New International Version To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. New Living Translation LORD, help us! The fire has consumed the wilderness pastures, and flames have burned up all the trees. English Standard Version To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Berean Standard Bible To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. Berean Literal Bible To You, O YHWH, I call out, for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. King James Bible O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. New King James Version O LORD, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field. New American Standard Bible To You, LORD, I cry out; For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. NASB 1995 To You, O LORD, I cry; For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. NASB 1977 To Thee, O LORD, I cry; For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. Legacy Standard Bible To You, O Yahweh, I cry; For fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. Amplified Bible O LORD, I cry out to You, For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. Berean Annotated Bible To You, O LORD {YHWH}, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. Christian Standard Bible I call to you, LORD, for fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have devoured all the trees of the orchard. Holman Christian Standard Bible I call to You, LORD, for fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have devoured all the trees of the countryside. American Standard Version O Jehovah, to thee do I cry; for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Contemporary English Version I cry out to you, LORD. Grasslands and forests are eaten by the scorching heat. English Revised Version O LORD, to thee do I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. GOD'S WORD® Translation O LORD, I cry to you for help! Fire has burned up the open pastures. Flames have burned up all the trees in the orchards. Good News Translation I cry out to you, LORD, because the pastures and trees are dried up, as though a fire had burned them. International Standard Version To you, LORD, I cry out, because fire has devoured the open pastures, and has set all the cultivated trees ablaze. NET Bible To you, O LORD, I call out for help, for fire has burned up the grassy pastures, flames have razed all the trees in the fields. New Heart English Bible LORD, I cry to you, for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field. Webster's Bible Translation O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleTo You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. World English Bible Yahweh, I cry to you, for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionTo You, O YHWH, I call, "" For fire has consumed lovely places of a wilderness, "" And a flame has set on fire all trees of the field. Berean Literal Bible To You, O YHWH, I call out, for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. Young's Literal Translation Unto Thee, O Jehovah, I do call, For fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness, And a flame hath set on fire all trees of the field. Smith's Literal Translation To thee, O Jehovah, will I call: for a fire consumed the habitations of the desert, and the flame burned all the trees of the field. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleTo thee, 0 Lord, will I cry: because fire hath devoured the beautiful places of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the country. Catholic Public Domain Version To you, O Lord, I will cry out, because fire has devoured the beauty of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the countryside. New American Bible To you, LORD, I cry! for fire has devoured the wilderness pastures, flame has scorched all the trees in the field. New Revised Standard Version To you, O LORD, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleO LORD, to thee will I cry; for the fire has devoured the camps of shepherds in the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated To you LORD JEHOVAH I shall call, because fire has consumed the folds of the wilderness, and the flame has burned up all of the trees of the wilderness OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Unto Thee, O LORD, do I cry; For the fire hath devoured The pastures of the wilderness, And the flame hath set ablaze All the trees of the field. Brenton Septuagint Translation To thee, O Lord, will I cry: for fire has devoured the fair places of the wilderness, and a flame has burnt up all the trees of the field. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context A Call to Repentance…18How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering. 19To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. 20Even the beasts of the field pant for You, for the streams of water have dried up, and fire has consumed the open pastures.… Cross References To You, O LORD, I call, Psalm 120:1 A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me. Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears. Psalm 142:1 A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy. for fire has consumed the open pastures Exodus 9:23-25 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. / The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation. / Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree. Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains. Amos 7:4 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. Ezekiel 20:47 Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched. Zechariah 11:1-2 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars! / Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down! Isaiah 10:17-19 And the Light of Israel will become a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles. / The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man. / The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them. Jeremiah 14:4-6 The ground is cracked because no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads. / Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass. / Wild donkeys stand on barren heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail for lack of pasture.” Isaiah 24:4-7 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away. / The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. / Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive. … Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” Hosea 4:3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear. Revelation 8:7 Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass. Isaiah 15:6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up, and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone, and the greenery is no more. Jeremiah 9:10-12 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away. / “And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.” / Who is the man wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one can pass through it? Treasury of Scripture O LORD, to you will I cry: for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field. to thee. Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Psalm 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Micah 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. the fire. Joel 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. Jeremiah 9:10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. Amos 7:4 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. pastures. Jump to Previous Ablaze Burned Consumed Cry Devoured End Field Fire Flame Flames Goes Grass-Lands Open Pastures Trees Waste WildernessJump to Next Ablaze Burned Consumed Cry Devoured End Field Fire Flame Flames Goes Grass-Lands Open Pastures Trees Waste WildernessJoel 1 1. Joel, declaring various judgments of God, exhorts to observe them,8. and to mourn. 