God’s Word Translation
Joel 3:2
2I will gather all the nations. I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. I will judge them there. They scattered the Israelites, the people who belong to me, among the nations. They divided my land.
Joel 3:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
- New International Version (NIV)I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,
- New King James Version (NKJV)I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
Context of Joel 3:2
1“In those days and at that time, I will bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem. I will gather all the nations. I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. I will judge them there. They scattered the Israelites, the people who belong to me, among the nations. They divided my land. 3They threw dice for my people. They traded boys for prostitutes. They sold girls so that they could buy wine to drink. 4“Now what do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will quickly pay you back for what you have done.
Read all of Joel 3Joel 3:2 word by word
וְקִבַּצְתִּי֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְה֣וֹרַדְתִּ֔ים אֶל־עֵ֖מֶק יְהֽוֹשָׁפָ֑ט וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֨י עִמָּ֜ם שָׁ֗ם עַל־עַמִּ֨י וְנַחֲלָתִ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר פִּזְּר֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאֶת־אַרְצִ֖י חִלֵּֽקוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I will also gatherקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
- all nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- and will bring them downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- into the valleyעֵ֫מֶק‛êmeq · Valley (Of Kidron)H6010
- of Jehoshaphatיְהוֹשָׁפָטyehôshâphâţ · (Valley of) JehoshaphatH3092
- and will pleadשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- with them there for my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- my heritageנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- whom they have scatteredפָּזַרpâzar · to scatterH6340
- and partedחָלַקchâlaq · to divideH2505
- my landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Joel 3:2
- Zephaniah 3:8The Lord declares, “Just wait! One day I will stand up as a witness. I have decided to gather nations, to bring kingdoms together, and to pour my rage, my burning anger, on them. The whole land will be consumed by my fiery fury.
- Zechariah 14:2I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people in the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people won’t be taken from the city.
- Revelation 16:14They are spirits of demons that do miracles. These spirits go to the kings of the whole world and gather them for the war on the frightening day of God Almighty.
- Revelation 19:19I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.
- Revelation 20:8He will go out to deceive Gog and Magog, the nations in the four corners of the earth, and gather them for war. They will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
- Joel 3:12Wake up, you nations. Come to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
- 2 Chronicles 20:26On the fourth day they gathered in the valley of Beracah. Because they thanked the Lord there, that place is still called the valley of Beracah [Thanks] today.
- Ezekiel 39:11“ ‘When that day comes, I will give Gog a burial place in Israel. It will be in Travelers Valley, east of the Dead Sea. It will block those who travel ⌞through the valley⌟. Gog and his whole army will be buried there. So it will be called the valley of Gog’s troops.
- Zechariah 14:4On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives will be split in two, forming a very large valley from east to west. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half will move toward the south.
- Isaiah 66:16The Lord will judge with fire, and he will judge all people with his sword. Many people will be struck dead by the Lord.
- Ezekiel 38:22I will punish Gog with plagues and death. I will send rainstorms, large hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on his troops and on the many armies with him.
- Amos 1:11This is what the Lord says: Because Edom has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, I will not change my plans. The Edomites pursued their relatives with swords. They refused to show any compassion to them. Their anger was unstoppable. They refused to control their fury.
- Obadiah 1:10“Because of the violence you did to Jacob, your relative, you will be covered with shame. You will be destroyed forever.
- Zechariah 12:3On that day I will make Jerusalem a stone too heavy for all the nations to lift. All who try to lift it will be severely injured. All the nations in the world will gather ⌞to fight⌟ against Jerusalem.”
- Revelation 11:18“The nations were angry, but your anger has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged: to reward your servants, the prophets, your holy people, and those who fear your name, no matter if they are important or unimportant, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
- Revelation 16:6You have given them blood to drink because they have poured out the blood of God’s people and prophets. This is what they deserve.”
Commentaries on Joel 3:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The valley of Jehoshaphat - There is no such valley in the land of Judea; and hence the word must be symbolical. It signifies the judgment of God, or Jehovah judgeth; and may mean some place (as Bp. Newcome imagines) where Nebuchadnezzar should gain a great battle, which would utterly discomfit the ancient enemies of the Jews, and resemble the victory which Jehoshaphat gained over the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, 2 Chronicles 20:22-26. And parted my…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2I will gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat - It may be that the imagery is furnished by that great deliverance which God gave to Jehoshaphat, when “Ammon and Moab and Edom come against” him, “to cast God‘s people out of” His “possession,” which “He gave” them “to inherit” 2 Chronicles 20:11, and Jehoshaphat appealed to God, “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them?” and God said, “the battle is not yours but God‘s,” and God…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3The Lord would gather the armies of the world (literally all the nations) in the valley of Jehoshaphat. This valley is not related to King Jehoshaphat of Judah (1 Kings 22:41). Instead, it means “the valley where the Lord judges.” It is the place where God would decide the fate of the nations (see Joel 3:14). The sins of the nations included driving God’s covenant people into exile. They also included abusing helpless boys and girls by selling them as…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Parallel to Zec 14:2, 3, 4, where the "Mount of Olives" answers to the "Valley of Jehoshaphat" here. The latter is called "the valley of blessing" (Berachah) (2Ch 20:26). It lies between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives and has the Kedron flowing through it. As Jehoshaphat overthrew the confederate foes of Judah, namely, Ammon, Moab, &c. (Psa 83:6-8), in this valley, so God was to overthrow the Tyrians, Zidonians, Philistines, Edom, and Egypt, with a…Read the comment
Topics related to Joel 3:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joel 3
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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