Amos 1, Accusations Against the Countries Around Israel

A prophet speaks in the northern kingdom during the reign of Jeroboam II.

Amos 1:1-2, Amos of Tekoa

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. He said: 

"The LORD roars from Zion 

and thunders from Jerusalem; 

the pastures of the shepherds dry up, 

and the top of Carmel withers."  

Amos of Tekoa is introduced. The date is probably just before 760 BC. (A great earth quake may have occurred about 760 BC. It was quite memorable, eg. Zechariah 14:5.) Both Israelite kingdoms are still in existence but the northern kingdom, Israel/Samaria will be destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC.

Tekoa was ten miles south of Jerusalem and six miles south of Bethlehem, says Niehaus. 

Amos begins his prophesy with a brief statement about the awesome power of YHWH, the power behind the accusations Amos will bring to six enemy nations and the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Amos 1:3-5, Accusations against Syria

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Damascus, even for four,

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, 

I will send fire upon the house of Hazael 

that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. 

I will break down the gate of Damascus; 

I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven

 and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. 

The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir," 

says the LORD.  

Syria, a longterm enemy of Israel, will face judgment. Here Damascus/Syria is accused of "threshing" Gilead. 

Niehaus argues that these verses follow an ANE "covenant-lawsuit" pattern, in which the plaintiff (YHWH) is introduced, identifies the defendant (here Damascus) and then gives an indictment and judgment. The plaintiff is introduced in third person before bringing their charge in first person. This pattern will appear throughout the book.

Damascus/Aram had overpowered Israel for about four decades during the ninth century BC reigns of Jehu and Jehoahaz, see 2 Kings 10:32-33, 13:1-3,7.  If the "threshing" is literal here, the soldiers of Syria rode over fallen Israelite soldiers with threshing boards (Niehaus, p. 341.)

Amos 1:6-8, Accusations against Gaza and the Philistines

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Gaza, even for four,

 I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because she took captive whole communities 

and sold them to Edom, 

I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza 

that will consume her fortresses. 

I will destroy the king of Ashdod 

and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. 

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

 till the last of the Philistines is dead," 

says the Sovereign LORD.  

Gaza, land of the Philistines, will also face judgment. The conflicts with the Philistines and their cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon run throughout Old Testament history. The Philistines appear as enemies in Judges 3:31 and are then the primary oppressors of Israel during the life of Samson, Judges 13-16.

Amos 1:9-10, Accusations against Tyre

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Tyre, even for four, 

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, 

disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, 

I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre 

that will consume her fortresses."  

Tyre and Sidon were (and still are) part of Lebanon. These two coastal cities were closely linked, both significant commercial hubs in the ancient Near East. Here Tyre is accused of selling (Hebrew) slaves to Edom, breaking a treaty with Israel. Amos will then turn to focus on Edom, below.

Amos 1:11-12, Accusations against Edom

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Edom, even for four, 

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because he pursued his brother with a sword, 

stifling all compassion, 

because his anger raged continually 

and his fury flamed unchecked, 

I will send fire upon Teman 

that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah."  

Amos passes on YHWH's judgment on Edom. The people of Edom are descendants of Jacob's brother Esau (Genesis 25:21-26,) and Teman was a son of Esau (Genesis 36:10-14.)

Amos 1:13-15, Accusations against Ammon

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Ammon, even for four, 

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead 

in order to extend his borders,

I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah 

that will consume her fortresses 

amid war cries on the day of battle,

 amid violent winds on a stormy day.

Her king will go into exile, 

he and his officials together," 

says the LORD.

Ammon also is identified as an enemy of Israel and deserving judgment. Ammon was northeast of the Dead Sea in what is now the country of Jordan.

In Ezekiel's prophecies, 170 years later, accusations against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia are given in Ezekiel 25 and then prophecies against Tyre, Sidon and Egypt continue in the next seven chapters of that book. We will see an accusation against Moab in the next chapter before the shepherd, Amos, turns his attention to Judah and Israel.

First published June 26, 2025; updated June 26, 2025

Joel 3, Valley of Judgment

In the Hebrew scriptures, this is chapter four, as chapter two is broken into two parts.

Joel 3:1-2, Valley of Jehoshaphat

  `In those days and at that time, 

when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,  

I will gather all nations 

and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

There I will enter into judgment against them 

concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, 

for they scattered my people among the nations 

and divided up my land.  

