Discovery BoxJoel 2:12--3:21
Context2:12 “Yet even now,” the Lord says,
“return to me with all your heart –
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Tear your hearts, 1
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 2 – often relenting from calamitous punishment. 3
2:14 Who knows?
Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, 4
and leave blessing in his wake 5 –
a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the Lord your God! 6
2:15 Blow the trumpet 7 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. 8
2:17 Let the priests, those who serve the Lord, weep
from the vestibule all the way back to the altar. 9
Let them say, “Have pity, O Lord, on your people;
please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked,
to become a proverb 10 among the nations.
Why should it be said 11 among the peoples,
“Where is their God?”
2:18 Then the Lord became 12 zealous for his land;
he had compassion on his people.
2:19 The Lord responded 13 to his people,
“Look! I am about to restore your grain 14
as well as fresh wine and olive oil.
You will be fully satisfied. 15
I will never again make you an object of mockery among the nations.
2:20 I will remove the one from the north 16 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, 17
and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea. 18
His stench will rise up as a foul smell.” 19
Indeed, the Lord 20 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! 21
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. 22
2:23 Citizens of Zion, 23 rejoice!
Be glad because of what the Lord your God has done! 24
For he has given to you the early rains 25 as vindication.
He has sent 26 to you the rains –
both the early and the late rains 27 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 28
that the ‘arbeh-locust 29 consumed your crops 30 –
the yeleq-locust, the hasil-locust, and the gazam-locust –
my great army 31 that I sent against you.
2:26 You will have plenty to eat,
and your hunger will be fully satisfied; 32
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) 33 After all of this 34
I will pour out my Spirit 35 on all kinds of people. 36
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your elderly will have revelatory dreams; 37
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 38 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, 39
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. 40
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem 41 there will be those who survive, 42
just as the Lord has promised;
the remnant 43 will be those whom the Lord will call. 44
3:1 (4:1) 45 For look! In those 46 days and at that time
I will return the exiles 47 to Judah and Jerusalem. 48
3:2 Then I will gather all the nations,
and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. 49
I will enter into judgment 50 against them there
concerning my people Israel who are my inheritance, 51
whom they scattered among the nations.
They partitioned my land,
3:3 and they cast lots for my people.
They traded 52 a boy for a prostitute;
they sold a little girl for wine so they could drink. 53
3:4 Why are you doing these things to me, Tyre and Sidon? 54
Are you trying to get even with me, land of Philistia? 55
I will very quickly repay you for what you have done! 56
3:5 For you took my silver and my gold
and brought my precious valuables to your own palaces. 57
3:6 You sold Judeans and Jerusalemites to the Greeks,
removing them far from their own country. 58
3:7 Look! I am rousing them from that place to which you sold them.
I will repay you for what you have done! 59
3:8 I will sell your sons and daughters to 60 the people of Judah. 61
They will sell them to the Sabeans, 62 a nation far away.
Indeed, the Lord has spoken!
3:9 Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for a holy war!
Call out the warriors!
Let all these fighting men approach and attack! 63
3:10 Beat your plowshares 64 into swords,
and your pruning hooks 65 into spears! 66
Let the weak say, ‘I too am a warrior!’ 67
3:11 Lend your aid 68 and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves 69 to that place.”
Bring down, O Lord, your warriors! 70
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.
3:13 Rush forth with 71 the sickle, for the harvest is ripe!
Come, stomp the grapes, 72 for the winepress is full!
The vats overflow.
Indeed, their evil is great! 73
3:14 Crowds, great crowds are in the valley of decision,
for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision! 74
3:15 The sun and moon are darkened;
the stars withhold 75 their brightness.
3:16 The Lord roars from Zion;
from Jerusalem 76 his voice bellows out. 77
The heavens 78 and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge for his people;
he is a stronghold for the citizens 79 of Israel.
3:17 You will be convinced 80 that I the Lord am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem 81 will be holy –
conquering armies 82 will no longer pass through it.
3:18 On that day 83 the mountains will drip with sweet wine, 84
and the hills will flow with milk. 85
All the dry stream beds 86 of Judah will flow with water.
A spring will flow out from the temple 87 of the Lord,
watering the Valley of Acacia Trees. 88
3:19 Egypt will be desolate
and Edom will be a desolate wilderness,
because of the violence they did to the people of Judah, 89
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
3:20 But Judah will reside securely forever,
and Jerusalem will be secure 90 from one generation to the next.
3:21 I will avenge 91 their blood which I had not previously acquitted.
It is the Lord who dwells in Zion!
[2:12] 1 sn The figurative language calls for genuine repentance, and not merely external ritual that goes through the motions.
[2:13] 2 tn Heb “and great of loyal love.”
[2:13] 3 tn Heb “and he relents from calamity.”
[2:14] 4 tn Heb “turn” or “turn back.”
[2:14] 5 tn Heb “leave a blessing behind him.”
[2:14] 6 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] 7 tn See the note on this term in 2:1.
[2:16] 8 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] 9 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] 10 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] 11 tn Heb “Why will they say?”
[2:18] 12 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] 13 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[2:19] 14 tn Heb “Look! I am sending grain to you.” The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to suggest imminent action.
[2:19] 15 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] 16 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] 17 tn Heb “his face to the eastern sea.” In this context the eastern sea is probably the Dead Sea.
[2:20] 18 tn Heb “and his rear to the western sea.” The western sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea.
[2:20] 19 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] 20 tn The Hebrew text does not have “the
[2:22] 21 tn Heb “beasts of the field.”
[2:22] 22 tn Heb “their strength.” The trees and vines will produce a maximum harvest, in contrast to the failed agricultural conditions previously described.
[2:23] 23 tn Heb “sons of Zion.”
[2:23] 24 tn Heb “be glad in the
[2:23] 25 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] 26 tn Heb “caused to come down.”
[2:23] 27 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] 28 tn Heb “I will restore to you the years.”
[2:25] 29 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] 30 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] 31 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] 32 tn Heb “you will surely eat and be satisfied.”
[2:28] 33 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] 34 tn Heb “Now it will be after this.”
[2:28] 35 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] 36 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] 37 tn Heb “your old men will dream dreams.”
[2:30] 38 tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[2:31] 39 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] 40 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] 41 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:32] 42 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] 43 tn Heb “and among the remnant.”
[2:32] 44 tn The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to indicate action in the imminent future.
[3:1] 45 sn Joel 3:1 in the English Bible is 4:1 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note at 2:28.
[3:1] 46 tc The MT and LXX read “in those days,” while MurXII reads “in that day.”
[3:1] 47 tc The Kethib reads אָשִׁיב (’ashiv, “return the captivity [captives]), while the Qere is אָשׁוּב (’ashuv, “restore the fortunes”). Many modern English versions follow the Qere reading. Either reading seems to fit the context. Joel refers to an exile of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem in 3:2-6 and their return from exile in 3:7. On the other hand, 2:25-26 describes the reversal of judgment and restoration of the covenant blessings. However, the former seems to be the concern of the immediate context.
[3:1] 48 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:2] 49 sn There is a play on words here. Jehoshaphat in Hebrew means “the Lord has judged,” and the next line in v. 2 further explicates this thought. The location of this valley is uncertain (cf. v. 12). Many interpreters have understood the Valley of Jehoshaphat to be the Kidron Valley, located on the east side of old Jerusalem. Since this is described as a scene of future messianic activity and judgment, many Jews and Muslims have desired to be buried in the vicinity, a fact attested to in modern times by the presence of many graves in the area. A variation of this view is mentioned by Eusebius, Onomasticon 1:10. According to this view, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is located in the Hinnom Valley, on the south side of the old city. Yet another view is held by many modern scholars, who understand the reference to this valley to be one of an idealized and nonliteral scene of judgment.
[3:2] 50 tn Heb “I will execute judgment.”
[3:2] 51 tn Heb “concerning my people and my inheritance Israel.”
[3:3] 53 sn Heb “and they drank.” Joel vividly refers to a situation where innocent human life has little value; its only worth is its use in somehow satisfying selfish appetites of wicked people who have control over others (cf. Amos 2:6 and 8:6).
[3:4] 54 tn Heb “What [are] you [doing] to me, O Tyre and Sidon?”
[3:4] 56 tn Heb “quickly, speedily, I will return your recompense on your head.” This is an idiom for retributive justice and an equitable reversal of situation.
[3:5] 57 tn Or perhaps, “temples.”
[3:7] 59 tn Heb “I will return your recompense on your head.”
[3:8] 60 tn Heb “into the hand of.”
[3:8] 61 tn Heb “the sons of Judah.”
[3:8] 62 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.
[3:9] 63 tn Heb “draw near and go up.”
[3:10] 64 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.
[3:10] 65 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.
[3:10] 66 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.
[3:10] 67 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.
[3:11] 68 tn This Hebrew verb is found only here in the OT; its meaning is uncertain. Some scholars prefer to read here עוּרוּ (’uru, “arouse”) or חוּשׁוּ (khushu, “hasten”).
[3:11] 69 tc The present translation follows the reading of the imperative הִקָּבְצוּ (hiqqavÿtsu) rather than the perfect with vav (ו) consecutive וְנִקְבָּצוּ (vÿniqbbatsu) of the MT.
[3:11] 70 tc Some commentators prefer to delete the line “Bring down, O
[3:13] 72 tn Heb “go down” or “tread.” The Hebrew term רְדוּ (rÿdu) may be from יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”) or from רָדָה (radah, “have dominion,” here in the sense of “to tread”). If it means “go down,” the reference would be to entering the vat to squash the grapes. If it means “tread,” the verb would refer specifically to the action of those who walk over the grapes to press out their juice. The phrase “the grapes” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[3:13] 73 sn The immediacy of judgment upon wickedness is likened to the urgency required for a harvest that has reached its pinnacle of development. When the harvest is completely ripe, there can be no delay by the reapers in gathering the harvest. In a similar way, Joel envisions a time when human wickedness will reach such a heightened degree that there can be no further stay of divine judgment (cf. the “fullness of time” language in Gal 4:4).
[3:14] 74 sn The decision referred to here is not a response on the part of the crowd, but the verdict handed out by the divine judge.
[3:16] 76 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:16] 77 tn Heb “he sounds forth his voice.”
[3:16] 78 tn Or “the sky.” See the note on “sky” in 2:30.
[3:17] 81 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:17] 82 tn Heb “strangers” or “foreigners.” In context, this refers to invasions by conquering armies.
[3:18] 83 tn Heb “and it will come about in that day.”
[3:18] 84 tn Many English translations read “new wine” or “sweet wine,” meaning unfermented wine, i.e., grape juice.
[3:18] 85 sn The language used here is a hyperbolic way of describing both a bountiful grape harvest (“the mountains will drip with juice”) and an abundance of cattle (“the hills will flow with milk”). In addition to being hyperbolic, the language is also metonymical (effect for cause).
[3:18] 86 tn Or “seasonal streams.”
[3:18] 88 tn Heb “valley of Shittim.” The exact location of the Valley of Acacia Trees is uncertain. The Hebrew word שִׁטִּים (shittim) refers to a place where the acacia trees grow, which would be a very arid and dry place. The acacia tree can survive in such locations, whereas most other trees require more advantageous conditions. Joel’s point is that the stream that has been mentioned will proceed to the most dry and barren of locations in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
[3:19] 89 tn Heb “violence of the sons of Judah.” The phrase “of the sons of Judah” is an objective genitive (cf. KJV “the violence against the children of Judah”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “violence done to the people of Judah”). It refers to injustices committed against the Judeans, not violence that the Judeans themselves had committed against others.
[3:20] 90 tn The phrase “will be secure” does not appear in the Hebrew, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
[3:21] 91 tc The present translation follows the reading וְנִקַּמְתִּי (vÿniqqamti, “I will avenge”) rather than וְנִקֵּתִי (vÿniqqeti, “I will acquit”) of the MT.
