Discovery BoxJoel 1:1--2:32
Context1:1 This 1 is the Lord’s message 2 that was given 3
to Joel 4 the son of Pethuel:
1:2 Listen to this, you elders; 5
pay attention, 6 all inhabitants of the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life 7
or in the lifetime 8 of your ancestors? 9
1:3 Tell your children 10 about it,
have your children tell their children,
and their children the following generation. 11
1:4 What the gazam-locust left the ‘arbeh-locust consumed, 12
what the ‘arbeh-locust left the yeleq-locust consumed,
and what the yeleq-locust left the hasil-locust consumed! 13
1:5 Wake up, you drunkards, 14 and weep!
Wail, all you wine drinkers, 15
because the sweet wine 16 has been taken away 17 from you. 18
1:6 For a nation 19 has invaded 20 our 21 land.
There are so many of them they are too numerous to count. 22
Their teeth are like those 23 of a lion;
they tear apart their prey like a lioness. 24
1:7 They 25 have destroyed our 26 vines; 27
they have turned our 28 fig trees into mere splinters.
They have completely stripped off the bark 29 and thrown them aside;
the 30 twigs are stripped bare. 31
1:8 Wail 32 like a young virgin 33 clothed in sackcloth,
lamenting the death of 34 her husband-to-be. 35
1:9 No one brings grain offerings or drink offerings
to the temple 36 of the Lord anymore. 37
So the priests, those who serve the Lord, are in mourning.
1:10 The crops of the fields 38 have been destroyed. 39
The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished.
The fresh wine has dried up;
the olive oil languishes.
1:11 Be distressed, 40 farmers;
wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.
For the harvest of the field has perished.
1:12 The vine has dried up;
the fig tree languishes –
the pomegranate, date, and apple 41 as well.
In fact, 42 all the trees of the field have dried up.
Indeed, the joy of the people 43 has dried up!
1:13 Get dressed 44 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. 45
proclaim a sacred assembly.
Gather the elders and 47 all the inhabitants of the land
to the temple of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
1:15 How awful that day will be! 48
For the day of the Lord is near;
it will come as destruction from the Divine Destroyer. 49
1:16 Our food has been cut off right before our eyes! 50
There is no longer any joy or gladness in the temple of our God! 51
1:17 The grains of seed 52 have shriveled beneath their shovels. 53
Storehouses have been decimated
and granaries have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.
1:18 Listen to the cattle groan! 54
The herds of livestock wander around in confusion 55
because they have no pasture.
Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
1:19 To you, O Lord, I call out for help, 56
for fire 57 has burned up 58 the grassy pastures, 59
flames have razed 60 all the trees in the fields.
1:20 Even the wild animals 61 cry out to you; 62
for the river beds 63 have dried up;
fire has destroyed 64 the grassy pastures. 65
2:1 Blow the trumpet 66 in Zion;
sound the alarm signal on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land shake with fear,
for the day of the Lord is about to come.
2:2 It will be 69 a day of dreadful darkness, 70
a day of foreboding storm clouds, 71
like blackness 72 spread over the mountains.
It is a huge and powerful army 73 –
there has never been anything like it ever before,
and there will not be anything like it for many generations to come! 74
2:3 Like fire they devour everything in their path; 75
a flame blazes behind them.
The land looks like the Garden of Eden 76 before them,
but behind them there is only a desolate wilderness –
for nothing escapes them! 77
they charge ahead like war horses.
2:5 They sound like 79 chariots rumbling 80 over mountain tops,
like the crackling 81 of blazing fire consuming stubble,
like the noise of 82 a mighty army 83 being drawn up for battle. 84
2:6 People 85 writhe in fear when they see them. 86
All of their faces turn pale with fright. 87
2:7 They 88 charge 89 like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers. 90
Each one proceeds on his course;
they do not alter 91 their path.
2:8 They do not jostle one another; 92
each of them marches straight ahead. 93
They burst through 94 the city defenses 95
and do not break ranks.
2:9 They rush into 96 the city;
they scale 97 its walls.
They climb up into the houses;
they go in through the windows like a thief.
2:10 The earth quakes 98 before them; 99
the sky reverberates. 100
The sun and the moon grow dark;
the stars refuse to shine. 101
2:11 The voice of the Lord thunders 102 as he leads his army. 103
Indeed, his warriors 104 are innumerable; 105
Surely his command is carried out! 106
Yes, the day of the Lord is awesome 107
and very terrifying – who can survive 108 it?
