THE GROUNDS FOR SEEING CHAPTER 1 AS REFERRING TO REAL LOCUSTS AND CHAPTER 2 AS REFERRING TO AN INVADING ARMY. Clearly the arguments above support the first part of this position, and the second part is based on the kind of language used in chapter 2. This would be a fairly strong case if all that w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The word of YHWH which came to Joel the son of Pethuel.' The whole prophecy is summed up in these words. It is to be seen as ‘the word of YHWH', that is, as God speaking directly to Judah. And He did it through Joel (‘YHWH is God'), the son of Pethuel (who is otherwise unknown).... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CALL TO HEAR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY (JOEL 1:2). The prophecy opens with a call to all in Judah to hear what God has to say. The opening call has in mind Exodus 10:1 which, in the context of a plague of locusts, says, ‘Then YHWH said to Moses, --- “And that you may tell in the hearing of your son a... [ Continue Reading ]
A DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAGUE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES (JOEL 1:6). The effects of the huge plagues of locusts which had arrived to devastate the land are graphically described, and the consequences in the devastation of all vegetation in the land, with the result that both the people and the priests and... [ Continue Reading ]
THE YOUNG LOCUSTS APPEAR AS A JUDGMENT FROM GOD DESPITE ALL EFFORTS TO PREVENT THEM (JOEL 1:19 TO JOEL 2:3). It may well be that after describing the initial locust invasions in chapter 1 Joel now goes on to deal with the next stage of the invasions when the locust eggs hatch out and become voracio... [ Continue Reading ]