02/16/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

Joel Commentary

 

Author: The author of this prophecy is noted only as “Joel son of Pethuel.”  Little is known about Joel other than that his name means “Yahweh is God” and that his father’s name is Pethuel (“Persuaded by God”). Joel shares his name with eleven other men in the Bible (1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 4:35; 5:4; 7:3; 11:38; 15:7; 26:22; 27:20; 2 Chronicles 29:12; Ezra 10:43; Nehemiah 11:9). 

 

Date: The date of Joel has been debated among scholars for centuries now, and no definite answer has been given even today as to when the date of Joel truly is. Parallel passages and the Historical facts of Joel will hopefully bring to light the date in when Joel was written. Based on the evidence, the Post-Exilic dating of Joel makes the most sense in contrast to the evidence at hand. 

 

Historical facts:

 

The historical factor indicated by Joel’s writing is key in figuring out the most likely date for Joel’s writings.

 

1. The Northern Kingdom -Israel- is not mentioned in Joel. Israel had become a synonym for Judah (Joel 2:27; 3:16). This is natural in a post-exilic period as Israel had fallen and serves as a difficulty for someone who favors an early date.

 

2. The “children of Javan” or “Greeks” in Joel 3:6 refutes any date older than the 8th Century B.C. as the civilization of Ancient Greece emerged into the light of world history in the 8th century B.C. (See Ezekiel 27:13). I believe this argument discussing more of the actual Greek civilization and its growth. It is true that Hebrew the word translated "Grecians" is הַיְּוָנִ֑ים (hay·yə·wā·nîm;) is Yevani or Jevani. The Hebrews did call them descendants of Javan in Genesis 10 and Isaiah 66:19. However, during the 8th-6th century the Greeks were major buyers of slaves with phonecian traders being the middle man. Greek authors that mention Greece buying slaves from the Phoenicians include Homer (eighth century) and Herodotus (5th century). The argument is discussing more of the Greeks at the time and why Joel’s comment in Joel 3:6 doesn’t fit prior to the eighth century.

 

3. Joel did not allude to kings or princes, although he enumerates various classes of people (farmers, elders, and priests, etc.), led to the idea by those who favor a pre-exilic date that Joel belonged to the first period of Joash’s reign, when the monarchy was held in tutelage by the priesthood. However, the silence accords equally well with the known facts of the post-exilic period, and the mention of elders favor a date after Joash.

 

4. Joel pictures Israel scattered among the nations and restoring the captivity of Judah (Joel 3:1-2). Even advocates of the early dates freely admit that this is more natural in a later period of history than an early period. 

 

5. Joel shows the importance of meat and drink offerings. The failing of this was the condition of the nation. This condition existed prominently in the post-exilic period (See Joel 1:9; Malachi 3:10; Nehemiah 10:37-39). The advocates of an early date attribute this condition during the regency of Jehoiada. Perhaps it is impossible to say that priests, temples, and offerings did not hold such a commanding position for a few brief years. Yet, this hardly can be called a reasonable conjecture. This condition is known to exist in the post-exilic period.

 

6. Joel prophesied when a temple was standing, so, if Joel is post-exilic, he would have to be placed after Haggai and Zechariah, after the completion of the Second Temple. Likely, the walls of Jerusalem were finished (See Joel 2:9), in which case the date is after Nehemiah.

 

7. Joel’s reference to Sidon as yet to be judged (Joel 3:4) argues for a time before 345 B.C., when Artaxerxes III Ochus destroyed the city and sold it’s inhabitants into slavery. 

 

8. F.R. Stephenson uses Astronomy to support a post-exilic date for Joel. Stephenson, after giving three historical reasons for a post-exilic date of Joel, states that Joel 2:31 and 3:15, which mentions the darkening of the sun, referred to an eclipse that had taken place. He states, “the originality of Joel’s prophecy suggests that Joel himself witnessed total eclipses of the moon and sun. As Lunar obscurations of this type are very frequent (on average one every three years at any given place) it is not improbable It needs to be noted, however, that Joel saw several of these in his lifetime.” 

 

Astronomical calculations show that from very early times until almost 300 B.C. only three obscurations of the sun could have been complete anywhere in Israel (see chart on next page). These dates all occur in or near the fourth century B.C. Although other eclipses in this interval were large, notably that of 763 B.C. which is often associated with the prophet Amos, a fraction of the solar disc invariably remained visible even at its greatest phase. Thus, F. R. Stephenson concludes that out of the three eclipses the one closest to 350 B.C. is the most likely. 

 

9. J.M. Myers added Archaeological evidence to determining the date of Joel and found that it should be unnecessary to say, without the benefit of seeing Myer’s evidence, that the selling of the Jews to the Greek (3:6) was unlikely before the fourth century “when Greek contact with Palestine began”.

 

10. The word “weapon” used by Joel, in Joel 2:8, is a late word used elsewhere in 2 Chronicles 23:10 and Nehemiah 4:7, 23.

 

Parallel Passages:

 

Parallel Passages are often used by advocates for an early date as proof of a pre-exilic period, as they believe there are only parallel passages for a pre-exilic period. However, a closer examination of the passages can actually support a post-exilic date.

 

Several of the parallels-either in their entirety or in virtue of certain words which they contain-have their affinities solely or chiefly in the later writings; this alone is. significant in determining between the alternative theories. But the significance is increased when the very difference between a passage in Joel and its parallel in another book consists in a word or phrase characteristic of the later centuries. That a passage in a writer of the 9th century should differ from its parallel in a subsequent writer by the presence of a word elsewhere confined to the later literature would be strange; a single instance would not, indeed, be inexplicable in view of the scantiness of extant writings; but every additional instance-though itself not very convincing-renders the strangeness greater.

 

• Joel 1:15~Amos 4:9; Isaiah 13:6; Zechariah 14:1
• Joel 2:3~Isaiah 51:3; Ezekiel 38:35
• Joel 2:10~Isaiah 13:10
• Joel 2:11~Malachi 3:2
• Joel 2:28~Ezekiel 39:29
• Joel 2:31~Malachi 4:5
• Joel 2:32~ Obadiah 17
• Joel 3:10~Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3
• Joel 3:16~Isaiah 13:13; Amos 1:2
• Joel 3:18~Amos 9:13

 

Variations of “and you shall know that I am the Lord your God” occur 50 times in Ezekiel, and, therefore, Joel 3:17 is probably the borrower.

 

The Conclusion reached by G.B. Gray. in his study “Parallel Passages in Joel, and their Bearing on the Date,” stated that, “Joel shows dependence upon the early prophets rather than early prophets on Joel.”

 

Problems with a pre-exilic dating of Joel: 

 

1. The foriegn nations mentioned (Phoenicians, Philistines, Egyptians, Edomites, Greeks, and Sabeans) do not include the Assyrians or the Chaldeans, which pre-exilic prophets mention (See Joel 3:6, 8, 19). D. Deere observes that Phoenicia and Philistia were pre-exilic enemies of Judah, but, it should be noted, they were also post-exilic enemies.

 

2. Worship of the god Baal, which was predominant in the pre-exilic period, is not mentioned in Joel. If Joel is a pre-exilic prophet, it is mysterious as to why he never mentioned the problem of Baal worship. However, M. Bic uses Ugaritic parallels to support dating Joel in the time of Joash. He interprets Joel’s prophecy as a polemic against Baalism. He sees, in Joel 1:8, a reference to Anat weeping for the dead Baal, and in Joel 2:9 a reference to the Ugaritic myth of Mot entering the temple of Baal. The context of the first passage lists those who mourn the locust plague, and the context of the second is a description of the coming of the locusts to the city. These contexts hardly prepare for mythological references. If the book is a polemic against Baalism, one would expect clear references to Baal, to idols, to idolatrous altars, to the high places, to idolatrous rites, or to idol priests. These features of idolatry are clearly denounced by pre-exilic prophets (e.g., Hosea 2:8; 4:13; 9:10; Jeremiah 2:8; 7:9; 19:5), and the absence of such denunciations is a probable indication of origin after the exile, when idolatry had practically ceased among the Jews.

 

3. If Joel is pre-exilic, the fact that he doesn’t denounce more wrong is striking. The great sins that happened in Amos, Hosea, and Micah’s day evidently did not exist in Joel’s day (See Hosea 6:8; Micah 3:7; Amos 5:21-25; Isaiah 1:11). Some color may be given to the claim for the early date by assuming that this would be a characteristic of the time before the great prophetic insistence upon justice and mercy rather than sacrifice. That seems to have been a new idea in the time of Amos. And, it might be that, before, such a conception had arisen. On the other hand, the fact that Joel does not attack unrighteous conduct toward one’s fellow-men would be very natural in the post-exilic period.

 

4. Joel finds nothing to condemn in the priests and existing ritual. To Joel, the cessation of the ritual was equal to a break between land and Yahweh, a view which is unlike all the prophets down to Jeremiah. It is only in Ezekiel, Haggai, and Zechariah that we find other prophets attributing such importance to the temple. This is natural on the supposition of the late date; but if Joel was early, we must suppose that in the ninth century the priestly and prophetic religion were at one, and the distinction between the two, which was conspicuous from the time of Amos and Micah to that of Jeremiah, arose in the years between Joash in the ninth century and Amos and Micah in the eighth. The temple (Joel 1:9, 13, 14, 16; 2:17; 3:5) and its ritual (Joel 1:9, 13; 2:14) are regarded as very important elements of religion, in contrast to pre-exilic prophets who criticized ritualism. 

