Joel 1:4What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten.
The setting
Ancient Israel, ~835-800 BC. A devastating locust swarm has stripped the land bare. Modern-day Palestine/Israel witnesses similar swarms every few decades...
The emotion here: horrified at witnessing complete agricultural devastation
The original word
arbeh (אַרְבֶּה) — swarming locust, literally 'the multiplier'
Why it matters
Desert locusts can form swarms of 80 billion insects covering 800 square miles
Read with care
What most readers miss in Joel 1:4
Four different Hebrew words describe stages of locust development - total devastation
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about bugs, but Joel uses locusts as a metaphor for invading armies that will strip Israel of everything.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Joel 1:4
Bible Genome reading
Joel 1:4 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Joel 1:4 comes from the book of Joel, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Joel. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include devastation, judgment. Notable phrases: swarming locust; great locust. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Joel 1:4 mean to you, today?
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