New King James Version
Joel 3:12
12“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
Joel 3:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
- New International Version (NIV)“Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all.
Context of Joel 3:12
10Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” 11Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” 14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
Read all of Joel 3Joel 3:12 word by word
יֵע֙וֹרוּ֙ וְיַעֲל֣וּ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֶל־עֵ֖מֶק יְהֽוֹשָׁפָ֑ט כִּ֣י שָׁ֗ם אֵשֵׁ֛ב לִשְׁפֹּ֥ט אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם מִסָּבִֽיב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Let the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- be wakenedעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
- and come upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- to the valleyעֵ֫מֶק‛êmeq · Valley (Of Kidron)H6010
- of Jehoshaphatיְהוֹשָׁפָטyehôshâphâţ · (Valley of) JehoshaphatH3092
- for there will I sitיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- to judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- round aboutסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
Cross-references for Joel 3:12
- Joel 3:2I 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.
- 2 Chronicles 20:26And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.
- Ezekiel 39:11“It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.
- Zechariah 14:4And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
- Psalms 2:8Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
- Psalms 7:6Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!
- Psalms 76:8You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still,
- Psalms 96:13For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.
- Psalms 98:9For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.
- Psalms 110:5The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
- Isaiah 2:4He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
- Isaiah 3:13The Lord stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people.
- Ezekiel 30:3For the day is near, Even the day of the Lord is near; It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.
- Micah 4:3He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
- Revelation 19:11Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Commentaries on Joel 3:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Let the heathen be wakened - The heathen shall be wakened. The valley of Jehoshaphat - Any place where God may choose to display his judgments against his enemies.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Let the pagan be awakened - This emphatic repetition of the word, “awaken,” seems intended to hint at the great awakening, to Judgment, when they “who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, being awakened” from the sleep of death. Another word is used of “awakening”. On the destruction of antichrist it is thought that the general Judgment will follow, and “all who are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall come forth” John…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 Here is a challenge to all the enemies of God's people. There is no escaping God's judgments; hardened sinners, in that day of wrath, shall be cut off from all comfort and joy. Most of the prophets foretell the same final victory of the church of God over all that oppose it. To the wicked it will be a terrible day, but to the righteous it will be a joyful day. What cause have those who possess an interest in Christ, to glory in their Strength…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The battle will occur in the valley of Jehoshaphat (see study note on Joel 3:2–3), where the Lord will judge everyone.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. See Joe 3:2. judge all the heathen round about--that is, all the nations from all parts of the earth which have maltreated Israel; not merely, as Henderson supposes, the nations round about Jerusalem (compare Psa 110:6; Is 2:4; Mi 4:3, 11-13; Zep 3:15-19; Zec 12:9; 14:3-11; Mal 4:1-3).Read the comment
Topics related to Joel 3:12
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries