Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Joel 2:1-11

The priests were to alarm the people with the near approach of the Divine judgments. It is the work of ministers to warn of the fatal consequences of sin, and to reveal the wrath from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The striking description which follows, shows what would attend the devastation of locusts, but may also describe the effects from the ravaging of the land by the Assyrians. If the alarm of temporal judgments is given to offending nations, how much more should sinners be warned to seek deliverance from the wrath to come! Our business therefore on earth must especially be, to secure an interest in our Lord Jesus Christ; and we should seek to be weaned from objects which will soon be torn from all who now make idols of them. There must be outward expressions of sorrow and shame, fasting, weeping, and mourning; tears for trouble must be turned into tears for the sin that caused it. But rending the garments would be vain, except their hearts were rent by abasement and self-abhorrence; by sorrow for their sins, and separation from them. There is no question but that if we truly repent of our sins, God will forgive them; but whether he will remove affliction is not promised, yet the probability of it should encourage us to repent.

Joel 2:1 – “Blow the Trumpet” – shofar or ram’s horn – an announcement of danger – an alarm of coming invaders.    Today – sirens and flashing lights.   "Zion" is Jerusalem, and specifically the western escarpment. "Holy hill" also refers to Jerusalem.  And "those who live in the land" refers to the Jews in Israel and Judah. And the "day of the Lord", as we have seen, designates here the Second Advent, that day when our Lord returns to the earth and stands upon the Mount of Olives.  We will see this is a summons to acts of penitence.

Joel 2:2 – A day of “darkness and gloom,” a day of “clouds and blackness.”  Joel used these synonyms to show the intense, impenetrable darkness or this day of the Lord.  Jesus came the first time as the suffering servant, but the next time will be as the righteous judge.  The Second Advent will be a terrible time of judgement and fear.   This will be a supernatural darkness that falls upon the earth like the darkness that fell when Jesus was crucified and took our sin upon Himself.  The gloom refers to the hopelessness of the situation.  Clouds designate the massive armies of the North, South, East and West that will invade in the future.  Ezekiel speaks of the armies of Gog advancing like a storm and covering the land like a cloud.   The blackness refers to the lightless blackness of the darkness.  No light of any kind will penetrate this.  Deut 4:11 uses some of these words to describe the darkness that fell when the Lord God descended upon Mt. Sinai in fire.  See:  Amos 5:18  and  Rev. 6:12

“Dawn upon the mountains” is used to show how the locusts will advance upon the land.  Their arrival is as vast and unstoppable as the dawn breaking.  The light is enough to illuminate the entire area well before the full sun has risen.  There are, however, crevices where the light of dawn cannot penetrate.  This is where the remnant can avoid the coming terror (During the Tribulation a remnant of believers who flee the setting up of the statue in the Temple and who do not take the mark of the beast will remain the Lord’s).  But, the dawn will come, suddenly appearing out of the peace of the night, unstoppable and progressive until the whole land is covered.  This huge army comes to destroy.  The attack will be just as swift and effective when the armies come in the future to invade Palestine. The "dawn," then, is the army of the King of the North during the Tribulation; and his army is described as the largest and mightiest in the history of the world.

Joel 2:3 - The "fire" is a picture of the invading armies (of the locusts; of the Assyrians; of the King of the North) destroying everything as they advance.  And the analogy "like the Garden of Eden" describes the Palestine area in the future Tribulation: it is prosperous and beautiful, and this beauty is totally destroyed by the invasion of the King of the North. Here and Ezek. 36:26-35 are the only places other than Genesis where the Garden of Eden is specifically mentioned.  He leaves behind a wasteland. The final phrase, "nothing escapes them," sounds like there is no hope, but although their advance leaves complete devastation behind them, this advancing army, as invincible as it appears to be, will not escape the "day of the Lord." At the Second Advent of our Lord the destroyers will be destroyed.

