Joel 2
Big idea: The trumpet sounds in Zion and the plague swells into something vaster: "the day of Yahweh comes" (v. 1), a day of darkness heralded by an unstoppable army that runs like horses, scales walls, and darkens sun, moon, and stars (vv. 2-11). At its peak Yahweh himself thunders at the army's head — "who can endure it?" Then the book turns on a single word: "Yet even now," says Yahweh, "return to me with all your heart" (vv. 12-17), for he is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger." God answers with pity: he removes the invader, restores grain, wine, and oil, gives back "the years the locust has eaten" (vv. 18-27), and promises to pour out his Spirit on all flesh before the great and terrible day (vv. 28-32).
Chapter 2 gathers up chapter 1's plague as "the day of Yahweh" and answers its call to fast (1:14) with the summons to return (2:12-17). God's promise to remove the "northern army" and restore the land resolves chapter 1's devastation, while the outpoured Spirit and the darkened sun and moon (2:30-31) open onto the judgment of the nations in chapter 3, which repeats 2:10's darkened sun in 3:15.
2:1-2 — Blow the trumpet: a day of darkness
The alarm trumpet sounds in Zion, God's holy mountain, and all the inhabitants tremble, "for the day of Yahweh comes... close at hand." It is "a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness." Like dawn spreading over the mountains comes "a great and strong people," an army the like of which has never been and will never be again.
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Yahweh comes, for it is close at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn spreading on the mountains, a great and strong people; there has never been the like, neither will there be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.
2:3-5 — Fire before, wilderness behind
The army leaves scorched earth: "a fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns." The land ahead is "as the garden of Eden," but behind them "a desolate wilderness" — nothing escapes. Their appearance is like horses; they charge like cavalry; they leap over the mountaintops with the noise of chariots and crackling flame, "like a strong people set in battle array."
3 A fire devours before them, and behind them, a flame burns. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them, a desolate wilderness. Yes, and no one has escaped them. 4 Their appearance is as the appearance of horses, and they run as horsemen. 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains, they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array.
2:6-9 — The disciplined, unstoppable ranks
At their approach whole peoples writhe in anguish and every face grows pale. They run like mighty men and scale walls like warriors, each marching in his own line without swerving, never jostling or breaking ranks even as they burst through defenses. They rush the city, run along the wall, climb into the houses, and enter the windows "like thieves" — nothing keeps them out.
6 At their presence the peoples are in anguish. All faces have grown pale. 7 They run like mighty men. They climb the wall like warriors. They each march in his line, and they don’t swerve off course. 8 One doesn’t jostle another. They each march in their own path. They burst through the defenses and don’t break ranks. 9 They rush on the city. They run on the wall. They climb up into the houses. They enter in at the windows like thieves.
2:10-11 — The cosmos shakes; who can endure?
Creation convulses before the army: "the earth quakes... the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining." And now the decisive revelation — Yahweh "thunders his voice before his army," for this is his host, vast and mighty, obedient to his command. "The day of Yahweh is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?"
10 The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 11 Yahweh thunders his voice before his army, for his forces are very great; for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of Yahweh is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?
2:12-14 — Return to me with all your heart
The book pivots: "'Yet even now,' says Yahweh, 'turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.'" Then its most quoted call: "Tear your heart and not your garments" — repentance that is inward, not merely ritual — "and turn to Yahweh, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity." "Who knows?" — he may yet turn and leave a blessing behind, restoring even the grain and drink offerings.
12 “Yet even now,” says Yahweh, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 Tear your heart and not your garments, and turn to Yahweh, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering to Yahweh, your God.
2:15-17 — Blow the trumpet: gather everyone
The trumpet sounds again — now not for alarm but for assembly: "Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly." Gather everyone, holding nothing back: elders and children, nursing infants, even the bridegroom and bride called from their wedding chamber. Between the temple porch and the altar the priests are to weep and plead: "Spare your people, Yahweh... Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. 16 Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare your people, Yahweh, and don’t give your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
2:18-20 — Yahweh's pity: the army removed
The turn comes: "Then Yahweh was jealous for his land, and had pity on his people." He answers with promise — grain, new wine, and oil to satisfy them, and no more reproach among the nations. He will drive away "the northern army," pushing it into a barren land, its front to the eastern sea and its rear to the western sea, its stench rising as it perishes: "Surely he has done great things."
18 Then Yahweh was jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. 19 Yahweh answered his people, “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20 But I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things.
2:21-24 — Do not fear: the land restored
The call now is to rejoice. "Land, don't be afraid... for Yahweh has done great things." The wild animals need not fear, for the pastures are green again and the trees bear fruit. The children of Zion are told to "be glad and rejoice in Yahweh," for he gives "the early rain in just measure" and both the early and latter rains as before. The result: threshing floors full of wheat, vats overflowing with new wine and oil.
21 Land, don’t be afraid. Be glad and rejoice, for Yahweh has done great things. 22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness spring up, for the tree bears its fruit. The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. 23 “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in Yahweh, your God; for he gives you the early rain in just measure, and he causes the rain to come down for you, the early rain and the latter rain, as before. 24 The threshing floors will be full of wheat, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
2:25-27 — The years the locust ate
The promise reaches its climax: "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten" — the same four locusts of 1:4, here called "my great army, which I sent among you." The people will eat their fill and praise the name of Yahweh "who has dealt wondrously," and never again be put to shame. And they will know "that I am among Israel, and that I am Yahweh, your God, and there is no one else."
25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and will praise the name of Yahweh, your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people will never again be disappointed. 27 You will know that I am among Israel, and that I am Yahweh, your God, and there is no one else; and my people will never again be disappointed.
2:28-29 — I will pour out my Spirit
"It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." Sons and daughters will prophesy, old men dream dreams, young men see visions — and, remarkably, "also on the servants and on the handmaids" the Spirit will fall. Prophetic access to God, once the privilege of a few, is promised to all: young and old, male and female, slave and free.
28 “It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29 And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.
2:30-32 — Wonders, and whoever calls is saved
Cosmic signs accompany the Spirit's age: "wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke," the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood "before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes." Then the promise of rescue: "whoever will call on Yahweh's name shall be saved," for in Mount Zion there will be those who escape — "among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls."
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes. 32 It will happen that whoever will call on Yahweh’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).