They cast lots for my people 

and traded boys for prostitutes;

they sold girls for wine that they might drink.  

This future day involves judgment all against the nations, in response to their treatment of Israel. This includes slavery and sex trafficking. 

There is debate on the text and meaning of the first verse. Some manuscripts, including the Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts give the second line of verse 1 as "I will bring back the captives of ..." instead of "I will restore the fortunes of ...." (See the verse 1 in Hebrew, here in Strong's concordance.) 

Patterson sees this event, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, as occurring in the future, after the Great Tribulation. The location of this valley is unknown. As the Hebrew name Jehoshaphat means "God has judged," it is possible that the name is just a declaration of purpose. A valley of judgment seems to be common in the prophetic writings. See Jeremiah 7:30-34 for a Valley of Slaughter and Isaiah 22:1-13 for a Valley of Vision. In Ezekiel 39:11 invaders from Gog are buied in the Valley of Hamon Gog and in Zechariah 14:1-5 a valley is created by God splitting the Mount of Olives.

Joel 3:4-8a, Repayment

`Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.  

You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.  `See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.  

I will sell your sons and daughters

 to the people of Judah, 

and they will sell them to the Sabeans, 

a nation far away.` 

The invaders (here from the west, Tyre, Sidon, Philistia) have taken away the temple treasures and sold the Israelites into slavery. Vengeance is left to God (Deuteronomy 32:35), but it will occur; those who sold children as slaves will have their own children sold.

Joel 3:8b-12, Let's fight!

The LORD has spoken. 

 Proclaim this among the nations: 

Prepare for war! 

Rouse the warriors! 

Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.  

Beat your plowshares into swords 

and your pruning hooks into spears. 

Let the weakling say, `I am strong!`  

Come quickly, all you nations from every side, 

and assemble there.

 Bring down your warriors, O LORD!  

`Let the nations be roused;

 let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

 for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.  

The nations are called to come together and do their best. They will meet defeat in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 

In  Isaiah 2:4. swords are beaten into plowshares; here, in verse 10, plowshares are beaten into swords.

Joel 3:13-16, Overflowing winepress

Swing the sickle, 

for the harvest is ripe. 

Come, trample the grapes, 

for the winepress is full and the vats overflow-- 

so great is their wickedness!`  

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! 

For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 

 

The sun and moon will be darkened, 

and the stars no longer shine. 

 The LORD will roar from Zion 

and thunder from Jerusalem; 

the earth and the sky will tremble.

 But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, 

a stronghold for the people of Israel.  

The winepress is full and overflowing. The reds of the grapes represents the blood of soldiers -- there will be a terrible day of judgment, so terrible that the heavens tremble. Some of these celestial disasters might represent burning fires of war blocking out the sky and earthquakes. 

The wine of God's wrath shows up in the New Testament in Revelation 14:9-12.

The Bible Project video on Joel argues that the beginning of chapter 3 quotes from Isaiah 13, Zephaniah 3, and Ezekiel 38-39.

Joel 3:17-18, Never again

`Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, 

dwell in Zion, my holy hill. 

Jerusalem will be holy; 

never again will foreigners invade her.  

`In that day the mountains will drip new wine,

 and the hills will flow with milk; 

all the ravines of Judah will run with water. 

A fountain will flow out of the LORD's house 

and will water the valley of acacias.

In the future Jerusalem, the land will be fruitful, overflowing with abundance. In that day, Jerusalem will be restored, to never again be invaded. A refreshing river will run out of the temple, watering flowers and flowing through ravines. (In Zechariah 14:8, one river will flow from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean while another flows from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.)

The Bible Project video claims that, in addition to Zechariah 14, Joel is citing ideas from Isaiah 35 and Ezekiel 37.

Joel 3:19, Punishment

But Egypt will be desolate,

 Edom a desert waste,

 because of violence done to the people of Judah,

 in whose land they shed innocent blood.  

But as Israel prospers in that future day, its enemies, represented by Egypt and Edom, will be defeated. 

Joel 3:20-21, Pardon

Judah will be inhabited forever 

and Jerusalem through all generations.  

Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned,

 I will pardon.` 

The LORD dwells in Zion!  

