9:12 I said, 1
“Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? 2
Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? 3
Why does the land lie in ruins?
Why is it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels?”
1:10 The crops of the fields 4 have been destroyed. 5
The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished.
The fresh wine has dried up;
the olive oil languishes.
1:11 Be distressed, 6 farmers;
wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.
For the harvest of the field has perished.
1:12 The vine has dried up;
the fig tree languishes –
the pomegranate, date, and apple 7 as well.
In fact, 8 all the trees of the field have dried up.
Indeed, the joy of the people 9 has dried up!
1 tn The words, “I said” are not in the text. It is not clear that a shift in speaker has taken place. However, the words of the verse are very unlikely to be a continuation of the
2 tn Heb “Who is the wise man that he may understand this?”
3 tn Heb “And [who is the man] to whom the mouth of the
4 tn Heb “the field has been utterly destroyed.” The term “field,” a collective singular for “fields,” is a metonymy for crops produced by the fields.
5 tn Joel uses intentionally alliterative language in the phrases שֻׁדַּד שָׂדֶה (shuddad sadeh, “the field is destroyed”) and אֲבְלָה אֲדָמָה (’avlah ’adamah, “the ground is in mourning”).
6 tn Heb “embarrassed”; or “be ashamed.”
7 tn This Hebrew word וְתַפּוּחַ (vÿtappuakh) probably refers to the apple tree (so most English versions), but other suggestions that scholars have offered include the apricot, citron, or quince.
8 tn These words are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “the sons of man.”