Joel 1:6

1:6 For a nation ¹  has invaded ²  our ³  land.

There are so many of them they are too numerous to count. ⁴ 

Their teeth are like those ⁵  of a lion;

they tear apart their prey like a lioness. ⁶ 

Joel 1:12-13

1:12 The vine has dried up;

the fig tree languishes –

the pomegranate, date, and apple ⁷  as well.

In fact, ⁸  all the trees of the field have dried up.

Indeed, the joy of the people ⁹  has dried up!

1:13 Get dressed ¹⁰  and lament, you priests!

Wail, you who minister at the altar!

Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God,

because no one brings grain offerings or drink offerings

to the temple of your God anymore. ¹¹ 

Joel 1:18-20

1:18 Listen to the cattle groan! ¹² 

The herds of livestock wander around in confusion ¹³ 

because they have no pasture.

Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

1:19 To you, O Lord, I call out for help, ¹⁴ 

for fire ¹⁵  has burned up ¹⁶  the grassy pastures, ¹⁷ 

flames have razed ¹⁸  all the trees in the fields.

1:20 Even the wild animals ¹⁹  cry out to you; ²⁰ 

for the river beds ²¹  have dried up;

fire has destroyed ²²  the grassy pastures. ²³ 

Joel 2:23

2:23 Citizens of Zion, ²⁴  rejoice!

Be glad because of what the Lord your God has done! ²⁵ 

For he has given to you the early rains ²⁶  as vindication.

He has sent ²⁷  to you the rains –

both the early and the late rains ²⁸  as formerly.

Joel 2:27

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.

Joel 3:8

3:8 I will sell your sons and daughters to ²⁹  the people of Judah. ³⁰ 

They will sell them to the Sabeans, ³¹  a nation far away.

Indeed, the Lord has spoken!

Joel 3:12

3:12 Let the nations be roused and let them go up

to the valley of Jehoshaphat,

for there I will sit in judgment on all the surrounding nations.

Joel 3:17

The Lord’s Presence in Zion

3:17 You will be convinced ³²  that I the Lord am your God,

dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.

Jerusalem ³³  will be holy –

conquering armies ³⁴  will no longer pass through it.

[1:6]  ¹ sn As becomes increasingly clear in what follows, this nation is to be understood figuratively. It refers to the locust invasion as viewed from the standpoint of its methodical, destructive advance across the land (BDB 156 s.v. גּוֹי 2). This term is used figuratively to refer to animals one other time (Zeph 2:14).

[1:6]  ² tn Heb “has come up against.”

[1:6]  ³ tn Heb “my.”

[1:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “[It] is huge and there is not number.”

[1:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “its teeth are the teeth of a lion.”

[1:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “its incisors are those of a lioness.” The sharp, cutting teeth are metonymical for the action of tearing apart and eating prey. The language is clearly hyperbolic. Neither locusts nor human invaders literally have teeth of this size. The prophet is using exaggerated and picturesque language to portray in vivid terms the enormity of the calamity. English versions vary greatly on the specifics: KJV “cheek teeth”; ASV “jaw-teeth”; NAB “molars”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “fangs.”

[1:12]  ⁷ tn This Hebrew word וְתַפּוּחַ (vÿtappuakh) probably refers to the apple tree (so most English versions), but other suggestions that scholars have offered include the apricot, citron, or quince.

[1:12]  ⁸ tn These words are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[1:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “put on.” There is no object present in the Hebrew text, but many translations assume “sackcloth” to be the understood object of the verb “put on.” Its absence in the Hebrew text of v. 13 is probably due to metrical considerations. The meter here is 3 + 3, and that has probably influenced the prophet’s choice of words.

[1:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.”

[1:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “how the cattle groan!”

[1:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the herds of cattle are confused.” The verb בּוּךְ (bukh, “be confused”) sometimes refers to wandering aimlessly in confusion (cf. Exod 14:3).

[1:19]  ²⁵ tn The phrase “for help” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:19]  ²⁶ sn Fire here and in v. 20 is probably not to be understood in a literal sense. The locust plague, accompanied by conditions of extreme drought, has left the countryside looking as though everything has been burned up (so also in Joel 2:3).

[1:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “consumed.” This entire line is restated at the end of v. 20.

[1:19]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”

[1:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “a flame has set ablaze.” This fire was one of the effects of the drought.

[1:20]  ³¹ tn Heb “beasts of the field.”

[1:20]  ³² tn Heb “long for you.” Animals of course do not have religious sensibilities as such; they do not in any literal sense long for Yahweh. Rather, the language here is figurative (metonymy of cause for effect). The animals long for food and water (so BDB 788 s.v. עָרַג), the ultimate source of which is Yahweh.

[1:20]  ³³ tn Heb “sources of water.”

[1:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “consumed.”

[1:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”

[2:23]  ³⁷ tn Heb “sons of Zion.”

[2:23]  ³⁸ tn Heb “be glad in the Lord your God.”

[2:23]  ³⁹ tn Normally the Hebrew word הַמּוֹרֶה (hammoreh) means “the teacher,” but here and in Ps 84:7 it refers to “early rains.” Elsewhere the word for “early rains” is יוֹרֶה (yoreh). The phrase here הַמּוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה (hammoreh litsdaqah) is similar to the expression “teacher of righteousness” (Heb., מוֹרֶה הַצֶּדֶק , moreh hatsedeq) found in the Dead Sea Scrolls referring to a particular charismatic leader, although the Qumran community seems not to have invoked this text in support of that notion.

[2:23]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “caused to come down.”

[2:23]  ⁴¹ sn For half the year Palestine is generally dry. The rainy season begins with the early rains usually in late October to early December, followed by the latter rains in March and April. Without these rains productive farming would not be possible, as Joel’s original readers knew only too well.

[3:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “into the hand of.”

[3:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the sons of Judah.”

[3:8]  ⁴⁵ sn The Sabeans were Arabian merchants who were influential along the ancient caravan routes that traveled through Arabia. See also Job 1:15; Isa 43:3; 45:14; Ps 72:10.

[3:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “know.”

[3:17]  ⁵⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “strangers” or “foreigners.” In context, this refers to invasions by conquering armies.