Joel 1:13 kjv

Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Joel 1:13 nkjv

Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God.

Joel 1:13 niv

Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.

Joel 1:13 esv

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.

Joel 1:13 nlt

Dress yourselves in burlap and weep, you priests!
Wail, you who serve before the altar!
Come, spend the night in burlap,
you ministers of my God.
For there is no grain or wine
to offer at the Temple of your God.

Joel 1 verses

Joel 1 13 Meaning

Joel 1:13 is an urgent and authoritative call from the prophet Joel to the priests of Israel to engage in profound and public mourning. This lamentation is commanded due to the severe devastation caused by a locust plague and drought, which has led to the cessation of the grain and drink offerings in the Temple. The withholding of these essential offerings signifies not only a national calamity affecting sustenance but, more critically, a disruption in the sacred covenant relationship between God and His people, as their prescribed worship cannot be fulfilled. It highlights the desperate spiritual state accompanying the physical desolation, prompting the spiritual leaders to lead the nation in deep lament and potential repentance.

Joel 1 13 Context

Joel 1:13 stands within the first chapter of Joel, which graphically depicts a cataclysmic plague of locusts, likened to an invading army, followed by a severe drought. This dual disaster has completely devastated the land, destroying crops, vines, and trees, leading to widespread famine and destitution. The verse immediately follows a call for farmers, vinedressers, and all inhabitants to grieve over their ruined livelihood (Joel 1:11-12). This particular verse, however, focuses its intense call to mourning on the priests. The severe nature of the catastrophe is underscored by the fact that the minchah (grain offering) and nesekh (drink offering)—essential elements of daily temple worship and expressions of covenant loyalty and thanksgiving—can no longer be performed due to the lack of grain and wine. For the priestly class, whose central duty was to facilitate communion with God through these offerings, their cessation represented not merely an economic disaster but a profound theological crisis. It implies God's displeasure, a breach in the normal operations of His covenant, and thus signals a spiritual calamity that demands their deepest repentance and intercession. This severe crisis serves as a precursor or type for the impending "Day of the Lord" (Joel 1:15), emphasizing divine judgment and the need for immediate, heartfelt turning to God.

Joel 1 13 Word analysis

• Gird yourselves (חִגְרוּ, ḥigrû): From the verb חָגַר (ḥāgar), meaning "to gird, to put on." Often used in the context of preparing for a task, battle, or service (e.g., Exod 12:11, 1 Ki 18:46). Here, it is an imperative demanding action. However, the girding is not for service but for an unusual, specific form of action: extreme mourning and humility. It implies a readiness to fully commit to this physical act of lament.
• and lament (וְסִפְדוּ, wə·sip̄ḏū): From the verb סָפַד (sāpaḏ), meaning "to wail, lament, mourn." It signifies a public and audible expression of grief, often involving beating the breast, tearing clothes, or cutting oneself, which indicates profound sorrow or distress (e.g., Gen 23:2, 2 Sam 1:12). It goes beyond internal sadness to a communal demonstration of anguish.
• ye priests (הַכֹּהֲנִים, hak·kō·hă·nîm): Refers to those divinely appointed for temple service, mediating between God and the people through sacrifices and instruction. The command is specifically directed at them, underscoring their unique responsibility to acknowledge the spiritual depth of the crisis and to lead the nation in repentance. Their spiritual leadership is crucial.
• howl (הֵילִילוּ, hê·lî·lū): From the verb יָלַל (yālal), meaning "to howl, to wail, to lament loudly." This is a stronger, more intense word than "lament," often indicating extreme distress or terror, sometimes described as an animal-like cry of anguish (e.g., Isa 13:6; Jer 48:20). It emphasizes a desperate and unrestrained cry.
• ye ministers of the altar (מְשָׁרְתֵי מִזְבֵּחַ, mə·šā·rə·ṯê miz·bê·aḥ): This further specifies the priestly role, focusing on their direct service at the altar where sacrifices were made. This phrase reinforces that their core function, tied to the altar and its offerings, has been severely impacted.
• come (בֹּאוּ, bō·ʾū): Imperative, "come!" It is an urgent invitation or command to gather for a specific purpose, in this case, communal action.
• lie all night (לִין בַּשַּׂקִּים, lîn bas·śaq·qîm): From לִין (lîn) meaning "to spend the night, to lodge," often implies remaining in a state for a prolonged period. This particular act means spending the entire night in this posture. It indicates extreme and continuous self-abasement, devotion to mourning, and perhaps pleading with God throughout the night, rejecting comfort and sleep.
• in sackcloth (בַּשַּׂקִּים, bas·śaq·qîm): Saq (שַׂק) is a coarse, dark fabric, typically made of goat hair, worn as a sign of mourning, deep distress, humility, or repentance (e.g., 2 Sam 3:31, Esth 4:1). To "lie in sackcloth" means complete immersion in this symbolic act.
• ye ministers of my God (מְשָׁרְתֵי אֱלֹהָי, mə·šā·rə·ṯê ʾĕ·lō·hāy): "My God" (אֱלֹהָי, ʾĕlōhāy) implies God's personal ownership and intimate relationship with His appointed servants, while also reinforcing their solemn duty to Him. The prophet is speaking on behalf of God, identifying the priests' service directly to the Divine.
• for the meat offering (כִּי נִכְרַת מִנְחָה, kî nik·raṯ min·ḥāh): Minchah (מִנְחָה) refers specifically to the grain or tribute offering, a voluntary sacrifice often made from grains or flour, symbolizing gratitude, devotion, and recognition of God's provision (e.g., Lev 2:1). It was a daily and vital part of temple ritual. "Meat" here is an archaic English term for "food" or "grain."
• and the drink offering (וָנֶסֶךְ, wā·ne·seḵ): Nesekh (נֶסֶךְ) is a libation or drink offering, typically wine, poured out as part of various sacrifices, often accompanying the grain offering (e.g., Num 15:5). Wine symbolized joy, prosperity, and blessings.
• is withholden (נִכְרַת, nik·raṯ): From כָּרַת (kārat), meaning "to cut off, to destroy, to make a covenant." Here, in the niphal stem (passive), it means "is cut off" or "has been withheld/removed." It signifies that the supply for these offerings has been utterly stopped due to the blight, thus rendering the offerings impossible. This implies divine judgment or allowing the natural consequence of the calamity to directly impact sacred practice.
• from the house of your God (מִבֵּית אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, mib·bêṯ ʾĕ·lō·hê·ḵem): "The house of your God" refers to the Jerusalem Temple, the central place of Israelite worship. Its inability to function signifies a severe spiritual crisis. The shift from "my God" earlier to "your God" could emphasize the priests' personal responsibility to this House and this God.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar": This is an escalation of emotion and action. "Gird yourselves" implies a preparation for physical endurance, then "lament" (a strong emotional display) followed by "howl" (a cry of ultimate anguish). Direct address to priests and specifically "ministers of the altar" pinpoints those responsible for temple worship. The intensity indicates the gravity of the spiritual crisis, demanding not just sorrow but public, desperate wailing from those meant to serve joyfully.
• "come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God": The call extends to an extreme, persistent act of humility and petition. "Lie all night in sackcloth" conveys a complete immersion in distress, forgoing comfort and rest, signaling urgent intercession or profound repentance. The phrase "ministers of my God" powerfully reasserts the sacred relationship and responsibility that the priests bear to the Lord Himself, as spoken through the prophet.
• "for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God": This clause provides the core reason for the extreme lament. The "grain offering" (minchah) and "drink offering" (nesekh) were fundamental elements of daily temple service. Their cessation means that daily expressions of worship, sustenance, gratitude, and communion with God are impossible. This is not merely an inconvenience but a liturgical catastrophe that reflects a break in the covenant relationship, suggesting God's withdrawal or the consequences of His judgment impacting the very heart of their worship system, forcing them to confront the severity of their spiritual condition.