2:12 “Yet even now,” the Lord says,
“return to me with all your heart –
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Tear your hearts, 109
not just your garments!”
2:13 Return to the Lord your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and boundless in loyal love 110 – often relenting from calamitous punishment. 111
2:14 Who knows?
Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, 112
and leave blessing in his wake 113 –
a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the Lord your God! 114
2:15 Blow the trumpet 115 in Zion.
Announce a holy fast;
proclaim a sacred assembly!
2:16 Gather the people;
sanctify an assembly!
Gather the elders;
gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out from his bedroom
and the bride from her private quarters. 116
2:17 Let the priests, those who serve the Lord, weep
from the vestibule all the way back to the altar. 117
Let them say, “Have pity, O Lord, on your people;
please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked,
to become a proverb 118 among the nations.
Why should it be said 119 among the peoples,
“Where is their God?”
2:18 Then the Lord became 120 zealous for his land;
he had compassion on his people.
2:19 The Lord responded 121 to his people,
“Look! I am about to restore your grain 122
as well as fresh wine and olive oil.
You will be fully satisfied. 123
I will never again make you an object of mockery among the nations.
2:20 I will remove the one from the north 124 far from you.
I will drive him out to a dry and desolate place.
Those in front will be driven eastward into the Dead Sea, 125
and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea. 126
His stench will rise up as a foul smell.” 127
Indeed, the Lord 128 has accomplished great things.
2:21 Do not fear, my land!
Rejoice and be glad,
because the Lord has accomplished great things!
2:22 Do not fear, wild animals! 129
For the pastures of the wilderness are again green with grass.
Indeed, the trees bear their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield to their fullest. 130
2:23 Citizens of Zion, 131 rejoice!
Be glad because of what the Lord your God has done! 132
For he has given to you the early rains 133 as vindication.
He has sent 134 to you the rains –
both the early and the late rains 135 as formerly.
2:24 The threshing floors are full of grain;
the vats overflow with fresh wine and olive oil.
2:25 I will make up for the years 136
that the ‘arbeh-locust 137 consumed your crops 138 –
the yeleq-locust, the hasil-locust, and the gazam-locust –
my great army 139 that I sent against you.
2:26 You will have plenty to eat,
and your hunger will be fully satisfied; 140
you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has acted wondrously in your behalf.
My people will never again be put to shame.
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.
2:28 (3:1) 141 After all of this 142
I will pour out my Spirit 143 on all kinds of people. 144
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your elderly will have revelatory dreams; 145
your young men will see prophetic visions.
2:29 Even on male and female servants
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
2:30 I will produce portents both in the sky 146 and on the earth –
blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
2:31 The sunlight will be turned to darkness
and the moon to the color of blood, 147
before the day of the Lord comes –
that great and terrible day!
2:32 It will so happen that
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered. 148
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem 149 there will be those who survive, 150
just as the Lord has promised;
[1:1] 1 sn The dating of the book of Joel is a matter of dispute. Some scholars date the book as early as the ninth century
[1:1] 2 tn Heb “the word of the
[1:1] 3 tn Heb “that was.” The term “given” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
[1:1] 4 sn The name Joel means in Hebrew “the
[1:2] 5 sn Elders here refers not necessarily to men advanced in years, but to leaders within the community.
[1:2] 7 tn Heb “days.” The term “days” functions here as a synecdoche for one’s lifespan.
[1:3] 10 tn Heb “sons.” This word occurs several times in this verse.
[1:3] 11 sn The circumstances that precipitated the book of Joel surrounded a locust invasion in Palestine that was of unprecedented proportions. The locusts had devastated the country’s agrarian economy, with the unwelcome consequences extending to every important aspect of commercial, religious, and national life. To further complicate matters, a severe drought had exhausted water supplies, causing life-threatening shortages for animal and human life (cf. v. 20). Locust invasions occasionally present significant problems in Palestine in modern times. The year 1865 was commonly known among Arabic-speaking peoples of the Near East as sent el jarad, “year of the locust.” The years 1892, 1899, and 1904 witnessed significant locust invasions in Palestine. But in modern times there has been nothing equal in magnitude to the great locust invasion that began in Palestine in February of 1915. This modern parallel provides valuable insight into the locust plague the prophet Joel points to as a foreshadowing of the day of the Lord. For an eyewitness account of the 1915 locust invasion of Palestine see J. D. Whiting, “Jerusalem’s Locust Plague,” National Geographic 28 (December 1915): 511-50.
