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literally, was what was done with the drink offering. It was poured out onto the ground
(Gen. 35: 14). Again, bearing in mind that this drink offering was either wine or a
mixture of wine & oil and bearing in mind that both of these ingredients had been
destroyed by the locusts (Joel 1: 7), we see that it was impossible for these people to offer
these sacrifices. At such times of drought and plague the people could easily have
offered the animal sacrifices. At such times when there was no vegetation to feed the
flocks they would probably have gladly offered them, but often the animal sacrifices
needed to be accompanied by the meal and drink offerings and that was now impossible
(Exod. 29: 40, 41).
The priests, the Lord's ministers, are told to mourn and when one appreciates fully
their connection with the offerings then the absence of such would cause them great
concern. Those who claim that the expression "The Lord's ministers" indicates that Joel
was written after the Babylonian exile because it is a "late" expression, fail to note that
similar expressions occur elsewhere in the books known to have been written before that
exile (Jer. 33: 21). Also the sentiments of ministering go back much earlier and are
found in such passages as Exod. 30: 20 and Numb. 3: 6.
Joel 1: 10. The priests are told to mourn and the land lament because of the absence
of the offerings. The land was unable to provide the oil and flour and corn but its
predicament was worse than that. "The field is wasted, the land mourneth: for the corn
is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth" (A.V.).
The word land in verse 10 is adamah and is elsewhere translated soil or ground. It is
not the word used in verses 2, 6 and 14 which is eretz and which means land or country.
Thus the N.I.V.'s translation of this verse is more enlightening:
"The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up;
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up,
the oil fails."
Such is the lament of the land!
Joel 1: 11. Now certain of the people are called to be ashamed and to howl and,
bearing in mind an agricultural community, those described in this verse would be most
of the population.
"Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen" (A.V.) is not the clearest rendering.
"Despair you farmers--wail, you vine growers" (N.I.V.).
"The farmer is downcast--the vinedressers wails" (Moffatt),
are perhaps better. Certainly the farmers have much to despair about, the vine growers
much to wail about. The rest of verse 11 and verse 12 give the sad story.
Joel 1: 12. Verses 10 to 12 are indeed serious and to ensure that the listener's and
reader's attention is fully grasped they are full of assonance, that is the words used have a