 

5. In Joel’s picture of the ideal future, there are elements common to nearly all the prophets, but there is at least one conception, which, if Joel was early, seems to have disappeared from the prophetic teaching for around two hundred years. It then appears again in Zephaniah, but in fullness only in Ezekiel and Zechariah 14. It’s difficult to suppose that Joel originated in the ninth century. The ideal picture of the gathering of the nations against Judah, there to be judged by Yahweh, and that this dropped out of the prophetic anticipation for a long time, although successive prophets predicted bitter ruin to the enemies of Israel. If Joel was early, we should expect them to have adopted this picture, since they did not hesitate to adopt his ideas and even his language. 

 

6. J. Ridderbos argues for Joel to be placed about 830 B.C. He sees the background of Joel 3:19 as Shishak’s invasion (1 Kings 14:25) and in Edom’s revolt against Joram (2 Kings 8:20). However, since the Egyptians and Edomites hostility to the Israelites could be remembered after the exile, and actually continued after the exile, it is, therefore, no proof of a pre-exilic date. If Joel had prophesied about 830 B.C., a reference to the High Priest Jehoiada would be expected, since he was even more important than Joshua mentioned in Haggai 1:1, 12, 14, and Zechariah 3:1-8. J. Ridderbos rightly recognizes that 3:2-3 sounds like the destruction of Jerusalem. He identifies the attackers as the Chaldeans or (if it's predictive) the Romans. He suggests the passage may be predictive or a later addition. However, a simpler solution is to understand the passage as referring to the capture of Jerusalem in 587 B.C., which, if Joel was post-exilic, would have already taken place when Joel prophesied.

 

7. J. Steinman argues for a date around 600 B.C. Steinmann points out that Joel's phrase, "the day of Yahweh" (1: 15; 2: I, 11, 31 [3: 4]; 3 [4]: 14), also occurs in pre-exilic Zephaniah and Jeremiah. Advocates of a post-exilic date can point out that the expression also occurs in post-exilic Zech 14:1, and that "the day" for the time of judgment is often found in Zechariah and Malachi. Steinmann frankly admits that 3:I, 3, 7 must come after the fall of Jerusalem, but he thinks that these verses are later additions to an essentially pre-exilic Joel. But, it is difficult to take these verses away from their context with verses 2, 6, and 17, which also imply the fall of Jerusalem. It is simpler to leave these verses in place and recognize that the prophecy is post-exilic. 

 

8. C. A. Keller places the ministry of Joel between 630 and 600 B.C., and he adduces careful and comprehensive arguments. Because no mighty empire is mentioned, Keller places 3:1-8 after the decline of Assyria and before the rise of Babylonia and Persia- that is, between 630 and 625 B.C. An advocate of a post-exilic date could point out that the dominant Persian empire is not mentioned in post-exilic Malachi, except by implication in the reference to the governor (MaI: 8), and Joel may come from the same period of benevolent Persian administration. Keller associates 3 [4]: 19 with Pharaoh Neco's invasion of Palestine and killing of Josiah in 609 B.C. It may well be that this Egyptian invasion was the attack or one of the attacks referred to by the prophet, but it cannot be assumed that the prophecy was delivered immediately after the attack. The people of the Near East have long historical memories. Keller interprets 3:1-3 as referring to raids by the Philistines and Phoenicians. However, the scattering of the Jews and the dividing of their land imply something more serious than raids. Furthermore, Joel does not accuse the Philistines and the Phoenicians of an attack on Judah, but only of receiving plunder and selling Jewish slaves (3:5-6).

 

9. W. Rudolph argues for a date around 597 B.C. With Rudolph's dating, it is strange that Joel does not specifically mention the Chaldeans, as Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel do. Rudolph argues that Joel would have referred to the destruction of the Temple if this event connected with the capture of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. had already taken place. Joel 3:5 seems to imply that the Temple had been looted, and, therefore, presumably destroyed. Rudolph thinks that Joel 2: 11, 31 precede the parallels in Mal 3: 2; 4: 5, but recently G. F. Wood has argued to the contrary.

 

Conclusion: Although this study does not confirm that Joel prophesied post-exile, it is more likely than a pre-exilic date, based on the historical facts, parallel passages, and problems with a pre-exilic date.

 

References: 

 

1. https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/myers/thompson.pdf
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3268873?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
3. https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/expositor/series4/08-208.pdf

 

Historical Background: The specific place in which Joel was written is unknown. However, Joel’s frequent references to Judah and Jerusalem suggest that he lived and ministered in the Southern Kingdom (cf. 1:9, 13-14, 16: 2:1, 9, 14-15, 17, 23, 32; 3:1-8, 12, 14, 17-21). 

 

Occasion: Joel wrote to warn his audience about a coming day in which God would judge His people. He compared this devastating judgement to a terrible locust invasion that had fairly recently swept through the land. What he said about this coming judgment has only seen partial fulfillment; some of it still lies in the eschatological future (i.e., the eschaton). God would send blessing as well as judgment, however, this too has only come partially on the Israelites so far. The prophet warned his hearers that unless they turned off their empty formalism in worship and turned back to Yahweh wholeheartedly, devastating judgment would overtake them. If they repented, God would pardon them and restore His blessings to them abundantly.

 

Joel 1 Commentary

Joel 1:1 KJV:

“The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.”

 

This verse tells us all that is known about the identity and origin of the prophet. Joel, like other prophets such as Hosea, Micah, and Zephaniah, mentions the name of his father only. Nothing is known about Joel or Pethuel’s personal backgrounds, not even when they lived. The introduction does not reference where they lived either, though references that follow suggest Judah (Joel 1:14; 2:1). The prophecy is the “word” (Hebrew dabar) that comes from the Lord and is, therefore, authoritative and of supreme importance. 

 

Joel 1:2-20: The rest of chapter 1 describes the effects of a severe locust plague that had recently destroyed the agriculture of the land. Some interpreters take this locust invasion as an allegory, but it seems to be more evident to take it as literal.

 

Joel 1:2 KJV:

“Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?”

 

The prophecy is addressed to the elders and all of the inhabitants of the land. Joel called on everyone from the respected elders of the land to the ordinary inhabitants to pay attention to what he had to say. This address shows the importance of the prophecy, for the elders would already have heard everything of importance from their fathers and their father’s fathers (memories of past times were handed down from generation to generation.), and yet the prophecy about to be uttered was more important than anything that has happened to this point. This emphasizes the uniqueness of this prophecy, which concerns an event the likes of which has not happened before and will not happen again.

 

“Hear…  give ear”: This shows the gravity of the situation and demanded the undivided focus of their senses, emphasizing the need to make a conscious, purposeful decision in the matter. 

 

Joel 1:3 KJV:

“Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.”

 

The prophecy is not to be forgotten, and it is to be communicated to succeeding generations.This is heavily underscored by the 3-fold injunction (Exodus 10:1-6; Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:6-7; 11:19; 32:7; Psalm 78:5-7; 145:4-7; Proverbs 4:1). The address provides an organizational key for the prophecy; two unique, never-to-be forgotten events are to be remembered and communicated to their descendants: the locust plague upon Israel and the Day of the Lord. The latter is the greater event and is prefigured by the former. 

 

Joel 1:4 KJV:

“That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.”

 

The 4 kinds of locusts refer to their species or their stages of development (2:25), where the writer mentions them in different order. The total destruction caused by their voracious appetites demands for them to return back to the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:38; Isaiah 33:4; Amos 7:1).

 

This verse describes the devastation of the “locust” plague. Moses prophesied that God would use locusts to punish His people if they were disobedient (Deuteronomy 28:38, 42). The language may express the four stages in the development of a single type of insect.

 

“The palmerworm” (Hebrew gazam, “to gnaw”) is the stage at which the locust is first hatched and is characterized by its gnawing activity.

 

“The locust” (Hebrew arben, “to be many”) is the most common name for the locust, and is the second stage, in which the locust gets its wings and flies.

 

“The cankerworm” (Hebrew yeleg, “to lick off”) is the stage in which it does its destructive work.

 

“The caterpillar” (Hebrew chasil, “to devour or to consume”) is the final stage, in which the locust reaches its full growth and devours everything in its path.

 

Were the locusts Literal or Figurative?

 

Some interpreters see the locusts as symbolic of an invading army, suggesting the locusts refer to another animal such as a horse (similar to Jeremiah 51:27). Other commentators view these locusts as a reference to modern-day helicopters, interpreting Joel’s prophecy as a prediction of a future war. However, such views neglect the intention of the author and the understanding of the original audience. Israelites saw locust swarms as deadly due to the locusts’ ability to wipe out an entire year’s harvest. Locust plagues had been seen before (Exodus 10:1-3; Psalm 105:34-35).

 

There is no doubt that Joel was warning his readers about a future day when God would judge all people. Most likely, Joel used a recent devastation of locusts as an illustration of Judgment Day. The disaster brought upon Israel’s agriculture was a small taste of a coming judgment on Israel and a later judgment upon the whole earth. Part of this prophecy was fulfilled when Israel was defeated by its enemies and taken into exile. The remaining judgments (2:28) will take place in the future Day of the Lord.

 

Why did God use a locust swarm to punish Israel?

 

A locust swarm has the potential to devastate all vegetation in its path and can cause economic disaster in a region. Ancient Israel was predominantly an agricultural society. As such, threats to the nation’s crops were one of the main concerns of its citizens. Moses had warned Israel of the results of disobedience in Deuteronomy 28:37–38. This ultimately would humble the nation, and the invasion would have affected them so much that they would return to God. 

