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Good News Translation

Joel 1:6

An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Lion;   Locust;   Nation;   Scofield Reference Index - Day (of Jehovah);   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Drunkenness;   Lion, the;   Locust, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Nahum, Theology of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Joel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Joel, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Lion;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Famine;   Locusts;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Teeth;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cheek Teeth;   Joel (2);   Locust;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Famine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For a nation has invaded my land,powerful and without number;its teeth are the teeth of a lion,and it has the fangs of a lioness.
Hebrew Names Version
For a nation has come up on my land, strong, and without number. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a lioness.
King James Version
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
English Standard Version
For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.
New American Standard Bible
For a nation has invaded my land, Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the jaws of a lioness.
New Century Version
A powerful nation has come into my land with too many soldiers to count. It has teeth like a lion, jaws like a female lion.
Amplified Bible
For a [pagan and hostile] nation has invaded My land [like locusts], Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the fangs of a lioness.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Yea, a nation commeth vpon my lande, mightie, & without nomber, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lyon, and he hath the iawes of a great lyon.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For a nation has invaded my land, Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the fangs of a lioness.
Legacy Standard Bible
For a nation has come up against my land,Mighty and without number;Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,And it has the fangs of a lioness.
Berean Standard Bible
For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are those of a lion, and its fangs are those of a lioness.
Contemporary English Version
A powerful nation with countless troops has invaded our land. They have the teeth and jaws of powerful lions.
Complete Jewish Bible
For a mighty and numberless nation has invaded my land. His teeth are lion's teeth; his fangs are those of a lioness.
Darby Translation
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong and without number: his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a lioness.
Easy-to-Read Version
A powerful nation came to attack my land. Its soldiers were too many to count. Its weapons were as sharp as a lion's teeth and as powerful as a lion's jaw.
George Lamsa Translation
A nation has come up against my land, strong, and without number; whose teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and his fangs as the fangs of a lions whelp.
Lexham English Bible
Because a nation has invaded my land, strong and beyond counting. Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are those of a lioness.
Literal Translation
For a nation has come up on my land, strong and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jaw teeth of a lioness.
American Standard Version
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.
Bible in Basic English
For a nation has come up over my land, strong and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the back teeth of a great lion.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For a people is come up upon my land, mighty, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.
King James Version (1611)
For a nation is come vp vpon my lande, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lyon, and he hath the cheeke-teeth of a great lyon.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For a nation is come vp vpon my lande, mightie and without number: his teeth are as the teeth of a lion, and he hath the iawes of a great lion.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For a strong and innumerable nation is come up against my land, their teeth are lion’s teeth, and their back teeth those of a lion’s whelp.
English Revised Version
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaw teeth of a great lion.
World English Bible
For a nation has come up on my land, strong, and without number. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a lioness.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For whi a folc strong and vnnoumbrable stiede on my lond. The teeth therof ben as the teeth of a lioun, and the cheek teeth therof ben as of a whelp of a lioun.
Update Bible Version
For a nation has come up on my land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the jaw-teeth of a lioness.
Webster's Bible Translation
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
New English Translation
For a nation has invaded our land. There are so many of them they are too numerous to count. Their teeth are like those of a lion; they tear apart their prey like a lioness.
New King James Version
For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion.
New Living Translation
A vast army of locusts has invaded my land, a terrible army too numerous to count. Its teeth are like lions' teeth, its fangs like those of a lioness.
New Life Bible
A nation has come to fight against my land. Its army is powerful, with too many to number. Its teeth are the teeth of a lion. It has the long, sharp teeth of a female lion.
New Revised Standard
For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and innumerable; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, a nation, hath come up over my land, bold, and without number, - his teeth, are the teeth of a lion, and, the fangs of a lioness, hath he!
Douay-Rheims Bible
For a nation come up upon my land, strong, and without number: his teeth are like the teeth of a lion: and his cheek teeth as of a lion’s whelp.
Revised Standard Version
For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and without number; its teeth are lions' teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.
Young's Literal Translation
For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee a mightie & an innumerable people shall come vp in to my londe: these haue teth like the teth of lyons, & chaftbones like the lyonesses.

