Joel 2:20-21

2:20 I will remove the one from the north ¹  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, ² 

and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea. ³ 

His stench will rise up as a foul smell.” ⁴ 

Indeed, the Lord ⁵  has accomplished great things.

2:21 Do not fear, my land!

Rejoice and be glad,

because the Lord has accomplished great things!

Genesis 33:11

33:11 Please take my present ⁶  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ⁷  to me and I have all I need.” ⁸  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ⁹ 

Psalms 13:6

13:6 I will sing praises ¹⁰  to the Lord

when he vindicates me. ¹¹ 

Psalms 72:18

72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! ¹² 

He alone accomplishes amazing things! ¹³ 

Psalms 116:7

116:7 Rest once more, my soul, ¹⁴ 

for the Lord has vindicated you. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 126:2-3

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ¹⁶ 

At that time the nations said, ¹⁷ 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

126:3 The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.

We were happy.

Isaiah 25:1

25:1 O Lord, you are my God! ¹⁸ 

I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. ¹⁹ 

For you have done extraordinary things,

and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. ²⁰ 

[2:20]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “his face to the eastern sea.” In this context the eastern sea is probably the Dead Sea.

[2:20]  ³ tn Heb “and his rear to the western sea.” The western sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea.

[2:20]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text does not have “the Lord.” Two interpretations are possible. This clause may refer to the enemy described in the immediately preceding verses, in which case it would have a negative sense: “he has acted in a high-handed manner.” Or it may refer to the Lord, in which case it would have a positive sense: “the Lord has acted in a marvelous manner.” This is clearly the sense of the same expression in v. 21, where in fact “the Lord” appears as the subject of the verb. It seems best to understand the clause the same way in both verses.

[33:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ⁷ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the Lord when deliverance arrives.

[13:6]  ¹¹ tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom גָמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.

[72:18]  ¹² tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.

[72:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”

[116:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”

[116:7]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).

[126:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

[126:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

[25:1]  ¹⁸ sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.

[25:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.

[25:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.