Joel 2:9
What does Joel 2:9 mean?
A plain-English look at Joel 2:9 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Joel 2:9 means
The invaders demonstrate their complete dominance by breaching the city's defenses with ease. They scale walls, burst into houses, and enter through windows like common thieves, highlighting their stealth and efficiency in bypassing established security. This imagery conveys that no place is safe from their penetration, emphasizing the utter vulnerability of the inhabitants. The comparison to a thief underscores the suddenness and unexpected nature of their entry, leaving no refuge in the face of their assault.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief.
KJV
King James Version · 1611They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949They make a rush on the town, running on the wall; they go up into the houses and in through the windows like a thief.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862In the city they run to and fro, On the wall they run, Into houses they go up by the windows, They go in as a thief.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752They shall enter into the city: they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up the houses, they shall come in at the windows, as a thief.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890They spread themselves over the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in by the windows like a thief.
Context
Following the detailed description of the army's disciplined movements and ability to overcome resistance, this verse describes their actual penetration into the city. It vividly illustrates how they bypass defenses and invade private spaces, intensifying the sense of dread and helplessness and demonstrating the comprehensive nature of their destructive power, leading to further cosmic signs of judgment.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Jeremiah 9:21
For death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
- Exodus 10:6
and thy houses shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither thy fathers nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned, and went out from Pharaoh.
- John 10:1
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
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