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Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

THE PROPHET JOEL

CHAPTER ONE:
THE DAY OF JEHOVAH DEVOURS THE LAND

Summary

The prophet Joel speaks for YHWH: the land of Israel will be completely devoured. Cry out because of the invader. Farms and their produce are destroyed. Religious worship comes to an end. Even the farm animals cry out to God because of utter devastation.

Joel 1:1-4 – The Land Completely Devoured

JL1:1 The message of Y^eH^oW^aH that came to Joel son of Pethuel: 1

1	The message of Yehowah that came to Joel son of Pethuel: Or, DAR: The word of Jehovah that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. The name “Joel” means “Yahweh Is God.” The father’s name “Pethuel” only occurs here.

JL1:2 You elders, listen to this. 2 And all you inhabitants of the land give Me your attention. 3 Has anything like this taken place in your life times, or in the life times of your forefathers? 4

2	You elders, listen to this: Or, DAR: Hear this, ye old men; YLT: aged ones. The LXX Greek is PRESBYTEROI.

3	And all you inhabitants of the land give Me your attention: Or, NJB: everybody in the country, attend!

4	Has anything like this taken place in your life times, or in the life times of your forefathers: Or, LXX: Have such things happen in your days, or in the days of your fathers. That is, a day of such complete devastation.

JL1:3 Tell this story to your children, and your children to their children, and their children tot he next generation. 5

5

Tell this story to your children, and your children to their children, and their children tot he next generation: Or, JPS: Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation; YLT: Concerning it to your sons talk ye, And your sons to their sons, And their sons to another generation. [Exodus 10:14; 13:14; Deuteronomy 6:7; 29:27; Psalm 78:4.

JL1:4 Whatever remained the caterpillar devoured, and whatever remained by the caterpillar the flying-locust devoured; and whatever remained by the flying-locust, the unwinged-locust devoured; and whatever remained by the unwinged-locust the cockroach has devoured. 6

6

Whatever remained the caterpillar devoured, and whatever remained by the caterpillar the flying-locust devoured; and whatever remained by the flying-locust, the unwinged-locust devoured; and whatever remained by the unwinged-locust the cockroach has devoured: Or, DAR: that which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten; LXX: The leavings of the caterpillar has the locust eaten, and the leavings of the locust has the palmerworm eaten, and the leavings of the palmerworm has the cankerworm eaten. Versions vary in the list of devouring insects. Compare Joel 2:25. Invading soldiers are later compared to these.

Joel 1:5-8 – Wail Because of the Invader

JL1:5 Wake up, all you drunks, and bawl! Wail, all you wine-drinkers! 7 because the newest vintage is no longer available to drink. 8

7

Wake up, all you drunks, and bawl! Wail, all you wine-drinkers: Or, LXX: Awake, ye drunkards, from your wine, and weep: mourn, all ye that drink wine to drunkenness; YLT: Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, And howl all drinking wine, because of the juice, For it hath been cut off from your mouth. See Isaiah chapter 28 and compare notes on Luke 21:34.

8	Because the newest vintage is no longer available to drink: Or, JPS: or joy and gladness and removed are from your mouth. Note the Mosaic Curse on the Jews at Deuteronomy 28:39. [Isaiah 32:10]

JL1:6 For one of the national groups has invaded My land – strong in numbers and innumerable – with teeth like the teeth of lions [Revelation 9:8] and like the jaws of a lioness. 9

9

For one of the national groups has invaded My land – strong in numbers and innumerable – with teeth like the teeth of lions and like the jaws of a lioness: Or, DAR: For a nation is come up upon my land, strong and without number: his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a lioness; LXX: For a strong and innumerable nation is come up against my land, their teeth are lion’s teeth, and their back teeth those of a lion’s whelp. The LXX Greek is HOI ODONTES [teeth] AUTOU ODONTES LEONTOS [lions] and Revelation 9:8 has HOI ODONTES AUTON HOS LEONTON.