 

Joel 1:5-13: Utilizing the form of a call to mourning, the prophet elaborated on the horrifying details and effects of the locust plague, This section contains four units (vv. 5-7, 8-10, 11-12, 13), each of which includes a call proper (vv. 5a, 8, 11a, 13a) followed by the reasons for sorrow (vv. 5b-7, 9-10, 11b-12, 13b). The personified land (or city?) as well as some of the groups most severely affected by the plague (drunkards, farmers, priests) were addressed. 

 

Joel 1:5 KJV:

“Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.”

 

There is something unique about this calamity. The calamity is so grievous that it affected even drunkards who were oblivious to everything. Joel urged the drunkards of the land to weep because the locusts had destroyed all the grapevines. The severity of the devastation called for public, communal mourning. There would be no grapes to produce sweet (the most favored) wine for them to drink (cf. Isaiah 5:11-12, 22; 22:13; 28:1, 7; 56:12; Hosea 4:11- 19; 7:5, 13-14; Amos 2:6-8; 6:6; 9:13; Micah 2:11; Acts 2:13, 15). The most effective way to get a drunkard’s attention is to deprive him of his drink. 

 

Joel 1:6 KJV:

“For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.”

 

“For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number,”

 

A literal invasion of locusts pictured the kind of destruction and judgement inflicted by human armies. They are like a numberless nation whose strength is irresistible. The key word in this verse is "my". Judah was His people. This nation could not come against God's land, except God ordained it. God sent this vicious nation against His people and land. The locust, whose numbers are wholly countless by man, is remarkable for its long flights. Its strength of limb is amazing; when pressed down by the hand on the table, it has almost the power to move the fingers.

 

Locust Flight: The locust’s power and efficiency comes from the wing’s complex construction and in-flight control of wing shape. The locust is using the bending and folding of its wings to control its aerodynamics (the way air moves around things) in a very efficient way. Their hind wings are adapted to deform cyclically (relating to, or characterized by cycles) and automatically through the wing stroke and that the deformations (the action or process of changing in shape or distorting, especially through the application of pressure) are subtly dependent on the wings' structure: their shape, venation and vein design and the local properties of the membrane. The insects predominantly fly fast forwards, generating most force on the downstroke, and the hind wings generate extra lift by peeling apart at the beginning of the downstroke and by developing a cambered section during the stroke's translation phase through the ‘umbrella effect’ - an automatic consequence of the active extension of the wings' expanded posterior fan. Bending experiments indicate that most of the hind wing is more rigid to forces from below than from above and demonstrate that the membrane acts as a stressed skin to stiffen the structure.*1 

 

“whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.”

 

Joel described these hostile, countless locusts as possessing the “fangs of a lioness,” so able were they to devour anything in their path. They are occasionally used as symbolic of violence (Genesis 49:9; Numbers 23:24) and of the violent, awesome nature of God’s judgment (Isaiah 30:6; Hosea 13:8). Their weapons are their teeth, and their teeth are as irresistible and effective as those of a great lion. 

 

*1: https://jeb.biologists.org/content/203/19/2921

 

Joel 1:7 KJV:

“He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.”

 

This describes the extremity of the desolation. The locusts, at first, attack all which is green and succulent. When this has been consumed, then they attack the bark of trees. No tree, plant, or any kind of vegetation, can resist them. When they have devoured all other vegetables, they attack the trees, consuming first the leaves, then the bark. After they have passed through the land, it is stripped bare; and the verdant trees are left white.

 

Joel 1:8 KJV:

“Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.”

 

There are two valid views as to who the audience of this verse is:

 

1. As with the drunkards, the religious leaders were to mourn like a virgin would on the day of her wedding when deprived of her husband by his untimely death. Instead of being dressed in her wedding garment, she dressed in sackcloth, a rough garment covering her entire body and indicating the depth of her grief and penitence.

 

2. The verse may also be about Jerusalem. The gender of "Wail" is feminine (singular), and Jerusalem is frequently compared to a virgin daughter in the Old Testament (2 Kings 19:21; Lamentations 1:15; Joel 2:1, 15, 23, 32). This "virgin" (Heb. bethulah) was to weep in "sackcloth," clothing appropriate for such an occasion, as though she had lost her "bridegroom" in death. The Hebrew word suggests that this virgin was a presently unmarried woman who anticipated union with her betrothed.

 

Joel 1:9 KJV:

“The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn.”

 

The two views in Joel 1:8 cause different but similar views in verse 9, as shown below:

 

1. This verse shows the effect of the plague upon the worship services of God’s house. The grain ordinarily used in the offering is gone. Hence, the ministers of God have nothing to offer, and the ordinary services of God are curtailed. 

 

2. The reason for Jerusalem's mourning was the locusts' destruction of grain, wine, and oil; blessings from God and the products needed to worship Him in the daily temple burnt offerings (Exodus 29:38-42; Leviticus 2; 6:14-18; 9:16-17; 23:18, 37; Numbers 15:5; 28:3-8).

 

Joel 1:10 KJV:

“The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.”

 

This describes the effect of the plague upon the field and the land. The land and fields were completely devastated. To agricultural people, this is the worst possible event that could happen to their land. “The land mourneth,” being destitute, nothing growing upon it, and so looked dismally, and of a horrid aspect; or the inhabitants of it, for want of provision. Oil is the emblem of the abundant graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of the light and devotion of soul given by Him, and spiritual gladness and overflowing, all-mantling charity. 

 

Joel 1:11 KJV:

“Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.”

 

The verb from בּושׁ (formed from יַבֵשׁ), means to be or feel ashamed, or turn pale with shame; חָפֵר is "to blush or turn red with shame." The primary emphasis of the Hebrew term connotes a public disgrace, a physical state to which the guilty party has been forcibly bought. This indicates the effect of the plague upon those who normally care for the land. The farmers and vinedressers are affected because their fields are bare and their vineyards are gone. The husbandmen are put to shame on account of the destruction of the wheat and barley- the entire failure of their field crops and ruin of their harvest; while the vinedressers have reason to howl because of the loss of their vines and the languishing of their fig trees.

 

Joel 1:12 KJV:

“The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.”

 

The picture was bleak, for even the deep roots of the trees could not withstand the torturous treatment administered by the locusts, especially when accompanied by an extended drought. The prophet, after particularizing the vine and fig tree, proceeds with the enumeration of other important fruit trees that had perished by the teeth of the locusts. These Israelites would not be able to rejoice in an abundant harvest, which every farmer and viticulturist anticipated (Psalm 4:7). Not only the symbols of divine blessing, but also the joy of divine blessing, had departed. The entire population is affected and all rejoicing is gone from the land. 

 

Joel 1:13 KJV:

“Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.”

 

The prophet turned again to the priests (cf. v. 9) and urged them to lament "in sackcloth," because the grain and wine used in their offerings were no longer available. Joel's second call to the priests underlines the tragedy of curtailed worship in Judah's life. Since there were no offerings to bring to the Lord, the nation could not approach Him—as He had directed— at the very time she needed Him most. The closing reference to the priests in this section contrasts with the opening reference to drunkards (vv. 5-7), moving from the most ungodly to the most godly (ideally). This merism has the effect of including all the citizens of Judah in Joel's call. Joel's reference to "my God" and "your God" in this verse ties him closely to the priests; their concerns and their relationship to Yahweh were ideally the same.

 

Joel 1:14 KJV:

“Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,”

 

“Sanctify ye a fast”

 

The prophet called the priest to take action, first by example (verse 13), and then by proclamation (verse 14). As the official leaders, it was their duty to proclaim a public fast so that the entire nation could return to the Lord and petition the Lord to forgive and restore.

 

“call a solemn assembly”

 

Directives for calling an assembly, generally for uncontrollable purposes (2 Chron. 7:9; Neh. 8:18), are given (in Num. 10:3). Parallel in thought to “consecrate a fast,” no work was permitted on such days (Lev. 23:36; Num. 29:35; Deut. 16:8).

 

“gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,”

 

Age was, by God‘s appointment in Leviticus 19:32, held in great reverence among the Hebrews. Their age, near to death and ripened in grace, makes them more apt for the fear and worship of God. The place of assembly was the house of the Lord; that is, the temple, or that portion of it called "the court of the Israelites." Nor were they to assemble there without an errand; the purpose of their assembling in that sacred place was to supplicate the Lord to alleviate their distress, or rather remove it altogether.

 

Joel 1:15 KJV:

“Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.”

 

The locust plague had destroyed (Heb. shadad) the fields and fruits of Judah, but Joel announced that things would get worse. Another day of destruction (Heb. shod) would come from the Lord, the Almighty (Heb. shadday). A locust plague was not only evidence of God's judgment (cf. Deuteronomy 28), but in the past it had been a harbinger of future worse destruction. A locust plague had preceded the plagues of darkness and death in Egypt (cf. Exodus 10—11). Thus, rather than seeing the locust plague as the end of the people's troubles, Joel saw it as a prelude to something worse. "The day of the LORD" is a term that appears frequently in the Old Testament, especially in the Prophets. It refers to a day (period of time) in which the Lord is working obviously, in contrast to other days, the day of man, in which man works without any apparent divine intervention. 

 

Here the day of the Lord is obviously one of destruction, though elsewhere it also refers to a day of blessing. The eschatological day of the Lord that the prophets anticipated includes both judgment (in the Tribulation) and blessing (in the Millennium and beyond). Here Joel spoke of an imminent day of the Lord; it was coming on Judah relatively soon (cf. Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:2-3; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:7-13).

