and left standing like saplings after a rapid brush fire, and grass has been devoured so that the bare ground appeared as if burned.” For the appearance of fields blackened by the destructive locusts, Finley (1990:38) points out that the OT uses of fire in connection with divine judgment “highlight the judgmental nature of the locusts and drought.”

1:20 cry out. The verb ‘arag [TH6165, ZH6864] occurs elsewhere in the OT only in Psalm 42:1[2]. Accordingly, its scarcity has occasioned several suggestions: “pant loudly” (NIV, NJB); “cry out” (KJV, NKJV, NRSV); “look up” (LXX, Vulgate, REB). A relationship between the Hebrew root and the Ethiopic verb ‘araga (ascend) is possible both here and in the psalm. In any case, the emphasis is upon suffering animals that look, with longing desire, to God as their only resource.

streams. The force of the Hebrew term is debated, but likely refers to those small streams that dry up under a summer’s heat or during a drought. If so, such watercourses had dried up thoroughly—clear to their center channel. For the verb “dried up,” see the note on “despair” in v. 11 (cf. vv. 10, 12, 17).

COMMENTARY [Text]

Having called for a community-wide fast and sacred assembly at the Temple (1:14) and having warned his hearers of the dire calamity that could lie ahead (1:15), Joel turned to a consideration of the current conditions, all of which were before the people’s very eyes. The implications should have been obvious to any sober-minded person. Not only was their food source cut off, but far worse, this meant that the meal offerings that accompanied key sacrifices could no longer be made. The very worship system of God’s people was thus imperiled. There could be no sounds of joy in the courts of the Lord’s house.

Joel goes on to describe the dismal scene. With the ground stripped bare and blackened by the voracious locusts, the heat of summer only added to the misery of all concerned. Because the ground lay parched and dried, there could be neither seed nor crop. Therefore, the storehouses lay empty and deserted. Rather than grazing, the nearby livestock milled about in hopeless confusion.

Accordingly, Joel cried out to God for help. Only the Lord could help his beleaguered people.[32] Only God could forgive them and deliver them from disaster. Joel reminded the Lord of the conditions that pressed down upon his people. Any trace of vegetation was gone, for field and trees were completely denuded (cf. Deut 28:38-40). Would any survive to worship God once again? Could not God hear the moans of the animal kingdom? Even suffering wild animals joined in crying out to God for relief. They did not have even water to drink, for all the water sources had dried up.

Joel’s words were doubtless intended not only for the populace’s information but for their instruction. As he had done, so should they. They needed to follow his instructions to fast and to come together to implore the God of all mercy and grace for help. There could be deliverance from no other—even the animals seemed to sense this![33]

Did the people not understand what all of this meant? The dryness and barrenness of the land reflected the spiritual dearth of their hearts (cf. Jer 23:10). Worship and service had given way to a mere routine that left their lives devoid of spiritual vitality. Surely they needed to realize that the present devastation was but a portent of a still greater catastrophe should they not repent and return to the Lord.

Today’s societies and whole nations can also so conduct themselves that, like the Israel of Joel’s time, they stand in danger of divine judgment. God cannot continue to bless any nation that ignores his person and standards and consequently reproduces sins of which Sodom and Gomorrah would be ashamed. National calamities, however, can be occasions for collective personal examination (Prov 14:34; Acts 17:31).[34] Oh that believers everywhere would lift up holy hands in prayer (1 Tim 2:8) and call upon God so that their land might be cleansed of wickedness and injustice (2 Chr 7:14). Perhaps God’s goodness and gracious bounty might be enjoyed in everlasting peace and felicity, in accordance with the promises in his Word (Deut 28:1-14; Isa 45:22; 51:4-6).

How tragic it is when God must bring into the lives of his children conditions that mirror the spiritual callousness of their hearts.[35] What is true of individuals is true of churches. Where there is merely a cold, empty formalism devoid of spiritual reality, God cannot be pleased. Yet herein the loving concern of a gracious God can be seen. For when God is taken for granted and his rightful sovereign place in a person’s life (or a congregation’s worship) degenerates into a meaningless, formal routine, then he must do that which is necessary to restore such a one to spiritual health and vitality. Hope for renewal lies with God. God’s chastisement may lead to genuine repentance and a turning away from sin.

The words that close Joel’s first chapter are those of instruction and warning to us all. They remind us that God is sovereign. He is in control of the forces of nature (Job 37:5, 10; Ps 104:14, 21, 28) and over the affairs of nations (Ps 66:7) and individuals (Pss 75:6-7; 139:3, 16; Prov 16:33; Acts 17:26-28). He is also a righteous judge who both punishes sinners and rewards those who willingly observe his standards (Pss 7:11; 96:13; Ezek 7:3, 8; Acts 17:31; 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Pet 1:17).

Therefore, God should be given his rightful place in the believer’s life. It is one thing to confess one’s faith in God; it is another to surrender to him as God in everyday life. May our worship not be one of empty formality but that which is experienced in truth (1 Chr 16:29; John 4:24). May our lives not be merely routine; rather, let us give God his rightful place as Lord so that what we think and do is to the glory of God and thus for our own good (Ps 84:11; Rom 8:28-30; 15:17; Phil 2:13; Heb 13:20-21; Jas 1:5).

The passage also is a reminder that believers have a real need for constant prayer (Luke 18:1; cf. Acts 1:14; 1 Thess 5:17). While this is particularly true in times of need, danger, and difficulty (cf. Ps 32:6), such as the case was in Joel’s day, believers always need to have a consistent prayer life. Believing prayer, together with confession of sin, can bring cleansing to the soul (1 John 1:9). Moreover, prayer is important for daily guidance and direction in every aspect of life (Phil 4:6; Jas 5:13-16; see the commentary on Jonah 2:1-10 and Zeph 2:1-3). Such a habit of life will pay eternal dividends and assure the believer of a continuing fellowship with God, free from sin’s dominance (Pss 66:17-20; 73:23-26; 1 Pet 3:12).