JL1:7 He has desolated My vineyard, turning My fig-tree into fragments, stripping it of bark and throwing it out, leaving nothing but white branches. 10

10

He has desolated My vineyard, turning My fig-tree into fragments, stripping it of bark and throwing it out, leaving nothing but white branches: Or, DAR: He hath made my vine a desolation, and barked my fig-tree; he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away: its branches are made white; LXX: He has ruined my vine, and utterly broken my fig-trees: he has utterly searched my vine, and cast it down; he has peeled its branches. [Isaiah 5:6; Jeremiah 5:17; 8:13; 48:32] War devastates a land’s trees which are used for fuel, siege engines and food.

JL1:8 She bawls like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, crying for her young husband. 11

11	She bawls like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, crying for her young husband: Or, DAR: Wail like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The Hebrew for husband is BA’AL [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #1167, owner, lord]. [Ezekiel 7:18]

Joel 1:9-12 – Farms Ruined

JL1:9 Grain-offering and drink-offering have stopped in the House of Y^eH^oW^aH, the priests and ministers of Y^eH^oW^aH despondent. 12

12

Grain-offering and drink-offering have stopped in the House of YeHoWaH, the priests and ministers of YeHoWaH despondent: Or, JPS: The meal-offering [MINCHAH] and the drink-offering is cut off from the house [BAYITH] of the LORD; the priests [KOHEN] mourn, even the LORD’S ministers; LXX: The meat-offering and drink-offering are removed from the house of the Lord: mourn, ye priests [HIEREIS] that serve at the altar of the Lord. Compare Joel 2:14, 17. On the LXX Greek THYSIASTERIO [altar] see the THYSIASTERION at Hebrews 13:10.

JL1:10 The field is violently despoiled, the soil mourning. The grain-field is violently despoiled, the new vintage ashamed. The oil has dwindled. 13

13

The field is violently despoiled, the soil mourning. The grain-field is violently despoiled, the new vintage ashamed. The oil has dwindled: Or, JPS: The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth; LXX: For the plains languish: let the land mourn, for the corn languishes; the wine is dried up, the oil becomes scarce. Compare the Mosaic Curse at Deuteronomy 28:30, 39, 40; Leviticus 26:20.

JL1:11 You farmers, blanch. Bawl, you vintners. [Bawl] over the wheat and barley, for the harvest of the field has been exterminated. 14

14

11 You farmers, blanch. Bawl, you vintners. [Bawl] over the wheat and barley, for the harvest of the field has been exterminated: Or, JPS: Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen, wail, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished; LXX: the husbandmen are consumed: mourn your property on account of the wheat and barley; for the harvest has perished from off the field. [Isaiah 17:11; Jeremiah 14:4]

JL1:12 The vineyard is ashamed, and the fig-tree dwindles. Also all the pomegranate, date-palm and apple – all the trees of the field have shriveled. Indeed, any gladness on the part of the children of humanity has turned to embarrassment. 15

15

The vineyard is ashamed, and the fig-tree dwindles. Also all the pomegranate, date-palm and apple – all the trees of the field have shriveled. Indeed, any gladness on the part of the children of humanity has turned to embarrassment: Or, JPS: The vine is withered, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered; for joy is withered away from the sons of men; LXX: The vine is dried up, and the fig-trees are become few; the pomegranate, and palm-tree, and apple, and all trees of the field are dried up: for the sons of men have abolished joy. Note the Mosaic Curse at Leviticus 26:20. [Isaiah 24:11]

Joel 1:13-18 – Religion and Farming Ruined

JL1:13 All you priests, dress in sackcloth and pound your chests in grief! Bawl, all you ministers at the Altar. 16 Enter and clothe yourselves against the night in sackcloth, all you ministers of my God. For the grain-offering and the drink-offering have stopped in the House of your God. 17

16

All you priests, dress in sackcloth and pound your chests in grief! Bawl, all you ministers at the Altar: Or, JPS: Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests, wail, ye ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God; LXX: Gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament, ye priests: mourn, ye that serve at the altar: go in, sleep in sackcloths, ye that minister to God. [Jeremiah 4:8; Ezekiel 7:18; 1 Corinthians 9:13]

17

Enter and clothe yourselves against the night in sackcloth, all you ministers of my God. For the grain-offering and the drink-offering have stopped in the House of your God: Or, JPS: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God; for the meal-offering and the drink-offering is withholden from the house of your God; LXX: go in, sleep in sackcloths, ye that minister to God: for the meat-offering and drink-offering are withheld from the house of your God.