 

The term "the day of the Lord" occurs prominently here in the prophetic writings, and it is a major theme of prophetic revelation (cf. Amos, Zephaniah). When used generally, this term refers to any period of time in which God is dealing with people in dramatic and direct ways. It usually describes God's dealings with Israel, but it is also used of His dealings with other nations: Edom (in Obadiah), Assyria, and Babylonia (in Isaiah, e.g.). It is always associated with judgment and or blessing. It may refer to the past, the immediate future, or the distant (eschatological) future. 

 

The technical sense of the term is more common in the Prophets. As a technical term, it refers to Israel's eschatological future that will include both judgment and blessing. Many "day of the Lord" passages refer to the future Tribulation. The emphasis of the Tribulation is primarily Jewish. This fact is borne out by Old Testament Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:30; Jeremiah 30:7; Ezekiel 20:37; Daniel 12:1; Zechariah 13:8, 9), by the Olivet Discourse of Christ (Matthew 24:9-26), and by the book of Revelation itself (Revelation 7:4-8; 12:1, 2, 17, etc.).  It concerns ‘Daniel’s people,’ the coming of ‘false Messiahs,’ the preaching of the ‘gospel of the kingdom,’ flight on the ‘Sabbath,’ the temple and the ‘holy place,’ the land of Judaea, the city of Jerusalem, the twelve “tribes of the children of Israel,” the ‘song of Moses,’ ‘signs’ in the heavens, the ‘covenant’ with the Beasts, the ‘sanctuary,’ the ‘sacrifice and the oblation’ of the temple ritual. These all speak of Israel and clearly demonstrate that the Tribulation is largely a time of God’s dealing with His ancient people prior to their entrance into the promised kingdom. The Jews thought the period of judgment would precede the Messiah's coming. It did precede His first coming, but it will precede His second coming as well. We know this by comparing what the prophets said with what was fulfilled at Jesus' first coming and what has yet to be fulfilled at His second coming (e.g., in Revelation).

 

Joel 1:16 KJV:

“Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?”

 

“Is not the meat cut off before our eyes”

 

Such an interrogation most strongly affirms; it was a matter beyond all question, but they could see it with their eyes. It was a plain case, and not to be denied, that every edible thing or that of which food was custom to be made, was cut off by the locusts, or the drought.

 

“joy and gladness from the house of our God?”

 

With the harvest being perished, there were no firstfruits brought to the temple, which used to be attended with great joy. And the corn and vines being wasted, no meat offerings made of fine flour, nor drink offerings of wine were offered, which used to make God and man glad.

 

Joel 1:17 KJV:

“The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.”

 

Drought had followed the denuding of the land by the locusts. Seeds were not germinating due to the lack of moisture.*1

Barns and silos had become empty and had fallen into disrepair, and domesticated animals were starving. 

 

*1 Germinating- (of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy.

 

Joel 1:18 KJV:

“How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.”

 

“How do the beasts groan!”

 

Which have shepherds to lead and direct them to pastures, and can feed on commons where the grass is short, which other cattle cannot. Yet even these were in great distress, wasted away, and were consumed for want of nourishment. The cattle groan for want of fodder, all green grass and herbs being eaten up by the locusts; and also for want of water to quench their thirst. 

 

"The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture"

 

The larger cattle, as oxen; these were in the utmost perplexity, not knowing where to go for food or drink.

 

“the flocks of sheep are made desolate.”

 

The sheep have shepherds to lead and direct them to pastures, and can feed on commons where the grass is short, which other cattle cannot. Yet even these were in great distress, wasted away, and were consumed for want of nourishment.

 

Joel 1:19 KJV:

“O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.”

 

“O Lord, to thee will I cry”

 

The prophet had to be the first to heed the warning. He had to lead by example and motivate the people to respond. In the midst of proclaiming judgment, God’s prophets often led in intercessory prayer for mercy and forgiveness (Exodus 32:11-14; Jeremiah 42:1-4; Daniel 9:1-19; Amos 7:1-6).

 

“for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.”

 

Joel cried out to Yahweh in prayer in the distress that he shared with his countrymen. Fire had burned the dried pastures and trees, or perhaps severe drought (like a fire) had done so. The gnawing of locusts leaves things, as though scorched by fire; the sun and the east wind scorch up all green things, as though it had been the actual contact of fire. This is the same problem we read about in Isaiah. There was a drought, there was fire that burned what did spring up, and there were swords which killed, as well. It seems that all of nature was in opposition to them. The truth is that God has sent a curse upon man, beast, and the crops of the field.

 

Joel 1:20 KJV:

“The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.”

 

The prophet has cried to God; the very beasts echo that cry, the wilder sort, that rove about many miles seeking their livelihood, find no sustenance, they look up to God, and cry to him: these creatures, that can better shift for themselves, yet can make no good shift; they utter their complaints in their sad tones, they have a voice to cry, as well as an eye to look to God. The brooks were dry, and even the wild animals panted for water. Joel could say they panted for Yahweh because the Lord was the provider of the water these animals sought (Psalm 42:1). By panting for Yahweh, these animals were setting a good example for the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q78 (4QXIIc; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 10–20; and 4Q82 (4QXIIg; 25 BCE) with extant verses 12–14.

 

Joel 2 Commentary

 

Joel 2:1-27: Joel had spoken briefly of a coming day of the Lord in 1:15, but now he said more about it. 

 

Joel 2:1-11: There are two major interpretations to these verses; these will be explained in the passages below. Some believe that these verses are an extended metaphor describing the literal past locust invasion referred to in chapter 1, which I tend to favor, while others believe these verses are talking about a future military invasion. In a substantial amount of the following verses, the first interpretation interprets the passages as referencing the future. However, the second interpretation will interpret the passage as referring to the past locust swarm. 

 

Joel 2:1 KJV:

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;”

 

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain”

 

The prophet ordered a trumpet (Heb. shophar, ram's horn) to be blown in Zion (Jerusalem), specifically on the temple mount, to sound an alarm (Jeremiah 4:5-6; Ezekiel 33:2-6). Judah must hear and heed the prophet’s instructions. Therefore, it is necessary to gain the people’s attention by blowing the trumpet and sounding an alarm. Sometimes "Zion" refers to Jerusalem in the eschaton, but other times it is simply a poetic synonym for Jerusalem. Joel used it in the latter sense here. The trumpet was used primarily for religious purposes to call the congregation together for meetings, to usher in the beginning of the month, and to note solemn days and festive occasions. In this instance, however, the trumpet is to be used to sound an alarm to alert people of the seriousness of the crisis. This shophar was the ancient equivalent of an air raid siren. 

 

“let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;”

 

The day of the Lord was coming, and all the inhabitants of the city should tremble (See note on Joel 1:15).

 

Joel 2:2 KJV:

“A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.”

 

That day would be a time of foreboding evil, symbolized by a very overcast sky. It is interesting that a plague of darkness followed a locust plague in Egypt (Exod. 10). "Darkness" and "clouds" are common figures for judgment and destruction in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 13:16; Ezekiel 30:3, 18; 32:7-8; 34:12; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:15). They are often associated with Yahweh in His role of mighty, victorious warrior (Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22-23; Psalm 18:9, 11; 97:2). All of these figures emphasize the uniqueness of this terrible day of judgement. Truly, there has never been anything like this, and there will never be anything like it again. 

 

Joel could envision a gigantic army spread over the horizon "like the dawn." (Maybe the attack was coming from the east, the direction of the dawn.) He said there had never been "anything like" this "day," nor would there be after it—not even the plagues in Egypt. This may be hyperbole, or this day may refer to the Great Tribulation, when the Jews will experience their worst ever attack. Joel said this attack was near, either in the near future in his day, or relatively near from his perspective as a prophet (2 Peter 3:8). Many scholars take this passage as predicting an invasion of Jerusalem by some ancient enemy of Israel, such as Assyria or Babylonia, in the relatively near future. Other interpreters view 2:1-11 as a further description of the locust plague that Joel described in chapter 1. This seems unlikely since the locust plague of chapter 1 was past, but the attack in 2:1-11 was future. 

 

Joel 2:3 KJV:

“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.”

 

This is the beginning of the two major interpretations to these verses:

 

1. This huge army advanced like a forest fire, consuming everything in its path (Joel 1:19). Before the devastation, conditions were idyllic, but after it, there was nothing but a scorched-earth wilderness. Nothing escaped the advancing judgment (Exodus 10:5, 15). 

 

2. The prophet moves from the ultimate day of the Lord to the present locust crisis, which prefigures that ultimate day of the Lord. As bad as the present locust crisis is, it is only a taste of the worst judgement of God, which is yet to come. This is not to be understood of the heat of the sun, or of the great drought that went before and continued after the locusts; but of they themselves, which were like a consuming fire. Wherever they came, they devoured all green grass, herbs, and leaves of the trees; the same as fire does stubble. Verse 3 describes the general effects of the locust plague; “the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.” It was like the Garden of Eden because it was abounding with fields and vineyards, set with fruitful trees, planted with all manner of pleasant plants, and all kinds of corn growing upon it; it even resembled a paradise. It will be as desolate as the wilderness- as all green grass has been eaten up, the corn of the field devoured, the vines and olives destroyed, the leaves and fruit of them quite gone, and the trees themselves stripped of their bark. Nothing could escape them- no herb, plant, or tree, could escape the locusts; nor any city, town, or village; nor scarce any particular person, could escape them.

