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Read the Bible

King James Version

Joel 1:20

The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Famine;   Nation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Beasts;   Fire;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Drought;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Joel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Life;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Desert, Wilderness;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Famine;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cry, Crying;   Joel (2);   River;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Famine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Even the wild animals cry out to you,for the river beds are dried up,and fire has consumedthe pastures of the wilderness.
Hebrew Names Version
Yes, the animals of the field pant to you, For the water brooks have dried up, And the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
English Standard Version
Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
New American Standard Bible
Even the animals of the field pant for You; For the stream beds of water are dried up, And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
New Century Version
Wild animals also need your help. The streams of water have dried up, and fire has burned up the open pastures.
Amplified Bible
Even the wild animals pant [in longing] for You; For the water brooks are dried up And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The beasts of the fielde cry also vnto thee: for the riuers of waters are dried vp, and the fire hath deuoured the pastures of the wildernes.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Even the beasts of the field pant for You; For the water brooks are dried up And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Legacy Standard Bible
Even the beasts of the field pant for You;For the water brooks are dried up,And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.
Berean Standard Bible
Even the beasts of the field pant for You, for the streams of water have dried up, and fire has consumed the open pastures.
Contemporary English Version
Wild animals have no water because of you; rivers and streams are dry, and pastures are parched.
Complete Jewish Bible
Even the wild animals come to you, panting, because the streambeds have dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures in the desert."
Darby Translation
The beasts of the field also cry unto thee; for the water-courses are dried, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Easy-to-Read Version
Wild animals also need your help. The streams are dry—there is no water! Fire has changed our green fields into a desert.
George Lamsa Translation
Also the beasts of the field cry out to thee because the ponds of water are dried up, and the fire has devoured the camps of shepherds in the wilderness.
Good News Translation
Even the wild animals cry out to you because the streams have become dry.
Lexham English Bible
Also, the beasts of the field long for you, because the courses of water are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the desert.
Literal Translation
The beasts of the field also long for You, for the rivers of water are dried up, and the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
American Standard Version
Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee; for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Bible in Basic English
The beasts of the field are turning to you with desire: for the water-streams are dry and fire has put an end to the grass-lands of the waste.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto Thee; for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
King James Version (1611)
The beasts of the field crie also vnto thee: for the riuers of waters are dried vp, and the fire hath deuoured the pastures of the wildernesse.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The beastes also of the fielde crye out vnto thee: for the riuers of waters are dryed vp, and fire hath deuoured vp the fruitfull places of the desert.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the cattle of the field have looked up to thee: for the fountains of waters have been dried up, and fire has devoured the fair places of the wilderness.
English Revised Version
Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee: for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
World English Bible
Yes, the animals of the field pant to you, For the water brooks have dried up, And the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But also beestis of the feeld, as a corn floor thirstynge reyn, bihelden to thee; for the wellis of watris ben dried vp, and fier deuouride the faire thingis of desert.
Update Bible Version
Yes, the beasts of the field pant to you; for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Webster's Bible Translation
The beasts of the field cry also to thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
New English Translation
Even the wild animals cry out to you; for the river beds have dried up; fire has destroyed the grassy pastures.
New King James Version
The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures.
New Living Translation
Even the wild animals cry out to you because the streams have dried up, and fire has consumed the wilderness pastures.
New Life Bible
Even the animals of the field cry to You. For the rivers are dried up, and fire has burned up the fields of the desert.
New Revised Standard
Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even the beasts of the field, moan unto thee, - because dried up are the channels of water, and, a fire, hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Yea, and the beasts of the field have looked up to thee, as a garden bed that thirsteth after rain, for the springs of waters are dried up, and fire hath devoured the beautiful places of the wilderness.
Revised Standard Version
Even the wild beasts cry to thee because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Young's Literal Translation
Also the cattle of the field long for Thee, For dried up have been streams of water, And fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness!'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee the wylde beestes crie also vnto the: for the water ryuers are dryed vp, and the fyre hath consumed the pastures of the wyldernesse.

Contextual Overview

14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord , 15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. 18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 19 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. 20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cry: Job 38:41, Psalms 104:21, Psalms 145:15, Psalms 147:9

the rivers: 1 Kings 17:7, 1 Kings 18:5

Reciprocal: Psalms 107:33 - turneth Jeremiah 14:3 - pits Jeremiah 14:4 - the ground Joel 1:18 - General Joel 2:3 - fire

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Genesis 1:24
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:30
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Genesis 2:19
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
1 Kings 4:33
And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
Psalms 148:10
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The beasts of the field cry also unto thee,.... As well as the prophet, in their way; which may be mentioned, both as a rebuke to such who had no sense of the judgments upon them, and called not on the Lord; and to express the greatness of the calamity, of which the brute creatures were sensible, and made piteous moans, as for food, so for drink; panting thorough excessive heat and vehement thirst, as the hart, after the water brooks, of which this word is only used,

Psalms 42:1; but in vain:

for the rivers of waters are dried up; not only springs, and rivulets and brooks of water, but rivers, places where were large deep waters, as Aben Ezra explains it; either by the Assyrian army, the like Sennacherib boasts Isaiah 37:25; and is said to be done by the army of Xerxes, wherever it came; or rather by the excessive heat and scorching beams of the sun, by which such effects are produced:

and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness;

Isaiah 37:25- :; and whereas the word rendered pastures signifies both "them" and "habitations" also; and, being repeated, it may be taken in one of the senses in Joel 1:19; and in the other here: and so Kimchi who interprets it before of "tents", here explains it of grassy places in the wilderness, dried up, as if the sun had consumed them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The beasts of the field cry also unto Thee - o: “There is an order in these distresses. First he points out the insensate things wasted; then those afflicted, which have sense only; then those endowed with reason; so that to the order of calamity there may be consorted an order of pity, sparing first the creature, then the things sentient, then things rational. The Creator spares the creature; the Ordainer, things sentient; the Saviour, the rational.” Irrational creatures joined with the prophet in his cry. The beasts of the field cry to God, though they know it not; it is a cry to God, who compassionates all which suffers. God makes them, in act, a picture of dependence upon His Providence, “seeking to It for a removal of their sufferings, and supply of their needs.” So He saith, “the young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God” Psalms 104:21, and, “He giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens that cry” Psalms 147:9, and, “Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God” Job 38:41. If the people would not take instruction from him, he “bids them learn from the beasts of the field how to behave amid these calamities, that they should cry aloud to God to remove them.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joel 1:20. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee — Even the cattle, wild and tame, are represented as supplicating God to have mercy upon them, and send them provender! There is a similar affecting description of the effects of a drought in Jeremiah, Jeremiah 14:6.

The rivers of waters are dried up — There must have been a drought as well as a host of locusts; as some of these expressions seem to apply to the effects of intense heat.

For המדבר hammidbar, "the wilderness," one of my oldest MSS. reads מדבר midbar, "wilderness" simply, as in Joel 1:19. Eight or ten of Dr. Kennicott's have the same reading.


 
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