Joel 3:20

3:20 But Judah will reside securely forever,

and Jerusalem will be secure ¹  from one generation to the next.

Joel 3:1

The Lord Plans to Judge the Nations

3:1 (4:1) ²  For look! In those ³  days and at that time

I will return the exiles ⁴  to Judah and Jerusalem. ⁵ 

Joel 3:6

3:6 You sold Judeans and Jerusalemites to the Greeks,

removing them far from their own country. ⁶ 

Joel 3:16-17

3:16 The Lord roars from Zion;

from Jerusalem ⁷  his voice bellows out. ⁸ 

The heavens ⁹  and the earth shake.

But the Lord is a refuge for his people;

he is a stronghold for the citizens ¹⁰  of Israel.

The Lord’s Presence in Zion

3:17 You will be convinced ¹¹  that I the Lord am your God,

dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.

Jerusalem ¹²  will be holy –

conquering armies ¹³  will no longer pass through it.

Joel 2:32

2:32 It will so happen that

everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered. ¹⁴ 

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem ¹⁵  there will be those who survive, ¹⁶ 

just as the Lord has promised;

the remnant ¹⁷  will be those whom the Lord will call. ¹⁸ 

Joel 2:15

2:15 Blow the trumpet ¹⁹  in Zion.

Announce a holy fast;

proclaim a sacred assembly!

Joel 3:21

3:21 I will avenge ²⁰  their blood which I had not previously acquitted.

It is the Lord who dwells in Zion!

Joel 2:1

The Locusts’ Devastation

2:1 Blow the trumpet ²¹  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.

Indeed, ²²  it is near! 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.

[3:20]  ¹ tn The phrase “will be secure” does not appear in the Hebrew, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[3:1]  ² 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]  ³ tc The MT and LXX read “in those days,” while MurXII reads “in that day.”

[3:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:6]  ³ tn Heb “border.”

[3:16]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “he sounds forth his voice.”

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Or “the sky.” See the note on “sky” in 2:30.

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “sons.”

[3:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “know.”

[3:17]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “strangers” or “foreigners.” In context, this refers to invasions by conquering armies.

[2:32]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:32]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “and among the remnant.”

[2:32]  ¹⁰ tn The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to indicate action in the imminent future.

[2:15]  ⁷ tn See the note on this term in 2:1.

[3:21]  ⁸ tc The present translation follows the reading וְנִקַּמְתִּי (vÿniqqamti, “I will avenge”) rather than וְנִקֵּתִי (vÿniqqeti, “I will acquit”) of the MT.

[2:1]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for.”

[2:1]  ¹¹ 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.

[2:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sons of Zion.”

[2:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “be glad in the Lord your God.”

[2:23]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “caused to come down.”

[2:23]  ¹⁴ 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.