 

Joel 2:4-5 KJV:

“The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.”

 

1. Joel compared this advancing army to "war horses" and "chariots," the war machines of his day. He heard the familiar sound of chariots in battle, which he likened to the crackling of fire as it rages up a mountainside, swiftly consuming everything in its path. The huge army that Joel saw appeared unstoppable. The correspondence between the army of locusts that had recently swept through the land swiftly, and this future invading army, is unmistakable. Even their sounds were similar. However, the point of the comparison is probably because the horse is a symbol of power and might (Isaiah 31:1-3; Hosea 14:3; Micah 5:10; Haggai 2:22; Zechariah 9:10; 12:4; Revelation 9:7).

 

2. The resemblance of the locust’s head to that of a horse is striking, so much so that the prophet reiterates the word “appearance.” The Italian word for locust means "little horse," and the German word means "hay horse.” Horses were not used for agricultural purposes in ancient times, but were the most feared military equipment (Exodus 15:1, 19; Deuteronomy 20:1; Joshua 11:4). The motion of the locusts is leaping from place to place; for which the locusts have legs peculiarly made, their hindermost being the longest; wherefore Pliny observes, that insects which have their hindermost legs, are the long leap locusts (Leviticus 11:21). Their sound resembles the jumping of chariots on mountains and hills, which are uneven, and usually have stones scattered about, which, with the chains and irons about chariots, cause a great rattling; and the noise of locusts is compared to the noise of these, which is represented as very great. They are before compared to fire, and a flame of fire that devoured all things as easily as the fire devours stubble, so here to the crackling noise of it.  "As a strong people set in battle array": That is, as the noise of a mighty army prepared for battle, just going to make the onset, when they lift up their voices aloud, and give a terrible shout; for this clause, as the other two, refer to the noise made by the locusts in their march.

 

Joel 2:6 KJV:

“Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.”

 

1. As this army advanced, all the people in and around Jerusalem felt terrified and turned pale with fear (Isaiah 26:17; Jeremiah 4:31; Micah 4:10).

 

2. At the sight of the locust they shall be in pain, as a woman in travail. Into such distress an army of locusts would throw them, since they might justly fear all the fruits of the earth would be devoured by them, and they should have nothing left to live upon. "All faces shall gather blackness": Like that of a pot, as the word signifies; or such as appears in persons dying, or in fits and swoons; and this here, through fear and hunger (see Nahum 2:10).

 

Some of the translators say this is speaking of a paleness that comes over the face when the blood runs out. Their hearts would fail them for fear of things coming upon the earth. It could very well be speaking of mourning, to the extent that the face became black with death.

 

Joel 2:7 KJV:

“They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:”

 

1. The enemy soldiers ran with great stamina and climbed over walls, as locusts do. They were very disciplined in their attack, each one staying in his proper position and not crowding his fellow soldiers (Joshua 6:5). Even when they broke through an obstacle, they did not break ranks.

 

2. "They shall run like mighty men": Like men of war, in a hostile way, as soldiers run upon their enemy with undaunted courage and bravery. Bochart from Pisidas describes the locusts' manner of fighting, and says they strike not standing, but running. "They shall climb the wall like men of war": Scale the walls of cities as besiegers do; walls and bulwarks cannot keep them out; all places are accessible to them- walled cities, towns, and even houses (Exodus 10:6). "And they shall march everyone on his ways": In his proper path, following one another and keeping just distance. "And they shall not break their ranks": Or, "pervert their ways," as the word signifies in the Arabic language, and as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, observe: that is, decline not from their paths, as the Septuagint version; proceed in an orderly way, keep rank and file. 

 

Joel 2:8 KJV:

“Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.”

 

1. This is either the sequence of their not breaking rank, or perhaps it is a coordinate particular in the detail. They neither straggle away from each other, and so fall out of rank, nor do they crowd and crush and press each other while keeping rank. The order of their march is perfect, every one keeping his proper place and in the proper path. The army would not cut off, break off, or interrupt their course. No force of arms can stray their progress or step their advance.

 

2. The locust wouldn’t press upon another, thrust him out of his place, or push him forward, or any ways straiten and distress him, or in the least hinder him in his progress. Each of them should have its path and keep in it, and it should be as roomy to him as if he had a highway to walk on by himself and in which he could not err. "They shall not be wounded": Or, "cut to pieces” by it; it not being easy for the sword to pierce and cut them, through the smoothness and smallness of their bodies (see Revelation 9:9). They have hard scales like a coat of mail, but the expression refers to the utter uselessness of all means to prevent their plundering. 

 

Joel 2:9 KJV:

“They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.”

 

1. They rushed on the city of Jerusalem, ran along its walls, and climbed into its houses like many thieves. Again, the comparison with locusts is striking (Exodus 10:5-6).

 

2. "They shall run to and fro in the city": Leap about from place to place, as locusts do (see Isaiah 33:4). “They shall run upon the wall,” which before they climbed; now they shall run upon, and go from tower to tower. Joel had described their approach: they had come over "the tops of the mountains," those which protected Jerusalem, and now he describes them scaling "the wall," "mounting the houses," "entering the windows," and "running to and fro in the city." Here the description has reached its height. The city is given over to those who assault it. There remains nothing more, save the shaking of heaven and the earth. They shall climb up upon the houses, and enter in at the windows, like a thief; so, the locusts entered into the houses of the Egyptians (Exodus 10:6); and Pliny says, they will eat through everything and even the doors of houses. Their houses were not airtight, and these locusts got into the houses, as well. There will be nothing safe before them. 

 

Joel 2:10 KJV:

“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:”

 

1. The earth trembles as this army advances. The heavens also tremble. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars fade from view. Cosmic disturbances like these are common in biblical descriptions of Yahweh waging war (Joel 3:16; Judges 5:4; Psalm 18:7; 77:18; Isaiah 13:10, 13; Ezekiel 32:7; Zechariah 14:6-7; Revelation 6—18).

 

2. “Earth shall quake … sun and the moon shall be dark”: The ground trembles as dust flies along with the growing devastation. Earthquakes and cosmic disruptions are well attested elsewhere as signs accompanying divine appearances (Judges 5:4; Psalm 18:7; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Nahum 1:5-6; Matthew 24:7). Joel later refers to these signs (2:31; 3:15). Of which are still speaking of the terror the locusts put into the hearts of men. It is additionally speaking of the time of the end when the sun and the moon do not shine. At that time, there will be an earthquake felt around the entire world. This near devastation that Joel is speaking of here is a type and shadow of that great and terrible day at the end of the age.

 

Joel 2:11 KJV:

“And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”

 

This is the ending of the two different interpretations:

 

1. It now becomes clear that Yahweh is leading this army against Jerusalem. Normally, the Lord fought for His people, but here Joel saw Him leading an army against them. He is the One who is directing the soldiers with His voice. His host is both numerous and strong. The day of this attack, the day of the Lord, is great and awesome, and no one can withstand it (Malachi 3:2; 4:5).

 

2. This verse injects a new note into an already catastrophic scene. Nature has not gone awry; the locusts are not beyond God’s control. Infact, the locust army is marching under God’s control and at His specific command. The effect is like the great day of the Lord, and no flesh will be able to survive. 

 

Joel 2:12-17: Before such an invincible army the nation’s only hope was to turn immediately (“even now,” v. 12) to the Lord in repentance. 

 

Joel 2:12 KJV:

Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:”

 

Speaking for the Lord, Joel urged his hearers, even now, even though judgment was threatened, to return to the Lord. However, he clarified that their returning needed to be wholehearted, not just external. Fasting, weeping, and mourning would give evidence of the people's sincerity and serve as external signs of inward grief and sorrow, testifying their hearty return to the Lord, which, though, without the heart, signifies nothing, for the honor and glory of God.

 

Joel 2:13 KJV:

“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

 

They had to rend their hearts, not merely their garments. Rending (or tearing) their garments was a customary way for a Jew to show his grief. They needed to return to Yahweh their God (2 Chronicles 7:14). This was a call to return to obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. If they did, they could count on Him being gracious, compassionate, patient, loyal, and willing to withhold punishment from them (Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8; 143:8; Isaiah 28:21; Jonah 4:2). 

 

Joel 2:14 KJV:

“Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?”

 

Their genuine return might—Yahweh is still sovereign—move Him to turn from His previously intended course of action and bless them, rather than curse them (Malachi 3:7).

 

Joel 2:15 KJV:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:”

 

The prophet urged the blowing of the shophar in Zion again, but, this time, to call a public assembly and a fast, rather than to announce the coming invader (Joel 1:1, 14). This was for the calling of the people together to religious duties, which was one use of the silver trumpets made for and blown by the priests (Numbers 10:2). Fasting involved sacrificially going without food in order to devote oneself to a higher spiritual purpose.

 

Joel 2:16 KJV:

“Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.”

 

Everyone, without exception, in the entire "congregation," should participate, from the oldest ("elders") to the youngest ("nursing infants"). The "elders," in this context, probably refers to the leaders of the nation. Even newlyweds ("bridegroom" and "bride"), who sometimes received a special exemption for being newly wed (Deuteronomy 24:5), needed to attend this meeting. 

 

This is according to interpretation 1 in verses 1-11: It is interesting that the Jews will assemble in the Promised Land, having received encouragement from the Antichrist, during the first half of the Tribulation. Then, the invader will descend on their land and the terrible prospect envisioned in verses 1-11 will take place in the second half of the Tribulation. The Antichrist will persecute them.

