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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Even the wild beasts lift their cry to God as the streams dry up and the pastures burn.
What Does Joel 1:20 Mean?
The chapter ends with the wild animals joining the prayer. The beasts of the field cry unto thee, panting toward God because the rivers of water are dried up and fire has devoured the pastures. Even creatures without speech seem to direct their longing to the Maker, as the psalms picture young lions and ravens seeking their food from God. The whole suffering world strains in one direction: upward.
It is a fitting close to a chapter of lament. Joel has moved from naming the disaster to gathering the people, and finally to crying out, and now even the dumb beasts model that turning to God. The image leaves the reader at the threshold of hope, with every voice, human and animal alike, lifted toward the Lord. The next chapter will sound the trumpet and call that cry into focused repentance, where the God who hears the groaning of beasts will answer the prayers of His people.
In the Original Language
The verb ta'arog ('cry,' literally 'pant' or 'long') is the same word the psalmist uses for the deer that pants for streams of water, a thirst that reaches toward God.