3:2 Then I will gather all the nations,
and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. 1
I will enter into judgment 2 against them there
concerning my people Israel who are my inheritance, 3
whom they scattered among the nations.
They partitioned my land,
3:9 Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for a holy war!
Call out the warriors!
Let all these fighting men approach and attack! 4
3:10 Beat your plowshares 5 into swords,
and your pruning hooks 6 into spears! 7
Let the weak say, ‘I too am a warrior!’ 8
3:11 Lend your aid 9 and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves 10 to that place.”
Bring down, O Lord, your warriors! 11
3:12 Let the nations be roused and let them go up
to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit in judgment on all the surrounding nations.
3:13 Rush forth with 12 the sickle, for the harvest is ripe!
Come, stomp the grapes, 13 for the winepress is full!
The vats overflow.
Indeed, their evil is great! 14
3:14 Crowds, great crowds are in the valley of decision,
for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision! 15
3:15 The sun and moon are darkened;
the stars withhold 16 their brightness.
3:16 The Lord roars from Zion;
from Jerusalem 17 his voice bellows out. 18
The heavens 19 and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge for his people;
he is a stronghold for the citizens 20 of Israel.
1 sn There is a play on words here. Jehoshaphat in Hebrew means “the Lord has judged,” and the next line in v. 2 further explicates this thought. The location of this valley is uncertain (cf. v. 12). Many interpreters have understood the Valley of Jehoshaphat to be the Kidron Valley, located on the east side of old Jerusalem. Since this is described as a scene of future messianic activity and judgment, many Jews and Muslims have desired to be buried in the vicinity, a fact attested to in modern times by the presence of many graves in the area. A variation of this view is mentioned by Eusebius, Onomasticon 1:10. According to this view, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is located in the Hinnom Valley, on the south side of the old city. Yet another view is held by many modern scholars, who understand the reference to this valley to be one of an idealized and nonliteral scene of judgment.
2 tn Heb “I will execute judgment.”
3 tn Heb “concerning my people and my inheritance Israel.”
4 tn Heb “draw near and go up.”
5 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
6 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.
7 sn This conversion of farming instruments to instruments of war is the reverse of Isa 2:4 (cf. Mic 4:3), where military weapons are transformed into tools for farming. Isaiah describes a time of kingdom blessing and prosperity, whereas Joel describes a time of eschatological conflict and judgment.
8 sn The “weak” individual mentioned here is apparently the farmer who has little or no military prowess or prior fighting experience. Under ordinary circumstances such a person would be ill-prepared for assuming the role of a soldier. However, in the scene that Joel is describing here even the most unlikely candidate will become a participant to be reckoned with in this final conflict.
9 tn This Hebrew verb is found only here in the OT; its meaning is uncertain. Some scholars prefer to read here עוּרוּ (’uru, “arouse”) or חוּשׁוּ (khushu, “hasten”).
10 tc The present translation follows the reading of the imperative הִקָּבְצוּ (hiqqavÿtsu) rather than the perfect with vav (ו) consecutive וְנִקְבָּצוּ (vÿniqbbatsu) of the MT.
11 tc Some commentators prefer to delete the line “Bring down, O
12 tn Heb “send.”
13 tn Heb “go down” or “tread.” The Hebrew term רְדוּ (rÿdu) may be from יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”) or from רָדָה (radah, “have dominion,” here in the sense of “to tread”). If it means “go down,” the reference would be to entering the vat to squash the grapes. If it means “tread,” the verb would refer specifically to the action of those who walk over the grapes to press out their juice. The phrase “the grapes” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
14 sn The immediacy of judgment upon wickedness is likened to the urgency required for a harvest that has reached its pinnacle of development. When the harvest is completely ripe, there can be no delay by the reapers in gathering the harvest. In a similar way, Joel envisions a time when human wickedness will reach such a heightened degree that there can be no further stay of divine judgment (cf. the “fullness of time” language in Gal 4:4).
15 sn The decision referred to here is not a response on the part of the crowd, but the verdict handed out by the divine judge.
16 tn Heb “gather in.”
17 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
18 tn Heb “he sounds forth his voice.”
19 tn Or “the sky.” See the note on “sky” in 2:30.
20 tn Heb “sons.”