Joel 1 13 Bonus section

The specific mention of the minchah (grain offering) and nesekh (drink offering) highlights that it was not only animal sacrifices that ceased. These two offerings were typically associated with basic sustenance (grain) and joy/celebration (wine), representing the fullness of blessing and communion with God. Their absence points to an absolute desolation, affecting both daily bread and joy. This liturgical cessation indicates a suspension of the covenant relationship in its tangible, worshipful expression, thereby intensifying the urgency for priestly and national introspection. The "house of your God" (vs. "my God" earlier) subtly places the responsibility and implication directly onto the priests, whose role it was to maintain the purity and practice of worship within that sacred space. Their failure to minister properly (whether due to sin or sheer inability from lack of resources) called for this unprecedented public display of anguish.

Joel 1 13 Commentary

Joel 1:13 is a searing command directed at the priesthood, compelling them to a profound and unprecedented level of mourning and repentance. The normal life-giving agricultural cycle had been shattered by locusts and drought, leading to national famine. Crucially, this catastrophe had directly impacted the central institution of Israelite worship—the Temple—by making it impossible to present the daily grain and drink offerings. These offerings, symbolizing sustained communion with God, gratitude for His provision, and allegiance, were foundational to Israel's covenant relationship. Their cessation meant a break in the routine of sacred service, a profound liturgical and theological crisis for the priests, whose very identity and function revolved around these rituals.

The intensity of Joel's language, employing escalating terms like "gird yourselves" for lamentation, "lament," and especially "howl," signifies a depth of distress far beyond normal sorrow. "Lying all night in sackcloth" is an act of extreme humility, desperation, and prolonged supplication. This severe instruction to the priests underscored the gravity of the national spiritual condition; the external devastation was a manifestation of internal spiritual decay or God's disciplinary hand. The verse highlights that true disaster is not merely economic but fundamentally spiritual, striking at the heart of their worship and relationship with God. The priests were thus called to lead by example, embodying the nation's grief and repentance before the Lord, acknowledging that the withholding of blessings was a call for genuine transformation.

• Practical Example: In times of severe collective crisis, especially those with spiritual implications (e.g., moral decline, persistent societal ills), those in spiritual leadership roles are called to model earnest repentance, intercession, and a public acknowledgment of God's hand, inviting the community to deep humility and a renewed turning to the Lord, rather than merely offering superficial prayers.