Joel Introduction 1:4 What the gazam-locust left the ‘ar- 12 beh-locust consumed, 1:1 This is the LORD’s message that was what the ‘arbeh-locust left the yeleq-lo- given cust consumed, to Joel the son of Pethuel: and what the yeleq-locust left the hasil- locust consumed!13 A Locust Plague Foreshadows the Day of the 14 Lord 1:5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! 1: Listen to this, you elders; pay attention, all inhabitants of the land. try’s agrarian economy, with the unwelcome consequences Has anything like this ever happened in extending to every important aspect of commercial, religious, your whole life and national life. To further complicate matters, a severe drought had exhausted water supplies, causing life-threat- or in the lifetime of your ancestors? ening shortages for animal and human life (cf. v. 20). Locust 1:3 Tell your children0 about it, invasions occasionally present significant problems in Pales- have your children tell their children, tine in modern times. The year 1865 was commonly known and their children the following genera- among Arabic-speaking peoples of the Near East as sent el 11 jarad, “year of the locust.” The years 1892, 1899, and 1904 tion. witnessed significant locust invasions in Palestine. But in modern times there has been nothing equal in magnitude to sn The dating of the book of Joel is a matter of dispute. the great locust invasion that began in Palestine in February Some scholars date the book as early as the ninth century of 1915. This modern parallel provides valuable insight into B.C., during the reign of the boy-king Joash. This view is large- the locust plague the prophet Joel points to as a foreshad- ly based on the following factors: an argument from silence owing of the day of the Lord. For an eyewitness account of (e.g., the book of Joel does not mention a king, perhaps be- the 1915 locust invasion of Palestine see J. D. Whiting, “Jeru- cause other officials de facto carried out his responsibilities, salem’s Locust Plague,” National Geographic 28 (December and there is no direct mention in the book of such later Isra- 1915): 511-50. elite enemies as the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians); 12 tn Heb “eaten.” This verb is repeated three times in v. 4 inconclusive literary assumptions (e.g., the eighth-century to emphasize the total devastation of the crops by this locust prophet Amos in Amos 9:13 alludes to Joel 3:18); the ca- invasion. nonical position of the book (i.e., it is the second book of the 13 tn The four Hebrew terms used in this verse are of uncer- Minor Prophets); and literary style (i.e., the book is thought tain meaning. English translations show a great deal of varia- to differ in style from the postexilic prophetic writings). While -gazam) KJV has “palm) ָגּ זָם tion in dealing with these: (1) For such an early date for the book is not impossible, none of the erworm,” NEB “locust,” NAB “cutter”, NASB “gnawing locust,” arguments used to support it is compelling. Later dates for NIV “locust swarm,” NKJV “chewing locust,” NRSV, NLT “cut- the book that have been defended by various scholars are, arbeh) KJV’) אַרְבֶּ ה ting locust(s),” NIrV “giant locusts”; (2) for for example, the late seventh century or early sixth century has “locust,” NEB “swarm,” NAB “locust swarm,” NASB, NKJV, or sometime in the postexilic period (anytime from late sixth NRSV, NLT “swarming locust(s),” NIV “great locusts,” NIrV century to late fourth century). Most modern scholars seem ”,yeleq) KJV has “cankerworm) יֶלֶק common locusts”; (3) for“ to date the book of Joel sometime between 400 and 350 NEB “hopper,” NAB “grasshopper,” NASB “creeping locust,” B.C. For a helpful discussion of date see J. A. Thompson, “The NIV, NIrV “young locusts,” NKJV “crawling locust,” NRSV, NLT Date of the Book of Joel,” A Light unto My Path, 453-64. Re- ”,khasil) KJV has “caterpillar) חָסִ יל hopping locust(s)”; (4) for“ lated to the question of date is a major exegetical issue: Is the NEB “grub,” NAB “devourer,” NASB, NLT “stripping locust(s),” army of chapter two to be understood figuratively as describ- NIV, NIrV “other locusts,” NKJV “consuming locust,” NRSV ing the locust invasion of chapter one, or is the topic of chap- “destroying locust.” It is debated whether the Hebrew terms ter two an invasion of human armies, either the Babylonians describe different species of locusts or similar insects or dif- or an eschatological foe? If the enemy could be conclusively ferent developmental stages of the same species, or are vir- identified as the Babylonians, for example, this