Joel 2:4-5 - Here Joel describes the invading armies. The use of the terms "appearance" and "like" indicate that the prophet was attempting to characterize machines of war with which he was not familiar, i.e., and technological advancements beyond his awareness. The "horses," then, would be some type of mobile forces capable of rapid movement. In Rev. 1-12 John also compares the locusts to the appearance of horses.   And the "chariots" would represent some type of armored forces.  On Long Island, the fire fighters described the sound of the “wild fires” like a moving train.  Joel is trying to explain the sound of the attacking army in terms the people could understand and he could fathom.  Zechariah 12:4, Ezekiel 38:4 and Daniel 11:40 also describe the mobile forces as horses; and Ezekiel 39:20 illustrates the armored forces as chariots. 

Joel 2:6 - Here, the term "nations" refers to the Jews of Jerusalem and Judah; and the term "anguish" designates the great pain that is associated with child-birth.  And the faces "that turn pale" is an indication of notable worry and anxiety on the part of the Jews as the massive army advances.  The Jews are scared almost to the point of shock by the power and fierceness of the King of the North's advance. 

Joel 2:7-9 - Joel notes in these three verses the initial success of the enemy armies. The "walls" are the walls of Jerusalem in the future. The phrase "march in line" indicates that this army is disciplined and well trained; indeed, remember that this army is composed of unbelievers and therefore they have no spiritual dynamics to motivate them. Yet they are unbelievably, astonishingly triumphant. What is their secret? Training and discipline. And there is a lesson here for both believers and unbelievers. The term "jostle" means that the soldiers all know exactly what to do and when to do it -- every man does his job. The term also implies that there are no accidents due to human error, ignorance or sloppiness, i.e., they do not accidentally shoot each other.

Verse 9 describes the army's entry into the city of Jerusalem. The walls do not hinder them. They easily enter private homes, kicking in doors, smashing in windows.  Zechariah 14:1,2 provides more detailed information on this break into the city.   All these advancing armies, and especially that of the King of the North utilize and understand only one thing: raw force. They are impressed only by force and power. It is difficult to illustrate just how powerful, dynamic, disciplined, professional, and ferocious these armies are.  As a foe the King of the North is awesome; his lusts are out of control; his armies exhibit no humane refinements, no mercy, no compassion. They are harsh, they smash, they destroy, they kill, they rape, they overwhelm through brute force. The implication is that the person (the King of the North and his troops) involved is of such potency that all obstacles, all difficulties, dwindle to and become trivial in comparison.   Locusts too are unyielding and the only way to stop them is to destroy their eggs in the ground.  The adults are unstoppable and there’s no place they can be kept out of.  This break-in is like a thief – (see also:  Mt. 24:43-44;  Lk. 12:39,40;  1 Thess. 5:2;  2 Pet. 3:10)

Joel's narration is one of pressure, sound and chill: the pressure of a massive army of rigid discipline whose only function is to kill; the sound of war-machines, explosions, gun-fire, rapidity; and the chill is the chill of passionless rape and death. It is no wonder that the faces of the Jews "turn pale."

Joel 2:10 - Here, then, is the great earthquake as our Lord arrives at the Second Advent; Matthew 24:29, Jeremiah 10:10, Luke 21:25-27, Zechariah 14:4 and Isaiah 13:13 all describe this earthquake which splits the Mount of Olives as His feet touch it. And again we have the supernatural darkness that accompanies His return, just as supernatural darkness covered the earth as He hung on the Cross and bore our sins.

Joel 2:11 - The word "thunder" refers to the voice of our Lord as He speaks. This voice is described in Revelation 19:15, "Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." This sharp sword is His word of power -- His voice. Note also that our Lord is at the "head" or front of His army. This is an unusual place for a military leader to be. This signifies that our Lord does the fighting, and that His army, those believers in their resurrection bodies, stand and watch. "And mighty are those who obey His command" is a direct reference to the power of any and all believers present at the Second  Advent, for they have obeyed His Word by believing unto salvation and knowing Scripture.  (Rev. 4:12) 

Joel recognizes the voice of God directing this whole event – in the midst of the disaster.  He is seeing the coming Day of the Lord.  This will bring a great and terrible punishment.  Who can endure it?  There is still hope though.  The door of mercy is open!  If the people will turn to God in a true spirit of repentance, He may pardon them.

"Who can endure it?" None, except the believer will endure the judgment of our Lord at the Second Advent.