Joel 2 (NET)

The Locusts’ Devastation

1 Blow the trumpet1 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,2 it is near!3

2 It will be4 a day of dreadful darkness,5

a day of foreboding storm clouds,6

like blackness7 spread over the mountains.

It is a huge and powerful army8 –

there has never been anything like it ever before,

and there will not be anything like it for many generations to come!9

3 Like fire they devour everything in their path;10

a flame blazes behind them.

The land looks like the Garden of Eden11 before them,

but behind them there is only a desolate wilderness –

for nothing escapes them!12

4 They look like horses;13

they charge ahead like war horses.

5 They sound like14 chariots rumbling15 over mountain tops,

like the crackling16 of blazing fire consuming stubble,

like the noise of17 a mighty army18 being drawn up for battle.19

6 People20 writhe in fear when they see them.21

All of their faces turn pale with fright.22

7 They23 charge24 like warriors;

they scale walls like soldiers.25

Each one proceeds on his course;

they do not alter26 their path.

8 They do not jostle one another;27

each of them marches straight ahead.28

They burst through29 the city defenses30

and do not break ranks.

9 They rush into31 the city;

they scale32 its walls.

They climb up into the houses;

they go in through the windows like a thief.

10 The earth quakes33 before them;34

the sky reverberates.35

The sun and the moon grow dark;

the stars refuse to shine.36

11 The voice of the Lord thunders37 as he leads his army.38

Indeed, his warriors39 are innumerable;40

Surely his command is carried out!41

Yes, the day of the Lord is awesome42

and very terrifying – who can survive43 it?

An Appeal for Repentance

12 “Yet even now,” the Lord says,

“return to me with all your heart –

with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

Tear your hearts,44

not just your garments!”

13 Return to the Lord your God,

for he is merciful and compassionate,

slow to anger and boundless in loyal love45 – often relenting from calamitous punishment.46

14 Who knows?

Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve,47

and leave blessing in his wake48 –

a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the Lord your God!49

15 Blow the trumpet50 in Zion.

Announce a holy fast;

proclaim a sacred assembly!

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.51

17 Let the priests, those who serve the Lord, weep

from the vestibule all the way back to the altar.52

Let them say, “Have pity, O Lord, on your people;

please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked,

to become a proverb53 among the nations.

Why should it be said54 among the peoples,

“Where is their God?”

The Lord’s Response

18 Then the Lord became55 zealous for his land;

he had compassion on his people.

19 The Lord responded56 to his people,

“Look! I am about to restore your grain57

as well as fresh wine and olive oil.

You will be fully satisfied.58

I will never again make you an object of mockery among the nations.

20 I will remove the one from the north59 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,60

and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea.61

His stench will rise up as a foul smell.”62

Indeed, the Lord63 has accomplished great things.

21 Do not fear, my land!

Rejoice and be glad,

because the Lord has accomplished great things!

22 Do not fear, wild animals!64

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.65

23 Citizens of Zion,66 rejoice!

Be glad because of what the Lord your God has done!67

For he has given to you the early rains68 as vindication.

He has sent69 to you the rains –

both the early and the late rains70 as formerly.

24 The threshing floors are full of grain;

the vats overflow with fresh wine and olive oil.

25 I will make up for the years71

that the ‘arbeh-locust72 consumed your crops73 –

the yeleq-locust, the hasil-locust, and the gazam-locust –

my great army74 that I sent against you.

26 You will have plenty to eat,

and your hunger will be fully satisfied;75

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.

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.

An Outpouring of the Spirit

28 76 After all of this77

I will pour out my Spirit78 on all kinds of people.79

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

Your elderly will have revelatory dreams;80

your young men will see prophetic visions.

29 Even on male and female servants

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

30 I will produce portents both in the sky81 and on the earth –

blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

31 The sunlight will be turned to darkness

and the moon to the color of blood,82

before the day of the Lord comes –

that great and terrible day!

