Joel 1:8

Wail ¹  like a young virgin ²  clothed in sackcloth, lamenting the death of ³  her husband-to-be. ⁴ 

Pr 2:17; Isa 22:12; Isa 24:7-12; Isa 32:11; Jer 3:4; Jer 9:17-19; Joe 1:13-15; Joe 2:12-14; Mal 2:15; Jas 4:8,9; Jas 5:1

¹ sn The verb is feminine singular, raising a question concerning its intended antecedent. A plural verb would be expected here, the idea being that all the inhabitants of the land should grieve. Perhaps Joel is thinking specifically of the city of Jerusalem, albeit in a representative sense. The choice of the feminine singular verb form has probably been influenced to some extent by the allusion to the young widow in the simile of v. 8.

² tn Or “a young woman” (TEV, CEV). See the note on the phrase “husband-to-be” in the next line.

³ tn Heb “over the death of.” The term “lamenting” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

⁴ sn Heb “the husband of her youth.” The woman described here may already be married, so the reference is to the death of a husband rather than a fiancé (a husband-to-be). Either way, the simile describes a painful and unexpected loss to which the national tragedy Joel is describing may be compared.