Joe 1:18, 20 | JFB | e4.org | 18. cattle . . . perplexed —implying the restless gestures of the dumb beasts in their inability to find food. There is a tacit contrast between the sense of the brute creation and the insensibility of the people. yea, the . . . sheep — Even the sheep, which are content with less rich pasturage, cannot find food. are made desolate —literally, "suffer punishment. " The innocent brute shares the "punishment" of guilty man ( ).

‏ Joel 1:18

18. cattle . . . perplexed—implying the restless gestures of the dumb beasts in their inability to find food. There is a tacit contrast between the sense of the brute creation and the insensibility of the people.

yea, the . . . sheep—Even the sheep, which are content with less rich pasturage, cannot find food.

are made desolate—literally, "suffer punishment." The innocent brute shares the "punishment" of guilty man (Ex 12:29; Jon 3:7; 4:11).

‏ Joel 1:20

20. beasts . . . cry . . . unto thee—that is, look up to heaven with heads lifted up, as if their only expectation was from God (Job 38:41; Ps 104:21; 145:15; 147:9; compare Ps 42:1). They tacitly reprove the deadness of the Jews for not even now invoking God.