Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version “I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things! New Living Translation I will drive away these armies from the north. I will send them into the parched wastelands. Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea, and those at the rear into the Mediterranean. The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.” Surely the LORD has done great things! English Standard Version “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. Berean Standard Bible The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things. King James Bible But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. New King James Version “But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.” New American Standard Bible “But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land, Its advance guard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up, Because it has done great things.” NASB 1995 “But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things.” NASB 1977 “But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things.” Legacy Standard Bible But I will remove the northern military force far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will rise up, and its foul smell will rise up, For it has done great things.” Amplified Bible “But I will remove the northern army far away from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, With its forward guard into the eastern sea (Dead Sea) And with its rear guard into the western sea (Mediterranean Sea). And its stench will arise and its foul odor of decay will come up [this is the fate of the northern army in the final day of the LORD], For He has done great things.” Christian Standard Bible I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done astonishing things. Holman Christian Standard Bible I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done catastrophic things. American Standard Version but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things. Contemporary English Version An army attacked from the north, but I will chase it into a scorching desert. There it will rot and stink from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean." The LORD works wonders English Revised Version but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his forepart into the eastern sea, and his hinder part into the western sea; and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. GOD'S WORD® Translation "I will keep the northern [army] far from you, and I will force it into a dry and barren land. The soldiers in front will be forced into the eastern sea. The soldiers in back will be forced into the western sea. A foul odor will rise from the dead bodies. They will stink." He has done great things! Good News Translation I will remove the locust army that came from the north and will drive some of them into the desert. Their front ranks will be driven into the Dead Sea, their rear ranks into the Mediterranean. Their dead bodies will stink. I will destroy them because of all they have done to you. International Standard Version "I will remove the northerners from you, driving them to a barren and desolate land— the front toward the Dead Sea and the back toward the Mediterranean. Their stench will rise, and their stinking odor will ascend, because they have done great things." Majority Standard Bible The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things. NET Bible I will remove the one from the north far from you. I will drive him out to a dry and desolate place. Those in front will be driven eastward into the Dead Sea, and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise up as a foul smell." Indeed, the LORD has accomplished great things. New Heart English Bible But I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise." Surely he has done great things. Webster's Bible Translation But I will remove far from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face towards the east sea, and his hinder part towards the utmost sea, and his odious scent shall come up, and his ill savor shall come up, because he hath done great things. World English Bible But I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd the northern I put far off from you, "" And have driven him to a land dry and desolate, "" With his face toward the Eastern Sea, "" And his rear to the Western Sea, "" And his stink has come up, "" And his stench comes up, "" For he has exerted himself to work.” Young's Literal Translation And the northern I put far off from you, And have driven him unto a land dry and desolate, With his face unto the eastern sea, And his rear unto the western sea, And come up hath his stink, And come up doth his stench, For he hath exerted himself to work. Smith's Literal Translation And the northern I will remove far off from you, and I thrust him into a land of dryness and desolation, with his face to the east sea, and his end to the last sea; and his stink came up, and his stench shall come up, for he magnified to do. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd I will remove far off from you the northern enemy: and I will drive him into a land unpassable, and desert, with his face towards the east sea, and his hinder part towards the utmost sea: and his stench shall ascend, and his rottenness shall go up, because he hath done proudly. Catholic Public Domain Version And he who is from the North, I will drive far from you. And I will expel him into an impassable land, and into the desert, with his face opposite the Eastern sea, and his furthest part towards the furthest sea. And his stench will ascend, and his rottenness will ascend, because he has acted arrogantly. New American Bible The northerner I will remove far from you, driving them out into a dry and desolate land, Their vanguard to the eastern sea, their rearguard to the western sea, And their stench will rise, their stink will ascend, What great deeds the Lord has done! New Revised Standard Version I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things! Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleBut I will remove far off from you the northern army, and I will drive him into a dry and desolate land, with his face toward the last sea, and his rear toward the utmost sea, and his smell shall come up, and his stench shall arise because he has boasted to do great things. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And I shall remove the northerner from you, and I shall drive him out to a thirsty and desolate land; his face toward the First Sea and his rear end toward the Last Sea, and his fragrance shall strike and his savor shall come up, because he has risen up to work OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917But I will remove far off from you the northern one, And will drive him into a land barren and desolate, With his face toward the eastern sea, And his hinder part toward the western sea; That his foulness may come up, and his ill savour may come up, Because he hath done great things.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And I will chase away from you the northern adversary, and will drive him away into a dry land, and I will sink his face in the former sea, and his back parts in the latter sea, and his ill savour shall come up, and his stink come up, because he has wrought great things. