Joel 2:17

Joel 2:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
• New International Version (NIV)Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

Context of Joel 2:17

15Blow the trumpet in Zion. Tell the people that they must not eat any food. Tell the people that they must all come to worship him. 16Tell the people that they must all come. Make them all ready to serve the Lord. Bring the old people together. Bring the children – even the smallest ones. Every new husband must leave his room. Every wife must leave her secret room. There are priests who go in front of the Lord. They must cry as they go from the temple door to the altar. They must say to the Lord, ‘Do not hurt your people. Do not let the people in other countries laugh at your own people. They will point at them. And they will say that they have no value. They will say that we have no God.’ 18Then the Lord will be careful for his land. He will be kind to his people. 19He will answer them and he will say, ‘I am giving you new wine and food and oil. You will have enough to fill you up. I will never again let people in other countries laugh about you.

Joel 2:17 word by word

בֵּ֤ין הָאוּלָם֙ וְלַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ יִבְכּוּ֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י יְהוָ֑ה וְֽיֹאמְר֞וּ ח֧וּסָה יְהוָ֣ה עַל־עַמֶּ֗ךָ וְאַל־תִּתֵּ֨ן נַחֲלָתְךָ֤ לְחֶרְפָּה֙ לִמְשָׁל־בָּ֣ם גּוֹיִ֔ם לָ֚מָּה יֹאמְר֣וּ בָֽעַמִּ֔ים אַיֵּ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Let the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• the ministersשָׁרַתshârath · to ministerH8334
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• weepבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• between the porchאוּלָם'ûlâm 'ûlâm · PorticoH197
• and the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• and let them sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Spareחוּסchûs · to pityH2347
• thy peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• and giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
• not thine heritageנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
• to reproachחֶרְפָּהcherpâh · reproachH2781
• that the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• should rule overמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910
• their Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430

Cross-references for Joel 2:17

• Joel 1:9There will be no more gifts of food or drink. They will not reach the house of the Lord. The priests, the servants of the Lord, are very, very sad.
• 1 Kings 6:3The temple had an entrance room in front of its big hall. The entrance room was as wide as the temple, 9 metres wide. It came 4.5 metres out from the front of the temple itself.
• 2 Chronicles 8:12Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar that he had built. The altar was outside the entrance of the temple.
• Ezekiel 8:16Then the Lord took me to the inside yard of his temple. I could see about 25 men who were standing between the altar and the front of the temple. Their backs were turned towards the Lord's temple. Their faces looked towards the east. They were bending down low to worship the sun that was rising in the east!
• Matthew 23:35Because of all this, God will punish you for all the good people that you and your ancestors have killed. Long ago, Abel was the first of those good people. You also killed Zechariah, the son of Berekiah. He died in the yard of the temple near the altar.
• Hosea 14:2Return to the Lord and pray to him! Say to him, ‘Please forgive all our sins. Be kind to us as we come to you. We will praise you with our mouths, as our sacrifice to you.
• Exodus 32:11But Moses asked the Lord his God to be kind. He said, ‘Lord, please do not be so angry with your own people! You used your great power and authority to bring them safely out of Egypt.
• Exodus 34:9He said, ‘Lord, my God, if you are pleased with me, please travel with us! It is true that these people are proud and they often do not obey you. But please forgive all our sins. Please accept us as your own people.’
• Deuteronomy 9:16When I looked, I saw that you had made an image of a calf as your idol. You really had done a very bad thing. You had quickly stopped doing the things that the Lord your God had commanded you to do.
• Isaiah 37:20So now, Lord, you are our God! Save us from the power of Sennacherib! Then all the kingdoms in the world will know that you alone are the Lord.’
• Isaiah 64:9Lord, please do not be too angry with us. Do not hold our sins in your mind for ever. Do not forget us! We are your people, all of us!
• Daniel 9:18Listen to us, my God. Our towns have become heaps of stones. See what has happened to the city that belongs to you. We do not ask you to do this because we are righteous people. We ask you because you are very kind.
• Amos 7:2I saw that the locusts came and they ate everything. I asked the Lord, ‘Lord God, please forgive your people. We cannot continue to live if those locusts destroy our food. We are too weak!’
• Malachi 1:9‘Now you ask me to be kind to you. You want me to forgive you. But when you offer unclean animals as gifts to me, I will not be happy with your gifts.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
• Psalms 44:10You make us run away from our enemies. The people who hate us take from us whatever they like!
• Psalms 74:10God, how long will our enemies laugh at you? Will they insult your name for ever?

Commentaries on Joel 2:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Let the priests - weep between the porch and the altar - The altar of burnt-offerings stood before the porch of the temple, 2 Chronicles 8:12, and between them there was an open space of fifteen or twenty cubits. It was there that the priests prostrated themselves on such occasions. It was into this place that the priests brought the sacrifice or victim of atonement; and where the high priest laid his hands on the head of the victim confessing his sins…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar - The porch in this, Solomon‘s temple, was in fact a tower, in front of the holy of holies, of the same breadth with the temple, namely, 20 cubits, and its depth half its breadth, namely, 10 cubits 1 Kings 6:3, and its height 120 cubits, the whole “overlaid within with pure gold” 2 Chronicles 3:4. The brass altar for burnt-offerings stood in front of it 2 Chronicles 8:12. 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. 17Spare Your people, O LORD: Gathered at the temple, the religious leaders and everyone else could only do one thing in their desperate situation. The religious leaders wanted the people to ask for God's mercy and compassion.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. between the porch and ... altar--the porch of Solomon's temple on the east (1Ki 6:3); the altar of burnt offerings in the court of the priests, before the porch (2Ch 8:12; compare Eze 8:16; Mt 23:35). The suppliants thus were to stand with their backs to the altar on which they had nothing to offer, their faces towards the place of the Shekinah presence. heathen should rule over them--This shows that not locusts, but human foes, are intended. The…Read the comment

Topics related to Joel 2:17

• Church
• Intercession
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Judgments
• Minister, Christian
• Prayer
• Repentance
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Darkness
• Fat
• Pour
• Rend
• Reproach
• Thrust
• Eschatology of the Old Testament
• Intercession

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