Yoel 1:15
Konteks1:15 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
Zefanya 1:14-16
Konteks1:14 The Lord’s great day of judgment 3 is almost here;
it is approaching very rapidly!
There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s day of judgment;
at that time warriors will cry out in battle. 4
1:15 That day will be a day of God’s anger, 5
a day of distress and hardship,
a day of devastation and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and dark skies,
1:16 a day of trumpet blasts 6 and battle cries. 7
Judgment will fall on 8 the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
[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.
[1:14] 3 tn Heb “The great day of the
[1:14] 4 tn Heb “the sound of the day of the
[1:15] 5 tn Heb “a day of wrath.” The word “God’s” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:16] 6 tn Heb “a ram’s horn.” By metonymy the Hebrew text mentions the trumpet (“ram’s horn”) in place of the sound it produces (“trumpet blasts”).
[1:16] 7 sn This description of the day of the
[1:16] 8 tn Heb “against.” The words “judgment will fall” are supplied in the translation for clarification.