Bible Strands
Joel 1:19
To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Joel addresses Yahweh directly amid a catastrophic drought and fire that have destroyed pastures and livestock (Joel 1:18–20).
The words — אֶקְרָא ('ek.Ra') literally means "I call," and אֵשׁ ('Esh) denotes "fire," anchoring the verse in a direct petition amid destruction.
The thread — This appeal runs parallel to Psalms 50:15, which commands calling on God in trouble, and Jeremiah 9:10 and Amos 7:4, which describe divine judgment consuming pastures and wilderness by fire.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to direct prayer to God immediately when environmental collapse destroys sustenance, treating lament as a factual response to ruin rather than a sentimental exercise.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Psalms 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- Jeremiah 9:10 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.
- Amos 7:4 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.
- Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
- Psalms 91:15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
- Joel 2:3 Before them a fire devours, and behind them a flame scorches. The land before them is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland—surely nothing will escape them.
- Habakkuk 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls,
- Luke 18:7 Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?
- Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
- Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.