Joel 2:1-11

1 Blow the horn in Zion;^[a] sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord is coming; in fact, it is near-

2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and dense overcast,^[b] like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people [appears], such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.

3 A fire destroys^[c] in front of them, and behind them a flame devours. The land in front of them is like the Garden of Eden,^[d] but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland; there is no escape from them.

4 Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like war horses.

5 They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots, like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for war.

6 Nations writhe in horror before them; all faces turn pale.^[e]

7 They attack as warriors [attack]; they scale walls as men of war [do]. Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course.

8 They do not push each other; each man proceeds on his own path. They dodge the missiles, never stopping.

9 They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses; they enter through the windows like thieves.

10 The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.

11 The Lord raises His voice in the presence of His army. His camp is very large; Those who carry out His command are powerful. Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful- who can endure it?

Joel 2:1-11 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Jl 2:15; Jr 4:5; 51:27
• [b]. Isa 60:2; Zph 1:15
• [c]. Lit consumes
• [d]. Gn 2:8-15; Ezk 36:35
• [e]. Nah 2:10