[1:4] 12 tn Heb “eaten.” This verb is repeated three times in v. 4 to emphasize the total devastation of the crops by this locust invasion.
[1:4] 13 tn The four Hebrew terms used in this verse are of uncertain meaning. English translations show a great deal of variation in dealing with these: (1) For ָגּזָם (gazam) KJV has “palmerworm,” NEB “locust,” NAB “cutter”, NASB “gnawing locust,” NIV “locust swarm,” NKJV “chewing locust,” NRSV, NLT “cutting locust(s),” NIrV “giant locusts”; (2) for אַרְבֶּה (’arbeh) KJV has “locust,” NEB “swarm,” NAB “locust swarm,” NASB, NKJV, NRSV, NLT “swarming locust(s),” NIV “great locusts,” NIrV “common locusts”; (3) for יֶלֶק (yeleq) KJV has “cankerworm,” NEB “hopper,” NAB “grasshopper,” NASB “creeping locust,” NIV, NIrV “young locusts,” NKJV “crawling locust,” NRSV, NLT “hopping locust(s)”; (4) for חָסִיל (khasil) KJV has “caterpillar,” NEB “grub,” NAB “devourer,” NASB, NLT “stripping locust(s),” NIV, NIrV “other locusts,” NKJV “consuming locust,” NRSV “destroying locust.” It is debated whether the Hebrew terms describe different species of locusts or similar insects or different developmental stages of the same species, or are virtual synonyms. While the last seems more likely, given the uncertainty over their exact meaning, the present translation has transliterated the Hebrew terms in combination with the word “locust.”
[1:5] 14 sn The word drunkards has a double edge here. Those accustomed to drinking too much must now lament the unavailability of wine. It also may hint that the people in general have become religiously inebriated and are unresponsive to the Lord. They are, as it were, drunkards from a spiritual standpoint.
[1:5] 15 sn Joel addresses the first of three groups particularly affected by the locust plague. In v. 5 he describes the effects on the drunkards, who no longer have a ready supply of intoxicating wine; in vv. 11-12 he describes the effects on the farmers, who have watched their labors come to naught because of the insect infestation; and in vv. 13-14 he describes the effects on the priests, who are no longer able to offer grain sacrifices and libations in the temple.
[1:5] 16 tn Heb “over the sweet wine, because it.” Cf. KJV, NIV, TEV, NLT “new wine.”
[1:5] 17 tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “will be withheld.”
[1:5] 18 tn Heb “your mouth.” This is a synecdoche of part (the mouth) for whole (the person).
[1:6] 19 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] 20 tn Heb “has come up against.”
[1:6] 22 tn Heb “[It] is huge and there is not number.”
[1:6] 23 tn Heb “its teeth are the teeth of a lion.”
[1:6] 24 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.”
[1:7] 25 tn Heb “it.” Throughout vv. 6-7 the Hebrew uses singular forms to describe the locust swarm, but the translation uses plural forms because several details of the text make more sense in English as if they are describing the appearance and effects of individual locusts.
[1:7] 27 tn Both “vines” and “fig trees” are singular in the Hebrew text, but are regarded as collective singulars.
[1:7] 29 tn Heb “it has completely stripped her.”
[1:8] 32 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.
[1:8] 33 tn Or “a young woman” (TEV, CEV). See the note on the phrase “husband-to-be” in the next line.
[1:8] 34 tn Heb “over the death of.” The term “lamenting” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
[1:8] 35 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.
[1:9] 36 tn Heb “house.” So also in vv. 13, 14, 16.
[1:9] 37 tn Heb “grain offering and drink offering are cut off from the house of the
[1:10] 38 tn Heb “the field has been utterly destroyed.” The term “field,” a collective singular for “fields,” is a metonymy for crops produced by the fields.
[1:10] 39 tn Joel uses intentionally alliterative language in the phrases שֻׁדַּד שָׂדֶה (shuddad sadeh, “the field is destroyed”) and אֲבְלָה אֲדָמָה (’avlah ’adamah, “the ground is in mourning”).
[1:11] 40 tn Heb “embarrassed”; or “be ashamed.”
[1:12] 41 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] 42 tn These words are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:12] 43 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
[1:13] 44 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] 45 tn Heb “for grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.”
[1:14] 46 tn Heb “consecrate a fast” (so NASB).
[1:14] 47 tc The conjunction “and” does not appear in MT or LXX, but does appear in some Qumran texts (4QXIIc and 4QXIIg).
[1:15] 48 tn Heb “Alas for the day!”
[1:15] 49 tn There is a wordplay in Hebrew here with the word used for “destruction” (שׁוֹד, shod) and the term used for God (שַׁדַּי, shadday). The exact meaning of “Shaddai” in the OT is somewhat uncertain, although the ancient versions and many modern English versions tend to translate it as “Almighty” (e.g., Greek παντοκράτωρ [pantokratwr], Latin omnipotens). Here it might be rendered “Destroyer,” with the thought being that “destruction will come from the Divine Destroyer,” which should not be misunderstood as a reference to the destroying angel. The name “Shaddai” (outside Genesis and without the element “El” [“God”]) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14, Isa 13:6, and the present passage, Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.
[1:16] 50 tn Heb “Has not the food been cut off right before our eyes?” This rhetorical question expects an affirmative answer; the question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarity and emphasis.
[1:16] 51 tn Heb “joy and gladness from the house of our God?” Verse 16b is a continuation of the rhetorical question begun in v. 16a, but has been translated as an affirmative statement to make the meaning clear. The words “There is no longer any” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:17] 52 tn Heb “seed.” The phrase “the grains of” does not appear in the Hebrew, but has been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
[1:17] 53 tc This line is textually uncertain. The MT reads “the seed shrivels in their shovels/clods.” One Qumran manuscript (4QXXIIc) reads “the heifers decay in [their] s[talls].” LXX reads “the heifers leap in their stalls.”
[1:18] 54 tn Heb “how the cattle groan!”
[1:18] 55 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] 56 tn The phrase “for help” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[1:19] 57 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] 58 tn Heb “consumed.” This entire line is restated at the end of v. 20.
[1:19] 59 tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”
[1:19] 60 tn Heb “a flame has set ablaze.” This fire was one of the effects of the drought.
[1:20] 61 tn Heb “beasts of the field.”
[1:20] 62 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] 63 tn Heb “sources of water.”
[1:20] 65 tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”
[2:1] 66 tn The word translated “trumpet” here (so most English versions) is the Hebrew שׁוֹפָר (shofar). The shophar was a wind instrument made from a cow or ram’s horn and used as a military instrument for calling people to attention in the face of danger or as a religious instrument for calling people to occasions of communal celebration.
[2:1] 68 sn The interpretation of 2:1-11 is very difficult. Four views may be mentioned here. (1) Some commentators understand this section to be describing a human invasion of Judah on the part of an ancient army. The exact identity of this army (e.g., Assyrian or Babylonian) varies among interpreters depending upon issues of dating for the book of Joel. (2) Some commentators take the section to describe an eschatological scene in which the army according to some is human, or according to others is nonhuman (i.e., angelic). (3) Some interpreters argue for taking the section to refer to the potential advent in the fall season of a severe east wind (i.e., Sirocco) that would further exacerbate the conditions of the land described in chapter one. (4) Finally, some interpreters understand the section to continue the discussion of locust invasion and drought described in chapter one, partly on the basis that there is no clear exegetical evidence in 2:1-11 to suggest a shift of referent from that of chapter one.
[2:2] 69 tn The phrase “It will be” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style.
[2:2] 70 tn Heb “darkness and gloom.” These two terms probably form a hendiadys here. This picture recalls the imagery of the supernatural darkness in Egypt during the judgments of the exodus (Exod 10:22). These terms are also frequently used as figures (metonymy of association) for calamity and divine judgment (Isa 8:22; 59:9; Jer 23:12; Zeph 1:15). Darkness is often a figure (metonymy of association) for death, dread, distress and judgment (BDB 365 s.v. חשֶׁךְ 3).
[2:2] 71 tn Heb “a day of cloud and darkness.”
[2:2] 72 tc The present translation here follows the proposed reading שְׁחֹר (shÿkhor, “blackness”) rather than the MT שַׁחַר (shakhar, “morning”). The change affects only the vocalization; the Hebrew consonants remain unchanged. Here the context calls for a word describing darkness. The idea of morning or dawn speaks instead of approaching light, which does not seem to fit here. The other words in the verse (e.g., “darkness,” “gloominess,” “cloud,” “heavy overcast”) all emphasize the negative aspects of the matter at hand and lead the reader to expect a word like “blackness” rather than “dawn.” However, NIrV paraphrases the MT nicely: “A huge army of locusts is coming. They will spread across the mountains like the sun when it rises.”
