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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Joel 1:8 Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/joel/1-8.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/18/29_Jol_01_08.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Joel 1:8 - A Call to Mourning" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth." /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad8.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/joel/1-7.htm" title="Joel 1:7">◄</a> Joel 1:8 <a href="/joel/1-9.htm" title="Joel 1:9">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/joel/1.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/joel/1.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/joel/1.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Weep like a bride dressed in black, mourning the death of her husband.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/joel/1.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/joel/1.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/joel/1.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/joel/1.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/joel/1.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Wail like a virgin clothed with sackcloth For the groom of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/joel/1.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Wail like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the bridegroom of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/joel/1.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Wail like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the bridegroom of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/joel/1.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Wail like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the bridegroom of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/joel/1.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Wail like a virgin [bride] clothed with sackcloth For the bridegroom of her youth [who has died].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/joel/1.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/joel/1.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the husband of her youth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/joel/1.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/joel/1.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Grieve like a young woman mourning for the man she was to marry. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/joel/1.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/joel/1.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Cry loudly like a young woman who is dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the man she was going to marry.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/joel/1.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Cry, you people, like a young woman who mourns the death of the man she was going to marry. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/joel/1.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"Grieve like a virgin, who, dressed in her mourner's clothes, cries out in memory of the man she was going to marry. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/joel/1.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/joel/1.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Wail like a young virgin clothed in sackcloth, lamenting the death of her husband-to-be. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/joel/1.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/joel/1.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/joel/1.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth! <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/joel/1.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Wail, as a virgin girds with sackcloth, "" For the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/joel/1.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Wail, as a virgin girdeth with sackcloth, For the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/joel/1.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Wail as the virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/joel/1.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/joel/1.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Lament like a betrothed virgin, wrapped in sackcloth at the loss of the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/joel/1.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Wail like a young woman dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/joel/1.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/joel/1.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/joel/1.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Howl like a virgin who is clothed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth!<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/joel/1.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/joel/1.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Lament to me more than a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/joel/1-8.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oEU9eLLsIkI?start=74" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/joel/1.htm">A Call to Mourning</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">8</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/421.htm" title="421: ’ĕ·lî (V-Qal-Imp-fs) -- To wail. A primitive root; to bewail.">Wail</a> <a href="/hebrew/1330.htm" title="1330: kiḇ·ṯū·lāh (Prep-k:: N-fs) -- Feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to separate; a virgin; sometimes a bride; also a city or state.">like a virgin</a> <a href="/hebrew/2296.htm" title="2296: ḥă·ḡu·raṯ- (V-Qal-QalPassPrtcpl-fsc) -- To gird, gird on, gird oneself. A primitive root; to gird on.">dressed</a> <a href="/hebrew/8242.htm" title="8242: śaq (N-ms) -- Sack, sackcloth. From shaqaq; properly, a mesh, i.e. Coarse loose cloth or sacking; hence, a bag.">in sackcloth,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">grieving for</a> <a href="/hebrew/1167.htm" title="1167: ba·‘al (N-msc) -- Owner, lord. From ba'al; a master; hence, a husband, or owner.">the husband</a> <a href="/hebrew/5271.htm" title="5271: nə·‘ū·re·hā (N-mpc:: 3fs) -- Or naur; and nturah; properly, passive participle from na'ar as denominative; youth, the state or the persons.">of her youth.