Joel 2:14

Joel 2:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?
• New International Version (NIV)Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?

Context of Joel 2:14

12“But even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart— with fasting, crying, and mourning.” 13Tear your hearts, not your clothes. Return to the Lord your God. He is merciful and compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive and to change his plans about disaster. Who knows? He may reconsider and change his plan and leave a blessing for you. Then you could give grain offerings and wine offerings to the Lord your God. 15Blow the ram’s horn in Zion. Schedule a time to fast. Call for an assembly. 16Gather the people. Prepare them for a holy meeting. Assemble the leaders. Gather the children, even the nursing infants. Grooms leave their rooms. Brides leave their chambers.

Joel 2:14 word by word

מִ֥י יוֹדֵ֖עַ יָשׁ֣וּב וְנִחָ֑ם וְהִשְׁאִ֤יר אַֽחֲרָיו֙ בְּרָכָ֔ה מִנְחָ֣ה וָנֶ֔סֶךְ לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Who knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• he will returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: repentH7725
• and repentנָחַםnâcham · to be sorry: relentH5162
• and leaveשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
• a blessingבְּרָכָהberâkâh · blessingH1293
• behindאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• a meat offeringמִנְחָהminchâh · offeringH4503
• and a drink offeringנֶ֫סֶךְnesek nêsek · drink offeringH5262
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430

Cross-references for Joel 2:14

• Exodus 32:30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to the Lord. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make peace with the Lord for your sin.”
• Joshua 14:12Now give me this mountain region which the Lord spoke of that day. You heard that the people of Anak are still there and that they have large, fortified cities. If the Lord is with me, I can force them out, as he promised.”
• 1 Samuel 6:5Make models of your tumors and your mice which are destroying the country, and give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe he will no longer be so hard on you, your gods, and your country.
• 2 Samuel 12:22David answered, “As long as the child was alive, I fasted and cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’
• 2 Kings 19:4The Lord your God may have heard all the words of the field commander. His master, the king of Assyria, sent him to defy the living God. The Lord your God may punish him because of the message that the Lord your God heard. Pray for the few people who are left.”
• Amos 5:15Hate evil and love good. Then you will be able to have justice in your courts. Maybe the Lord God of Armies will have pity on the faithful few of Joseph.
• Jonah 1:6The captain of the ship went to him and asked, “How can you sleep? Get up, and pray to your God. Maybe he will notice us, and we won’t die.”
• Jonah 3:9Who knows? God may reconsider his plans and turn from his burning anger so that we won’t die.”
• Zephaniah 2:3Search for the Lord, all you humble people in the land who carry out his justice. Search for what is right. Search for humility. Maybe you will find shelter on the day of the Lord’s anger.
• 2 Timothy 2:25He must be gentle in correcting those who oppose the Good News. Maybe God will allow them to change the way they think and act and lead them to know the truth.
• Isaiah 65:8This is what the Lord says: When someone finds juice for new wine in a cluster of grapes, another person will say, “Don’t destroy it, because there’s a blessing in it.” In the same way, I will do this for my servants: I will not destroy everything.
• Haggai 2:19Is there any seed left in the barn? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still haven’t produced. But from now on I will bless you.”
• Joel 1:9Grain offerings and wine offerings are no longer brought to the Lord’s temple. The priests, the Lord’s servants, mourn.

Commentaries on Joel 2:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Who knoweth if he will return - He may yet interpose and turn aside the calamity threatened, and so far preserve the land from these ravagers, that there will be food for men and cattle, and a sufficiency of offerings for the temple service. Therefore: -Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Who knoweth if He will return - God has promised forgiveness of sins and of eternal punishment to those who turn to Him with their whole heart. Of this, then, there could be no doubt. But He has not promised either to individuals or to Churches, that He will remit the temporal punishment which He had threatened. He forgave David the sin. Nathan says, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin.” But he said at the same time, “the sword shall never depart from…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14Who knows?: Joel’s simple question acknowledges God's complete control (see also Jonah 3:9). God does not have to restore us just because we perform certain rituals. Forgiveness comes only through divine grace, but Joel knew that God was willing to forgive (Joel 2:13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. leave ... a meat offering and a drink offering--that is, give plentiful harvests, out of the first-fruits of which we may offer the meat and drink offering, now "cut off" through the famine (Joe 1:9, 13, 16). "Leave behind Him": as God in visiting His people now has left behind Him a curse, so He will, on returning to visit them, leave behind Him a blessing.Read the comment

Topics related to Joel 2:14

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Drink Offering
• Meat Offering
• Darkness
• Drinkoffering
• Fat
• Pour
• Rend
• Reproach

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