Yesaya 12:6

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel ¹  acts mightily ²  among you!”

Yesaya 24:23

24:23 The full moon will be covered up, ³ 

the bright sun ⁴  will be darkened; ⁵ 

for the Lord who commands armies will rule ⁶ 

on Mount Zion in Jerusalem ⁷ 

in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. ⁸ 

Yeremia 3:17

3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem ⁹  will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. ¹⁰  They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. ¹¹ 

Yeremia 14:9

14:9 Why should you be like someone who is helpless, ¹² 

like a champion ¹³  who cannot save anyone?

You are indeed with us, ¹⁴ 

and we belong to you. ¹⁵ 

Do not abandon us!”

Yoel 3:21

3:21 I will avenge ¹⁶  their blood which I had not previously acquitted.

It is the Lord who dwells in Zion!

Yoel 3:12

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.

Yoel 1:3

1:3 Tell your children ¹⁷  about it,

have your children tell their children,

and their children the following generation. ¹⁸ 

[12:6]  ¹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:6]  ² tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.

[24:23]  ³ tn Heb “will be ashamed.”

[24:23]  ⁴ tn Or “glow of the sun.”

[24:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).

[24:23]  ⁶ tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”

[24:23]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”

[3:17]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “will gather to the name of the Lord.”

[3:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”

[14:9]  ¹² tn This is the only time this word occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The lexicons generally take it to mean “confused” or “surprised” (cf., e.g., BDB 187 s.v. דָּהַם). However, the word has been found in a letter from the seventh century in a passage where it must mean something like “be helpless”; see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:433, for discussion and bibliography of an article where this letter is dealt with.

[14:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “mighty man, warrior.” For this nuance see 1 Sam 17:51 where it parallels a technical term used of Goliath used earlier in 17:4, 23.

[14:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in our midst.”

[14:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Your name is called upon us.” See Jer 7:10, 11, 14, 30 for this idiom with respect to the temple and see the notes on Jer 7:10.

[3:21]  ¹⁶ tc The present translation follows the reading וְנִקַּמְתִּי (vÿniqqamti, “I will avenge”) rather than וְנִקֵּתִי (vÿniqqeti, “I will acquit”) of the MT.

[1:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “sons.” This word occurs several times in this verse.

[1:3]  ¹⁸ sn The circumstances that precipitated the book of Joel surrounded a locust invasion in Palestine that was of unprecedented proportions. The locusts had devastated the country’s agrarian economy, with the unwelcome consequences extending to every important aspect of commercial, religious, and national life. To further complicate matters, a severe drought had exhausted water supplies, causing life-threatening shortages for animal and human life (cf. v. 20). Locust invasions occasionally present significant problems in Palestine in modern times. The year 1865 was commonly known among Arabic-speaking peoples of the Near East as sent el jarad, “year of the locust.” The years 1892, 1899, and 1904 witnessed significant locust invasions in Palestine. But in modern times there has been nothing equal in magnitude to the great locust invasion that began in Palestine in February of 1915. This modern parallel provides valuable insight into the locust plague the prophet Joel points to as a foreshadowing of the day of the Lord. For an eyewitness account of the 1915 locust invasion of Palestine see J. D. Whiting, “Jerusalem’s Locust Plague,” National Geographic 28 (December 1915): 511-50.