The Meaning of Joel 2:23 Explained

Joel 2:23

KJV: Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

YLT: And ye sons of Zion, joy and rejoice, In Jehovah your God, For He hath given to you the Teacher for righteousness, And causeth to come down to you a shower, Sprinkling and gathered -- in the beginning.

Darby: And ye, children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the early rain in due measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the early rain, and the latter rain at the beginning of the season.

ASV: Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first month .

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Be glad  then, ye children  of Zion,  and rejoice  in the LORD  your God:  for he hath given  you the former rain  moderately,  and he will cause to come down  for you the rain,  the former rain,  and the latter rain  in the first  [month]. 

What does Joel 2:23 Mean?

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 2:23 mean?

Then you children of Zion Be glad and rejoice in Yahweh your God for He has given you - the former rain faithfully and He will cause to come down for you the rain the former rain and the latter rain in the first [month]
וּבְנֵ֣י צִיּ֗וֹן גִּ֤ילוּ וְשִׂמְחוּ֙ בַּיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם כִּֽי־ נָתַ֥ן לָכֶ֛ם אֶת־ הַמּוֹרֶ֖ה לִצְדָקָ֑ה וַיּ֣וֹרֶד לָכֶ֗ם גֶּ֛שֶׁם מוֹרֶ֥ה וּמַלְק֖וֹשׁ בָּרִאשֽׁוֹן

וּבְנֵ֣י  Then  you  children 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
צִיּ֗וֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
גִּ֤ילוּ  Be  glad 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: גִּיל  
Sense: to rejoice, exult, be glad.
וְשִׂמְחוּ֙  and  rejoice 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׂמַח  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
בַּיהוָ֣ה  in  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
נָתַ֥ן  He  has  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַמּוֹרֶ֖ה  the  former  rain 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹורֶה 
Sense: (early) rain.
לִצְדָקָ֑ה  faithfully 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צְדָקָה  
Sense: justice, righteousness.
וַיּ֣וֹרֶד  and  He  will  cause  to  come  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
לָכֶ֗ם  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
גֶּ֛שֶׁם  the  rain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֶּשֶׁם  
Sense: rain, shower.
מוֹרֶ֥ה  the  former  rain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹורֶה 
Sense: (early) rain.
וּמַלְק֖וֹשׁ  and  the  latter  rain 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְקֹושׁ  
Sense: latter rain, spring rain.
בָּרִאשֽׁוֹן  in  the  first  [month] 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.