Discovery BoxJoel 1:2 
ContextA Locust Plague Foreshadows the Day of the Lord
1:2 Listen to this, you elders; 1
pay attention, 2 all inhabitants of the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life 3
or in the lifetime 4 of your ancestors? 5
Joel 2:12
ContextAn Appeal for Repentance
2:12 “Yet even now,” the Lord says,
“return to me with all your heart –
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Tear your hearts, 6
not just your garments!”
1 sn Elders here refers not necessarily to men advanced in years, but to leaders within the community.
2 tn Heb “give ear.”
3 tn Heb “days.” The term “days” functions here as a synecdoche for one’s lifespan.
4 tn Heb “days.”
5 tn Heb “fathers.”
6 sn The figurative language calls for genuine repentance, and not merely external ritual that goes through the motions.
