Joel 2:20

Joel 2:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
• New International Version (NIV)“I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things!
• English Standard Version (ESV)"I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”

Context of Joel 2:20

18Then the Lord became jealous for his land and spared his people. 19The Lord answered his people: Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and fresh oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations. I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done astonishing things. 21Don’t be afraid, land; rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done astonishing things. 22Don’t be afraid, wild animals, for the wilderness pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.

Joel 2:20 word by word

וְֽאֶת־הַצְּפוֹנִ֞י אַרְחִ֣יק מֵעֲלֵיכֶ֗ם וְהִדַּחְתִּיו֮ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֣ה וּשְׁמָמָה֒ אֶת־פָּנָ֗יו אֶל־הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י וְסֹפ֖וֹ אֶל־הַיָּ֣ם הָאַֽחֲר֑וֹן וְעָלָ֣ה בָאְשׁ֗וֹ וְתַ֙עַל֙ צַחֲנָת֔וֹ כִּ֥י הִגְדִּ֖יל לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But I will remove far offרָחַקrâchaq · to removeH7368
• from you the northernצְפוֹנִיtsephônîy · northernH6830
• and will driveנָדַחnâdach · to banishH5080
• him into a landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• barrenצִיָּהtsîyâh · drynessH6723
• and desolateשְׁמָמָהshemâmâh shimâmâh · devastationH8077
• with his faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• toward the eastקַדְמֹנִיqadmônîy qadmônîy · easternH6931
• seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• and his hinder partסוֹףsôph · endH5490
• toward the utmostאַחֲרוֹן'achăryôn 'achărôn · lastH314
• and his stinkבְּאֹשׁbe'ôsh · stenchH889
• shall come upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• and his ill savourצַחֲנָהtsachănâh · stenchH6709
• because he hath doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• great thingsגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431

Cross-references for Joel 2:20

• Joel 2:2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.
• Joel 1:4What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.
• Exodus 10:19Then the Lord changed the wind to a strong west wind, and it carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.
• Jeremiah 1:14Then the Lord said to me, “Disaster will be poured out from the north on all who live in the land.
• Ezekiel 47:7When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.
• Zechariah 14:8On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike.
• Deuteronomy 11:24Every place the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.
• Ezekiel 39:12The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to cleanse the land.
• 2 Kings 8:13Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, do such a mighty deed?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

Commentaries on Joel 2:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20I will remove far off from you the northern army - "That is, the locusts; which might enter Judea by the north, as Circassia and Mingrelia abound with them. Or the locusts may be thus called, because they spread terror like the Assyrian armies, which entered Judea by the north. See Zephaniah 2:13." - Newcome. Syria, which was northward of Judea, was infested with them; and it must have been a northern wind that brought them into Judea, in the time of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20And I will remove far off from you the northern army - God speaks of the human agent under the figure of the locusts, which perish in the sea; yet so as to show at once, that He did not intend the locust itself, nor to describe the mode in which He should overthrow the human oppressor. He is not speaking of the locust itself, for the Northern is no name for the locust which infested Palestine, since it came from the south; nor would the destruction of the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-27Verses 15-27 The priests and rulers are to appoint a solemn fast. The sinner's supplication is, Spare us, good Lord. God is ready to succour his people; and he waits to be gracious. They prayed that God would spare them, and he answered them. His promises are real answers to the prayers of faith; with him saying and doing are not two things. Some understand these promises figuratively, as pointing to gospel grace, and as fulfilled in the abundant comforts…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20grain, new wine, and oil: God would restore the land's produce. This would provide the elements needed for sacrifice and worship (see Joel 1:10, 13). God would also remove the invading armies from the north.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. the northern army--The Hebrew expresses that the north in relation to Palestine is not merely the quarter whence the invader comes, but is his native land, "the Northlander"; namely, the Assyrian or Babylonian (compare Jr 1:14, 15; Zep 2:13). The locust's native country is not the north, but the south, the deserts of Arabia, Egypt, and Libya. Assyria and Babylon are the type and forerunner of all Israel's foes (Rome, and the final Antichrist), from…Read the comment

Topics related to Joel 2:20

• Dead Sea
• Mediterranean Sea

In the dictionaries

• East sea
• Darkness
• Dead Sea
• Fat
• Pour
• Rend
• Reproach
• Thrust
• Barren; Barrenness
• Dead Sea, the

Commentaries on Joel 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings