JOEL 2:20 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ Βοῤῥᾶ ἐκδιώξω ἀφʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐξώσω αὐτὸν εἰς γῆν ἄνυδρον, καὶ ἀφανιῶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐσχάτην· καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἡ σαπρία αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται ὁ βρόμος αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνε τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
(Kai ton apo Boɽɽa ekdiōxō afʼ humōn, kai exōsō auton eis gaʸn anudron, kai afaniō to prosōpon autou eis taʸn thalassan taʸn prōtaʸn, kai ta opisō autou eis taʸn thalassan taʸn esⱪataʸn; kai anabaʸsetai haʸ sapria autou, kai anabaʸsetai ho bromos autou, hoti emegalune ta erga autou. )

BrTr And I will chase away from you the northern adversary, and will drive him away into a dry land, and I will sink [fn]his face in the former sea, and his back parts in the latter sea, and his [fn]ill savour shall come up, and his [fn]stink shall come up, because he has [fn]wrought great things.

2:20 Gr. cause to disappear.

2:20 Gr. corruption.

2:20 See Job 6. 7.

2:20 Gr. magnified his works.

ULT I will remove the northern attackers far from you,
⇔ and will drive them into a dry and abandoned land.
⇔ The front of their army will go into the eastern sea,
⇔ and the rear into the western sea.
⇔ Its stench will rise,
⇔ and its bad smell will rise.”
⇔ Indeed, he has done great things.

UST Another army of locusts will come from the north to attack you,
⇔ but I will force them to continue past Jerusalem
⇔ into the desert.
⇔ Some will go into the Dead Sea in the east,
⇔ and some will go into the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
⇔ There they will all die, and their bodies will stink.”
⇔ God will certainly do wonderful things.

BSB ⇔ The northern army I will drive away from you,
⇔ banishing it to a barren and desolate land,
⇔ its front ranks into the Eastern Sea,[fn]
⇔ and its rear guard into the Western Sea.[fn]
⇔ And its stench will rise;
⇔ its foul odor will ascend.
⇔ For He has done great things.

2:20 That is, the Dead Sea

2:20 That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea

OEB I will remove far from you the northern foe,
⇔ and I will drive it into a land barren and desolate,
⇔ its front into the eastern sea,
⇔ and its rear to the western sea.
⇔ And from it a stench will arise.
⇔ He has done great things!

WEBBE 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.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET 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.

LSV And 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.”

FBV I will remove from you the army from the north; I will drive them into the desolate wilderness—the front into the eastern sea, and the rear into the western sea. The stench of the dead army[fn] will rise up—a real stink—for it has done terrible things.”

2:20 “Of the dead army”: implied.

T4T ⇔ Another army of locusts will come from the north to attack you,
⇔ but I will force them to continue past Jerusalem
⇔ into the desert.
⇔ Some will go into the Dead Sea in the east
⇔ and some will go into the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
⇔ There they will all die, and their bodies will stink.”
⇔ Yahweh does great things!

LEB • [fn] I will remove from you; • I will drive them to a desert • and desolate land, • its[fn] front to the eastern sea, • and its rear into the western sea; • its stench and odor will rise up • because he[fn] has done great things.

2:1 Or “The northern army”

2:1 That is, the northern army

2:1 That is, Yahweh (see v. 21)

BBE I will send the one from the north far away from you, driving him into a dry and waste land, with his front to the sea of the east and his back to the sea of the west, and the smell of him will go up, even his evil smell will go up.

Moff No Moff JOEL book available

JPS But 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.'

ASV 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.

DRA And 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.

YLT 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.

Drby And I will remove far off from you him [that cometh] from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.

RV 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.

Wbstr 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.

KJB-1769 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.[fn]
(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/has done great things. )

2.20 hath…: Heb. hath magnified to do

KJB-1611 But I will remoue farre off from you the northren armie, & will driue him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the East sea, and his hinder part towards the vtmost Sea, and his stinke shall come vp, and his ill sauour shall come vp, because [fn]he hath done great things.
(But I will remoue far off from you the northren army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the East sea, and his hinder part towards the vtmost Sea, and his stinke shall come up, and his ill sauour shall come up, because he hath/has done great things.)

2:20 Heb. hee hath magnified to doe.

Bshps And I wyll remoue farre of from you the northen armie and I wyll driue him into a lande barren and desolate, with his face towardes the east sea, and his hinder partes towardes the vttermost sea: and his stinch shall arise, and his corruption shall ascende, because he hath exalted him selfe to do this.
(And I will remoue far of from you the northen army and I will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face towardes the east sea, and his hinder partes towardes the uttermost sea: and his stinch shall arise, and his corruption shall ascende, because he hath/has exalted himself to do this.)

Gnva But I will remooue farre off from you the Northren armie, and I will driue him into a land, barren and desolate with his face toward the East sea, and his end to the vtmost sea, and his stinke shall come vp, and his corruption shall ascend, because he hath exalted himselfe to do this.
(But I will remove far off from you the Northren army, and I will drive him into a land, barren and desolate with his face toward the East sea, and his end to the vtmost sea, and his stinke shall come up, and his corruption shall ascend, because he hath/has exalted himself to do this. )

Cvdl Agayne, as for him of the north, I shal dryue him farre from you: & shute him out in to a drye and waist londe, his face towarde the east see, and his hynder partes towarde the vttemost see. The stynke of him shall go vp, and his fylthy corrupcion shal fall vpon himself, because he hath dealte so proudly.
(Agayne, as for him of the north, I shall drive him far from you: and shute him out in to a drye and waist land, his face towarde the east see, and his hynder partes towarde the vttemost see. The stynke of him shall go up, and his fylthy corrupcion shall fall upon himself, because he hath/has dealte so proudly.)

