Joel 2:11

11 And the Lord gave his voice before the face of his host, for his hosts be full many; for those be strong, and do the word of him. For the day of the Lord is great, and full fearedful, and who shall suffer it?

Joel 2:11 Meaning and Commentary

Joel 2:11

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army
Either the army of the locusts, whom Pliny ^F21 calls "pestis deorum", "the plague of the gods"; and the Arabians frequently style them the army of God. It is a tradition of theirs that locusts fell into the hands of Mahomet, with this inscription on their backs and wings,

``we are the army of the most high God;''

and because they were, for that reason Mahomet made a law that none should kill them; (See Gill on Revelation 9:3). These creatures are certainly at his beck and command; he can "command the locust to devour the land", ( 2 Chronicles 7:13 ) ; which may be meant by his uttering his voice here; though Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the Lord's giving notice of this judgment by his prophets before it fame: or this may design the army of the Assyrians or Chaldeans, of which the locusts were all emblem, and which were of the Lord's mustering together, and was at his command; and who is here represented as a General at the head of his army, making a speech to them to animate and encourage them to the battle, and to give them the word of command when to begin the onset: for his camp [is] very great;
or numerous, as both the locusts and Chaldeans were: for [he is] strong that executeth his word;
or "strong is it"; namely, the camp and army of the locusts; which, though feeble in themselves, separately considered; yet being in such large bodies, and the Lord at the head of them, and strengthened by him, were able to fulfil his word; which he can make the least and meanest of his creatures do: or the Assyrian or Chaldean army, which was both numerous and mighty: which the Targum may refer unto, paraphrasing the words,

``for strong are the executors of his word:''

for the day of the Lord [is] great and very terrible, and who can abide
it?
the day appointed by the Lord to take vengeance on the Jews for sin; and this, being the day of his wrath, is very dreadful and intolerable; so any season may be called, in which God remarkably pours down his wrath on men of their sins; see ( Revelation 6:17 ) . Such was the time of Jerusalem's destruction, both by the Chaldeans and Romans.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Ibid. (Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 29.)

Joel 2:11 In-Context

9 They shall enter into the city, they shall run on the wall; they shall ascend on houses, they shall enter as a night thief by windows. (They shall enter into the city, they shall run upon the walls; they shall go up on the houses, and they shall go in through the windows like a night thief.)

10 The earth trembled of his face, heavens were moved, the sun and the moon were made dark, and stars withdrew their shining. (The earth trembled before them, the heavens were moved, the sun and the moon were made dark, and the stars withdrew their shining.)

11 And the Lord gave his voice before the face of his host, for his hosts be full many; for those be strong, and do the word of him. For the day of the Lord is great, and full fearedful, and who shall suffer it?

12 Now therefore saith the Lord, Be ye turned again to me in all your heart, in fasting, and weeping, and wailing; (And yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye again to me/return to me, with all your heart, with fasting, and weeping, and wailing;)

13 and carve ye your hearts, and not your clothes, and be ye turned again to your Lord God, for he is benign, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and abiding, either forgiving, on malice. (and carve ye, or rend ye, your hearts, and not your clothes, and turn ye again to the Lord your God/and return to the Lord your God, for he is benign, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and forgiving of malice.)