Joel 3:9–16

3:9–10 The theme of judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (cf. v. 2) is taken up again, with the call being issued to the Gentile nations to gather together and prepare for war. The term “consecrate” (v. 9) has already been used in 1:14 to call the people together in solemn assembly. Now the Lord again issues a call that may continue to bear religious overtones. All due preparations, perhaps including offering sacrifices, must be completed. Once again the verb “stir” (cf. 3:7) is used, this time of mighty warriors, men of war called to “come up” (v. 9). The nations are to prepare for battle, and hence the instruction is given for plowshares and pruning hooks to become weapons of war (v. 10). This is a reversal of the message of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3. Even the weakling must declare himself ready for battle, asserting, “I am a warrior” (Joel 3:10).

3:11 No time is to be lost in gathering together “there,” a place identified in the following verse as the Valley of Jehoshaphat. This gradual introduction of the place where judgment will be administered is similar to how Isaiah only gradually announces that it will be the Assyrians who come and attack Judah (Isa. 5:26–7:25). In both cases, expectation is aroused before the identification is clarified.

There is a sudden switch in Joel 3:11b to a call for the Lord to bring his “warriors” down. This is virtually a prayer by the prophet himself. No information is given to enable the reader to discern who these warriors are. It has been suggested that they are the angelic host, but a different interpretation is preferable, as the context (vv. 9–12) suggests a battle of human forces in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. In any case, the Lord is beseeched to bring together his forces, whether human or angelic, to participate in the judgment of the nations.

3:12 This verse is central to this section of the prophecy. The call to the nations has been given (vv. 9–11). Now the judgment scene is set, similar to that described in Daniel 7:9–10. Though the Gentile nations are assembling their forces, no threat can be made against the Lord and his forces, for he sits on the judgment throne. Once again (cf. v. 7) the verb “stir” is used of the nations as they make their military preparations, but in coming to the Valley of Jehoshaphat they are approaching their own doom.

3:13 The metaphor changes as the Lord calls his servants, the warriors, to swing the sickle and reap the harvest. Both the OT and the NT use this metaphor to depict divine judgment (cf. Isa. 63:1–6; Matt. 13:36–43; and esp. Rev. 14:14–20). However, only here and in Jeremiah 51:33 does the grain harvest serve as a negative image. Further, as the grain crops are ripe, so are the grapes. Just as the reapers can bring in the sheaves, so treaders can press out the grapes in the overflowing vats. The last line of the verse emphasizes that the iniquity of the nations is great, and for this reason the Lord’s judgment is at hand.

3:14 The scene moves on to the final judgment itself, and although the Valley of Jehoshaphat is not mentioned again (cf. vv. 2, 12), the context requires it to be identified with the new term, “the valley of decision.” The Hebrew word for “decision” may contain a play on words; it can mean both a legal judgment and also something dug out or excavated. Perhaps the latter meaning is more to the point here, referring to a deep valley. The word translated “multitudes” can mean a large crowd but also conveys the idea of uproar or commotion. Both ideas are probably intended here, as the nations are jumbled together in this valley as they await the final verdict from the Lord, whose day is “near.”

3:15 No actual description of the destruction of God’s enemies is given. Instead, accompanying phenomena are presented to indicate the cosmic dimensions of God’s judgment. The wording is identical to 2:10, where it describes the locust plague as the heavenly bodies fail to fulfill their function of giving light. The account in Matthew 27:45 records what happened when Jesus bore the judgment of God for his people on the cross: “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” Darkness is an appropriate manifestation of God’s judgment.

3:16 Several OT prophets depict the Lord roaring in judgment to indicate a divine visitation about to take place. This is especially true of those prophesying in the eighth century BC (cf. Isa. 31:4; Hos. 5:14; Amos 3:4, 8; the language here is identical to that in Amos 1:2). Like a lion roaring before it attacks, the Lord is providing a warning from Zion, thundering from Jerusalem. The Hebrew idiom “utters his voice” is to be understood as denoting thunder. Rather than Jerusalem and Zion being places of safety, they are the sources from which the judgments originate.

The latter part of the verse begins with a strong adversative, “But the LORD.” These descriptions of God as “refuge” and “stronghold” are both common OT expressions; by acting in judgment on behalf of his people, the Lord demonstrates the security he affords them. The use of the divine name, “the LORD” (Yahweh), is also noteworthy, for he is speaking to “his people,” “the people of Israel.” This last term is significant, for although the northern tribes had arrogated to themselves an exclusive claim to the title “Israel,” here Judah is recognized as still being part of the true nation.