Joel 2:17

Joel 2:17

15 ^aBlow the¹ trumpet in Zion,
^bConsecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;

16 Gather the people,
^aSanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
^bLet the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.

17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep ^abetween the porch and the altar;
Let them say, ^b“Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should¹ rule over them.
^cWhy should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”

The Land Refreshed

18 Then the Lord will ^abe zealous for His land,
And pity His people.

19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you ^agrain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

20 “But ^aI will remove far from you ^bthe northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back ^ctoward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done¹ monstrous things.”

21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done¹ marvelous things!

22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For ^athe open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

<< Joel 2:16

Joel 2:18 >>

between the porch and . . . altar—the porch of Solomon's temple on the east (I Kings 6:3); the altar of burnt offerings in the court of the priests, before the porch (II Chronicles 8:12; compare Ezekiel 8:16; Matthew 23:35). The suppliants thus were to stand with their backs to the altar on which they had nothing to offer, their faces towards the place of the Shekinah presence.

heathen should rule over them—This shows that not locusts, but human foes, are intended. The Margin translation, "use a byword against them," is not supported by the Hebrew.

wherefore should they say . . . Where is their God?—that is, do not for thine own honor's sake, let the heathen sneer at the God of Israel, as unable to save His people (Psalms 79:10; Psalms 115:2).

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Joel 2:17:**

Ezekiel 8:15-16
Joel 2:26

<< Joel 2:16

Joel 2:18 >>

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