 

Joel 2:17 KJV:

“Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

 

The priests should take the lead in this public expression of returning to the Lord. They should weep and pray for God to have mercy on His people, because they were His special inheritance, for the glory of His name. This altar was not the altar of incense which stood in the Holy Place; but the altar of burnt offering, where the priests used to stand and do service. They are directed to plead, not in the way of justice, but mercy: that though it might be just with God to destroy these people, who He called by His name. Yet, it is entreated that He would not, but in mercy spare them, and not cut them off in his sore displeasure, which the present judgment threatened them with. 

 

“and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

 

The pagans might conclude that the Lord was unable or unwilling to defend His chosen people from their enemy if He allowed the invader to succeed. These were the people whom He had chosen for His inheritance, and the land of Canaan He had given to them for an inheritance; both would be given to reproach if such a famine should ensure that they must be obliged to go into other countries for food. "That the heathen should rule over them": As they would, should they be forced to leave their own country, and settle in theirs for the sake of food. "Wherefore should they say among the people, where is their God?" They boast of their Creator and Benefactor, their Protector and Defender, that gave them a land flowing with milk and honey, and abounding with all blessings? What has become of that? And where is He now? The Gentiles would say the previous in a reproaching blaspheming way.

 

Joel 2:18 KJV:

“Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.”

 

If the Israelites returned sincerely, Yahweh would be zealous to protect His chosen land from foreign invaders, and would also have pity on His chosen people. This was His essential response. Beginning in Joel 2:18, Israel ceases to be the object of God's judgment and becomes, instead, the object of His blessing. In a similar reversal, the hordes (locusts and humans) cease to be the instruments of God's judgment on Israel and become, instead, the objects of God's judgment. This reversal was originally foretold by God through Moses in Deuteronomy 30:1-9. The Lord will be "zealous" for it; for the honor of it, the good of its inhabitants, and for the glory of His own name- it being the chief place in the world for his worship and service. And his indignation will be moved against those who have brought desolation on it. "And pity his people": As a father pities his children, who had suffered much, and had been reduced to great distress by the locusts, or by their enemies. This, the prophet foretells, would be done upon their repenting, fasting, prayers, and tears. Or, as some think, this is a narrative of what had been done, and the prophet was a witness of it.

 

Joel 2:19 KJV:

“Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:”

 

Joel had interpreted the Lord's response (Joel 2:18), and now he relayed His instructions (Joel 2:19-27). Yahweh would restore all that the locusts had eaten: grain, wine, and oil (1:10). The people would enjoy plenty of these products in the future (Deuteronomy 6:10-11; 8:7-10; 11:13-15). Yahweh would also never again allow the nations to disparage His people, assuming that they would not apostatize again (Joel 2:26-27). "Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil": That is, cause the earth to bring forth corn, as wheat and barley, and the vines and olive trees to bring forth grapes and olives, from which wine and oil might be made. This is, according to some interpreters, to be understood as an abundance of spiritual blessings. Another view, less acceptable from my viewpoint, is that this promise is unconditional and refers to Israel's eschatological future- the problem with this view is that the Jews will experience some antagonism at the very end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:7-10). 

 

Joel 2:20 KJV:

“But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.”

 

The prophet now revealed that this invader would come from the north. Both Assyria and Babylon, as well as all other eastern invaders, entered Israel from the north because of the impassibility of the Arabian Desert to Israel's east. (This is probably the strongest verse in support of the view that a literal army is in view in chapter 2). If 'the northerner' is yet future (eschatological), the army is possibly the army in Joel 3:9, 12; Daniel 11:40; and Zechariah 14:2. Instead of leading this army against Jerusalem (Joel 2:11), the Lord would drive it from Judah. He would drive its soldiers "into a parched and desolate land," (Possibly Arabia?) into "the eastern (Dead) sea," and into "the western (Mediterranean) sea" (Daniel 11:45). In other words, He would turn against them rather than leading them, and scatter them rather than uniting them against Jerusalem. The "foul smell" and "stench" of the dead carcasses of the many soldiers would fill the air because they had done many "great things" (possibly meaning that they had arrogantly invaded the Holy Land—unprovoked—causing vast destruction and much death, i.e., atrocities). In short, they had tried to overthrow God's people (cf. the Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea). Masses of dead locusts also smell terrible, especially after dying in the sea and then being washed ashore.

 

Joel 2:21 KJV:

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.”

 

Joel called on the land, personified to represent its people, to rejoice because the Lord had done great things (in contrast to the enemy army v. 20). "Be glad and rejoice": at the destruction of their enemies. The enemy had “done great things.” Now, the cause of joy is that God had “done great things;” the Almightiness of God overwhelming and sweeping over might put forth to destroy. 

 

Joel 2:22 KJV:

“Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.”

 

"Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field": Which, before, groaned, were perplexed for want of pasture, and cried because of the drought (Joel 1:18). Perhaps the Gentiles may be here designed, in the mystic and spiritual sense, in distinction from the Jews, the children of Zion (in Joel 2:23). "For the pastures of the wilderness do spring": Grass in abundance springs up in them and covers them, so that there was plenty of food for the beasts of the field. "For the tree beareth her fruit": Brings forth and bears fruit suitable for it, agreeable to its nature. "The fig tree and the vine do yield their strength": Send forth their branches, put forth their buds, their leaves, and fruit. This, and the preceding clause, cannot be understood as reasoning for why the beasts of the field should not be afraid, for they relate not to them, but men.

 

Joel 2:23 KJV:

“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

 

They had keenly felt and deeply bewailed the unparalleled catastrophe which had befallen laud, cattle, and inhabitants, and, also, themselves among the number. The sons of Zion are the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the capital, where the national sanctuary for the worship of Jehovah was. Not only are the inhabitants of Jerusalem included, but, as the capital often stood for the whole country, all the inhabitants of Judah are comprehended under the "children of Zion”. They were called upon to manifest their rejoicings in the place where the trumpet had been sounded for the proclamation of the fast. Fall and spring rains, signs of divine blessing (Deuteronomy 11:14), had replaced drought so the Lord's people could again rejoice rather than grieve (Joel 1:5, 8, 11, 13, 20).

 

Joel 2:24 KJV:

“And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.”

 

The threshing floors would be full of grain and the vats would overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 1:17). The word בּר, from בּרר, meaning to separate, denotes the pure grain separated from the husk or chaff and straw. שׁוּק is "to run," and in Hiph.," to cause to run" as of fluids, then overflow; and, Pilel in Psalm 65:10, shoqeq, "to cause to overflow." 

 

Joel 2:25 KJV:

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.”

 

The Lord further promised that He would make up to His people what they had suffered because of the locust invasion (Joel 1:4; Exod. 22:1; 2 Kings 4:7). The "years that the locusts had eaten" refers to the yield or produce of those years. Sin had resulted in covenant curses, but repentance would result in covenant blessings (Deuteronomy 28—29). 

 

Joel 2:26 KJV:

“And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.”

 

The people would have plenty to eat and would feel physically satisfied. They would also be full spiritually and praise Yahweh their God for working wonders for them (Exodus 3:15; 15:11; 34:10; Joshua 3:5; Judges 6:13; Psalm 77:14). Then, they would never be put to shame, again, assuming that they continued in their attitude of humble trust and obedience (Joel 2:19).

 

Joel 2:27 KJV:

“And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.”

 

God's blessings would be evidence of His presence among them, increasing the intimacy of their fellowship with Him (Numbers 11:20; 14:14; Deuteronomy 7:21). They would realize in their experience that He is the only true God (Exodus 6:7; 16:12; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39), and they would abide in that shameless condition as long as they remained faithful to Him.

 

Joel 2:28-32: Covenant Theologians believe that many Old Testament passages were fulfilled in the New Testament, while Dispensational Theologians, such as myself, believe that many of the Old Testament passages will be fulfilled at a later date. Covenant Theologians explain the events of Pentecost as a fulfillment of Joel’s prophetic vision, while Dispensational Theologians believe a partial or future fulfillment. The text below will explain why Joel 2 isn't fulfilled in Acts 2:

 

Look at what Peter actually says concerning the relationship of Joel’s passage to the events on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:14-16:

 

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel . . .”

 

In explaining the events of Pentecost by referring to the passage in Joel, Peter links the two by the phrase, ἀλλα τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ εἰρημένον [alla touto estin to eirēmenon] — but this, it is, the [thing] having been spoken through the prophet Joel. Covenant Theologians assert this necessitates fulfillment. Yet, numerous passages within the New Testament reference the Old Testament by way of illustration or allusion to a principle which is common to both. Here, a plain sense comparison of the two passages quickly shows that fulfillment is not what Peter has in mind. The portions of the passage from Joel explicitly cited by Peter in Acts 2 predict:

 

1. Holy Spirit poured out 
2. Sons and daughters prophesy
3. Young men see visions
4. Old men dream dreams 
5. Wonders in heaven shown
6. Signs in the earth (specifically: blood, fire, vapor of smoke)
7. Sun turned into darkness

 

The events actually recorded in Acts 2 include:

 

1. Holy Spirit poured out 

 

2. Sons prophesy (granted, for the sake of discussion, which assumes their statements concerning the “wonderful works of God” are taken as prophecy in the sense of encouragement)

 

Paying attention to the details, we have 1, or, possibly, 2 out of the 7 predictions from Joel 2 that actually occur in some form in Acts 2. We are far better served interpreting Joel by recognizing that Peter is referring to the Joel passage in order to explain the unusual activities of those who were speaking in unlearned languages through the work of the Holy Spirit. Peter is essentially saying, “Joel predicted that God would pour out His spirit upon all flesh,” with the result that people would prophesy- so this event is consistent with Old Testament revelation.