JL1:14 Dedicate a fast. Call together a holy convention. All you elders, assemble all the land’s inhabitants to the House of Y^eH^oW^aH your God. Cry out to your God Y^eH^oW^aH. 18

18

Dedicate a fast. Call together a holy convention. All you elders, assembly all the land’s inhabitants to the House of YeHoWaH your God. Cry out to your God YeHoWaH: Or, JPS: Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD; LXX: Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn service, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God, and cry earnestly to the Lord. Compare Joel 2:15. [2 Chronicles 20:3]

JL1:15 O, the pain on this day! For the Day of Y^eH^oW^aH approaches, 19 [2 Thessalonians 2:2] and it will arrive as absolute annihilation from the Absolute God. 20

19

O, the pain on this day! For the Day of YeHoWaH approaches: Or, DAR: Alas for the day! for the day of Jehovah is at hand; JPS: Alas, Alas, Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is nigh. Compare Joel 2:1. See notes on Isaiah 13:6; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 6:17. The term is echoed at 2 Thessalonians 2:2.

20	And it will arrive as absolute annihilation from the Absolute God: Or, DAR: and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come; JPS: and it will come as trouble upon trouble. In Hebrew there is a play on words, SHOD SHADDAY.

JL1:16 Right in front of you your food has vanished, and all rejoicing and triumph in the House of our God [has disappeared]. 21

21

Right in front of you your food has vanished, and all rejoicing and triumph in the House of our God [has disappeared]: Or, JPS: Is not the food cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God; LXX: our meat has been destroyed before your eyes, joy and gladness from out of the house of your God.

JL1:17 Seeds have withered under their shovels. Store-houses have been desolated. The granaries have collapsed because all the grain has withered. 22

22

Seeds have withered under their shovels. Store-houses have been desolated. The granaries have collapsed because all the grain has withered: Or, JPS: The grains shrivel under their hoes; the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered; YLT: Rotted have scattered things under their clods, Desolated have been storehouses, Broken down have been granaries, For withered hath the corn.

JL1:18 O how the animals moan! Because there is no pasture for them, the herds wander in confusion, and the flocks of sheep bear the punishment. 23

23

O how the animals moan! Because there is no pasture for them, the herds wander in confusion, and the flocks of sheep bear the punishment: Or, JPS: How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate; LXX: What shall we store up for ourselves? the herds of cattle have mourned, because they had no pasture; and the flocks of sheep have been utterly destroyed. [Hosea 4:3]

Joel 1:19, 20 – All Cry unto Y^eH^oW^aH

JL1:19 I will cry out to You, O Y^eH^oW^aH. For a fire has devoured the wilderness pastures. A flame has set on fire all the fruit-trees of the productive land. 24

24

I will cry out to You, O YeHoWaH. For a fire has devoured the wilderness pastures. A flame has set on fire all the fruit-trees of the productive land: Or, DAR: To thee, Jehovah, do I cry; for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned up all the trees of the field; YLT: Unto Thee, O Jehovah, I do call, For fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness, And a flame hath set on fire all trees of the field. [Jeremiah 9:10]

JL1:20 Because all the water canals have evaporated, even the animals will pant after You. For a fire has consumed the wilderness pasturelands. 25

25

Because all the water canals have evaporated, even the animals will pant after You. For a fire has consumed the wilderness pasturelands: Or, JPS: Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto Thee; for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness; LXX: And the cattle of the field have looked up to thee: for the fountains of waters have been dried up, and fire has devoured the fair places of the wilderness. [Job 38:41; Psalm 104:21; 147:9]