[2:2] 73 tn Heb “A huge and powerful people”; KJV, ASV “a great people and a strong.” Many interpreters understand Joel 2 to describe an invasion of human armies, either in past history (e.g., the Babylonian invasion of Palestine in the sixth century
[2:2] 74 tn Heb “it will not be repeated for years of generation and generation.”
[2:3] 75 tn Heb “a fire devours before it.”
[2:3] 76 tn Heb “like the garden of Eden, the land is before them.”
[2:3] 77 tn Heb “and surely a survivor there is not for it.” The antecedent of the pronoun “it” is apparently עַם (’am, “people”) of v. 2, which seems to be a figurative way of referring to the locusts. K&D 26:191-92 thought that the antecedent of this pronoun was “land,” but the masculine gender of the pronoun does not support this.
[2:4] 78 tn Heb “Like the appearance of horses [is] its appearance.”
[2:5] 79 tn Heb “like the sound of.”
[2:5] 80 tn Heb “jostling” or “leaping.” There is question whether this pictures chariots rumbling over the mountains (e.g., 2 Sam 6:14,16; 1 Chr 15:29; Nah 3:2) or the locusts flying – or “leaping” – over the mountains (e.g., Job 21:11); see BDB 955 s.v. רָקַד.
[2:5] 82 tn The phrase “the noise of” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is implied by the parallelism, so it has been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[2:5] 84 tn Heb “being arrayed of battle.”
[2:6] 87 tn Heb “all faces gather beauty”; or “all faces gather a glow.” The Hebrew word פָּארוּר (pa’rur) is found in the OT only here and in Nah 2:11. Its meaning is very uncertain. Some scholars associate it with a root that signifies “glowing”; hence “all faces gather a glow of dread.” Others associate the word with פָּרוּר (parur, “pot”); hence “all faces gather blackness.” Still others take the root to signify “beauty”; hence “all faces gather in their beauty” in the sense of growing pale due to fear. This is the view assumed here.
[2:7] 88 sn Since the invaders are compared to warriors, this suggests that they are not actually human, but instead an army of locusts.
[2:7] 90 tn Heb “men of battle.”
[2:7] 91 tc The translation reads יְעַבְּתוּן (yÿ’abbÿtun) for MT יְעַבְּטוּן (yÿ’abbÿtun). The verb found in MT (עָבַט, ’avat) means “take or give a pledge” (cf. Deut 15:6, 8; 24:10) and does not fit the context. Some scholars have proposed various emendations: (1) יְעָוְּתוּן (yÿ’avvÿtun, “they make crooked”); (2) יָטּוּן (yattun, “they turn aside”); (3) יָעַוּוּן (ya’avvun, “they err”); and (4) יְעָבְּתוּן (adopted in the present translation) from the root I עָבַת (’avat, “to twist, pervert”) or II עָבַת (’avat, “to change, abandon”). KBL adopt the latter option, but the only biblical evidence for this is the problematic reference in Joel 2:7. Another option is to view it as a variant of the root חבט (khavat, “turn aside from”), a meaning attested for the Arabic cognate. The difference in spelling would be due to the interchange of the guttural letters khet (ח) and ayin (ע). This may lay behind LXX rendering ἐκκλίνωσιν (ekklinwsin; cf. Syriac Peshitta nstwn and Vg declinabunt). See S. F. Whitley, “‘bt in Joel 2, 7,” Bib 65 (1984): 101-2.
[2:8] 92 tn “each one does not crowd his brother.”
[2:8] 93 tn Heb “each warrior walks in his own course.”
[2:8] 94 tn Heb “they fall upon.” This line has been interpreted in two different ways: (1) although they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded (KJV), or (2) when they “burst through” the city’s defenses, they will not break ranks (RSV, NASB, NIV, NIrV).
[2:8] 95 tn Heb “missile” or “javelin.” This term appears to function as a synecdoche for the city’s defenses as a whole (cf. NASB, NIV, TEV). Some scholars instead understand the reference to be an aqueduct by which the locusts (or armies) entered the city.
[2:9] 96 tn Heb “dart about in.”
[2:9] 97 tn Or “they run upon its wall.”
