Joel 1:7
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.
Original Language Analysis
שָׂ֤ם
He hath laid
H7760
שָׂ֤ם
He hath laid
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
1 of 10
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
חֲשָׂפָהּ֙
bare
H2834
חֲשָׂפָהּ֙
bare
Strong's:
H2834
Word #:
6 of 10
to strip off, i.e., generally to make naked (for exertion or in disgrace), to drain away or bail up (a liquid)
חֲשָׂפָהּ֙
bare
H2834
חֲשָׂפָהּ֙
bare
Strong's:
H2834
Word #:
7 of 10
to strip off, i.e., generally to make naked (for exertion or in disgrace), to drain away or bail up (a liquid)
וְהִשְׁלִ֔יךְ
and cast it away
H7993
וְהִשְׁלִ֔יךְ
and cast it away
Strong's:
H7993
Word #:
8 of 10
to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively)
Cross References
Isaiah 5:6And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.Amos 4:9I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.Joel 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.
Historical Context
Vines and figs were primary crops in ancient Israel, requiring years to mature. Their destruction meant years of lost productivity and food shortage. God's covenant with Israel explicitly connected agricultural prosperity to obedience (Leviticus 26:3-5, Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and agricultural disaster to disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-24, 38-40). The prophets frequently used agricultural imagery to communicate spiritual realities—barren land symbolizing spiritual barrenness, fruitful land representing covenant faithfulness.
Questions for Reflection
- What does it mean that God claims ownership ("my vine," "my fig tree") while judging His people's enjoyment of them?
- How do temporal losses serve as warnings about eternal spiritual realities?
Analysis & Commentary
"He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree" describes agricultural devastation. The vine and fig tree symbolized peace, prosperity, and covenant blessing throughout Scripture (1 Kings 4:25, Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10). Their destruction signals covenant curse—God removing blessings promised for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:30, 39). The phrase "made it clean bare" uses Hebrew chasap (strip off, bare) indicating total defoliation. "The branches thereof are made white" describes bare, bleached branches after locusts stripped all foliage—an image of death and desolation. This devastation illustrates covenant theology: God blesses obedience, judges disobedience. The Reformed understanding emphasizes that these temporal judgments typologically point to eternal realities. As locusts physically devastated the land, so sin spiritually devastates souls. Yet as God later promises restoration (2:25), He ultimately provides eschatological restoration through Christ.