Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
Read it in contextA Call to Mourning
Start reading at Joel 1:8 (Joel 1:8 to Joel 1:12).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The opening summons different groups to lament the devastation and appeal to the LORD.
1:8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
1:9The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn.
1:10The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
1:11Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
1:12The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Joel son of Pethuel is the named prophet and traditional author. Biblical references: Joel 1:1. stated in the text
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Joel 1:1–1:20): Joel calls the elders, inhabitants of the land, farmers, and priests to recognize the devastation and lament before the LORD. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem: elders, inhabitants, farmers, priests, and the gathered people are called to hear and respond. Biblical references: Joel 1:2; Joel 1:13; Joel 2:15; Joel 3:1. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? A Call to Mourning. Read Joel 1:8 through Joel 1:12 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? The opening summons different groups to lament the devastation and appeal to the LORD. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The opening does not name a reigning king or give a precise year. The book moves through devastation, a call to return, promised restoration, and the day of the LORD. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah, Jerusalem, Zion, the affected land, and the nations appear in the prophetic scene. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in A Call to Mourning (Joel 1:8 to Joel 1:12).
Start reading at Joel 1:8. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Peter explicitly cites Joel's promise of the outpoured Spirit at Pentecost. Read the promise with Acts' description of the event and the response Peter calls for. See Joel 2:28, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:16, Acts 2:38. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Respond to calls for wholehearted return and communal prayer. When connecting the promise of the Spirit with the church, retain the actual words of Joel and Acts. interpretation
Cited: Joel 1:8, Joel 1:12, Joel 2:28, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:16, Acts 2:38
Who wrote it, and how we know
JoelNamed in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the word of the LORD that came to Joel. Joel 1:1
Early traditionTradition names Joel.
What is debatedThe date is uncertain because the book gives no king's name.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Joel 1
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Joel names the prophet but does not provide a royal date in its opening. Its descriptions of devastation, calls to return, and promises concerning the Spirit must be read in sequence. Acts 2 explicitly cites the promise of the Spirit. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The opening summons different groups to lament the devastation and appeal to the LORD.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The opening summons different groups to lament the devastation and appeal to the LORD.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Joel
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Joel names the prophet but does not provide a royal date in its opening. Its descriptions of devastation, calls to return, and promises concerning the Spirit must be read in sequence. Acts 2 explicitly cites the promise of the Spirit.