[2:10] 98 sn Witnesses of locust invasions have described the visual effect of large numbers of these creatures crawling over one another on the ground. At such times the ground is said to appear to be in motion, creating a dizzying effect on some observers. The reference in v. 10 to the darkening of the sun and moon probably has to do with the obscuring of visibility due to large numbers of locusts swarming in the sky.
[2:10] 101 tn Heb “gather their brightness.”
[2:11] 102 tn Heb “the
[2:11] 103 tn Heb “before his army.”
[2:11] 104 tn Heb “military encampment.”
[2:11] 105 tn Heb “very large.”
[2:11] 106 tn Heb “he makes his word powerful.”
[2:11] 107 tn Or “powerful.” Heb “great.”
[2:11] 108 tn Heb “endure.” The MT and LXX read “endure,” while one of the Qumran manuscripts (4QXXIIc) has “bear.”
[2:12] 109 sn The figurative language calls for genuine repentance, and not merely external ritual that goes through the motions.
[2:13] 110 tn Heb “and great of loyal love.”
[2:13] 111 tn Heb “and he relents from calamity.”
[2:14] 112 tn Heb “turn” or “turn back.”
[2:14] 113 tn Heb “leave a blessing behind him.”
[2:14] 114 tn The phrase “for you to offer” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[2:15] 115 tn See the note on this term in 2:1.
[2:16] 116 sn Mosaic law allowed men recently married, or about to be married, to be exempt for a year from certain duties that were normally mandatory, such as military obligation (cf. Deut 20:7; 24:5). However, Joel pictures a time of such urgency that normal expectations must give way to higher requirements.
[2:17] 117 tn Heb “between the vestibule and the altar.” The vestibule was located at the entrance of the temple and the altar was located at the other end of the building. So “between the vestibule and the altar” is a merism referring to the entire structure. The priestly lament permeates the entire house of worship.
[2:17] 118 tn For the MT reading לִמְשָׁל (limshol, an infinitive, “to rule”), one should instead read לְמָשָׁל (lÿmashal, a noun, “to a byword”). While the consonantal Hebrew text permits either, the context suggests that the concern here is more one of not wanting to appear abandoned by God to ongoing economic depression rather than one of concern over potential political subjection of Israel (cf. v. 19). The possibility that the form in the MT is an infinitive construct of the denominative verb II מָשַׁל (mashal, “to utter a proverb”) does not seem likely because of the following preposition (Hebrew בְּ [bÿ], rather than עַל [’al]).
[2:17] 119 tn Heb “Why will they say?”
[2:18] 120 tn The time-frame entertained by the verbs of v.18 constitutes a crux interpretum in this chapter. The Hebrew verb forms used here are preterites with vav consecutive and are most naturally understood as describing a past situation. However, some modern English versions render these verbs as futures (e.g., NIV, NASV), apparently concluding that the context requires a future reference. According to Joüon 2:363 §112.h, n.1 Ibn Ezra explained the verbs of Joel 2:18 as an extension of the so-called prophetic perfect; as such, a future fulfillment was described with a past tense as a rhetorical device lending certainty to the fulfillment. But this lacks adequate precedent and is very unlikely from a syntactical standpoint. It seems better to take the verbs in the normal past sense of the preterite. This would require a vantage point for the prophet at some time after the people had responded favorably to the Lord’s call for repentance and after the Lord had shown compassion and forgiveness toward his people, but before the full realization of God’s promises to restore productivity to the land. In other words, it appears from the verbs of vv. 18-19 that at the time of Joel’s writing this book the events of successive waves of locust invasion and conditions of drought had almost run their course and the people had now begun to turn to the Lord.
[2:19] 121 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[2:19] 122 tn Heb “Look! I am sending grain to you.” The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to suggest imminent action.
[2:19] 123 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).
[2:20] 124 sn The allusion to the one from the north is best understood as having locusts in view. It is not correct to say that this reference to the enemy who came form the north excludes the possibility of a reference to locusts and must be understood as human armies. Although locust plagues usually approached Palestine from the east or southeast, the severe plague of 1915, for example, came from the northeast.
[2:20] 125 tn Heb “his face to the eastern sea.” In this context the eastern sea is probably the Dead Sea.
[2:20] 126 tn Heb “and his rear to the western sea.” The western sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea.
