Joel 1:4
What does Joel 1:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Joel 1:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Joel 1:4 means
Joel describes total destruction by naming successive locust stages or kinds—palmer-worm, locust, canker-worm, caterpillar—each devouring what the previous left. The picture is of relentless, systematic stripping of the land until nothing remains. Whether distinct species or poetic stages, the point is cumulative loss that no human effort could halt. God allowed wave after wave, demonstrating His sovereignty over creation and His power to chasten a people through natural means. This verse presses home that the crisis is not partial; the land’s support systems are broken, and human confidence in cycles of sowing and reaping lies shattered.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.
KJV
King James Version · 1611That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for the plant-worm; and what the plant-worm did not take, has been food for the field-fly.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862What is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm, Eaten hath the caterpillar.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752That which the palmerworm hath left, the locust hath eaten: and that which the locust hath left, the bruchus hath eaten: and that which the bruchus hath left, the mildew hath destroyed.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890that which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.
Context
Here Joel moves from general summons and memorializing to concrete description. The fourfold devouring explains why the plague is unprecedented and unforgettable. The following verses will shift from the field’s condition to its human and spiritual impacts, calling specific groups—drunkards, farmers, priests—to awaken and lament. The flow teaches that divine judgment touches every layer of life: personal indulgence, economic livelihood, and temple worship. The exhaustive nature of the insects’ work undergirds the comprehensive call to repentance that follows.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Nahum 3:15
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust.
- Jeremiah 51:14
Jehovah of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with the canker-worm; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.
- Amos 4:9
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees hath the palmer-worm devoured: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.
- Deuteronomy 28:38
Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall consume it.
- Psalms 78:46
He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.
- Exodus 10:4
Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border:
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