Joel 1 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

In this chapter, Joel describes the effects of the locust attack and calls the people to mourn.

Because it is poetry, after the book title in 1:1, the ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than its usual text.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Locusts

This book starts very dramatically with the imagery of the locusts and the devastation that they produce. Five different kinds of locusts appear to come, and they progressively destroy the vegetation, including the crops, vineyards, and even the trees. It was common for farmers in the ancient Near East to experience large locust swarms that would come and eat all the crops in their fields. Translators should translate simply, presenting the scenes of locusts as Joel describes them.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“House” meaning “temple”

Several times in this chapter (1:9, 1:13, 1:14, 1:16), Joel uses the term “house” to mean Yahweh’s “temple.” He speaks of this temple as if it were a house in which God lived, since God’s presence was there. (See: figs-metaphor)