[2:20] 127 sn Heb “and his foul smell will ascend.” The foul smell probably refers to the unpleasant odor of decayed masses of dead locusts. The Hebrew word for “foul smell” is found only here in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for “stench” appears only here and in Isa 34:3 and Amos 4:10. In the latter references it refers to the stench of dead corpses on a field of battle.
[2:20] 128 tn The Hebrew text does not have “the
[2:22] 129 tn Heb “beasts of the field.”
[2:22] 130 tn Heb “their strength.” The trees and vines will produce a maximum harvest, in contrast to the failed agricultural conditions previously described.
[2:23] 131 tn Heb “sons of Zion.”
[2:23] 132 tn Heb “be glad in the
[2:23] 133 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] 134 tn Heb “caused to come down.”
[2:23] 135 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.
[2:25] 136 tn Heb “I will restore to you the years.”
[2:25] 137 sn The same four terms for locust are used here as in 1:4, but in a different order. This fact creates some difficulty for the notion that the four words refer to four distinct stages of locust development.
[2:25] 138 tn The term “your crops” does not appear in the Hebrew, but has been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
[2:25] 139 sn Here Joel employs military language to describe the locusts. In the prophet’s thinking this invasion was far from being a freak accident. Rather, the Lord is pictured here as a divine warrior who leads his army into the land as a punishment for past sin and as a means of bringing about spiritual renewal on the part of the people.
[2:26] 140 tn Heb “you will surely eat and be satisfied.”
[2:28] 141 sn Beginning with 2:28, the verse numbers through 3:21 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 2:28 ET = 3:1 HT, 2:29 ET = 3:2 HT, 2:30 ET = 3:3 HT, 2:31 ET = 3:4 HT, 2:32 ET = 3:5 HT, 3:1 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 3:21 ET = 4:21 HT. Thus Joel in the Hebrew Bible has 4 chapters, the 5 verses of ch. 3 being included at the end of ch. 2 in the English Bible.
[2:28] 142 tn Heb “Now it will be after this.”
[2:28] 143 sn This passage plays a key role in the apostolic explanation of the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2:17-21. Peter introduces his quotation of this passage with “this is that spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16; cf. the similar pesher formula used at Qumran). The New Testament experience at Pentecost is thus seen in some sense as a fulfillment of this Old Testament passage, even though that experience did not exhaustively fulfill Joel’s words. Some portions of Joel’s prophecy have no precise counterpart in that experience. For example, there is nothing in the experience recorded in Acts 2 that exactly corresponds to the earthly and heavenly signs described in Joel 3:3-4. But inasmuch as the messianic age had already begun and the “last days” had already commenced with the coming of the Messiah (cf. Heb 1:1-2), Peter was able to point to Joel 3:1-5 as a text that was relevant to the advent of Jesus and the bestowal of the Spirit. The equative language that Peter employs (“this is that”) stresses an incipient fulfillment of the Joel passage without precluding or minimizing a yet future and more exhaustive fulfillment in events associated with the return of Christ.
[2:28] 144 tn Heb “all flesh.” As a term for humanity, “flesh” suggests the weakness and fragility of human beings as opposed to God who is “spirit.” The word “all” refers not to all human beings without exception (cf. NAB, NASB “all mankind”; NLT “all people”), but to all classes of human beings without distinction (cf. NCV).
[2:28] 145 tn Heb “your old men will dream dreams.”
[2:30] 146 tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[2:31] 147 tn Heb “to blood,” but no doubt this is intended to indicate by metonymy the color of blood rather than the substance itself. The blood red color suggests a visual impression here – something that could be caused by fires, volcanic dust, sandstorms, or other atmospheric phenomena.
[2:32] 148 tn While a number of English versions render this as “saved” (e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT), this can suggest a “spiritual” or “theological” salvation rather than the physical deliverance from the cataclysmic events of the day of the Lord described in the context.
[2:32] 149 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:32] 150 tn Heb “deliverance”; or “escape.” The abstract noun “deliverance” or “escape” probably functions here as an example of antimeria, referring to those who experience deliverance or escape with their lives: “escaped remnant” or “surviving remnant” (Gen 32:8; 45:7; Judg 21:17; 2 Kgs 19:30, 31; Isa 4:2; 10:20; 15:9; 37:31, 32; Ezek 14:22; Obad 1:17; Ezra 9:8, 13-15; Neh 1:2; 1 Chr 4:43; 2 Chr 30:6).
[2:32] 151 tn Heb “and among the remnant.”
[2:32] 152 tn The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to indicate action in the imminent future.
