Joel 1:4 (GNV)

Passage

That which is left of ye palmer worme, hath the grashopper eaten, and the residue of ye grashopper hath the canker worme eaten, and the residue of the canker worme hath the caterpiller eaten.

Nearby Context

Joel 1:2 Heare ye this, O Elders, and hearken ye all inhabitantes of the land, whether such a thing hath bene in your dayes, or yet in the dayes of your fathers.

Joel 1:3 Tell you your children of it, and let your children shew to their children, and their children to another generation.

Joel 1:4 That which is left of ye palmer worme, hath the grashopper eaten, and the residue of ye grashopper hath the canker worme eaten, and the residue of the canker worme hath the caterpiller eaten.

Joel 1:5 Awake ye drunkards, and weepe, and howle all ye drinkers of wine, because of the newe wine: for it shalbe pulled from your mouth.

Joel 1:6 Yea, a nation commeth vpon my lande, mightie, and without nomber, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lyon, and he hath the iawes of a great lyon.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "left", "palmer", "worme", "hath", "grashopper", "eaten", and "residue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "left" and "palmer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Tell you your children of it and..." into verse 5's "Awake ye drunkards and weepe and howle...", so "left" and "palmer" 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 "left" and "palmer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.