              
Joel's final statement is that God rules and in this later day, forgiveness will be given and Judah will be inhabited forever.

First published June 25, 2025; updated June 25, 2025

Joel 2, A Coming Day

Joel has described a devastating locust plagues and interprets it as a warning to the nations of Israel and Judah.

Joel 2:1-2a, A day of darkness

  Blow the trumpet in Zion; 

sound the alarm on my holy hill. 

Let all who live in the land tremble, 

for the day of the LORD is coming.

 It is close at hand--

a day of darkness and gloom, 

a day of clouds and blackness. 

The dark clouds of locusts remind Joel of a coming day of darkness, in which the attack will be much more than an infestation of locusts. There is a day close at hand, in which the locust metaphor will describe an invading army.

Darkness is described with four words, darkness, gloom, clouds, blackness. Various combinations of these words appear (says Patterson) in the scenes at Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy 4:11 and in the plague of darkness in Exodus 10:21-22. All four words, emphasizing deep darkness, occur in Zephaniah 1:15. (See also Amos 5:18-20.)

Joel 2:2b-5, Locusts like horses

Like dawn spreading across the mountains 

a large and mighty army comes, 

such as never was of old 

nor ever will be in ages to come.

Before them fire devours, 

behind them a flame blazes. 

Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, 

behind them, a desert waste--

nothing escapes them.

They have the appearance of horses; 

they gallop along like cavalry.

With a noise like that of chariots 

they leap over the mountaintops, 

like a crackling fire consuming stubble, 

like a mighty army drawn up for battle.  

The coming horde will be an army that, like the locusts, turns green Eden into burnt stubble. They will cover the land just as the light of dawn spreads across the mountains. This invading army, riding on horses, is described both as a locust invasion and as a sweeping forest fire. 

The invading army is probably the Assyrian army of Sennacherib (says Patterson.) Although that army did not take Jerusalem, it did plunder deep into Judah and destroy much of the land. Its eventual retreat is described in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37.

Joel 2:6-10, Climbing in through the windows

At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;

 every face turns pale.

They charge like warriors; 

they scale walls like soldiers. 

They all march in line, 

not swerving from their course. 

They do not jostle each other; 

each marches straight ahead. 

They plunge through defenses 

without breaking ranks.  

They rush upon the city; 

they run along the wall. 

They climb into the houses; 

like thieves they enter through the windows.

 Before them the earth shakes, 

the sky trembles, 

the sun and moon are darkened, 

and the stars no longer shine.  

Just like the locusts were everywhere (climbing into rooms through windows!) so too will be these attacking soldiers.  No place will be safe from them. They are disciplined attackers, conquering everything in their paths. The description here is colorful, if not depressing. The invaders climb the walls, crawl in through windows, even the earth and sky react to their presence. A swarm of locusts could darken the sky -- even more so this ferocious band of marauders.

Patterson argues that these verses, through verse 27, are transitional, describing a near event (the invasion of Assyria) while preparing for a future event whose description begins in verse 28.

Joel 2:11, Thunder from YHWH

The LORD thunders at the head of his army; 

his forces are beyond number, 

and mighty are those who obey his command. 

The day of the LORD is great; 

it is dreadful. 

Who can endure it?  

The marauding army might be the Assyrians attacking from the north and east, or the Babylonians later -- but here we learn that this is YHWH's plan -- He will lead an army in that Day.

Is this a historical invasion (such as that by Assyria)? Or is it a future day yet to come?

Joel 2:12-14, Even now

`Even now,` declares the LORD, 

`return to me with all your heart, 

with fasting and weeping and mourning.`

Rend your heart and not your garments. 

Return to the LORD your God,

 for he is gracious and compassionate,

 slow to anger and abounding in love, 

and he relents from sending calamity.

Who knows? He may turn and have pity 

and leave behind a blessing-- 

grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.  

There is still an opportunity, says Joel, to avoid the coming disaster. Return to God and asks His forgiveness. Instead of ripping up garments and wearing sackcloth and ashes, the people are to "rend" their hearts, turning in honesty back to YHWH. It is not the outward signs that matter, but the inner workings of the heart. In verse 13, Joel is citing Exodus 34:6.

Joel 2:15-17, Declare a fast

Blow the trumpet in Zion, 

declare a holy fast, 

call a sacred assembly.

