Yoel 1:15

1:15 How awful that day will be! ¹ 

For the day of the Lord is near;

it will come as destruction from the Divine Destroyer. ² 

Yoel 2:11

2:11 The voice of the Lord thunders ³  as he leads his army. ⁴ 

Indeed, his warriors ⁵  are innumerable; ⁶ 

Surely his command is carried out! ⁷ 

Yes, the day of the Lord is awesome ⁸ 

and very terrifying – who can survive ⁹  it?

Yoel 2:31

2:31 The sunlight will be turned to darkness

and the moon to the color of blood, ¹⁰ 

before the day of the Lord comes –

that great and terrible day!

[1:15]  ¹ tn Heb “Alas for the day!”

[1:15]  ² tn There is a wordplay in Hebrew here with the word used for “destruction” (שׁוֹד, shod) and the term used for God (שַׁדַּי, shadday). The exact meaning of “Shaddai” in the OT is somewhat uncertain, although the ancient versions and many modern English versions tend to translate it as “Almighty” (e.g., Greek παντοκράτωρ [pantokratwr], Latin omnipotens). Here it might be rendered “Destroyer,” with the thought being that “destruction will come from the Divine Destroyer,” which should not be misunderstood as a reference to the destroying angel. The name “Shaddai” (outside Genesis and without the element “El” [“God”]) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14, Isa 13:6, and the present passage, Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.

[2:11]  ³ tn Heb “the Lord gives his voice.”

[2:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “before his army.”

[2:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “military encampment.”

[2:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “very large.”

[2:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “he makes his word powerful.”

[2:11]  ⁸ tn Or “powerful.” Heb “great.”

[2:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “endure.” The MT and LXX read “endure,” while one of the Qumran manuscripts (4QXXII^c) has “bear.”

[2:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to blood,” but no doubt this is intended to indicate by metonymy the color of blood rather than the substance itself. The blood red color suggests a visual impression here – something that could be caused by fires, volcanic dust, sandstorms, or other atmospheric phenomena.