Joel 2:16-26

16 Gather the people, ¹sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the ²bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber.

17 Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, Weep ³between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "⁴Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a ⁵reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, '⁶Where is their God?' "

Deliverance Promised

18 Then the LORD will be ⁷zealous for His land And will have ⁸pity on His people.

19 The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I am going to ⁹send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will ¹⁰never again make you a reproach among the nations.

20 "But I will remove the ¹¹northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the ¹²eastern sea, And its rear guard into the ¹³western sea. And its ¹⁴stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things."

21 ¹⁵Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the LORD has done ¹⁶great things.

22 Do not fear, beasts of the field, For the ¹⁷pastures of the wilderness have turned green, For the tree has borne its fruit, The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.

23 So rejoice, O ¹⁸sons of Zion, And ¹⁹be glad in the LORD your God; For He has ²⁰given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and ²¹latter rain as before.

24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will ²²overflow with the new wine and oil.

25 "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming ²³locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

26 "You will have plenty to ²⁴eat and be satisfied And ²⁵praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has ²⁶dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will ²⁷never * be put to shame.

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Joel 2:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOEL 2

In this chapter a further account is given of the judgment of the locusts and caterpillars, or of those who are designed by them, Joe 2:1-11; the people of the Jews are called to repentance, humiliation, and fasting, urged from the grace and goodness of God, his jealousy and pity for his people, and the answer of prayer that might he expected from him upon this, even to the removal of the calamity, Joe 2:12-20; a prophecy of good things, both temporal and spiritual, in the times of the Messiah, is delivered out as matter and occasion of great joy, Joe 2:21-27; and another concerning the effusion of the Spirit, which was fulfilled an the day of Pentecost, Joe 2:28-29; and the chapter is concluded with the judgments and desolations that should come upon the land of Judea after this, for their rejection of Christ, though the remnant according to the election of grace should be delivered and saved from the general destruction, Joe 2:30-32.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 27

1. 1 Samuel 16:5; 2 Chronicles 29:5
2. Psalms 19:5
3. 2 Chronicles 8:12; Ezekiel 8:16
4. Exodus 32:11, 12; Isaiah 37:20; Amos 7:2, 5
5. Psalms 44:13; Psalms 74:10
6. Psalms 42:10; Psalms 79:10; Psalms 115:2
7. Zechariah 1:14; Zechariah 8:2
8. Isaiah 60:10; Isaiah 63:9, 15
9. Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 2:21, 22; Joel 1:10; Malachi 3:10
10. Ezekiel 34:29; Ezekiel 36:15
11. Jeremiah 1:14, 15
12. Zechariah 14:8
13. Deuteronomy 11:24
14. Isaiah 34:3; Amos 4:10
15. Isaiah 54:4; Jeremiah 30:10; Zephaniah 3:16, 17
16. Psalms 126:3; Joel 2:26
17. Psalms 65:12, 13
18. Psalms 149:2
19. Isaiah 12:2-6
20. Deuteronomy 11:14; Isaiah 41:16; Jeremiah 5:24; Habakkuk 3:18; Zechariah 10:7
21. Leviticus 26:4; Hosea 6:3; Zechariah 10:1
22. Leviticus 26:10; Amos 9:13; Malachi 3:10
23. Joel 1:4-7; Joel 2:2-11
24. Leviticus 26:5; Deuteronomy 11:15; Isaiah 62:9
25. Deuteronomy 12:7; Psalms 67:5-7
26. Psalms 126:2, 3; Isaiah 25:1
27. Isaiah 45:17

Footnotes 9

[a]. Or "was zealous"
[b]. Or "had pity"
[c]. Or "answered and said"
[d]. Lit "it"
[e]. Lit "their wealth"
[f]. I.e. autumn; or possibly "the teacher for righteousness"
[g]. I.e. autumn
[h]. I.e. spring
[i]. So with ancient versions; Heb "in the first"