Contextual Overview

1 This is the Lord 's message to Joel son of Pethuel. 2 Pay attention, you older people; everyone in Judah, listen. Has anything like this ever happened in your time or the time of your ancestors? 3 Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation. 4 Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured. 5 Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine-drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed. 6 An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion. 7 They have destroyed our grapevines and chewed up our fig trees. They have stripped off the bark, till the branches are white.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

nation: Joel 2:2-11, Joel 2:25, Proverbs 30:25-27

my: Psalms 107:34, Isaiah 8:8, Isaiah 32:13, Hosea 9:3

whose: Proverbs 30:14, Revelation 9:7-10

Reciprocal: Exodus 10:15 - For they Proverbs 30:27 - The locusts Revelation 9:8 - and their

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
and he named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening passed and morning came—that was the first day.
Genesis 1:6
Then God commanded, "Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places"—and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it.
Genesis 1:8
He named the dome "Sky." Evening passed and morning came—that was the second day.
Genesis 1:11
Then he commanded, "Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit"—and it was done.
Genesis 1:12
So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw.
Genesis 1:13
Evening passed and morning came—that was the third day.
Genesis 1:14
Then God commanded, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin;
Genesis 1:20
Then God commanded, "Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds."
Genesis 1:22
He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For a nation is come up upon my land,.... A nation of locusts, so called from their great numbers, and coming from foreign parts; just as the ants are called a "people", and the conies a "folk",

Proverbs 30:25; and which were an emblem of the nation of the Chaldeans, which came up from Babylon, and invaded the land of Judea; called by the Lord "my land", because he had chosen it for the habitation of his people; here he himself had long dwelt, and had been served and worshipped in it: though Kimchi thinks these are the words of the inhabitants of the land, or of the prophet; but if it can be thought they are any other than the words of God, they rather seem to be expressed by the drunkards in particular, howling for want of wine, and observing the reason of it:

strong, and without number; this description seems better to agree with the Assyrians or Chaldeans, who were a mighty and powerful people, as well as numerous; though locusts, notwithstanding they are weak, singly taken, yet, coming in large bodies, carry all before them, and there is no stopping them:

whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion; or "the grinders" m of such an one; being hard, strong, and sharp, to bite off the tops, boughs, and branches of trees: Pliny n says, locusts will gnaw with their teeth the doors of houses; so the teeth of locusts are described in Revelation 9:8; this may denote the strength, cruelty, and voraciousness of the Chaldean army.

m מתלעות "molares", Pagninus, Mercerus, Burkius. n Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 29.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For a nation is come up upon my land - He calls this scourge of God a “nation,” giving them the title most used in Holy Scripture, of pagan nations. The like term, “people, folk,” is used of the “ants” and the “conies” Proverbs 30:25-26, for the wisdom with which God teaches them to act. Here it is used, in order to include at once, the irrational invader, guided by a Reason above its own, and the pagan conqueror. This enemy, he says, is “come up” (for the land as being God’s land, was exalted in dignity, above other lands,) “upon My land,” i. e. “the Lord’s land” Hosea 9:3, hitherto owned protected as God’s land, a land which, Moses said to them, “the Lord thy God careth for; the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year” Deuteronomy 11:12. Now it was to be bared of God’s protection, and to be trampled upon by a pagan foe.

Strong and without number - The figure is still from the locust, whose numbers are wholly countless by man. Travelers sometimes use likenesses to express their number, as clouds darkening the sun (see the note at Joel 2:10) or discharging flakes of snow ; some grave writers give it up, as hopeless. : “Their multitude is incredible, whereby they cover the earth and fill the air; they take away the brightness of the sun. I say again, the thing is incredible to one who has not seen them.” “It would not be a thing to be believed, if one had not seen it.” “On another day, it was beyond belief: they occupied a space of eight leagues (about 24 English miles). I do not mention the multitude of those without wings, because it is incredible.” : “When we were in the Seignory of Abrigima, in a place called Aquate, there came such a multitude of locusts, as cannot be said. They began to arrive one day about terce (nine) and until night they cease not to arrive; and when they arrived, they bestowed themselves. On the next day at the hour of prime they began to depart, and at mid-day there was not one, and there remained not a leaf on the trees. At this instant others began to come, and staved like the others to the next day at the same hour; and these left not a stick with its bark, nor a green herb, and thus did they five days one after another; and the people said that they were the sons, who went to seek their fathers, and they took the road toward the others which had no wings. After they were gone, we knew the breadth which they had occupied, and saw the destruction which they had made, it exceeded three leagues (nine miles) wherein there remained no bark on the trees.”

