There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

There shall be a crying for wine in the streets: all mirth is forsaken: the joy of the earth is gone away.

A cry over the wine is in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.

There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; there is an end of all delight, the joy of the land is gone.

There is a crying in the streets amidst the wine; All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.

There will be a clamor for wine in the streets. All rejoicing has been abandoned. The gladness of the earth has been carried away.

Clamor est super vino in plateis; obscuratum est omne gaudium; migravit lætitia terræ.

There is a cry about wine. He means, that there will be a scarcity of wine; for where want or hunger is found, it is accompanied by unceasing complaints, not only in private, but "in the streets" and public places. He therefore points out those doleful sounds and complaints, but, at the same time, reproves their luxury and intemperance, because they were not satisfied with what was necessary, but greedily swallowed wine, and abandoned themselves to every kind of enjoyment. We must supply the contrast. "Hitherto you have had abundance of wine and of food, and you have taken occasion from it to grow insolent against God; and therefore you will justly be deprived of them, and, instead of your wanton indulgence, wailing and lamentations will be heard in the streets." All joy is darkened. The metaphor in this second clause deserves attention; for, as we say that joy brightens when it obtains its object, so the Prophet here says, that "joy is darkened," because sorrow may be said to be a cloud drawn over it. To rejoice is not in itself evil, any more than to drink; and the Prophet does not censure joy simply considered, but excessive and immoderate mirth. When men are merry, they lay no restraint on themselves on account of that dissoluteness or love of disorder (ataxian) which is natural to them. The Jews, having behaved insolently and lived luxuriously, are deservedly threatened with the vengeance of God, because most justly is joy taken from us when we know not how to make a right use of the Lord's benefits, or to rejoice in him. It thus becomes necessary that he should take away our pleasures and delights, and compel us to sigh and groan.

There is a crying for wine in the streets - The inhabitants of the city, turned from their dwellings, would cry for wine to alleviate their distress, and to sustain them in their calamity (compare Isaiah 16:8-10).
All joy is darkened - Is gone, or has departed, like the joyful light at the setting of the sun.

All joy is darkened "All gladness is passed away" - For ערבה arebah, darkened, read עברה aberah, passed away, transposing a letter. Houbigant, Secker. Five of Dr. Kennicott's and five of De Rossi's MSS., several ancients add כל col, all, after משוש mesos: the Septuagint adds the same word before it.

[There is] a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the (g) mirth of the land is gone.
(g) Because they did not use God's benefits correctly their pleasures would fail, and they would fall to mourning.

There is a crying for wine in the streets,.... Not to them that have it, to come and sell it, as Kimchi; but for want of it: there shall be a howling and lamentation in the streets of Rome, during the siege of it, when there will be a famine of bread and of wine, as in Revelation 18:8 by those who used to drink wine, and make glad their hearts; but now shall be without it. This is put for all desirable things, which their souls lusted after; but now will be departed from them, Revelation 18:14,
all joy is darkened: or come to an eventide; the light of joy is turned into the darkness of misery and distress; this will be, when the fifth vial is poured out on the seat of the beast, and his kingdom will be full of darkness; and men will gnaw their tongues for pain, and yet not repent of their sins, but blaspheme the God of heaven, Revelation 16:10,
the mirth of the land is gone; not Jerusalem, the joy of the whole earth, as Jarchi; but the mirth and joy of the city of Rome; See Gill on Isaiah 24:8.

crying for wine--to drown their sorrows in drink (Isaiah 16:9); Joel 1:5, written about the same time, resembles this.

A crying - Such was their gross sensuality and sottishness, that instead of crying for their sins, they did only howl for their corn, and wine, and oil, Hosea 7:14.