14. He prescribes a solemn fast to deprecate those judgments. To You, O LORD, I call, Joel turns directly to the covenant God as the land suffers under the locust devastation and drought. Israel’s crisis has reached beyond human remedy, driving the prophet to seek the LORD’s mercy and intervention. Psa 120:1 A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD,… for fire has consumed the open pastures The parched pasturelands, needed to sustain flocks and herds, have been ruined. Whether describing literal fire intensified by drought or the burning appearance left by the plague, the image conveys the severity of God’s judgment upon the land. Exo 9:23-25 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven,… and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. Even the trees and cultivated areas have been stripped of life and productivity. The destruction of pasture and trees leaves people and animals without sustenance, underscoring the nation’s need to return to the LORD. Ezk 20:47 Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word… Persons / Places / Events 1. JoelThe prophet who authored the book, delivering God's message to the people of Judah during a time of crisis. 2. The LORD The covenant name of God, Yahweh, to whom Joel directs his plea for help and intervention. 3. The Pastures of the Wilderness Represents the land of Judah, which is suffering devastation, possibly due to locusts and drought. 4. Fire and Flames Symbolic of destruction and judgment, possibly literal or metaphorical, indicating severe devastation. 5. The Trees of the Field Represents the natural resources and agricultural wealth of the land, now destroyed. Teaching Points Dependence on God in CrisisJoel's call to the LORD emphasizes the importance of turning to God in times of distress. We should cultivate a habit of prayer and reliance on God, especially during difficult times. Recognition of God's Sovereignty The devastation described serves as a reminder of God's control over nature and history. Acknowledge His sovereignty in all circumstances, trusting His purposes even when they are not immediately clear. The Consequences of Sin The imagery of fire consuming the land can be seen as a result of the people's sin. Reflect on the personal and communal consequences of sin and the need for repentance. Hope for Restoration While the immediate context is one of judgment, the broader message of Joel includes hope for restoration. Trust in God's promise to restore and renew, even after periods of judgment. Intercessory Prayer Joel's plea is an example of intercessory prayer. We are called to pray not only for ourselves but also for our communities and nations, seeking God's mercy and intervention. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Joel 1:19?2. How can we seek God's help like Joel in times of crisis? 3. What does "fire has consumed the pastures" symbolize in our spiritual lives? 4. How does Joel 1:19 connect with other biblical calls for repentance? 5. What practical steps can we take to address spiritual drought in our lives? 6. How can we encourage others to turn to God during their personal "fires"? 7. What is the historical context of Joel 1:19 and its significance for ancient Israel? 8. How does Joel 1:19 reflect the theme of divine judgment and repentance? 9. What does the imagery of fire in Joel 1:19 symbolize in biblical theology? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Joel 1? (19) The fire hath devoured.--This may be explained as produced by the scorching heat bringing about spontaneous combustion, or by the efforts of the people to exterminate the locusts by burning the trees, or by the mark, as of fire, left upon all vegetation after the locusts had finished their work of devastation.Verses 19, 20. - O Lord, to thee will I cry. In consideration of man and beast - creatures rational and irrational being subject to so much hardship and suffering - the prophet appeals in intense earnestness of spirit to God, and all the more so because of the encouragement of his own Word, as it is written, "Lord, thou preservest man and beast." For the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The fire and flame here referred to denote the fiery heat of the drought which burnt up the meadows and scorched the trees. Some seem to understand the terms literally, as applied to setting on fire the heath, or even the trees, in order to check the progress of the locusts or turn them aside by smoke and flame. This, however, is refuted by the following verse, which mentions the rivers of water being dried up: The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. In like manner we read in Jeremiah 14:4-6, "Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the ploughmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass." The various animals suffering from hunger and thirst express their distress in loud and lamentable, though inarticulate, cries. The Hebrew words which respectively denote the cries of the different animals are, according to Rashi, the following: ערג expresses the cry of deer; נהם (also שׁאג), to roar like lions; נעה, to low as oxen; צחל, to neigh like horses; ציפצופ (rather צִפְצִפ, fulfil), to twitter or chirp as birds. Further, the subject is plural, but the verb is singular, for the purpose of individualizing.
Joel 1:19 portrays a worshiper who, in the face of sweeping, literal devastation, instinctively cries out to the LORD. Each phrase moves from relationship (“To You, O LORD”) to action (“I call”) to raw circumstance (“fire has consumed,” “flames have scorched”). The verse teaches that when judgment falls and every earthly security is torched, the faithful response is urgent prayer rooted in confidence that God hears, restores, and uses even calamity to draw His people back to Himself. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew To You,אֵלֶ֥יךָ (’ê·le·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to O LORD, יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel I call, אֶקְרָ֑א (’eq·rā) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read for כִּ֣י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction fire אֵ֗שׁ (’êš) Noun - common singular Strong's 784: A fire has consumed אָֽכְלָה֙ (’ā·ḵə·lāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 398: To eat the open מִדְבָּ֔ר (miḏ·bār) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech pastures נְא֣וֹת (nə·’ō·wṯ) Noun - feminine plural construct Strong's 4999: Habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place and flames וְלֶ֣הָבָ֔ה (wə·le·hā·ḇāh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 3852: A flash, a sharply polished blade, point of a, weapon have scorched לִהֲטָ֖ה (li·hă·ṭāh) Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 3857: To blaze up, flame all כָּל־ (kāl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the trees עֲצֵ֥י (‘ă·ṣê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood of the field. הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃ (haś·śā·ḏeh) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7704: Field, land Additonal Resources Joel 1:19 Blue Letter BibleJoel 1:19 Bible Gateway Joel 1:19 Bible.com Joel 1:19 NIV |
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