King James Version
What Does Joel 1:7 Mean?
“He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. barked: Heb. laid my fig tree for a barking”
Context
5
Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
6
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
7
He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. barked: Heb. laid my fig tree for a barking
8
Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
9
The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.
Commentary
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers(7) **My vine.**—This expression might well captivate the Jewish ear. God appropriates to Himself this land on which the trouble was, by His providence, to fall, and in wrath remembers mercy. It is “my vine,” “my fig-tree,” the people of God’s own choice, that were afflicted; and the affliction, however fully deserved, was, to speak as a man, painful to the Lord, “who doth not afflict willingly.” Yet the devastation was to be complete. God’s pleasant vine was doomed, and the fig-tree was to be cut down.
Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of Joel. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
Joel 1:7 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to Joel 1:7
Cross-references from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge