1:4
Now we get a graphic picture of the locust swarm and its effects. Four different words for locusts are used here. There is disagreement over whether these terms refer to different phases in the development of the locust, or to four different kinds of locust.
1:5
The locust invasion, which was real and of which the people all knew what the effect was, was a warning. Joel calls on the people to wake up. Drink may have been a big problem in the country, or Joel may also be using this metaphorically. The people were at ease, when they needed to weep and wail because of their sin (James 4:9). The locust swarm had devastated the grape harvest, so there would be no new wine. God would cut off the life of comfort the nation was living.
1:6,7
In other nations armies were sometimes described as being like locusts. The metaphor is then extended, and the army is now likened to a lion. A strong foe would rise against Israel. Verse 7 goes back to the locust analogy. Locusts only went for the vine when they had devoured everything else, so this is an indication of the extent of the invasion. They were also known to strip the bark off trees, leading to the possible death of the tree. Israel was facing a very dire situation.
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