Old Testament Commentary - Joel 2

by Don R. Hender


Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
            CHAPTER 2             

War and desolation precede the Second Coming—The sun and the moon shall be darkened—The Lord will pour out his spirit upon all flesh—There will be dreams and visions.

  1 BLOW ye the atrumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy bmountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the cday of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
  2 A day of adarkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
  3 A fire adevoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of bEden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
  4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
  5 Like the anoise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the bstubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
  6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather ablackness.
  7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
  8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
  9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
  10 The aearth shall quake before them; the heavens shall btremble: the csun and the moon shall be ddark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
  11 And the LORD shall utter his avoice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the bday of the LORD is cgreat and very terrible; and who can dabide it?
  12 ¶ Therefore also now, saith the LORD, aturn ye even to me with all your bheart, and with cfasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
  13 And arend your heart, and not your garments, band turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great ckindness, and drepenteth him of the evil.
  14 aWho 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?
  15 ¶ Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a asolemn assembly:
  16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her acloset.
  17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, aweep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy bpeople, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to creproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
  18 ¶ Then will the LORD be ajealous for his land, and bpity his people.
  19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
  20 But I will aremove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the beast sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his cstink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
  21 ¶ Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.
  22 Be not afraid, ye abeasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
  23 Be glad then, ye children of aZion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the brain, the former rain, and the clatter rain in the first month.
  24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the afats shall overflow with wine and oil.
  25 And I will arestore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
  26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with youa: and my people shall never be aashamed.
  27 And ye shall know that I am in the amidst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
 26a hath dealt wondrously with you Though the destruction of the Second Coming will be great and terrible, the Lord will deal well unto his people who heed his word and keep his commandments. Their/Our deliverance will be as a miracle for he will deal 'wondrously' with us unto our preservation unto the Millennial Day.

Moroni Spoke this to Joseph

  28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will apour out my bspirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall cprophesy, your dold men shall edream dreams, your young men shall see fvisions:
  29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
  30 And I will shew awonders in the bheavens and in the earth, blood, and cfire, and pillars of smoke.
  31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into ablood, before the great and the terrible bday of the LORD come.
  32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall acall on the name of bthe LORD shall be cdelivered: for in dmount eZion and in fJerusalem shall be gdeliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the hremnant whom the LORD shall icall.