32 It will so happen that

everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.83

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem84 there will be those who survive,85

just as the Lord has promised;

the remnant86 will be those whom the Lord will call.87

12:1tn 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. 22:1tn Or “for.” 32:1sn 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. 42:2tn The phrase “It will be” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style. 52:2tn 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). 62:2tn Heb “a day of cloud and darkness.” 72:2tc 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.” 82:2tn 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 b.c.) or in an eschatological setting. More probably, however, the language of this chapter referring to “people” and “armies” is a hypocatastic description of the locusts of chapter one. Cf. TEV “The great army of locusts advances like darkness.” 92:2tn Heb “it will not be repeated for years of generation and generation.” 102:3tn Heb “a fire devours before it.” 112:3tn Heb “like the garden of Eden, the land is before them.” 122:3tn 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. 132:4tn Heb “Like the appearance of horses [is] its appearance.”sn The fact that a locust’s head resembles a miniature replica of a horse’s head has often been noticed. For example, the German word for locust (Heupferd, “hay horse”) and the Italian word as well (cavaletta, “little horse”) are based on this similarity in appearance. 142:5tn Heb “like the sound of.”sn The repetition of the word of comparison (“like”) in vv. 4-7 should not go unnoticed. The author is comparing the locust invasion to familiar aspects of human invasion. If the preposition has its normal force here, it is similarity and not identity that is intended. In other words, locusts are being likened to human armies, but human armies are not actually present. On the other hand, this Hebrew preposition is also on occasion used to indicate exactitude, a function described by grammarians as kaph veritatis. 152:5tn 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. 162:5tn Heb “sound.” 172:5tn 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. 182:5tn Heb “people.” 192:5tn Heb “being arrayed of battle.” 202:6tn Or “nations.” 212:6tn Heb “before it.” 222:6tn 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. 232:7sn Since the invaders are compared to warriors, this suggests that they are not actually human, but instead an army of locusts. 242:7tn Heb “run.” 252:7tn Heb “men of battle.” 262:7tc 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. 272:8tn “each one does not crowd his brother.” 282:8tn Heb “each warrior walks in his own course.” 292:8tn 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). 302:8tn 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. 312:9tn Heb “dart about in.” 322:9tn Or “they run upon its wall.” 332:10sn 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. 342:10tn Heb “before it.” 352:10tn Heb “trembles.” 362:10tn Heb “gather their brightness.” 372:11tn Heb “the Lord gives his voice.” 382:11tn Heb “before his army.” 392:11tn Heb “military encampment.” 402:11tn Heb “very large.” 412:11tn Heb “he makes his word powerful.” 422:11tn Or “powerful.” Heb “great.” 432:11tn Heb “endure.” The MT and LXX read “endure,” while one of the Qumran manuscripts (4QXXII^c) has “bear.” 442:12sn The figurative language calls for genuine repentance, and not merely external ritual that goes through the motions. 452:13tn Heb “and great of loyal love.” 462:13tn Heb “and he relents from calamity.” 472:14tn Heb “turn” or “turn back.” 482:14tn Heb “leave a blessing behind him.” 492:14tn The phrase “for you to offer” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. 502:15tn See the note on this term in 2:1. 512:16sn 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. 522:17tn 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. 532:17tn 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]). 542:17tn Heb “Why will they say?” 552:18tn 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. 562:19tn Heb “answered and said.” 572:19tn Heb “Look! I am sending grain to you.” The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to suggest imminent action. 582:19tc One of the Qumran manuscripts (4QXXII^c) inserts “and you will eat” before “and you will be fully satisfied” (the reading of the MT, LXX). 592:20sn 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. 602:20tn Heb “his face to the eastern sea.” In this context the eastern sea is probably the Dead Sea. 612:20tn Heb “and his rear to the western sea.” The western sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea. 622:20sn 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. 632:20tn 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. 642:22tn Heb “beasts of the field.” 652:22tn Heb “their strength.” The trees and vines will produce a maximum harvest, in contrast to the failed agricultural conditions previously described. 662:23tn Heb “sons of Zion.” 672:23tn Heb “be glad in the Lord your God.” 682:23tn 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. 692:23tn Heb “caused to come down.” 702:23sn 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. 712:25tn Heb “I will restore to you the years.”sn The plural years suggests that the plague to which Joel refers was not limited to a single season. Apparently the locusts were a major problem over several successive years. One season of drought and locust invasion would have been bad enough. Several such years would have been devastating. 722:25sn 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. 732:25tn The term “your crops” does not appear in the Hebrew, but has been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness. 742:25sn 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. 752:26tn Heb “you will surely eat and be satisfied.” 762:28sn 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. 772:28tn Heb “Now it will be after this.” 782:28sn 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. 792:28tn 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). 802:28tn Heb “your old men will dream dreams.” 812:30tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context. 822:31tn 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. 832:32tn 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. 842:32map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 852:32tn 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). 862:32tn Heb “and among the remnant.” 872:32tn The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to indicate action in the imminent future.