Wycl And Y schal make hym that is at the north fer fro you; and Y schal cast hym out in to a lond with out weie, and desert; his face ayens the eest see, and the laste part therof at the last see; and the stynk therof schal stie, and the root therof schal stie, for he dide proudli.
(And I shall make him that is at the north far from you; and I shall cast him out in to a land with out way, and desert; his face against the east see, and the last part thereof at the last see; and the stynk thereof shall stie, and the root thereof shall stie, for he did proudli.)

Luth Und will den von Mitternacht ferne von euch treiben und ihn in ein dürr und wüst Land verstoßen, nämlich sein Angesicht hin zum Meer gegen Morgen und sein Ende hin zum äußersten Meer. Er soll verfaulen und stinken; denn er hat große Dinge getan.
(And will the from Mitternacht ferne from you treiben and him/it in a dürr and wild Land verstoßen, namely his face there for_the sea gegen Morgen and his Ende there for_the äußersten sea. He should verfaulen and stinken; because he has large things getan.)

ClVg Et eum qui ab aquilone est procul faciam a vobis, et expellam eum in terram inviam et desertam: faciem ejus contra mare orientale, et extremum ejus ad mare novissimum: et ascendet fœtor ejus, et ascendet putredo ejus, quia superbe egit.
(And him who away aquilone it_is procul I_will_do from vobis, and expellam him in the_earth/land inviam and desertam: face his on_the_contrary the_sea orientale, and extremum his to the_sea novissimum: and ascendet fœtor his, and ascendet putredo his, because superbe egit. )

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וְֽ⁠אֶת הַ⁠צְּפוֹנִ֞י

and=DOM the,northern

Yahweh is using the term northerner to refer to an invading army of some kind, by association with the direction from which invasions often came. It seems that this term is purposely vague so that it can refer to the current locust invasion as well as to a future military invasion on “the day of Yahweh” (verse 11). If possible, use a term that could refer to both. Alternate translation: “the invaders”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

אֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֣ה וּ⁠שְׁמָמָה֒

earth/land parched and,desolate

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of dryness and desolation, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: “a dry and desolate land”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

אֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֣ה וּ⁠שְׁמָמָה֒

earth/land parched and,desolate

The terms dryness and desolation mean similar things. Yahweh is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “a completely barren land”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

אֶל אֶת פָּנָ֗י⁠ו אֶל הַ⁠יָּם֙ הַ⁠קַּדְמֹנִ֔י וְ⁠סֹפ֖⁠וֹ אֶל הַ⁠יָּ֣ם הָ⁠אַֽחֲר֑וֹן

to/towards to/towards to/towards (Some words not found in UHB: and=DOM the,northern remove_~_far from,upon,you_all and,drive,it to/towards earth/land parched and,desolate DOM his/its=faces/face to/towards the=sea the,eastern and,rear,its to/towards the=sea the,western and=he/it_would_go_up stench,its and,rise foul_smell,its that/for/because/then/when he_made_great for=doing )

Yahweh is speaking of the invading army or locust swarm as if it were a living thing that had a face and a back. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the invaders at the front of the group will fall into the eastern sea and die, and the invaders at the back of the group will fall into the western sea and die”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אֶל אֶת פָּנָ֗י⁠ו אֶל הַ⁠יָּם֙ הַ⁠קַּדְמֹנִ֔י וְ⁠סֹפ֖⁠וֹ אֶל הַ⁠יָּ֣ם הָ⁠אַֽחֲר֑וֹן

Yahweh is speaking to the Judeans from the perspective of their own culture and location. By eastern sea, he means the Dead Sea, and by western sea, he means the Mediterranean Sea. You could say that explicitly if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “his face into the Dead Sea and his back into the Mediterranean Sea”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

וְ⁠עָלָ֣ה בָאְשׁ֗⁠וֹ וְ⁠תַ֨עַל֙ צַחֲנָת֔⁠וֹ

and=he/it_would_go_up stench,its and,rise foul_smell,its

These two phrases mean the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if this might be unclear in your language, you could connect the phrases with a word other than and in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternatively, you could combine the phrases and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “And his stench will rise, yes, his odor will rise”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

הִגְדִּ֖יל לַ⁠עֲשֽׂוֹת

he_made_great for=doing

This expression means “he has in some way done more than would be expected.” The implication is that the locust swarm has perhaps destroyed more crops than it ordinarily would, or that the army that will invade will be more destructive than usual. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “he has caused excessive destruction”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

כִּ֥י הִגְדִּ֖יל לַ⁠עֲשֽׂוֹת

that/for/because/then/when he_made_great for=doing

Some versions end the quotation that begins in verse 19 before this clause. Other versions end that quotation after this clause. Some other versions do not end that quotation in this verse, so that it continues through 3:8. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to follow the quotation boundaries that it has. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the same boundaries as the ULT.

Parallel JOEL 2:20