Joel 1 · Verse 18

Joel 1:18

How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
Joel 1:18, King James Version

Joel 1:18 in other translations

BSBHow the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
WEBHow the animals groan! The herds of livestock are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
ASVHow do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
YLTHow have cattle sighed! Perplexed have been droves of oxen, For there is no pasture for them, Also droves of sheep have been desolated.
DARBYHow do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are bewildered, for they have no pasture; the flocks of sheep also are in suffering.
BBEWhat sounds of pain come from the beasts! the herds of cattle are at a loss because there is no grass for them; even the flocks of sheep are no longer to be seen.
WebsterHow do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

What does Joel 1:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. cattle ... perplexed--implying the restless gestures of the dumb beasts in their inability to find food. There is a tacit contrast between the sense of the brute creation and the insensibility of the people. yea, the ... sheep--Even the sheep, which are content with less rich pasturage, cannot find food. are made desolate--literally, "suffer punishment." The innocent brute shares the "punishment" of guilty man (Ex 12:29; Jon 3:7; 4:11).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 How do the beasts groan! - I really think that the neighing of horses, or braying of asses, is wonderfully expressed by the sound of the original: מה נאנחה בהמה mah Neenchah behemah, how do the horses neigh! how do the asses bray! בהמה behemah is a collective name for all domestic cattle, and those used in husbandry. Cattle are perplexed - They are looking everywhere, and wandering about to find some grass, and know not which way to run.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joel 1:14-20

The sorrow of the people is turned into repentance and humiliation before God. With all the marks of sorrow and shame, sin must be confessed and bewailed. A day is to be appointed for this purpose; a day in which people must be kept from their common employments, that they may more closely attend God's services; and there is to be abstaining from meat and drink. Every one had added to the national guilt, all shared…

Read the full comment on Joel 1:14-20 →

Joel 1:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

מַה\־mah-how!H4100
נֶּאֶנְחָ֣הne.'en.Chahit has groanedH584
בְהֵמָ֗הve.he.Mah[the] livestockH929
נָבֹ֙כוּ֙na.Vo.khuthey have wandered in confusionH943
עֶדְרֵ֣י'ed.Rei[the] herds ofH5739
בָקָ֔רva.KarcattleH1241
כִּ֛יkiforH3588
אֵ֥ין'einnotH369
מִרְעֶ֖הmir.'EhpastureH4829
לָהֶ֑םla.Hem[belongs] to them
גַּם\־gam-alsoH1571
עֶדְרֵ֥י'ed.Rei[the] flocks ofH5739
הַצֹּ֖אןha.Tzon<the> sheepH6629
נֶאְשָֽׁמוּ\׃ne'.Sha.muthey have sufferedH816

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joel 1:18

  • Hosea 4:3

    Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

  • Jeremiah 12:4

    How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

  • Jeremiah 14:5-6

    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.

  • Romans 8:22

    For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

  • Joel 1:20

    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.

  • 1 Kings 18:5

    And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
20; 1Ki 18:5; Jer 12:4; 14:5,6; Ho 4:3; Ro 8:22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joel 1:17

    The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

  • Joel 1:18

    How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

  • Joel 1:19

    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.

Read all of Joel 1

Joel 1:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¡Cuánto gimieron las bestias! ¡cuán turbados anduvieron los hatos de los bueyes, porque no tuvieron pastos! también fueron asolados los rebaños de las ovejas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Comme le bétail gémit! Les troupeaux de gros bétail sont déconcertés, car il n’y a pas de pâturage pour eux; les troupeaux de menu bétail aussi sont en peine.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wie stöhnt das Vieh! die Rinderherden sind bestürzt, weil sie keine Weide haben; auch die Kleinviehherden büßen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quid ingemuit animal, mugierunt greges armenti? quia non est pascua eis; sed et greges pecorum disperierunt.