Gather the people, 

consecrate the assembly;

 bring together the elders, 

gather the children,

 those nursing at the breast. 

Let the bridegroom leave his room 

and the bride her chamber.  

Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, 

weep between the temple porch and the altar. 

Let them say, `Spare your people, O LORD. 

Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, 

a byword among the nations. 

Why should they say among the peoples, 

`Where is their God?'`  

The offer of reconciliation continues. If the people declare a fast, and gather themselves and repent, the country can still be saved. Even newlyweds should join in this assembly.

Joel 2:18-20, Grain and new oil

Then the LORD will be jealous for his land 

and take pity on his people.  

The LORD will reply to them: 

`I am sending you grain, 

new wine and oil, 

enough to satisfy you fully;

 never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.  

`I will drive the northern army far from you, 

pushing it into a parched and barren land, 

with its front columns going into the eastern sea

 and those in the rear into the western sea.

 And its stench will go up; 

its smell will rise.`

 Surely he has done great things.

If the people declare a fast and repent then prosperity will return. Grain and new oil will be provided in the future. The northern army will be driven away.

Joel 2:21-24, Green again

 Be not afraid, O land;

 be glad and rejoice.

 Surely the LORD has done great things.  

Be not afraid, O wild animals, 

for the open pastures are becoming green. 

The trees are bearing their fruit; 

the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.  

Be glad, O people of Zion, 

rejoice in the LORD your God, 

for he has given you the autumn rains 

in righteousness.

He sends you abundant showers, 

both autumn and spring rains, as before.  

The threshing floors will be filled with grain;

 the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.  

The land will become green again, the pastures flush with grass and cattle, the trees bearing fruit again.

Verse 23 has some wordplay. The Hebrew word mowreh comes from a root word which means "throw" or "shoot" and was used of a  "teacher" or "instructor." But the word was also used for the "early rain" or "spring rain" which initiated the early planting season. In the Hebrew worldview, teachers and rains both provided important nourishment for the people. The NIV has translated that Hebrew word (appearing twice in verse 23) as "showers" and "spring rains." However the word has a double meaning and the first occurrence in verse 23 is combined with the word tsedaqah, meaning "righteous" or "abundant". Thus, says Patterson, the wordplay is intended to suggest that YHWH will send the people instructions in righteousness, with those refreshing rains.

Joel 2:25-27, The years the locusts have eaten

`I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- 

the great locust and the young locust, 

the other locusts and the locust swarm--

my great army that I sent among you.  

You will have plenty to eat, 

until you are full, 

and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, 

who has worked wonders for you; 

never again will my people be shamed.  

Then you will know that I am in Israel, 

that I am the LORD your God,

 and that there is no other;

 never again will my people be shamed.  

The devastation of the locusts will be repaired and the country repaid. The people will finally become fully the people of YHWH.

Joel 2:28-31, Pouring out of the Spirit

`And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. 

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, 

your old men will dream dreams, 

your young men will see visions.  

Even on my servants, 

both men and women, 

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.  

I will show wonders in the heavens 

and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  

The sun will be turned to darkness

 and the moon to blood 

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.  

Now we hear about "afterward", after the earlier invasion. Most commentators see a change in time, from a historical event to a future day. Certainly the early church read it this way. Indeed, the Jewish scripture version of Joel separates out verses 28-32 as a short chapter, chapter 3, so that Joel has four chapters.

In this future time, men and women will be filled with the Spirit, speaking of visions and dreams. The invitation will be for all people, Gentiles and Jews. This new time will even be reflected in the sun and moon.

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit is described elsewhere: Isaiah 32:15 and 44:3, Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:26-28.

Joel 2:32, Call on YHWH

And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; 

for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,

 as the LORD has said, 

among the survivors whom the LORD calls.   

In that day, people will call for YHWH and be saved; Jerusalem will be delivered and survivors will return. The last five verses of this chapter are quoted in the New Testament by Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2:14-21, as he invites the people of Jerusalem to recognize Yeshuah as their Messiah. Patterson argues that at Pentecost "two tributary streams of prophecy met and blended together... Joel's prophecy was fulfilled but not consumated" (p. 258.)

First published June 24, 2025; updated June 24, 2025

Joel 1, Locust After Locust

Devastation by a plague of locusts begins this prophecy. The devastation likely occurred in the reign of Uzziah early in the eighth century BC (approximately 792-742 BC.) 

Joel 1:1-3, Everyone remembers

The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel. 

Hear this, you elders; 

listen, all who live in the land. 

Has anything like this ever happened in your days 

or in the days of your forefathers? 

Tell it to your children, 

and let your children tell it to their children,

 and their children to the next generation.  

The disaster, to be described below, is dramatic, traumatic, something that will be remembered for generations.

Joel 1:4, Locust after locust

What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; 

what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; 

what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.  

The locusts destroyed everything; what one swarm left, the next swarm took. There are four swarms describe here, by (in the NIV) "locusts", "great locusts", "young locusts" and "other locusts". There are four different Hebrew words for these insects: gazam, arbeh, yeleq, and chasil. Strong's concordance in verse 4 translates these as "chewing locust", "swarming locust", "crawling locust" and "consuming locust". Patterson suggests that the four different terms (and the rhythm of the text) communicate the intensity of the plague. There are records of locust swarms throughout the history of the ANE. 

Joel 1:5-7, Wake up!

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! 

Wail, all you drinkers of wine; 

wail because of the new wine, 

for it has been snatched from your lips.  

A nation has invaded my land, 

powerful and without number; 

it has the teeth of a lion, 

the fangs of a lioness. 

It has laid waste my vines 

and ruined my fig trees. 

It has stripped off their bark 

and thrown it away, 

leaving their branches white.  

Now the prophet begins to speak. The nation is unprepared for this devastation. This devastation, removing all material comforts (such as new wine), should wake the people up. 

The locust invasion is described as an invasion by a powerful nation. The horror of the locust (coming in waves of millions) is described in colorful detail.

Joel 1:8-10, Mourn, mourn, mourn

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth 

grieving for the husband of her youth.

Grain offerings and drink offerings 

are cut off from the house of the LORD. 

The priests are in mourning, 

those who minister before the LORD.  

The fields are ruined, 

the ground is dried up; 

the grain is destroyed, 

the new wine is dried up, 

the oil fails.  

Everything is ruined, everyone is in mourning. Even the priests are in mourning. The people are to mourn like a young bride who has lost her husband. 

Joel 1:11-12, Despair and wail

Despair, you farmers,

 wail, you vine growers; 

grieve for the wheat and the barley, 

because the harvest of the field is destroyed.

The vine is dried up

 and the fig tree is withered; 

the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree-- 

all the trees of the field--

are dried up. 

Surely the joy of mankind is withered away.  

The vines, wheat, barley, figs, pomegranates, and many other crops, have been destroyed.  Indeed, all joy is gone.

Joel 1:13-14, Declare a fast

Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; 

wail, you who minister before the altar. 

Come, spend the night in sackcloth, 

you who minister before my God; 

for the grain offerings and drink offerings 

are withheld from the house of your God.  

Declare a holy fast; 

call a sacred assembly. 

Summon the elders and all who live in the land 

to the house of the LORD your God, 

and cry out to the LORD.  

The priests are instructed to lead the people in mourning. They are to declare a holy fast and call everyone together to cry out to God.

Joel 1:15-18, Shattered by Shadai

Alas for that day! 

For the day of the LORD is near; 

it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes-- 

joy and gladness from the house of our God? 

The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. 

The storehouses are in ruins, 

the granaries have been broken down, 

for the grain has dried up.  

How the cattle moan! 

The herds mill about because they have no pasture; 

even the flocks of sheep are suffering.  

Joel argues that the food shortage and ruined storehouses should bring people to repentance. A "day of YHWH" is near and it will include destruction. This locust swarm appears to be a warning.

In verse 15, the Hebrew translated "destruction from the Almighty" is two words ū·ḵə·šōḏ mi·šad·day. Both words (says Patterson) have the same root, shadad, indicating violence and overwhelming force. This ripple of words, like "shattered by Shadai" (Patterson, p. 243) is intended to be memorable to the Hebrew listener.

Joel 1:19-20, Only you, YHWH

To you, O LORD, I call, 

for fire has devoured the open pastures 

and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

Even the wild animals pant for you; 

the streams of water have dried up 

and fire has devoured the open pastures.  

 

Joel ends this introductory chapter with a call to YHWH, explaining to God what has happened; even the wild animals "pant" for God, as the streams have dried up and the open pastures burned.

The Hebrew word araq, translated "pant" by the NIV, occurs only three times in the Old Testament (says Patterson.)  The other two times are in Psalm 42:1, where it is David who pants after God. In all three cases, the picture is of a thirsty animal seeking water.

The horrible locust plague becomes something more in the next chapter.

First published June 23, 2025; updated June 23, 2025

An Invasion of Locusts, an Introduction to Joel

The short book of Joel is a fascinating example of the minor prophetic books, with a recent disaster (a plague of locusts) used to make a statement about the need of the nations of Israel/Judah to repent (with images of locusts swarms turning into images of swarms of soldiers), followed by statements about a future day at the other end of upcoming judgment.  

The Date and Setting

The Ligonier ministry says (here): 

"While most of the other prophets can be dated with some degree of accuracy, it is notoriously difficult to date the book of Joel. Suggestions have been offered ranging from the ninth century to the second century B.C. Among conservative scholars, three main views are suggested. Some suggest an early pre-exilic date in the late ninth or early eighth century. Others suggest a late pre-exilic date in the seventh century. Still others argue that a post-exilic date in the late sixth to the mid-fifth century best explains the content of the book. While evidence for each of these views has been presented, no one has yet established a decisively compelling argument for any of them."

Tradition has dated the book to a pre-exilic period during which both kingdoms (Israel/Samaria and Judah) were both in existence. Indeed, some suggest that the locust swarm of chapter 1 coincides with the drought experienced by Elijah in 1 Kings 17-18.

Outline

The book of Joel falls naturally into four parts, Indeed those four parts are four chapters (not three!) in the Hebrew medieval scrolls.  Those four parts are

Joel 1, The invasion of locusts

Joel 2:1-27, An invasion of soldiers

Joel 2:28-32, A future Day of the Lord

Joel 3, A future judgment of all nations

Resources and References

My practice is to read through the text from the New International Version (NIV), copied into the blog and italicized in blue.  At the head of each blue paragraph of text I place a short title; after the text I place my thoughts or comments in black.  I begin this process with my own reactions and thoughts and then supplement these comments with gleanings from a commentary or two.

The real goal of this blog is to force me to read every verse thoughtfully. I hope that you, too, read the passages thoughtfully!   Feel free to disagree -- or to react in other ways! (I place hyperlinks in pink, created so that one can click on a link and see the linked site open in another window... and go down a rabbit hole if you wish!)

For the book of Joel, I have relied mainly on a commentary in The Expositors Bible Commentary series, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, volume 7, the chapter by Richard Patterson. A list of additional commentaries recommended by Ligonier ministries is here.

There are other resources online.

• Amongst the online commentaries provided by EasyEnglishBible, is an online commentary on Joel. (The Easy English Bible commentaries are easy to read, with deliberately simple language intended for those for whom English is a second language. The Old Testament text is included in the commentary.) 
• The Gospel Coalition now has a set of online commentaries. Here is their commentary on Joel.

As always, I recommend the Bible Project video on Joel. The Bible Project also includes a written guide to the book of Joel.

The book of Joel, in our modern bibles, is only three chapters. So we will race through it in three days. Don't blink!

Hosea 14, A Plush Garden

Hosea finishes his prophetic warnings with a final plea that Israel return to their God. The sign-act of the first three chapters, of marriage, divorce and renaming of children, is echoed in the insistence that Israel return to YHWH. His message ends with a tender promise.

Hosea 14:1-3, Return

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. 

Your sins have been your downfall!

Take words with you and return to the LORD. 

Say to him: "Forgive all our sins 

and receive us graciously, 

that we may offer the fruit of our lips.

Assyria cannot save us; 

we will not mount war-horses. 

We will never again say `Our gods' to what our own hands have made, 

for in you the fatherless find compassion."  

Hosea calls out, "Return!" and invites Israel to confess, repent and rely on YHWH, not on Assyria or its army. The arrogance of 12:8 must be replaced with confession and submission.

Hosea 14:4-7, Love given freely

"I will heal their waywardness 

and love them freely,

 for my anger has turned away from them.

I will be like the dew to Israel; 

he will blossom like a lily. 

Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;

his young shoots will grow. 

His splendor will be like an olive tree, 

his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

Men will dwell again in his shade. 

He will flourish like the grain. 

He will blossom like a vine, 

and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.  

The future healing is described in metaphors of plush gardens, with cool shade, more than a hint of Eden.

Hosea 14:8, Fruitfulness for Ephraim

"O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?

I will answer him and care for him.

I am like a green pine tree;

your fruitfulness comes from me."

Everything that Ephraim desires comes from God. There is wordplay here: the Hebrew name Ephraim is derived from parah, which means "to be fruitful." The "fruitful" Ephraim gets its fruitfulness from YHWH.

Hosea 14:9, The righteous ways of YHWH

Who is wise? He will realize these things. 

Who is discerning? He will understand them. 

The ways of the LORD are right;

the righteous walk in them,

but the rebellious stumble in them.

           
The prophecy ends with a promise of renewal, of future time of flourishing and fruitfulness. Just as Hosea was to speak tenderly to his wayward wife, so too YHWH calls out an invitation to Ephraim.

First published June 21, 2025; updated June 21, 2025

Hosea 13, No Savior But YHWH

Hosea continues to remind the northern kingdom, Israel, of their heritage in Jacob and of their stubborn disobedience.

Hosea 13:1-3, Like the morning mist

When Ephraim spoke, 

men trembled; 

he was exalted in Israel. 

But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.

Now they sin more and more; 

they make idols for themselves from their silver, 

cleverly fashioned images, 

all of them the work of craftsmen. 

It is said of these people, "They offer human sacrifice 

and kiss the calf-idols."

Therefore they will be like the morning mist, 

like the early dew that disappears, 

like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, 

like smoke escaping through a window.  

The absurdity and decadence of the people of Israel is captured in the fact that they offer human sacrifices and even kiss calf idols! Because the people of Ephraim (Israel) have put Baal as their god, they will evaporate like the morning mist, like the morning dew. (This verse reflects words of 6:4, in which the inconstant love, of Ephraim and Judah for YHWH, vanishes like the morning mist. 🌫 )

Hosea 13:4-6, I fed you and protected you

"But I am the LORD your God,

 [who brought you] out of Egypt. 

You shall acknowledge no God but me, 

no Savior except me.

I cared for you in the desert, 

in the land of burning heat.

When I fed them, 

they were satisfied; 

when they were satisfied, 

they became proud; 

then they forgot me.

YHWH has always been the God of Israel, feeding them, protecting them, caring for them in the desert. 

Hosea reminds the people again (both in 12:9 and 13:4, here) of God's extraordinary choice of their nation, repeating the sentence "But I am the LORD your God, [who brought you] out of Egypt." Verse 4 echoes the First Commandment, Exodus 20:2-3.

Hosea 13:7-8, Wild animals

So I will come upon them like a lion,

 like a leopard I will lurk by the path.

Like a bear robbed of her cubs, 

I will attack them and rip them open. 

Like a lion I will devour them; 

a wild animal will tear them apart.  

In the past, God protected the people from the attacks of wild animals. Now He will pounce on them like the leopards, lions and bears would have done in the absence of His protection. As in 8:7, the people have sowed the wind and will now reap the whirlwind.

Hosea 13:9-13, Kings are useless

"You are destroyed, O Israel,

 because you are against me,

 against your helper.

Where is your king, that he may save you? 

Where are your rulers in all your towns, 

of whom you said, `Give me a king and princes'?  

So in my anger I gave you a king, 

and in my wrath I took him away.

The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, 

his sins are kept on record.

Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, 

but he is a child without wisdom; 

when the time arrives, 

he does not come to the opening of the womb.  

When stubborn Israel wanted a king, God gave them one. When they stayed disobedient, He took kings away. (During the last thirty years of Israel's existence, as Hosea prophesizes, the kingdom went through five kings!) Because of their unfaithfulness, YHWH will remove their protections from them; they will suffer like a woman in childbirth; indeed, Israel is like a child that refuses to leave the womb!

Hosea 13:14a, Ransom

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; 

I will redeem them from death. 

Where, O death, are your plagues? 

Where, O grave, is your destruction? 

An interlude looks to a future redemption from death. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul quotes verse 14 in 1 Corinthians 15:55, along with a similar passage from Isaiah 25:8, to argue that this "redemption from death" points to a future resurrection.

Hosea 13:14b-16, No compassion

"I will have no compassion,  

even though he thrives among his brothers. 

An east wind from the LORD will come, 

blowing in from the desert; 

his spring will fail 

and his well dry up. 

His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.

The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, 

because they have rebelled against their God. 

They will fall by the sword; 

their little ones will be dashed to the ground, 

their pregnant women ripped open." 

          

The passage began with an interlude, the promise of forgiveness, but then ends with a reminder of horrors to come. The soldiers of Assyria were notoriously brutal and this is judgment in coming.

First published June 20, 2025; updated June 20, 2025

Hosea 12, Israel, a Wandering Aramean

Hosea continues describing the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah and God's desire to bring them back to Him.

Hosea 11:12-12:2, Pursuing Egypt and Assyria

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, 

the house of Israel with deceit. 

And Judah is unruly against God, 

even against the faithful Holy One.    

 Ephraim feeds on the wind; 

he pursues the east wind all day 

and multiplies lies and violence. 

He makes a treaty with Assyria 

and sends olive oil to Egypt.  

The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; 

he will punish Jacob according to his ways 

and repay him according to his deeds.

The Masoretic text begins this chapter with the last verse of chapter 11. Ephraim/Israel and Judah, despite all God has done, are rebellious, dealing in lies and deceit. They rely on ill-advised diplomacy with their two powerful neighbors, Egypt on the west and Assyria on the east. (This comes to a head a few decades later when King Hoshea's alliance with Egypt draws the attention of Assyria; see 2 Kings 17:3-4.)

Hosea 12:3-7, Jacob wrestled with God

In the womb he grasped his brother's heel; 

as a man he struggled with God.  

He struggled with the angel

and overcame him; 

he wept and begged for his favor.

He found him at Bethel 

and talked with him there

--the LORD God Almighty, 

the LORD is his name of renown!

 

But you must return to your God; 

maintain love and justice, 

and wait for your God always.

The merchant uses dishonest scales; 

he loves to defraud. 

The people of Israel have inherited the stubbornness of their forefather Jacob. Hosea describes major events from Jacob's life, from his birth (Genesis 25:26) to wrestling with the angel of God (Genesis 32:24-29.)  Jacob's descendants, in their stubbornness, act dishonestly and do not return to YHWH.

Hosea 12:8, Ephraim's boast

Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; 

I have become wealthy. 

With all my wealth 

they will not find in me any iniquity or sin."  

Israel relies on its wealth, not it righteousness. Such an arrogant boast will always be called by the prophets of God. (Wood suggests that Hosea is alluding to the great wealth of Israel during the long reign of Jeroboam II.)

Hosea 12:9-10, Back to tents? 

"I am the LORD your God,

 [who brought you] out of Egypt; 

I will make you live in tents again, 

as in the days of your appointed feasts.

I spoke to the prophets, 

gave them many visions 

and told parables through them."

YHWH reminds the people of Israel that it was He who brought them out of Egypt and gave them real homes in Palestine. But if they ignore Him, He can return them to the tent life of the nomadic tribes. (Wood suggests that there is an allusion to the Feast of Tabernacles, during which time the Israelites remembered their travels during the Exodus.)

Hosea 12:11, Gilead

Is Gilead wicked? 

Its people are worthless! 

Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? 

Their altars will be like piles of stones

on a plowed field.

The questions are rhetorical; Gilead has been wicked, as they offer to other gods. (Gilead, east of the Jordan and Gilgal, on the west, represent all of Israel/Samaria.)

Hosea 12:12-14, A wandering Aramean

Jacob fled to the country of Aram;

Israel served to get a wife,

and to pay for her he tended sheep.

The LORD used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,

by a prophet he cared for him.

But Ephraim has bitterly provoked him to anger; 

his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed 

and will repay him for his contempt.    

          

The Israelites have long been identified as wandering Arameans. Jacob fled to Aram and then served Laban for Rachel. Moses then brought the people out of Egypt -- all these actions are indications of God's guiding love for Jacob and his descendants. Yet Ephraim (Israel) turns his back on God's goodness. 

A shepherd image runs throughout this passage. Jacob, out of love for Rachel, "tended sheep." YHWH, out of love for the Israelites, set up Moses to "care for" them.

First published June 19, 2025; updated June 19, 2025