Another writes of South Africa ; “Of the innumerable multitudes of the incomplete insect or larva of the locusts, which at this time infested this part of Africa, no adequate idea could be conceived without having witnessed them. For the space of ten miles on each side of the Sea-Cow river, and eighty or ninety miles in length, an area of 16, or 1800 square miles, the whole surface might literally be said to be covered with them. The water of the river was scarcely visible on account of the dead carcasses which floated on the surface, drowned in the attempt to come at the weeds which grew in it.” : “The present year is the third of their continuance, and their increase has far exceeded that of a geometrical progression whose whole ratio is a million.” A writer of reputation says of a “column of locusts” in India ; “It extended, we were informed, 500 miles, and so compact was it when on the wing, that, like an eclipse, it completely hid the sun; so that no shadow was cast by any object, and some lofty tombs, not more than 200 yards distant, were rendered quite invisible.”

In one single neighborhood, even in Germany, it was once calculated that near 17,000,000 of their eggs were collected and destroyed . Even Volney writes of those in Syria , “the quantity of these insects is a thing incredible to anyone who has not seen it himself; the ground is covered with them for several leagues.” “The steppes,” says Clarke , an incredulous traveler, “were entirely covered by their bodies, and their numbers falling resembled flakes of snow, carried obliquely by the wind, and spreading thick mists over the sun. Myriads fell over the carriage, the horses, the drivers. The Tartars told us, that persons had been suffocated by a fall of locusts on the “steppes.” It was now the season, they added, in which they began to diminish.” : “It was incredible, that their breadth was eight leagues.”

Strong - The locust is remarkable for its long flights. “Its strength of limbs is amazing; when pressed down by the hand on the table, it has almost power to move the fingers” .

Whose teeth are the teeth of a lion - The teeth of the locust are said to be “harder than stone.” : “They appear to be created for a scourge; since to strength incredible for so small a creature, they add saw-like teeth admirably calculated to “eat up all the herbs in the land.”” Some near the Senegal, are described as “quite brown, of the thickness and length of a finger, and armed with two jaws, toothed like a saw, and very powerful.” The prophet ascribes to them the sharp or prominent eye-teeth of the lion and lioness, combining strength with number. The ideal of this scourge of God is completed by blending numbers, in which creatures so small only could exist together, with the strength of the fiercest. : “Weak and short-lived is man, yet when God is angered against a sinful people, what mighty power does He allow to man against it!” “And what more cruel than those who endeavor to slay souls, turning them from the Infinite and Eternal Good, and so dragging them to the everlasting torments of Hell?”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 6. A nation is come up upon my land — That real locusts are intended there can be little doubt; but it is thought that this may be a double prophecy, and that the destruction by the Chaldeans may also be intended, and that the four kinds of locusts mentioned above may mean the four several attacks made on Judea by them. The first in the last year of Nabonassar, (father of Nebuchadnezzar,) which was the third of Jehoiakim; the second when Jehoiakim was taken prisoner in the eleventh year of his reign; the third in the ninth year of Zedekiah; and the fourth, three years after, when Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Others say that they mean four powers which have been enemies of the Jews:

1. The palmerworm, the Assyrians and Chaldeans.

2. The locust, the Persians and Medes.

3. The cankerworm, the Greeks, and particularly Antiochus Epiphanes.

4. The caterpillar, the Romans.

Others make them four kings; Tiglath-pileser, Shalmaneser, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar. But of such similitudes there is no end; and the best of them is arbitrary and precarious.


 
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