He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

JOEL 1:7KJV
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Joel 1:7 (KJV)

What does Joel 1:7 mean?

Joel 1:7 describes how the land’s grapevines and fig trees have been completely destroyed, stripped bare, and left lifeless. The verse uses vivid language to show the total ruin brought by a devastating force, leaving the branches white and exposed.

The prophet Joel is speaking to the people of Judah about a disaster—often understood as a locust plague—that has ruined their crops. Grapevines and fig trees were important sources of food and symbols of prosperity in ancient Israel, so their destruction signals deep loss and hardship for the whole community.

The Hebrew behind Joel 1:7

  • "waste" (שָׁמֵם, shâmēm, H8047) means to lay utterly desolate or ruin. This word emphasizes not just damage but complete devastation, highlighting how nothing useful remains.
  • "barked" (קָפַף, qâphaph, H7111) refers to stripping the bark off the fig tree. Removing the bark kills the tree, showing the thoroughness of the destruction.
  • "clean bare" (חָסַף, châsaph, H2834) means to strip off entirely. The double use here ("clean bare") stresses that nothing is left—no leaves, no bark, just bare wood.
  • "branches...white" (לָבַן, lâbhan, H3835) points to the exposed, pale wood of the branches after all covering is removed. This detail paints a stark picture of lifelessness and exposure.

Why Joel 1:7 matters

  • Joel 1:7 clears up that the destruction is not partial or superficial; it is total, leaving nothing behind to recover quickly.
  • The verse’s focus on grapevines and fig trees connects to the wider message of Joel, where the loss of these key crops means both physical hunger and a blow to the people’s sense of security and blessing.
  • The vivid imagery prepares the reader for Joel’s call to repentance and reflection, making clear just how severe the situation is before any hope or restoration is mentioned.

Where else these words appear

“branches” Hebrew H8299 · used in 3 verses

  • Genesis 40:10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
  • Genesis 40:12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:

“white” Hebrew H3835 · used in 8 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Exodus 5:14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
  • Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

“clean” Hebrew H2834 · used in 10 verses

  • Psalms 29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
  • Isaiah 47:2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
  • Jeremiah 49:10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.

“tree” Hebrew H8384 · used in 35 verses

  • Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  • Proverbs 27:18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
  • Jeremiah 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: