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
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