The Meaning of Joel 3:17 Explained

Joel 3:17

KJV: So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

YLT: And ye have known that I am Jehovah your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain, And Jerusalem hath been holy, And strangers do not pass over into it again.

Darby: And ye shall know that I, Jehovah, am your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain; and Jerusalem shall be holy, and no strangers shall pass through her any more.

ASV: So shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So shall ye know  that I [am] the LORD  your God  dwelling  in Zion,  my holy  mountain:  then shall Jerusalem  be holy,  and there shall no strangers  pass through  her any more. 

What does Joel 3:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh"s victory will demonstrate to His people that He is indeed Israel"s covenant God and that His special place of abode is Mt. Zion (cf. Joel 2:27). After this battle Jerusalem will truly be the holy city, set apart entirely for God"s people and no longer defiled by pagan invaders.

Context Summary

Joel 3:1-21 - "the Valley Of Decision"
Having stated the outward blessings that would follow repentance, Joel unveils the extraordinary spiritual blessings that were in store. The outpouring of the Spirit, described in Acts 2:16-17, does not exhaust these glorious words. This blessing is for all whom the Lord our God shall call to Himself, and as one to whom His call has come, you have a perfect right to claim your share in Pentecost. The promise is to all that are "afar off" in space and time. The very slaves, the most degraded and despised of men, become free when they yield themselves to Jesus and have an equal right to the same Spirit.
Joel 3:1-21 refers to the last desperate effort made by the powers of the world against Christ and His people. This will be the closing scene of man's apostasy. But the Lord will vindicate and deliver His oppressed from the hand of their oppressors; and the same judgment will bring them blessing. Having cleansed His people from their stains, Messiah will tabernacle among them, Revelation 21:3 [source]

Chapter Summary: Joel 3

1  God's judgments against the enemies of his people
9  God will be known in his judgment
18  His blessing upon the church

What do the individual words in Joel 3:17 mean?

So you shall know that I [am] Yahweh your God Dwelling in Zion mountain My holy and shall be Jerusalem holy and aliens no shall pass through her ever again -
וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם שֹׁכֵ֖ן בְּצִיּ֣וֹן הַר־ קָדְשִׁ֑י וְהָיְתָ֤ה יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ קֹ֔דֶשׁ וְזָרִ֥ים לֹא־ יַֽעַבְרוּ־ בָ֖הּ עֽוֹד ס

וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם  So  you  shall  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּ֣י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֲנִ֤י  I  [am] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
שֹׁכֵ֖ן  Dwelling 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.
בְּצִיּ֣וֹן  in  Zion 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
הַר־  mountain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
קָדְשִׁ֑י  My  holy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
וְהָיְתָ֤ה  and  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
קֹ֔דֶשׁ  holy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
וְזָרִ֥ים  and  aliens 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: זוּר 
Sense: to be strange, be a stranger.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַֽעַבְרוּ־  shall  pass  through 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
בָ֖הּ  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
עֽוֹד  ever  again 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation