Book of Joel Chapter 1 Vs. 11

An Invasion of Locusts

 

Joel 1:11 “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.”

Be ye ashamed... The primary emphasis of the Hebrew term connotes a public disgrace, a physical state to which the guilty party has been forcibly bought.

בּוּשׁ

bûsh

boosh

A primitive root; properly to pale, that is, by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed, or delayed: - (be, make, bring to, cause, put to, with, a-) shame (-d), be (put to) confounded (-fusion), become dry, delay, be long.

O ye husbandmen... It is not the fault of the vinedressers, or the husbandmen that the locust has come and eaten the crops. This is speaking from a spiritual standpoint. The vinedressers and the husbandmen were those who cared for the souls of the people. This is saying that those who were supposed to be watching for the souls of the people have fallen down on their job.

אִכָּר

'ikkâr

ik-kawr'

From an unused root meaning to dig; a farmer: - husbandman, ploughman.

For the wheat... Symbolizes the believers in Christ. It would be a terrible shame for those who had accepted Christ as their Savior to be lost, because they had not been guided correctly by their ministers. The fall of Judah could be lain at the feet of the spiritual leaders. They did not teach their people the terrible dangers of falling away from God.

עַל

‛al

al

Properly the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural, often with prefix, or as conjugation with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications: - above, according to (-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through (-out), to, touching, X with.

חִטָּה

chiṭṭâh

khit-taw'

Of uncertain derivation; wheat, whether the grain or the plant: - wheat (-en).

field is perished... They not only, allowed their people to fall into false worship, but were guilty themselves. Ministers now, and priests then, were supposed to watch and warn of any danger. They should have preached about the danger of worshipping false gods.

אָבַד

'âbad

aw-bad'

A primitive root; properly to wander away, that is lose oneself; by implication to perish (causatively, destroy): - break, destroy (-uction), + not escape, fail, lose, (cause to make) perish, spend, X and surely, take, be undone, X utterly, be void of, have no way to flee.

Farmers Should Mourn

The farmers and vine growers also had reason to mourn since the fruit of their labor had been destroyed.