Joel 1:18 (DRB)

Passage

Why did the beasts groan, why did the herds of cattle low? because there is no pasture for them: yea, and the flocks of sheep are perished.

Nearby Context

Joel 1:16 Is not your food cut off before your eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

Joel 1:17 The beasts have rotted in their dung, the barns are destroyed, the storehouses are broken down: because the corn is confounded.

Joel 1:18 Why did the beasts groan, why did the herds of cattle low? because there is no pasture for them: yea, and the flocks of sheep are perished.

Joel 1:19 To thee, O Lord, will I cry: because fire hath devoured the beautiful places of the wilderness: and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the country.

Joel 1:20 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "beasts", "groan", "herds", "cattle", "pasture", "flocks", and "perished". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "beasts", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "The beasts have rotted in their dung..." into verse 19's "To thee O Lord will I cry...", so "sheep" and "beasts" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sheep" and "beasts" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.