 

We see a similar approach taken by James at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:14-17), where he refers back to an Old Testament passage (Amos 9:11-12) to explain that the issues before the council, concerning Gentile salvation, were consistent with the predictions of the Holy Spirit through the prophet Amos- that stated there would be Gentiles who seek God and “who are called by My name.” In other words, Gentile salvation should not be a surprising situation unexpected by the early Church since the Old Testament predicted it. As with Peter’s citation of Joel, James is not citing Amos to teach that the predicted restoration of the tabernacle of David is being fulfilled by way of Gentile salvation. He is simply appealing to the Old Testament to underscore that the events taking place at that time were entirely consistent with Old Testament teaching, nothing more. 

 

This business of prophetic precision has a lot to do with why those who embrace Dispensational Theology, like myself, continue to find Covenant Theologians assertions of “fulfillment” unconvincing. Many Covenant Theologians want to find premature fulfillment so they are willing to gloss over the details which indicate it’s not so. Other illustrations which fit here, from among many which could be given, include God’s promises at the end of Amos regarding the permanent occupation of the Promised Land by Israel (Amos 9:14-15) and Jesus’ promise to the 12 disciples that they will judge over the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30).

 

Joel 2:28-29 KJV:

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”

 

"After this," namely, after the deliverance from the northern invader just described, God promised to pour out His Spirit on all the Israelites— without gender, age, class, or position distinctions. In other words, He would pour out His Spirit on all classes of Israelites. Other similar promises identify the Israelites as the recipients of the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27; 37:14; 39:29; Zechariah 12:10), and here "your sons and daughters" (i.e., Israelites) are the object of this blessing. God never gave His Spirit to unbelievers, so believing Israelites are in view. 

 

Amillennialists typically believe that "all flesh" means all believers, namely, believing Jews and Gentiles in the church. Premillennialist Walter Kaiser believed that "all flesh" means "all mankind" because the gift of the Spirit extends to slaves, and the Israelites had Gentile slaves (Deuteronomy 20:10-14; 1 Chronicles 2:34-35). But, the Israelites also had Israelite slaves (Exodus 21:1-11; 2 Kings 4:1). 

 

In Old Testament times, God gave His Spirit only to select individuals (Numbers 11:24-29; 1 Samuel 10:10-11; 19:20-24). But, in the future, everyone (i.e., all Jewish believers) would prophesy and receive revelations from the Lord. "Prophesying" often describes praising God in the Bible (1 Chronicles 25:1-3), so that may be in view here. "Visions" and "dreams" were God's customary ways of giving special revelations to people in Old Testament times (Numbers 12:6). Normally, the absence of prophetic revelation indicated sin and divine judgment, but the presence of such revelation reflected divine blessing (1 Samuel 3:1; Amos 8:11). So, a universal bestowal of the "Spirit" on Jewish believers indicates a future time of unprecedented divine blessing. This would be the fulfillment of Moses' desire (Numbers 11:29; Isaiah 32:15; 44:3- 4; Ezekiel 36:27-28; 37:14; 39:29; Zechariah 12:10).

 

Joel 2:30-31 KJV:

“And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.”

 

The Lord also promised awesome displays of celestial phenomena before this great and terrible day of the Lord arrived. Awe-inspiring miracles ("wonders") would occur "in the sky" as well as "on the earth." The appearance of "blood, fire, and columns of smoke" suggests warfare, with God's hand at work behind the scenes (Exodus 19:9, 16-18; Revelation 6:12- 17). "The sun" would become dark and "the moon" would turn red ("become blood"). These are probably descriptions of how these heavenly bodies will look (the language of appearance), not what will become of them, given other similar explanations (Joel 2:2, 10; 3:15; Jeremiah 4:23-24; Ezekiel 32:6-8; Amos 5:18- 20; 8:9; Zephaniah 1:15; Revelation 6:12-13). This sign will precede the great and awesome day of the Lord— still future (Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25- 28).

 

Joel 2:32 KJV:

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”

 

The promise continued, that whoever would call on the name of Yahweh would be delivered. To 'call on the name of Yahweh’ means not merely to pray to him, but to worship him consistently and presumably exclusively (Genesis 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 1 Kings 18:24; Psalm 116:17; Zephaniah 3:9); the expression can also indicate open acknowledgment of one's faith amid a hostile environment (Psalm 105:1; Isaiah 12:4; Zechariah 13:9). "The day of the Lord," described earlier in this chapter, involved God judging the enemies of His people, and this eschatological day of the Lord also involves divine judgment. Therefore, the deliverance in view must be from divine judgment (Romans 11:26). Specifically, there will be people on Mt. Zion and in Jerusalem who escape, even among the survivors of previous distresses, whom Yahweh has chosen for deliverance (Isaiah 51:3; Zechariah 13:8). The "day of the LORD" that Joel predicted here begins with the Tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27; Rev. 6—18), continues through the return of Christ and the Millennium (Revelation 19—20), and culminates in the Eternal State (2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21—22). The signs in view picture what the book of Revelation describes further as occurring in the Tribulation, and pouring out of the Spirit will occur at the beginning of the Millennium. Then, all believers will possess the Spirit and will have the ability to receive fresh revelations from the Lord. Forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are two of the four great blessings of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31- 34; Ezekiel 36:24-30). 

 

Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q78 (4QXIIc; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 1, 8–23; 4Q82 (4QXIIg; 25 BCE) with extant verses 2–13; and Wadi Murabba'at Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75–100 CE) with extand verses 20, 26–27, 28–32 (verses 28–32 = 3:1–5 in Masoretic Text).

 

Joel 3 Commentary

Joel 3:1 KJV:

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,”

 

“In those days, when I shall bring again”: Namely, out of Babylon (to which deliverance this promise seems primarily to refer), the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem -- as the type of the whole remnant which shall be saved. “When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,”: This form of expression includes, beside the restoration of God's people from their dispersion and redemption out of captivity or distress of any kind, their elevation to a higher position of dignity and to greater prosperity than they had ever before enjoyed. 

 

Joel 3:2 KJV:

“I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”

 

“I will also gather all nations”: In the type the expression means, all those nations that had oppressed Judah. He would gather the other nations to "the valley of Jehoshaphat" ("Yahweh Judges"). If this is a geographical location, this is the only passage in Scripture that names the site of this judgment (Zechariah 14:2-5). Its exact location is debatable, since no valley by this name appears elsewhere in Scripture (cf. vv. 12, 14). Many interpreters believe it is the valley of Megiddo, just north and east of the Mt. Carmel range. Others believe that it must be a site near Jerusalem, perhaps the Kidron Valley. Another view is that Joel was referring, in a more general sense, to the place where God will judge the nations. That is, the name is symbolic. In this case, "the valley of Jehoshaphat" would mean the place where Yahweh judges, without reference to a specific geographical site. The following clause ("Then will I enter into judgment with them there") seems to support this view. 

 

“Will plead with them”: after the manner of a just and impartial judge, God will debate His people’s cause, and do them right. 

 

“There”: in the midst of the church, signified by the valley of Jehoshaphat, the valley of the judgment of God. 

 

“For my people”: Judah, the two tribes.

 

“For my heritage Israel”: purchased and possessed by God ever since they were brought out of Egypt; though many times invaded and injured by their unjust neighbours, who were so much their enemies because they were peculiar people and kept to God's worship.

 

“Whom they have scattered among the nations”: either by force driving them out of their habitations, or else carrying them into captivity.

 

Joel 3:3 KJV:

“And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.”

 

Such was the contumely with which they were treated at the time of the great catastrophe referred to. The captives were distributed by lot among the conquerors; these in turn sold them to the slave-dealers for the merest trifle - a slave-boy for the hire of a harlot, or a slave-girl for a glass or draught of wine. Such treatment had been predicted ages before, and was verified by contemporaneous history (Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:36).

 

Joel 3:4 KJV:

“Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;”

 

The Lord addressed the Phoenicians and Philistines directly. They had no special relationship to Yahweh, as Israel did, and they had not been just in dealing with the Israelites. The Lord promised to repay them for their sins. These nations are probably representative of all of Israel's enemies, since God later said that He would judge "all" of them (v. 12). The Lord identified Himself with His people and denied that these nations had any justification for their actions (this is the force of the rhetorical questions in v. 4). God then announced that He would repay them for their offenses (v. 4b).

 

Joel 3:5 KJV:

“Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:”

 

Specifically, these Gentile nations had robbed God. These nations had stolen from the Israelites. The silver, gold, and precious or desirable things, whether taken immediately from the temple of God or plundered mediately from the palaces or wealthy mansions of his people, were transferred to their temples and suspended as trophies therein - a custom common among ancient nations.

 

Joel 3:6 KJV:

“The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.”

 

The part which the Phoenicians had in the transaction was the purchase and sale of the Jewish captives who had fallen into the hands of the Philistine conquerors. The mention of Grecians, or sons of Javan, brings, for the first time, the Hellenic and Hebrew races into contact - a contact sad and sorrowful for the latter. 

 

“that ye might remove them far from their border.”

 

This was at once the climax of their cruelty and the aggravation of their crime. The object which their enemies had in view in selling the Hebrew captives to the sons of Javan, or Ionian Greeks of Asia Minor, was by that remote exile to prevent the possibility of their return to their own land.

