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Joel 3:9-11
New English Translation
Joel 3:9-11
New English Translation
Judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for a holy war!
Call out the warriors!
Let all these fighting men approach and attack![a]
10 Beat your plowshares[b] into swords,
and your pruning hooks[c] into spears.[d]
Let the weak say, ‘I too am a warrior!’[e]
11 Lend your aid[f] and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves[g] to that place.”
Bring down, O Lord, your warriors![h]
Footnotes
- Joel 3:9 tn Heb “draw near and go up.”
- Joel 3:10 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
- Joel 3:10 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.
- Joel 3:10 sn This conversion of farming instruments to instruments of war is the reverse of Isa 2:4 (cf. Mic 4:3), where military weapons are transformed into tools for farming. Isaiah describes a time of kingdom blessing and prosperity, whereas Joel describes a time of eschatological conflict and judgment.
- Joel 3:10 sn The “weak” individual mentioned here is apparently the farmer who has little or no military prowess or prior fighting experience. Under ordinary circumstances such a person would be ill-prepared for assuming the role of a soldier. However, in the scene that Joel is describing here even the most unlikely candidate will become a participant to be reckoned with in this final conflict.
- Joel 3:11 tn This Hebrew verb is found only here in the OT; its meaning is uncertain. Some scholars prefer to read here עוּרוּ (ʿuru, “arouse”) or חוּשׁוּ (khushu, “hasten”).
- Joel 3:11 tc The present translation follows the reading of the imperative הִקָּבְצוּ (hiqqavetsu) rather than the perfect with vav (ו) consecutive וְנִקְבָּצוּ (veniqbatsu) of the MT.
- Joel 3:11 tc Some commentators prefer to delete the line, “Bring down, O Lord, your warriors,” understanding it to be a later addition. But this is unnecessary. Contrary to what some have suggested, a prayer for the Lord’s intervention is not out of place here.
New English Translation (NET)
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