What Does Joel 2:20 Mean?
But the northern one I will push far from you, and thrust him into a parched and emptied land, with his face toward the front sea and his back toward the rear sea. His stink shall rise, and his stench shall rise, because he has grown great in doing.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
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.THE KEY
The invader’s “great doing” is overturned when the very next verse uses that same Hebrew verb for what the LORD does.
THE MEANING
The verse speaks to you as a promise: the destructive force pressing against your ground is removed from you and driven into a barren place. Its face and rear are turned toward opposite seas, while its stench rises into view; what looked like imposing power is exposed by what it leaves behind. Its claim to have “done great things” does not get the last word.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie that a force proves its greatness by how much it can devastate, and therefore must remain, is undone: the verse shows it expelled, with its foulness exposed.
THE ROOT
הִגְדִּיל
higdil
GROWS FROM
גדל
gadal
Grow or become great; in this form, make great or act greatly.
“grown great in doing” in this verse is higdil. The army’s “great doing” is named with the same Hebrew verb used in the next verse for what the LORD does. The repeated verb shifts the claim to greatness from the invading force to the LORD.
ALSO GROWS
gādōl: Great or large.
גָּדוֹל
This common adjective shares the seed of the army’s “great doing,” making the connection between the deed and greatness visible.
gedullāh: Greatness or majesty.
גְּדֻלָּה
This noun names the quality at stake: the verse’s next line redirects greatness toward the LORD.
וְהִדַּחְתִּיו
vehiddachtiv
GROWS FROM
נדח
nadach
Thrust away, drive out, or banish.
“thrust” in this verse is vehiddachtiv. The invading force becomes the one driven out. The verb turns the direction of displacement around: what occupied the reader’s ground is itself sent away.
ALSO GROWS
niddāḥ: One who is driven away or banished.
נִדָּח
The related form names the displaced condition into which the invading force is driven.
hiddiaḥ: To drive or thrust away.
הִדִּיחַ
This causative form shares the action of the verse: the force is made to leave its place.
THE PATTERN
A power that magnifies itself cannot secure its place: its reach is exposed, and God brings it down.
Shall the axe adorn itself against the one who hews with it? Shall the saw swell itself against the one who waves it? As if the rod should wave itself against those who lift it, or as if the staff should lift itself, as if it were no wood.Though you lift yourself high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the LORD.But he gives greater favor. Therefore it says, God sets himself against those who lift themselves high, and gives favor to those made low.THE THREAD
Do not fear, O ground, leap and be glad, for the LORD has grown great in doing.Joel 2:20 says the invading force “hath done great things”; the next verse repeats the same Hebrew verb and gives the action to the LORD. The shift turns the force’s boast into the LORD’s work of restoration.
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