Joel 1:5 kjv
Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
Joel 1:5 nkjv
Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth.
Joel 1:5 niv
Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips.
Joel 1:5 esv
Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.
Joel 1:5 nlt
Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you wine-drinkers!
All the grapes are ruined,
and all your sweet wine is gone.
Joel 1 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 24:7 | The new wine dries up; the vine languishes; all the merryhearted sigh. | Loss of wine signals the end of joy and blessing due to judgment. |
| Isa 24:9-11 | They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to those who drink it. Every city is broken down... Joy has perished from the earth. | Absence of joy and wine is a sign of widespread judgment and desolation. |
| Jer 48:33 | Gladness and joy have been removed from the fruitful land of Moab, and I have made wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. | Cessation of wine production marks the end of gladness and joy due to judgment. |
| Hos 2:8-9 | She did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil... Therefore I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season. | God withdrawing blessings (grain, wine) as a consequence of spiritual neglect. |
| Amos 8:9-10 | "I will make the sun go down at noon... I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation... like the mourning for an only son." | Turning festivities into mourning, illustrating severe judgment and grief. |
| Zeph 1:14-15 | The great day of the LORD is near... a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. | The Day of the LORD brings utter devastation, removing all sources of comfort. |
| Joel 2:12 | "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." | Call to true repentance and sorrow in response to judgment. |
| Lam 2:11 | My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns... because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies languish in the streets of the city. | Deep lamentation and physical anguish due to severe national destruction. |
| Psa 104:15 | Wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that strengthens man's heart. | Wine as a divine provision for joy and blessing; its loss implies a curse. |
| Deut 7:13 | He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb... your grain, your new wine, and your oil. | New wine is listed as a primary blessing for obedience and covenant faithfulness. |
| Isa 56:12 | "Come," they say, "let us get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink... | Illustrates the spiritual danger of drunkenness and excessive indulgence. |
| Luke 21:34 | "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life... | Warning against spiritual unpreparedness due to carnal indulgences. |
| Rom 13:13 | Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. | Admonition against a lifestyle of revelry and excess, linking it to spiritual darkness. |
| Eph 5:18 | And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. | Contrast between seeking earthly pleasure in wine and divine fullness in the Spirit. |
| 1 Thess 5:6-8 | So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober... But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love. | Call to spiritual wakefulness and sobriety in anticipation of the Day of the Lord. |
| Rev 18:7-8 | As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her the same measure of torment and grief... "Therefore her plagues will come in a single day—death and mourning and famine." | Those who lived in pleasure will face severe judgment and mourning. |
| Ecc 7:2-4 | It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting... for it is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart... The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. | Emphasizes the wisdom found in acknowledging sorrow and mortality, contrasting with a life of feasting. |
| Gen 3:17-19 | Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life... by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread. | Divine curse leading to agricultural hardship, resonating with the destruction of harvest. |
| Jer 9:17-21 | "Consider, and call for the wailing women to come... Let them make haste and raise a wail over us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids flow with water." | Instruction to call professional mourners for public and profound lamentation. |
| Matt 24:38-39 | For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware... | People caught unawares in their regular enjoyments before a devastating judgment. |
| Prov 20:1 | Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. | A caution against the deceptive and harmful nature of wine and strong drink. |
Joel 1 verses
Joel 1 5 Meaning
Joel 1:5 serves as a direct, imperative call to lamentation directed at the segment of society most affected by the loss of wine – both those habitually intoxicated and those who simply indulge. It signifies a profound shift from their previous state of joy and complacency, compelling them to awaken to the grim reality of a devastating divine judgment. The verse states the clear reason for their despair: the vital source of their pleasure and livelihood, the new wine, has been completely taken away. This loss signifies not only economic disaster but also the removal of a symbol of blessing, turning their merriment into sorrow and demanding a sober reckoning with their situation.
Joel 1 5 Context
Joel 1:5 stands at the beginning of a prophecy detailing an unprecedented locust plague that has devastated the land of Judah, serving as a severe foretaste of the impending "Day of the Lord." The chapter describes total agricultural ruin: grains, figs, pomegranates, olives, and vines are destroyed, leading to widespread famine and suffering. This verse specifically addresses those whose lives, joy, and possibly spiritual focus were heavily intertwined with wine. Historically, wine was a fundamental agricultural product, symbolizing blessing, prosperity, and joy (as seen in the Old Testament festivals and daily life). For Judah, whose economy and cultural life were deeply rooted in agricultural produce, the destruction of vineyards and the loss of new wine were not merely an inconvenience but a national calamity. This immediate natural disaster (the locusts) is interpreted by Joel as a direct divine judgment, intended to rouse the complacent people from their spiritual slumber and call them to repentance before the greater and more terrifying "Day of the Lord" arrives. The verse exposes the people's misplaced security in their earthly enjoyments rather than in God's sustained provision and sovereignty.
Joel 1 5 Word analysis
- Awake (הָקִיצוּ - haqitsu): This is a Qal imperative, plural, meaning "wake up," "arise," or "stir yourselves." It carries a strong sense of urgency, urging those in a state of stupor or unawareness to become alert. Spiritually, it implies a call to abandon complacency or apathy and confront the severe reality of their situation. The command signifies an imperative to leave behind a state of insensitivity or obliviousness.
- Drunkards (שִׁכּוֹרִים - shikkorim): From the root shakar (to be drunk). This participle refers to those who are habitually intoxicated or deeply under the influence of strong drink. It implies not just casual drinkers, but those whose lives are characterized by drunkenness. The direct address to them is potent; their usual escape through wine is now ironically denied.
- Weep (בְּכוּ - bekhu): A Qal imperative, plural, from bakah (to weep, bewail). This is a call for intense and outward expression of sorrow, often involving tears and deep lamentation. It contrasts sharply with the earlier state of revelry, demanding genuine and profound grief.
- Wail (יְלֹלוּ - yelolu): A Hiphil imperative, plural, from yalal (to wail, to howl, to cry aloud). This term denotes an even more pronounced and audible form of lamentation, a loud, piercing cry often associated with public mourning or expressions of deep distress and anguish, even more potent than simple weeping.
- Drinkers of wine (שֹׁתֵי יָיִן - shotei yayin): This phrase broadens the scope from just "drunkards" to include all who consume wine (yayin - fermented wine). This suggests that the impact of the judgment extends beyond habitual drinkers to affect even moderate consumers, indicating a widespread calamity that spares no one involved in the culture of wine.
- New wine (תִּירוֹשׁ - tirosh): Refers to the fresh, unfermented, or recently fermented grape juice. In biblical contexts, tirosh is often listed alongside grain and oil as one of the staple agricultural blessings from God (e.g., Deut 7:13, Prov 3:10). Its loss implies the complete destruction of the grape harvest and thus the future supply of wine, striking at the very source of their sustenance and joy.
- Cut off (נִכְרְתָה - nikhretah): This is a Niphal perfect, feminine singular, from the verb karat (to cut off, to cut down, to destroy, to abolish). The Niphal voice emphasizes that it "has been cut off" by an external, decisive force. This signifies a complete and final cessation, not merely a scarcity, indicating divine intervention in bringing about this severe judgment and depriving them totally of this blessing.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Awake, you drunkards, and weep": This forceful opening addresses the segment of society characterized by excess and pleasure-seeking. The command to "awake" signifies a shocking jolt from their complacent or stupor-filled existence. The subsequent "weep" demands a radical reversal of their state, from mirth to profound sorrow, emphasizing the severity of the crisis.
- "And wail, all you drinkers of wine": This extends the injunction to lament, intensifying the call. The phrase "all you drinkers of wine" expands the target audience beyond just the habitual drunkards to anyone who consumes wine. This inclusion indicates that the calamity is so pervasive that it impacts all who found joy or sustenance in wine, reinforcing the idea of a universal affliction. The move from "weep" to "wail" indicates a progression to a louder, more public, and desperate form of mourning.
- "Because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth": This directly states the immediate cause of their mandated lamentation. The tirosh, symbolizing joy and abundance, has been "cut off." The phrase "from your mouth" is very vivid, portraying a complete denial of access, implying that their source of pleasure and a fundamental aspect of their sustenance has been completely, definitively, and violently removed, leading to inevitable suffering and a desperate hunger/thirst. This finality underscores the devastating nature of God's judgment.
Joel 1 5 Bonus section
The Hebrew terms for "drunkards" (shikkorim) and "drinkers of wine" (shotei yayin) reveal a progression or a broadening of the audience. While shikkorim denotes severe or habitual inebriation, shotei yayin can encompass anyone who partakes of wine. This means that the impact of the locust plague and the cutting off of tirosh (new wine) affects not only the notoriously self-indulgent but also the average person for whom wine was a normal part of life, illustrating the widespread and indiscriminate nature of the judgment. The loss of tirosh specifically, which symbolizes future abundance and blessing, suggests a loss of hope and a profound setback for the nation's future prosperity, not just its current enjoyment. This verse highlights the theme of cosmic reversal: where there was once blessing, there is now curse; where there was joy, there is now lamentation. It implies that their former revelry had become a spiritual blindfold, preventing them from perceiving God's imminent judgment.
Joel 1 5 Commentary
Joel 1:5 delivers a powerful indictment and a desperate summons. It begins by piercing through the spiritual apathy and physical indulgence of the people, demanding that they awaken from their drunken stupor to face the devastating reality of God's judgment. The call to "weep" and "wail" signals a dramatic reversal of their typical revelry; their source of pleasure has become the cause of their most profound sorrow. The specific mention of "new wine" being "cut off from your mouth" is crucial. It represents more than just a loss of alcoholic beverage; it signifies the total destruction of the vintage, a staple crop, and thus the eradication of a primary source of economic well-being, joy, and celebration in ancient Israelite culture. This immediate, tangible judgment acts as a severe signpost, urging them to recognize God's hand in their calamity and repent. It challenges their reliance on earthly blessings as their ultimate security, forcing them to confront the fragility of their earthly comforts when faced with divine wrath. The loss is not merely deprivation but a complete cessation, leading to spiritual and physical thirst and starvation, thus mirroring their spiritual condition before God. This verse therefore is a stark picture of a lifestyle turned upside down by divine decree, prompting urgent introspection and turning towards God.