</a> </span><span class="reftext">9</span>Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/22-12.htm">Isaiah 22:12</a></span><br />On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/6-26.htm">Jeremiah 6:26</a></span><br />O daughter of my people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/2-10.htm">Lamentations 2:10</a></span><br />The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/27-31.htm">Ezekiel 27:31</a></span><br />They will shave their heads for you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and bitter mourning.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/8-10.htm">Amos 8:10</a></span><br />I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/1-8.htm">Micah 1:8</a></span><br />Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/1-11.htm">2 Samuel 1:11-12</a></span><br />Then David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same. / They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/2-13.htm">Hosea 2:13</a></span><br />I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she adorned herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she forgot,” declares the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/32-11.htm">Isaiah 32:11-12</a></span><br />Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists. / Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/4-8.htm">Jeremiah 4:8</a></span><br />So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/9-15.htm">Matthew 9:15</a></span><br />Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/2-19.htm">Mark 2:19-20</a></span><br />Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast. / But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/5-34.htm">Luke 5:34-35</a></span><br />Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? / But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/18-7.htm">Revelation 18:7-8</a></span><br />As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ / Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/7-29.htm">1 Corinthians 7:29-31</a></span><br />What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; / those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing; / and those who use the things of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.</p><p class="hdg">Lament.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joel/1-13.htm">Joel 1:13-15</a></b></br> Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joel/2-12.htm">Joel 2:12-14</a></b></br> Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye <i>even</i> to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/22-12.htm">Isaiah 22:12</a></b></br> And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:</p><p class="hdg">the husband.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/2-17.htm">Proverbs 2:17</a></b></br> Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4</a></b></br> Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou <i>art</i> the guide of my youth?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/malachi/2-15.htm">Malachi 2:15</a></b></br> And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/33-11.htm">Bridegroom</a> <a href="/daniel/12-6.htm">Dressed</a> <a href="/hosea/13-3.htm">Early</a> <a href="/daniel/10-5.htm">Girded</a> <a href="/proverbs/31-17.htm">Girdeth</a> <a href="/hosea/10-5.htm">Grief</a> <a href="/ezekiel/28-24.htm">Grieving</a> <a href="/daniel/9-3.htm">Haircloth</a> <a href="/hosea/3-1.htm">Husband</a> <a href="/ezekiel/9-4.htm">Lament</a> <a href="/hosea/10-5.htm">Mourn</a> <a href="/daniel/9-3.htm">Sackcloth</a> <a href="/ezekiel/27-36.htm">Sounds</a> <a href="/ezekiel/44-22.htm">Virgin</a> <a href="/joel/1-5.htm">Wail</a> <a href="/hosea/11-1.htm">Youth</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/joel/2-16.htm">Bridegroom</a> <a href="/nahum/2-3.htm">Dressed</a> <a href="/joel/2-23.htm">Early</a> <a href="/luke/12-35.htm">Girded</a> <a href="/leviticus/8-13.htm">Girdeth</a> <a href="/joel/1-11.htm">Grief</a> <a href="/matthew/19-22.htm">Grieving</a> <a href="/jonah/3-5.htm">Haircloth</a> <a href="/matthew/1-16.htm">Husband</a> <a href="/micah/1-8.htm">Lament</a> <a href="/joel/1-9.htm">Mourn</a> <a href="/joel/1-13.htm">Sackcloth</a> <a href="/joel/1-18.htm">Sounds</a> <a href="/amos/5-2.htm">Virgin</a> <a href="/joel/1-11.htm">Wail</a> <a href="/zechariah/13-5.htm">Youth</a><div class="vheading2">Joel 1</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/joel/1-1.htm">Joel, declaring various judgments of God, exhorts to observe them,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/joel/1-8.htm">and to mourn.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/joel/1-14.htm">He prescribes a solemn fast to deprecate those judgments.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/joel/1.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/joel/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/joel/1.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Wail like a virgin</b><br>The imagery of wailing is often associated with deep mourning and lamentation in the Bible. In ancient Israel, wailing was a public expression of grief, often accompanied by loud cries and lamentations. The term "virgin" here refers to a young woman who is betrothed but not yet married, emphasizing the depth of her sorrow. This reflects the cultural significance of betrothal, which was as binding as marriage itself.<p><b>Dressed in sackcloth</b><br>Sackcloth was a coarse material made from goat's hair, worn as a sign of mourning or repentance. It was uncomfortable and symbolized humility and penitence. The use of sackcloth in this context underscores the severity of the situation, as it was typically worn during times of national crisis or personal loss. This practice is seen throughout the Old Testament, such as in the story of Jonah when the people of Nineveh repented.<p><b>Grieving for the husband of her youth</b><br>The phrase "husband of her youth" indicates a deep, personal loss, as it refers to a betrothed or newly married young woman who has lost her intended or actual husband. This loss is particularly poignant because it represents unfulfilled hopes and dreams. The imagery here can be connected to Israel's relationship with God, where Israel is often depicted as a bride or wife to God, and her unfaithfulness or calamity is likened to the loss of a husband. This metaphor is echoed in other prophetic books, such as Hosea, where Israel's infidelity is portrayed as marital unfaithfulness.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/joel.htm">Joel</a></b><br>The prophet who authored the book, delivering God's message to the people of Judah. His name means "Yahweh is God."<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/v/virgin.htm">Virgin</a></b><br>Represents purity and innocence, often used symbolically in Scripture to depict Israel or the people of God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/s/sackcloth.htm">Sackcloth</a></b><br>A coarse material worn as a sign of mourning or repentance, symbolizing humility and sorrow.