The Meaning of Joel 2:17 Explained

Joel 2:17

KJV: Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

YLT: Between the porch and the altar weep let the priests, ministrants of Jehovah, And let them say: 'Have pity, O Jehovah, on Thy people, And give not Thy inheritance to reproach, To the ruling over them of nations, Why do they say among peoples, Where is their God?'

Darby: Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare, O Jehovah, thy people, and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that they should be a byword of the nations. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

ASV: Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Jehovah, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let the priests,  the ministers  of the LORD,  weep  between the porch  and the altar,  and let them say,  Spare  thy people,  O LORD,  and give  not thine heritage  to reproach,  that the heathen  should rule over  them: wherefore should they say  among the people,  Where [is] their God? 

What does Joel 2:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The priests should take the lead in this public expression of repentance. They should weep and pray for God to have mercy on His people, because they were His special inheritance, for the glory of His name. The pagans might conclude that He was unable or unwilling to defend His chosen people from their enemy if He allowed the invader to succeed.

Context Summary

Joel 2:12-27 - The Averting Of Judgment
To rend the garment is easy, but a broken and contrite heart can be imparted only by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The love of God should bring us to repentance. He takes no pleasure in our miseries and if men repent and turn from their sin they find an immediate and loving welcome to the Father's heart and home. Joel had called for the trumpet to announce war; he now directs the trumpet blast to summon the people, from the highest to the lowest, to plead for help. Prayer and true repentance and faith bring an immediate answer. As the husband yearns over his erring but repentant wife, and is indignant with those who have maltreated her, so will Jehovah remove from us, when we turn to Him, those who have cruelly oppressed us.
The great things Jehovah did against Egypt and Babylon are an earnest of what He will do again. The earth, Joel 2:21; the lower animals, Joel 2:22; and, above all, the children of Zion, literal and spiritual, Joel 2:23, have good reason to rejoice in what awaits them. God promises not only to forgive sin, but to make us happy and well provided as if the locust and cankerworm had never settled upon our lives. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joel 2

1  He shows unto Zion the terribleness of God's judgment
12  He exhorts to repentance;
15  prescribes a fast;
18  promises a blessing thereon
21  He comforts Zion with present,
28  and future blessings

What do the individual words in Joel 2:17 mean?

Between the porch and the altar let Weep the priests who minister to Yahweh and let them say Spare Yahweh upon Your people and not do give Your heritage to reproach that should rule over them the nations why should they say among the peoples where [is] their God
בֵּ֤ין הָאוּלָם֙ וְלַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ יִבְכּוּ֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י יְהוָ֑ה וְֽיֹאמְר֞וּ ח֧וּסָה יְהוָ֣ה עַל־ עַמֶּ֗ךָ וְאַל־ תִּתֵּ֨ן נַחֲלָתְךָ֤ לְחֶרְפָּה֙ לִמְשָׁל־ בָּ֣ם גּוֹיִ֔ם לָ֚מָּה יֹאמְר֣וּ בָֽעַמִּ֔ים אַיֵּ֖ה ؟ אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם

בֵּ֤ין  Between 
Parse: Preposition
Root: בַּיִן 
Sense: between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between.
הָאוּלָם֙  the  porch 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אוּלָם  
Sense: porch.
וְלַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ  and  the  altar 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
יִבְכּוּ֙  let  Weep 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.
הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י  who  minister  to 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: שָׁרַת  
Sense: (Piel) to minister, serve, minister to.
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְֽיֹאמְר֞וּ  and  let  them  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ח֧וּסָה  Spare 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: חוּס  
Sense: (Qal) to pity, have compassion, spare, look upon with compassion.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עַמֶּ֗ךָ  Your  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
וְאַל־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תִּתֵּ֨ן  do  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
נַחֲלָתְךָ֤  Your  heritage 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נַחֲלָה  
Sense: possession, property, inheritance, heritage.
לְחֶרְפָּה֙  to  reproach 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרְפָּה  
Sense: reproach, scorn.
לִמְשָׁל־  that  should  rule 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָשַׁל  
Sense: to rule, have dominion, reign.
בָּ֣ם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
גּוֹיִ֔ם  the  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
לָ֚מָּה  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
יֹאמְר֣וּ  should  they  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בָֽעַמִּ֔ים  among  the  peoples 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
אַיֵּ֖ה  where  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: אַיֵּה  
Sense: where?.
؟ אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם  their  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).