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Restoration Promised…19And the LORD answered His people: “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and by them you will be satisfied. I will never again make you a reproach among the nations. 20 The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things. 21Do not be afraid, O land; rejoice and be glad, for the LORD has done great things.… Cross References Ezekiel 39:2-4 I will turn you around, drive you along, bring you up from the far north, and send you against the mountains of Israel. / Then I will strike the bow from your left hand and dash down the arrows from your right hand. / On the mountains of Israel you will fall—you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to every kind of ravenous bird and wild beast. Isaiah 34:1-3 Come near, O nations, to listen; pay attention, O peoples. Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that springs from it. / The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter. / Their slain will be left unburied, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood. Zephaniah 1:3 “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:14-15 Then the LORD said to me, “Disaster from the north will be poured out on all who live in the land. / For I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD. “Their kings will come and set up their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all her surrounding walls and all the other cities of Judah. Isaiah 17:12-14 Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters. / The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale. / In the evening, there is sudden terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us. Revelation 19:17-21 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, / so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.” / Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. ... Ezekiel 38:21-23 And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother. / I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. / I will magnify and sanctify Myself, and I will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Isaiah 66:15-16 For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. / For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD. Jeremiah 25:31-33 The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth because the LORD brings a charge against the nations. He brings judgment on all mankind and puts the wicked to the sword,’” declares the LORD. / This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.” / Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground. Zechariah 14:12-15 And this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. / On that day a great panic from the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other. / Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. ... Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! Revelation 16:12-16 And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East. / And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. / These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. ... Isaiah 14:24-27 The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand. / I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” / This is the plan devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the nations. ... Jeremiah 46:10 For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of Hosts, a day of vengeance against His foes. The sword will devour until it is satisfied, until it is quenched with their blood. For the Lord GOD of Hosts will hold a sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates. Daniel 11:45 He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him. Treasury of Scripture But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill smell shall come up, because he has done great things. remove. Joel 2:2-11 A day of darkness 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… Joel 1:4-6 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten… Exodus 10:19 And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. the northern. Jeremiah 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. the east. Ezekiel 47:7,8,18 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other… Zechariah 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. utmost. Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. his stink. Ezekiel 39:12-16 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land… because. 2 Kings 8:13 And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. done. Jump to Previous Army Bad Barren Desolate Drive East Eastern Face Far Front Great Hinder Ill Land Northern Odious Part Remove Rise Savor Savour Scent Sea Smell Stench Stink Surely Towards Utmost WesternJump to Next Army Bad Barren Desolate Drive East Eastern Face Far Front Great Hinder Ill Land Northern Odious Part Remove Rise Savor Savour Scent Sea Smell Stench Stink Surely Towards Utmost WesternJoel 2 1. He shows unto Zion the terribleness of God's judgment.12. He exhorts to repentance; 15. prescribes a fast; 18. promises a blessing thereon. 21. He comforts Zion with present, 28. and future blessings. But I will remove the northern army far from you The phrase "I will remove" indicates a divine intervention where God Himself takes action. The Hebrew root for "remove" is "סוּר" (sur), which means to turn aside or take away. This reflects God's sovereign power to protect His people by actively removing threats. Historically, the "northern army" likely refers to the Assyrian or Babylonian forces, known for their invasions from the north. This promise of removal is a reassurance of God's protective covenant with Israel, emphasizing His role as a divine warrior who fights on behalf of His people. and drive it into a barren and desolate land its front ranks into the eastern sea and its rear guard into the western sea and its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend For He has done great things The east sea is the Dead Sea; the utmost or hinder sea is the Mediterranean; the desolate land is the southern desert. The northern invader shall be expelled all along the coasts of Palestine. His stink shall come up. In the eighth plague of Egypt, when on the repentance of Pharaoh the locusts were removed, they were cast into the Red Sea, and there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt (Exodus 10:19). In the present instance there is the result stated in the case of the decomposition of the bodies of the locusts left on the land: the air was infected with a horrible pestilence. There are various allusions to this terrible result of their putrefaction in the writers who describe the horrors of a plague of locusts. St. Jerome tells of the awful sufferings inflicted on man and beast through this cause; and St. Augustine (De Civitate Dei, iii. 31) relates that eight hundred thousand men perished from this reason in the kingdom of Masinissa alone, besides many more near the coast. Thus Joel declares the complete destruction of the enemies of Israel, who having completed the purpose of vengeance for which they were summoned, and, like the Assyrians under the walls of Jerusalem, having exalted themselves against the Lord, perish miserably under the stroke of His power. Verse 20. - But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea. This verse promises the destruction of the devastator. The prophet here specifies the means by which the Eternal was going to restore the blessings of harvest. The order of sequence is inverted - the effect preceding the cause; thus, re. storation of prosperity and plenty goes before, and the cause thereof, being relief from invasion and loss, follows after. Nor is there anything singular in this, as men are more alive to recovery from a distressful state of any kind than to the remedy which effects it. The "army" of this verse we still hold to be the tribes of locusts, which, like an invading army, with its numerous regimental divisions, had overrun the land, scattering dismay and distress wherever it advanced; yet from this very verse, and the expression "northern" in particular, it has been argued that it cannot refer to locusts, but to human invaders symbolized by locusts and the havoc wrought by them.