Joel 1

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 1 of 3

1 The Word of Jehovah that was to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

2 Hear this, you old men, and give ear, all you people of the land. Has this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

3 Recount to your sons about it, and your sons to their sons, and their sons to another generation.

Read full chapter in the Bible Reader

Chapter Summary

Israel mourns over the judgments of Jehovah.

Key Hebrew Words

אַרְבֶּה swarming locust H697 · TWOT 2103a
יוֹם day (of Jehovah) H3117 · TWOT 852
מִנְחָה food offering H4503 · TWOT 1214a
צוֹם fast H6685 · TWOT 1890a
עֲצָרָה solemn assembly H6116 · TWOT 1675c
יָבֵשׁ be dried up, withered H3001 · TWOT 837

People & Context

Jehovah

The God whose word comes to Joel; His house lacks offerings and His day of destruction is declared at hand.

Joel

Prophet, son of Pethuel, who receives Jehovah's word and summons the land to mourn and fast over the locust ruin.

Pethuel

Father of Joel, named only to identify the prophet in the opening verse.

The Priests

Ministers of Jehovah and of the altar, called to mourn, gird in sackcloth, and lament the cut-off offerings.

The Elders

Old men summoned to hear, to consider an unprecedented disaster, and to gather the land into Jehovah's house.

Timeline

The Locust Invasion

**A devastating wave of swarming, cutting, and stripping locusts consumes the vegetation**, leaving nothing behind for the next generation .

Joel 1:1-4
Lamentation of the People

Drunkards, farmers, and priests are commanded to wail and howl . This mourning is necessary because **the harvests have perished and the food and drink offerings are cut off from the house of Jehovah** .

Joel 1:5-13
Call for a Solemn Fast

The elders and inhabitants are instructed to **gather at the house of Jehovah for a fast and solemn assembly** . They must cry out to God because fire has devoured the pastures and the beasts groan from starvation .

Joel 1:14-20

Read Joel 1 in the KJ3 Reader

Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.

Open in Bible Reader
Hosea 14JoelJoel 2