Study note

Joel 1:20

All creation suffers because of human sin (Genesis 3:17–18; 9:2; Romans 8:20–21). Even wild animals cry out to God. The Hebrew word translated "pant” is the same as in Psalm 42:1, where the deer “pants” for water. The animals, needing food and drink, show how the people of Judah and Jerusalem should seek their Lord (see Isaiah 1:3).