2:27 You will be convinced that I am in the midst of Israel.
I am the Lord your God; there is no other.
My people will never again be put to shame.
3:10 Beat your plowshares 1 into swords,
and your pruning hooks 2 into spears! 3
Let the weak say, ‘I too am a warrior!’ 4
2:19 The Lord responded 5 to his people,
“Look! I am about to restore your grain 6
as well as fresh wine and olive oil.
You will be fully satisfied. 7
I will never again make you an object of mockery among the nations.
3:17 You will be convinced 8 that I the Lord am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem 9 will be holy –
conquering armies 10 will no longer pass through it.
3:7 Look! I am rousing them from that place to which you sold them.
I will repay you for what you have done! 11
1 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
2 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.
3 sn This conversion of farming instruments to instruments of war is the reverse of Isa 2:4 (cf. Mic 4:3), where military weapons are transformed into tools for farming. Isaiah describes a time of kingdom blessing and prosperity, whereas Joel describes a time of eschatological conflict and judgment.
4 sn The “weak” individual mentioned here is apparently the farmer who has little or no military prowess or prior fighting experience. Under ordinary circumstances such a person would be ill-prepared for assuming the role of a soldier. However, in the scene that Joel is describing here even the most unlikely candidate will become a participant to be reckoned with in this final conflict.
1 tn Heb “answered and said.”
2 tn Heb “Look! I am sending grain to you.” The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to suggest imminent action.
3 tc One of the Qumran manuscripts (4QXXIIc) inserts “and you will eat” before “and you will be fully satisfied” (the reading of the MT, LXX).
1 tn Heb “know.”
2 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
3 tn Heb “strangers” or “foreigners.” In context, this refers to invasions by conquering armies.
1 tn Heb “I will return your recompense on your head.”