would support tual synonyms. While the last seems more likely, given the a sixth-century date for the book. uncertainty over their exact meaning, the present translation tn Heb “the word of the LORD.” has transliterated the Hebrew terms in combination with the tn Heb “that was.” The term “given” does not appear in word “locust.” the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of sn Four different words for “locust” are used in this verse. clarity and smoothness. Whether these words represent different life-stages of the lo- sn The name Joel means in Hebrew “the LORD is God.” custs, or whether virtual synonyms are being used to under- There are a dozen or so individuals with this name in the OT. score the severity of damage caused by the relentless waves sn Elders here refers not necessarily to men advanced in of locust invasion, is not entirely certain. The latter seems years, but to leaders within the community. more likely. Many interpreters have understood the locust tn Heb “give ear.” plagues described here to be symbolic of invading armies tn Heb “days.” The term “days” functions here as a synec- that will devastate the land, but the symbolism could also doche for one’s lifespan. work the other way, with real plagues of locusts described in tn Heb “days.” the following verses as an invading army. tn Heb “fathers.” sn The word drunkards has a double edge here. Those 0 tn Heb “sons.” This word occurs several times in this accustomed to drinking too much must now lament the un- verse. availability of wine. It also may hint that the people in general 11 sn The circumstances that precipitated the book of Joel have become religiously inebriated and are unresponsive surrounded a locust invasion in Palestine that was of unprec- to the Lord. They are, as it were, drunkards from a spiritual edented proportions. The locusts had devastated the coun- standpoint. 1696 1697 JOEL 1:13 Wail, all you wine drinkers, sackcloth, because the sweet wine has been taken lamenting the death of0 her husband-to- away from you. be.21 1:6 For a nation has invaded our land. 1:9 No one brings grain offerings or drink There are so many of them they are too offerings 22 numerous to count. to the temple of the LORD anymore. Their teeth are like those of a lion; So the priests, those who serve the LORD, they tear apart their prey like a lioness.0 are in mourning. 1:7 They11 have destroyed our12 vines;13 1:10 The crops of the fields24 have been they have turned our14 fig trees into mere destroyed. splinters. The ground is in mourning because the They have completely stripped off the grain has perished. bark15 and thrown them aside; The fresh wine has dried up; the16 twigs are stripped bare.17 the olive oil languishes. A Call to Lament 1:11 Be distressed,26 farmers; 1:8 Wail18 like a young virgin19 clothed in wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the sn Joel addresses the first of three groups particularly af- barley. fected by the locust plague. In v. 5 he describes the effects on For the harvest of the field has perished. the drunkards, who no longer have a ready supply of intoxicat- 1:1 The vine has dried up; ing wine; in vv. 11-12 he describes the effects on the farm- the fig tree languishes – ers, who have watched their labors come to naught because the pomegranate, date, and apple27 as well. of the insect infestation; and in vv. 13-14 he describes the 28 effects on the priests, who are no longer able to offer grain In fact, all the trees of the field have sacrifices and libations in the temple. dried up. tn Heb “over the sweet wine, because it.” Cf. KJV, NIV, TEV, Indeed, the joy of the people29 has dried NLT “new wine.” up! tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “will be withheld.” 0 tn Heb “your mouth.” This is a synecdoche of part (the 1:13 Get dressed and lament, you mouth) for whole (the person). priests! sn As becomes increasingly clear in what follows, this na- Wail, you who minister at the altar! tion is to be understood figuratively. It refers to the locust inva- Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you sion as viewed from the standpoint of its methodical, destruc- servants of my God, This term is .(2 גּ וֹי .tive advance across the land (BDB 156 s.v used figuratively to refer to animals one other time (Zeph 2:14). because no one brings grain offerings or tn Heb “has come up against.” drink offerings tn Heb “my.” tn Heb “[It] is huge and there is not number.” tn Heb “its teeth are the teeth of a lion.” 0 tn Heb “its incisors are those of a lioness.” The sharp, phrase “husband-to-be” in the next line.