Joel 3:11
What does Joel 3:11 mean?
A plain-English look at Joel 3:11 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Joel 3:11 means
The summons crescendos: “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Then a prayer breaks in: “thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.” The picture is of two armies descending—human hosts hastening at God’s command, and God’s own mighty ones, likely His angelic or heavenly forces, arriving by His will. The collision is not equal. The Lord controls both the call and the outcome. The nations converge imagining a contest; Joel shows it is an appointment with omnipotence. The stage is set: all are present at God’s chosen place for the pronouncement and execution of judgment.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Come quickly, all you nations round about, and get yourselves together there: make your strong ones come down, O Lord.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Haste, and come in, all ye nations round, And be gathered together, Thither cause to come down, O Jehovah, Thy mighty ones.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Break forth, and come, all ye nations from round about, and gather yourselves together: there will the Lord cause all thy strong ones to fall down.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Haste ye and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.
Context
This verse bridges the human muster and the divine intervention. The gathering of nations reaches completion, and the plea for God’s “mighty ones” signals that heaven itself enters the scene. The next verse brings the action from movement to deliberation: the Lord will sit to judge. That judicial posture frames the harvest and winepress images that immediately follow.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Isaiah 37:36
And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
- Zechariah 14:2
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
- Revelation 19:19
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army.
- Ezekiel 38:9
And thou shalt ascend, thou shalt come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy hordes, and many peoples with thee.
- Revelation 19:14
And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7
and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire,
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