Joel 1:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Scriptures, guided by divine inspiration, sometimes assign voice to mute creatures, skillfully enhancing ordinary occurrences with beauty and grace, gently portraying those uplifting thoughts worthy of contemplation. Consequently, what is so astonishing if it is stated that the cow stumbles and the herds of cattle cry out? They are desperately tormented by hunger. Surely, even the fields would begin to run and mourn if they were aware of their plight. "Perish," he states, along with "treasure," "diggings," and "sharpenings" left neglected due to the emptiness of the harvest, with the sickle having no task among the vines, while the fields lie desolate and dry.

The young maidens find themselves in need by their feeding trough, the granaries have withered away, and the granary has been overturned, as offerings and tithes have come to an end with the onset of the drought.

The livestock have become putrid in their filth, their own; the barns have collapsed, and the storerooms have been laid waste, for the grain has diminished. Why do the creatures groan, and why do the herds of cattle bellow? It is because there is no grazing land available. The flocks of sheep, too, have perished. The cattle leap at their feeding troughs, the treasures are in ruin, and the threshing floor lies desolate, for the grain has wilted. What shall we prepare for our feast? The herds of cattle lament due to the lack of pastures, and the sheep have met their end.

The young women arose at their manger, where the barns were decayed and encrusted with dust. It is noted that the young women leaped not from fullness, but from a deep longing for sustenance; they fell to the ground, striking it with their feet. The granaries are described as remaining covered in mold due to the absence of wheat for a prolonged period. The latrines are unearthed as unnecessary, along with all other provisions that were meant for such purposes, left in neglect because there was nothing to place within them. The herds of oxen low, expressing a sorrowful sound, for they are deprived of their customary feed. Similarly, the flocks of sheep react in harmony with the oxen. Yet, when these occurrences unfold, the prophet declares, I will cry unto Thee, O Lord, as fire consumes the parched wilderness, and a flame devours the timber of Poland.