Joel 1:18-20 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joel 1:14-20

We have observed abundance of tears shed for the destruction of the fruits of the earth by the locusts; now here we have those tears turned into the right channel, that of repentance and humiliation before God. The judgment was very heavy, and here they are directed to own the hand of God in it, his mighty hand, and to humble themselves under it. Here is, I. A proclamation issued out for a general fast. The priests are ordered to appoint one; they must not only mourn themselves, but they must... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:18

How do the beasts groan ?.... For want of fodder, all green grass and herbs being eaten up by the locusts; or devoured, or trampled upon, and destroyed, by the Chaldeans; and also for want of water to quench their thirst: the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture ; the larger cattle, as oxen; these were in the utmost perplexity, not knowing where to go for food or drink: yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate ; which have shepherds to lead and direct them to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:19

O Lord, to thee will I cry ,.... Or pray, as the Targum; with great vehemency and earnestness, commiserating the case of man and beast: these are the words of the prophet, resolving to use his interest at the through of grace in this time of distress, whatever others did: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness ; or, "of the plain" F3 מדבר "non tantum desertum significat sed et campum sativum", Oecolampadius. "A place of pasture for cattle", Ben Melech. though... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:20

The beasts of the field cry also unto thee ,.... As well as the prophet, in their way; which may be mentioned, both as a rebuke to such who had no sense of the judgments upon them, and called not on the Lord; and to express the greatness of the calamity, of which the brute creatures were sensible, and made piteous moans, as for food, so for drink; panting thorough excessive heat and vehement thirst, as the hart, after the water brooks, of which this word is only used, Psalm 42:1 ; but in... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:18

How do the beasts groan! - I really think that the neighing of horses, or braying of asses, is wonderfully expressed by the sound of the original: בהמה נאנחה מה mah Neenchah behemah , how do the horses neigh! how do the asses bray! בהמה behemah is a collective name for all domestic cattle, and those used in husbandry. Cattle are perplexed - They are looking everywhere, and wandering about to find some grass, and know not which way to run. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:19

O Lord, to thee will I cry - Let this calamity come as it may, we have sinned, and should humble ourselves before God; and it is such a calamity as God alone can remove, therefore unto him must we cry. The fire hath devoured the pastures - This may either refer to a drought, or to the effects of the locusts; as the ground, after they have passed over it, everywhere appears as if a sheet of flame had not only scorched, but consumed every thing. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:20

The beasts of the field cry also unto thee - Even the cattle, wild and tame, are represented as supplicating God to have mercy upon them, and send them provender! There is a similar affecting description of the effects of a drought in Jeremiah, Jeremiah 14:6 . The rivers of waters are dried up - There must have been a drought as well as a host of locusts; as some of these expressions seem to apply to the effects of intense heat. For המדבר hammidbar , "the wilderness," one of my... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:18

Verse 18 The Prophet amplifies his reproof, that even oxen as well as other animals felt the judgment of God. There is then here an implied comparison between the feeling of brute animals and the insensibility of the people, as though he said, “There is certainly more intelligence and reason in oxen and other brute animals than in you; for the herds groan, the flocks groan, but ye remain stupid and confounded. What does this mean?” We then see that the Prophet here compares the stupidity of the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:19

Verse 19 When the Prophet saw that he succeeded less than he expected, leaving the people, he speaks of what he would do himself, I will cry to thee, Jehovah. He had before bidden others to cry, and why does he not now press the same thing? Because he saw that the Jews were so deaf and listless as to make no account of all his exhortations: he therefore says, “I will cry to thee, Jehovah; for they are touched neither by shame nor by fear. Since they throw aside every regard for their own... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:20

Verse 20 He afterwards adds The beasts of the field will also cry (for the verb is in the plural number;) the beasts then will cry. The Prophet expresses here more clearly what he had said before that though the brute animals were void of reasons they yet felt God’s judgment, so that they constrained men by their example to feel ashamed, for they cried to God: the beasts then of the field cry. He ascribes crying to them, as it is elsewhere ascribed to the young ravens. The young ravens,... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joel 1:14-20

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:20

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:19

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:20

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:18

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:19

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:20

Group of Brands