 

Joel 3:7 KJV:

“Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:”

 

To pay back these nations, the Lord said He would revive the Israelites in the remote places to which they had been sold. The Israelites would grow strong there and would sell the descendants of these Phoenicians and Philistines to the Sabeans (Ezekiel 27:22-23). 

 

Joel 3:8 KJV:

“And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.”

 

The Hebrew expression does not mean "to sell by the hand of," as it is erroneously rendered by some; but "to sell into the hand," that is, to deliver over into the power of the children of Judah. The Sabeans were the inhabitants of Sheba, in Arabia Felix, a people actively engaged in trade, and related to the Pales-tinians in the south, as the Grecians in the north. 

 

Fulfillment:

 

Interpretation 1: This may have been fulfilled in the fourth century B.C., or the fulfillment may still be in the future. Some see Antiochus III's enslavement of the people of Sidon in 345 B.C. and Alexander the Great's enslavement of the citizens of Tyre and Gaza in 332 B.C. as a partial fulfillment, assuming Jews were involved in these transactions.

 

Interpretation 2: This may lie in the future, specifically toward the end of the Tribulation, since this whole section of Joel may deal with what God will do in that "day of the Lord."

 

Joel 3:9 KJV:

“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:”

 

After the digression on the Phoenicians and Philistines (Joel 3:4-8), the thought of Joel 3:1-3 is resumed; the description of the judgement on the nations, announced in Joel 3:2, is continued. God having foretold these judgments against Tyre and Sidon, the Philistines, and the neighbouring nations, who had used the Jews with injustice and cruelty, proceeds here to confirm His people in the belief of the certainty of their destruction; which He tells them should be as sure as though they themselves had gathered them together by proclamation for it. The nations were to rouse and bring forward into the field strong and valiant men.

 

Joel 3:10 KJV:

“Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.”

 

The nations should prepare for a great battle by beating their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears. At a later time, in the Millennium, they will do the reverse because the Messiah will end the war (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). The weak should "psych" themselves up in preparation. They were commanded to make all the provision and preparation for war. For a people to beat their very plough-shares into swords, signifies a general arming of themselves, much beyond what had been usual.

 

Do Joel 3:10 and Isaiah 2:4 contradict?

 

“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Isaiah 2:4 KJV

 

It is Scriptural to “beat … swords into plowshares, and … spears into pruninghooks” (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). It is also Scriptural to “Beat … plowshares into swords, and … pruninghooks into spears” (Joel 3:10). Why does God’s Word teach two completely different ideas here?

 

The key to understanding these “Bible contradictions” is to realize that “beating plowshares into swords and pruninghooks into spears” belongs in one dispensation, and “beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks” belongs in another dispensation. In Israel’s program, there is a time when war and weapons are necessary, and there is a time when war has ended, peace reigns, and agricultural production increases dramatically.

 

When we study the contexts of these passages, we learn that Joel 3:10 applies to the wars of the seven-year Tribulation period (especially the Battle of Armageddon), and Isaiah 2:4 describes the subsequent Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, when Satan is removed from Earth, and world peace from God will be in effect.

 

Joel 3:11 KJV:

“Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.”

 

The nations should hurry and assemble (Zechariah 12:9). Joel also called on Yahweh to bring down His mighty army of angelic warriors to engage the enemy of His people (Deuteronomy 33:2-3; 2 Kings 6:17; Psalms 68:17; 103:19-20; Zechariah 14:5). 

 

During the millennium, when the nations will be assembled in the valley, fully equipped for battle, they will receive a shock- they will find there the Judge of all the nations, and in their hands they will be holding the incriminating evidence of their own history of violence. 

 

Joel 3:12-13 KJV:

“Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.”

 

The Lord urged the nations to rouse themselves and to assemble in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2) because it is there that He will sit in judgment of them. He compared this judgment to harvesting grain with a sickle and to treading grapes in a vat (Isaiah 17:5; 63:1-6; Revelation 14:14-20). As grapes squirt juice when trodden, so the nations will give up the wickedness with which they have been full (Joel 2:24). This scene of divine warfare corresponds to the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 14:14-20; 16:16; 19:11-21). The judgment of the nations following Christ's second coming (Matthew 25:31-46) will not involve warfare.

 

Joel 3:14 KJV:

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

 

The prophet viewed many multitudes in the valley, which he now referred to as "the valley of decision" because there God will make a decision concerning their fate. Like the reference to "the valley of Jehoshaphat" (Joel 3:2), "the valley of decision" involves wordplay in Hebrew. The Hebrew word harus ("decision") sounds like haras, which means "to render judgment" or "moat" (Daniel 9:25). These multitudes are the tumultuous masses. Hamon is from the root הָמָה, meaning to be noisy or tumultuous. Some say it is identical to our hum noise and, among others, the hum of a multitude; then a multitude even apart from that noise. 

 

Joel 3:15 KJV:

“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.”

 

The densely packed masses are already in the valley of decision, awaiting the judgment about to be executed upon them. But, before the judgment actually bursts upon them, and in preparation for it, the sky is overcast; darkness, as a portent of the approaching storm, envelops them; the lights of Heaven are put out. The pitchy darkness of a night in which neither moon nor stars appear as sufficiently dismal and awful; still more terrible, if possible, is darkness in the daytime, when the light of the sun is turned into blackness. The first accompaniment of the storm is addressed to the eye, and consists in the extinguishing of the greater light which rules the day, and the lesser lights which rule the night.

 

Joel 3:16 KJV:

“The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”

 

The presence of Jehovah is the immediate occasion of these terrors; and hence His voice proceeds from Jerusalem, or more particularly from Zion, where the visible symbol of His presence long dwelt. For there was His dwelling in Jerusalem; and as if from thence He roared and uttered His voice against them. Lion-like, Yahweh roared from Zion announcing His attack on the nations, and everything trembled (Joel 2:10-11; Revelation 16:16, 18). For His own people, however, He proved to be a refuge and a stronghold. 

 

Joel 3:17 KJV:

“So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”

 

In the beginning of this verse, Jehovah promises to be the God of His people; He points to the place of His abode, and purifies Jerusalem by judgment that it will be a true holy place, untrodden by the foot of a Gentile stranger or Jewish unbeliever any more. Yahweh's victory will demonstrate to His people that He is indeed Israel's covenant God, and that His special place of abode is Mt. Zion (Joel 2:27). After this battle, Jerusalem will truly be the holy city, set apart entirely for God's people and no longer defiled by pagan invaders. 

 

Joel 3:18 KJV:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.”

 

Joel continued describing the future day of the Lord, but now he passed from the judgments of the Tribulation to the blessings of the Millennium. "The mountains" of Israel would be so full of grapevines that they could be described as dripping "with sweet wine." There will be so many milk-yielding animals feeding on the luxuriant hills, that "the hills" could be said to flow "with milk." Instead of the wadis that have water in them only a few days each year, "all the rivers of Judah" would "flow with" abundant, life-giving "water." All these descriptions recall conditions in paradise (Joel 1:5, 18, 20). A spring will flow out from the millennial temple that will water the valley of acacia.

 

Joel 3:19 KJV:

“Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.”

 

The curse of barrenness and utter desolation falls on the enemies of Judah - the nearer and the more remote - because of that very enmity and the violence which was its outcome. The Edomite enemies in the south revolted from Judah in the days of Jehoram; the Edomites compassed him in, and, by thus surrounding him, placed him in extreme peril. And though it is said he smote them, his expedition proved unsuccessful, for it is added by the chronicler that "the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day." The Egyptian enemies in the more distant south made a still more formidable attack on the capital city, Jerusalem, under the famous Shishak, in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, plundering the palace and temple. 

 

“because they have shed innocent blood in their land.”

 

This is understood by some to refer to the blood of captive or fugitive Jews in the lands of their Edomite and Egyptian enemies. It seems preferable to understand the suffix answering to "their" of the laud of Judah, on the occasion of some hostile inroad into Jewish territory.

 

Joel 3:20 KJV:

“But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.”

 

Not earthly Judah, nor earthly Jerusalem, for these must come to an end, together with the earth itself, of whose end the prophets well knew. It is then the one people of God, the true Judah, the people who praise God, the Israel, which is indeed Israel. Egypt and Edom and all the enemies of God should come to an end; but His people shall never come to an end. The gates of hell shall not prevail against her. The enemy shall not destroy her, time shall not consume her, and she shall never decay. The people of God shall abide before Him and through Him here, and shall dwell with Him forever.

 

Joel 3:21 KJV:

“For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.”

 

God's final promise through Joel was that He would "avenge" the "blood" shed by these enemies of Israel, which He had "not" yet "avenged" in the prophet's day. He promised to do this because He dwelt "in Zion." That is, He had a special covenant relationship with Israel (Ezekiel 43:1-12; Zechariah 2:10-13). 

 

Fragments cumulatively containing all verses of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q78 (4QXIIc; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 6–21 (4:6–21 in Masoretic Text); 4Q82 (4QXIIg; 25 BCE) with extant verses 4–9, 11–14, 17, 19–20 (4:4–9, 11–14, 17, 19–20 in Masoretic Text); Schøyen MS 4612/1 (DSS F.117; DSS F.Joel1; 50–68 CE) with extant verses 1–4 (4:1–4 in Masoretic Text); and Wadi Murabba'at Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75–100 CE) with extant verses 1–16 (3:1–5; 4:1–16 in Masoretic Text).