(1) The north is not the native land of locusts; it is rather the south - the Arabian, Lybian, or Egyptian desert. But (2) "northern" may denote the quarter from which the locusts appeared to the prophet in vision to enter the land; or, driven upward by a south wind which regularly blows, as we are informed, in those regions during spring, and then to the north of Palestine by an east wind which blows with similar regularity in summer, and again into and ultimately out of Palestine by the north wind blowing in the autumn. "In this case," says a writer in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' "the northern plague would have been a natural expression for an inhabitant of Jerusalem to use in speaking of the locusts; as natural as it would be for a Londoner to speak of a pestilence that had commenced its ravages in Great Britain at Edinburgh, as coming to him from the north, though it were originally imported from France or Spain." The word (3) may symbolically denote "calamitous," according to the explanation of some, since calamity is so frequently represented as coming from the north, so that the north is more or less identified with diasaster; thus we read in Jeremiah 4:6, "I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction." It may, however, be safely admitted that, by the locust, the northern or Assyrian enemies of Judah, who advanced from the north as the most accessible quarter for attack, are in a subsidiary sense represented. The expulsion of these enemies brings relief; they are driven into a parched, and so desert and desolate, land; "and there," as Kimchi observes, "they shall die because they shall find nothing to eat." That land may be either the Idumaean desert south of Judah or Arabia Deserta. Thus the main body of the great locust-army perishes in the southern desert; while the van of the army is driven into the Dead Sea, and the rear of it into the Mediterranean Sea. Or, more literally, the face of this locust-host was towards the east, or front sea, that is, as already intimated, the Dead Sea eastward; his hinder part toward the west, or hinder sea, that is, the Mediterranean westward. Thus they were driven in every other direction than that by which they came, namely, south, east, and west. In marking the quarters of the world, the Jews faced the east, so that the west was behind them, the south on their right hand, and the north on their left. We have thus a most vivid picture of the speedy and total destruction of the locusts. After expulsion, no danger was to be apprehended from them, for, blown into the sea or desert, they perished at once and for ever. The terms employed are very graphic; thus, me'alekem is much more than mikkem would be, and imply that a heavy burden was lifted from upon, or up off the face of a desolated land, and the heart of a distressed people. And his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things; margin, magnified to do. The stench emitted from the putrefying bodies of those locusts would be sickening and stifling - sufficient to occasion a pestilence. Many testimonies from travellers and others prove the reality of both circumstances - the ill savour and its pestiferous nature. Several expressions in this verse are applicable enough to an army, as in the last clause, where he is said to do great things, or literally, "magnified to do," that is, magnified himself in his doings; it may, however, apply equally well to the great destruction by the locust-army. There is no doubt the superadded notion of haughtiness along with that of great doings. It really means that, as an instrument of God, they had effected a fearfully violent desolation, and this is assigned as a reason for the total destruction of those locusts. Hebrew Butוְֽאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-) Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case the northern [army] הַצְּפוֹנִ֞י (haṣ·ṣə·p̄ō·w·nî) Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 6830: Northern I will remove far אַרְחִ֣יק (’ar·ḥîq) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 7368: To be or become far or distant from you, מֵעֲלֵיכֶ֗ם (mê·‘ă·lê·ḵem) Preposition-m | second person masculine plural Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against banishing it וְהִדַּחְתִּיו֮ (wə·hid·daḥ·tîw) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular Strong's 5080: To impel, thrust, banish to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to a barren צִיָּ֣ה (ṣî·yāh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 6723: Aridity, a desert and desolate וּשְׁמָמָה֒ (ū·šə·mā·māh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 8077: Devastation, astonishment land, אֶ֣רֶץ (’e·reṣ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 776: Earth, land its front פָּנָ֗יו (pā·nāw) Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 6440: The face ranks אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to into the eastern הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י (haq·qaḏ·mō·nî) Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 6931: Anterior, oriental sea, הַיָּם֙ (hay·yām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin and its rear guard וְסֹפ֖וֹ (wə·sō·p̄ōw) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 5490: A termination into אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the western הָאַֽחֲר֑וֹן (hā·’a·ḥă·rō·wn) Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 314: Hinder, late, last, western sea. הַיָּ֣ם (hay·yām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin And its stench בָאְשׁ֗וֹ (ḇā·’ə·šōw) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 889: A stench will rise; וְעָלָ֣ה (wə·‘ā·lāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively its foul odor צַחֲנָת֔וֹ (ṣa·ḥă·nā·ṯōw) Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 6709: A stench will go up. וְתַ֙עַל֙ (wə·ṯa·‘al) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person feminine singular Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively For כִּ֥י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction He has done לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 6213: To do, make great things. הִגְדִּ֖יל (hiḡ·dîl) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1431: To grow up, become great Links Joel 2:20 NIVJoel 2:20 NLT Joel 2:20 ESV Joel 2:20 NASB Joel 2:20 KJV Joel 2:20 BibleApps.com Joel 2:20 Biblia Paralela Joel 2:20 Chinese Bible Joel 2:20 French Bible Joel 2:20 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Joel 2:20 But I will remove the northern army (Jl Joe.) |
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