---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Joel 1"
description: "CHAPTER 1   :-. THE DESOLATE
ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY
THROUGH THE PLAGUE OF
LOCUSTS; THE PEOPLE
ADMONISHED TO OFFER
SOLEMN PRAYERS
IN THE TEMPLE; FOR
THIS CA"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/joel/1"
---

CHAPTER 1

. THE DESOLATE
ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY
THROUGH THE PLAGUE OF
LOCUSTS; THE PEOPLE
ADMONISHED TO OFFER
SOLEMN PRAYERS
IN THE TEMPLE; FOR
THIS CALAMITY
IS THE EARNEST
OF A STILL HEAVIER
ONE.

**1. Joel**—meaning, "Jehovah
is God."
**son of Pethuel**—to
distinguish Joel the prophet from others of the name. Persons of
eminence also were noted by adding the father's name.

**2, 3.** A spirited introduction
calling attention.
**old men**—the best judges
in question concerning the past ([Deuteronomy 32:7](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/32/7);
[Job 32:7](../../../kjv/job/32/7)).
**Hath this been,** &c.—that
is, Hath any *so grievous* a calamity *as this* ever been
before? No such plague of locusts had been since the ones *in
Egypt.* [Exodus 10:14](../../../kjv/exodus/10/14) is not at
variance with this verse, which refers to *Judea,* in which Joel
says there had been no such devastation before.

**3. Tell ye your children**—in
order that they may be admonished by the severity of the punishment
to fear God ([Psalms 78:6-8](../../../kjv/psalms/78/6-8);
compare [Exodus 13:8](../../../kjv/exodus/13/8); [Joshua 4:7](../../../kjv/joshua/4/7)).

**4.** This verse states the subject
on which he afterwards expands. Four species or stages of locusts,
rather than four different insects, are meant (compare ). Literally, (1) the *gnawing* locust; (2) the
*swarming* locust; (3) the *licking* locust; (4) the
*consuming* locust; forming a climax to the most destructive
kind. The last is often three inches long, and the two antennæ, each
an inch long. The two hinder of its six feet are larger than the
rest, adapting it for leaping. The first "kind" is that of
the locust, having just emerged from the egg in spring, and without
wings. The second is when at the end of spring, still in their first
skin, the locusts put forth little ones without legs or wings. The
third, when after their third casting of the old skin, they get small
wings, which enable them to leap the better, but not to fly. Being
unable to go away till their wings are matured, they devour all
before them, grass, shrubs, and bark of trees: translated "rough
caterpillars" ([Jeremiah 51:27](../../../kjv/jeremiah/51/27)).
The fourth kind, the matured winged locusts (see on [Jeremiah 51:27](../../../kjv/jeremiah/51/27)). In [Joel 2:25](../../../kjv/joel/2/25) they are
enumerated in the reverse order, where the restoration of the
devastations caused by them is promised. The Hebrews make the first
species refer to Assyria and Babylon; the second species, to
Medo-Persia; the third, to Greco-Macedonia and Antiochus Epiphanes;
the fourth, to the Romans. Though the primary reference be to literal
locusts, the Holy Spirit doubtless had in view the successive empires
which assailed Judea, each worse than its predecessor, Rome being the
climax.

**5. Awake**—out of your ordinary
state of drunken stupor, to realize the cutting off from you of your
favorite drink. Even the drunkards (from a *Hebrew* root, "any
strong drink") shall be forced to "howl," though
usually laughing in the midst of the greatest national calamities, so
palpably and universally shall the calamity affect all.
**wine . . . new wine**—"New"
or "fresh wine," in *Hebrew,* is the unfermented, and
therefore unintoxicating, *sweet juice* extracted by pressure
from grapes or other fruit, as *pomegranates* (). "Wine" is the produce of the grape alone, and is
intoxicating (see on [Joel 1:10](../../../kjv/joel/1/10)).

**6. nation**—applied to the
locusts, rather than "people" ([Proverbs 30:25](../../../kjv/proverbs/30/25);
[Proverbs 30:26](../../../kjv/proverbs/30/26)), to mark not only
their *numbers,* but also their *savage hostility;* and
also to prepare the mind of the hearer for the transition to the
figurative locusts in the second chapter, namely, the "nation"
or *Gentile* foe coming against Judea (compare [Proverbs 30:26](../../../kjv/proverbs/30/26)).
**my land**—that is,
Jehovah's; which never would have been so devastated were *I*
not pleased to inflict punishment ([Joel 2:18](../../../kjv/joel/2/18);
[Isaiah 14:25](../../../kjv/isaiah/14/25); [Jeremiah 16:18](../../../kjv/jeremiah/16/18);
[Ezekiel 36:5](../../../kjv/ezekiel/36/5); [Ezekiel 38:16](../../../kjv/ezekiel/38/16)).
**strong**—as irresistibly
sweeping away before its compact body the fruits of man's industry.
**without number**—so
[Judges 6:5](../../../kjv/judges/6/5); [Judges 7:12](../../../kjv/judges/7/12),
"like grasshoppers (or "locusts") for multitude"
([Jeremiah 46:23](../../../kjv/jeremiah/46/23); [Nahum 3:15](../../../kjv/nahum/3/15)).
**teeth . . . lion**—that
is, the locusts are as destructive as a lion; there is no vegetation
that can resist their bite (compare [Nahum 3:15](../../../kjv/nahum/3/15)). PLINY says "they
gnaw even the doors of houses."

**7. 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 (). As to the vine-abounding nature of ancient Palestine, see
[Numbers 13:23](../../../kjv/numbers/13/23); [Numbers 13:24](../../../kjv/numbers/13/24).
**cast it away**—down to
the ground.
**branches . . . white**—both
from the bark being stripped off ([Numbers 13:24](../../../kjv/numbers/13/24)), and from the branches drying up through the trunk, both
bark and wood being eaten up below by the locusts.

**8. Lament**—O "my land"
([Joel 1:6](../../../kjv/joel/1/6); [Isaiah 24:4](../../../kjv/isaiah/24/4)).
**virgin . . . for the
husband**—A virgin betrothed was regarded as married ([Deuteronomy 22:23](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/22/23);
[Matthew 1:19](../../../kjv/matthew/1/19)). The *Hebrew* for
"husband" is "lord" or "possessor," the
husband being considered the master of the wife in the East.
**of her youth**—when the
affections are strongest and when sorrow at bereavement is
consequently keenest. Suggesting the thought of what Zion's grief
ought to be for her separation from Jehovah, the betrothed husband of
her early days ([Jeremiah 2:2](../../../kjv/jeremiah/2/2); [Ezekiel 16:8](../../../kjv/ezekiel/16/8);
[Hosea 2:7](../../../kjv/hosea/2/7); compare [Proverbs 2:17](../../../kjv/proverbs/2/17);
[Jeremiah 3:4](../../../kjv/jeremiah/3/4)).

**9.** The greatest sorrow to the
mind of a religious Jew, and what ought to impress the whole nation
with a sense of God's displeasure, is the cessation of the usual
temple-worship.
**meat offering**—*Hebrew,
mincha;* "meat" not in the English sense "flesh,"
but the unbloody offering made of flour, oil, and frankincense. As it
and the drink offering or libation *poured out* accompanied
every sacrificial *flesh* offering, the latter is included,
though not specified, as being also "cut off," owing to
there being no food left for man or beast.
**priests . . . mourn**—not
for their own loss of sacrificial perquisites (), but because they can no longer offer the appointed
offerings to Jehovah, to whom they minister.

**10. field . . . land**—differing
in that "field" means the open, unenclosed country; "land,"
the rich *red* soil (from a root "to be red") fit for
cultivation. Thus, "a man of the field," in *Hebrew,*
is a "hunter"; a "man of the ground" or "land,"
an "agriculturist" (). "Field" and "land" are here
personified.
**new wine**—from a *Hebrew*
root implying that it *takes possession* of the brain, so that a
man is not master of himself. So the *Arabic* term is from a
root "to hold captive." It is already fermented, and so
intoxicating, unlike the *sweet fresh wine,* in , called also "new wine," though a different *Hebrew*
word. It and "the oil" stand for the vine and the olive
tree, from which the "wine" and "oil" are
obtained ([Joel 1:12](../../../kjv/joel/1/12)).
**dried up**—not "ashamed,"
as *Margin,* as is proved by the parallelism to "languisheth,"
that is, droopeth.

**11. Be . . . ashamed**—that is,
Ye shall have the *shame* of disappointment on account of the
failure of "the wheat" and "barley . . . harvest."
**howl . . . vine dressers**—The
semicolon should follow, as it is the "husbandmen" who are
to be "ashamed . . . for the wheat." The reason for the
"vine dressers" being called to "howl" does not
come till [Joel 1:12](../../../kjv/joel/1/12), "The
vine is dried up."

**12. pomegranate**—a tree
straight in the stem growing twenty feet high; the fruit is of the
size of an orange, with blood-red colored pulp.
**palm tree**—The dates of
Palestine were famous. The palm is the symbol of Judea on coins under
the Roman emperor Vespasian. It often grows a hundred feet high.
**apple tree**—The *Hebrew*
is generic, including the orange, lemon, and pear tree.
**joy is withered away**—such
as is felt in the harvest and the vintage seasons ([Psalms 4:7](../../../kjv/psalms/4/7);
[Isaiah 9:3](../../../kjv/isaiah/9/3)).

**13. Gird yourselves**—namely,
with sackcloth; as in [Isaiah 32:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/32/11),
the ellipsis is supplied (compare [Isaiah 32:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/32/11)).
**lament, ye priests**—as
it is your duty to set the example to others; also as the guilt was
greater, and a greater scandal was occasioned, by your sin to the
cause of God.
**come**—the *Septuagint,*
"enter" *the house of God* (compare [Isaiah 32:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/32/11)).
**lie all night in sackcloth**—so
Ahab ([1 Kings 21:27](../../../kjv/1-kings/21/27)).
**ministers of my God**—
([1 Corinthians 9:13](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/9/13)). Joel claims
authority for his doctrine; it is *in God's name and by His mission*
I speak to you.

**14. Sanctify . . . a fast**—Appoint
a solemn fast.
**solemn assembly**—literally,
a "day of restraint" or cessation from work, so that all
might give themselves to supplication ([Joel 2:15](../../../kjv/joel/2/15);
[Joel 2:16](../../../kjv/joel/2/16); [1 Samuel 7:5](../../../kjv/1-samuel/7/5);
[1 Samuel 7:6](../../../kjv/1-samuel/7/6); [2 Chronicles 20:3-13](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/20/3-13)).
**elders**—The contrast to
"children" ([Joel 2:16](../../../kjv/joel/2/16))
requires age to be intended, though probably elders in *office*
are included. Being the people's leaders in guilt, they ought to be
their leaders also in repentance.

**15. day of the Lord**— ([Joel 2:1](../../../kjv/joel/2/1);
[Joel 2:11](../../../kjv/joel/2/11)); that is, the day of
His anger ([Isaiah 13:9](../../../kjv/isaiah/13/9); [Obadiah 1:15](../../../kjv/obadiah/1/15);
[Zephaniah 1:7](../../../kjv/zephaniah/1/7); [Zephaniah 1:15](../../../kjv/zephaniah/1/15)).
It will be a foretaste of the coming day of the Lord as Judge of all
men, whence it receives the same name. Here the transition begins
from the plague of locusts to the worse calamities ([Zephaniah 1:15](../../../kjv/zephaniah/1/15)) from invading armies about to come on Judea, of which the
locusts were the prelude.

**16.** Compare , and latter part of .
**joy**—which prevailed at
the annual feasts, as also in the ordinary sacrificial offerings, of
which the offerers ate before the Lord with gladness and
thanksgivings ([Deuteronomy 12:6](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/12/6); [Deuteronomy 12:7](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/12/7);
[Deuteronomy 12:12](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/12/12); [Deuteronomy 16:11](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/16/11);
[Deuteronomy 16:14](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/16/14); [Deuteronomy 16:15](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/16/15)).

**17. is rotten**—"is dried
up," "vanishes away," from an *Arabic* root
[MAURER]. "Seed,"
literally, "grains." The drought causes the seeds to lose
all their vitality and moisture.
**garners**—granaries;
generally underground, and divided into separate receptacles for the
different kinds of grain.

**18. cattle . . . perplexed**—implying
the restless gestures of the dumb beasts in their inability to find
food. There is a tacit contrast between the sense of the brute
creation and the insensibility of the people.
**yea, the . . . sheep**—*Even
the sheep,* which are content with less rich pasturage, cannot
find food.
**are made desolate**—literally,
"suffer *punishment.*" The innocent brute shares the
"punishment" of guilty man ([Exodus 12:29](../../../kjv/exodus/12/29);
[Jonah 3:7](../../../kjv/jonah/3/7); [Jonah 4:11](../../../kjv/jonah/4/11)).

**19. to thee will I cry**—Joel
here interposes, As this people is insensible to shame or fear and
will not hear, I will leave them and address myself directly to Thee
(compare [Isaiah 15:5](../../../kjv/isaiah/15/5); [Jeremiah 23:9](../../../kjv/jeremiah/23/9)).
**fire**—that is, the
parching heat.
**pastures**—"grassy
places"; from a *Hebrew* root "to be pleasant."
Such places would be selected for "habitations" (*Margin*).
But the *English Version* rendering is better than *Margin.*

**20. beasts . . . cry . . . unto
thee**—that is, look up to heaven with heads lifted up, as if
their only expectation was from God ([Job 38:41](../../../kjv/job/38/41);
[Psalms 104:21](../../../kjv/psalms/104/21); [Psalms 145:15](../../../kjv/psalms/145/15);
[Psalms 147:9](../../../kjv/psalms/147/9); compare [Psalms 147:9](../../../kjv/psalms/147/9)). They tacitly reprove the deadness of the Jews for not even
now invoking God.

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