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/h/husband_of_her_youth.htm">Husband of her youth</a></b><br>A metaphor for a deep, personal loss, reflecting the intimate relationship between God and His people.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/j/judah.htm">Judah</a></b><br>The southern kingdom of Israel, to whom Joel's prophecy was directed, facing impending judgment and devastation.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_repentance.htm">The Call to Repentance</a></b><br><a href="/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8</a> emphasizes the need for genuine repentance. Just as the virgin mourns deeply, believers are called to sincerely grieve over sin and turn back to God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_spiritual_loss.htm">Understanding Spiritual Loss</a></b><br>The metaphor of a young bride mourning her husband illustrates the profound sense of loss when we stray from God. Recognizing this can lead to a deeper appreciation of our relationship with Him.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/symbolism_of_sackcloth.htm">Symbolism of Sackcloth</a></b><br>Wearing sackcloth signifies humility and acknowledgment of one's need for God's mercy. In our spiritual lives, we must adopt an attitude of humility and repentance.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_intimacy_of_our_relationship_with_god.htm">The Intimacy of Our Relationship with God</a></b><br>The imagery of a marriage relationship underscores the closeness God desires with His people. Reflect on the personal nature of your relationship with God and strive to nurture it.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/responding_to_god's_warnings.htm">Responding to God's Warnings</a></b><br>Joel's message serves as a warning to Judah. We must heed God's warnings in our lives, recognizing the signs of spiritual decline and taking corrective action.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_joel_1.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Joel 1</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_she_a_virgin_or_a_young_woman.htm">Is she a virgin or a young woman?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_is_'almah'_mistranslated_in_isaiah_7_14.htm">Why does Isaiah 7:14’s prophecy about a virgin birth rely on a mistranslation of the Hebrew word almah (young woman)?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_do_believers_still_suffer_long.htm">Psalm 30:11-12: If mourning is truly turned to dancing, why do faithful believers throughout history often remain in prolonged suffering?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_does_breathing_mean_for_yahweh's_name.htm">Does prophecy have a dual or double fulfillment?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/joel/1.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(8) <span class= "bld">For the husband of her youth.</span>--The land is addressed as a virgin betrothed, but not yet married, and forfeiting her marriage by unworthy conduct. Such was the relation of Israel to the Lord: He was faithful, but Israel unfaithful. Now let her mourn the penalty.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/joel/1.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 8-13.</span> - The consequence of such ruin and havoc is great and general lamentation. The drunkards were first called on in the preceding verses to mourn, for the distress came first and nearest to them. But now the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn; things inanimate, by a touching personification, join in the lamentation - the land mourneth; the husbandmen that till the ground mourn. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 8.</span> <span class="cmt_word">- Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.</span> <p><span class="Text_Heading">1.</span> The verb here, which is an <span class="greek">ἅπαξ λεγόμενον</span>, is <p><span class="note_emph">(1)</span> imperative feminine; the subject must, of course, correspond. That subject has been variously supplied: <p><span class="note_emph">(a)</span> the ground, according to Aben Ezra; . . . <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/joel/1-8.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Wail</span><br /><span class="heb">אֱלִ֕י</span> <span class="translit">(’ĕ·lî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_421.htm">Strong's 421: </a> </span><span class="str2">To bewail</span><br /><br /><span class="word">like a virgin</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּבְתוּלָ֥ה</span> <span class="translit">(kiḇ·ṯū·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1330.htm">Strong's 1330: </a> </span><span class="str2">A virgin, sometimes, a bride</span><br /><br /><span class="word">dressed</span><br /><span class="heb">חֲגֻֽרַת־</span> <span class="translit">(ḥă·ḡu·raṯ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2296.htm">Strong's 2296: </a> </span><span class="str2">To gird, gird on, gird oneself</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in sackcloth,</span><br /><span class="heb">שַׂ֖ק</span> <span class="translit">(śaq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8242.htm">Strong's 8242: </a> </span><span class="str2">A mesh, coarse loose cloth, sacking, a bag</span><br /><br /><span class="word">grieving for</span><br /><span class="heb">עַל־</span> <span class="translit">(‘al-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the husband</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּ֥עַל</span> <span class="translit">(ba·‘al)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1167.htm">Strong's 1167: </a> </span><span class="str2">A master, a husband, owner</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of her youth.</span><br /><span class="heb">נְעוּרֶֽיהָ׃</span> <span class="translit">(nə·‘ū·re·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5271.htm">Strong's 5271: </a> </span><span class="str2">Youth, the state, the persons</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/joel/1-8.htm">Joel 1:8 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/joel/1-8.htm">OT Prophets: Joel 1:8 Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth (Jl Joe.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/joel/1-7.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Joel 1:7"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Joel 1:7" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/joel/1-9.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Joel 1:9"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Joel 1:9" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>