Joel 2:20
And I will remove far off from you the northern enemy: and I will drive him into a land unpassable, and desert, with his face towards the east sea, and his hinder part towards the utmost sea: and his stench shall ascend, and his rottenness shall go up, because he hath done proudly.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et eum qui ab aquilone est procul faciam a vobis, et expellam eum in terram inviam et desertam : faciem ejus contra mare orientale, et extremum ejus ad mare novissimum : et ascendet fœtor ejus, et ascendet putredo ejus, quia superbe egit.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ βορρᾶ ἐκδιώξω ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξώσω αὐτὸν εἰς γῆν ἄνυδρον, καὶ ἀφανιῶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐσχάτην· καὶ ἀναβήσεται σαπρία αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται ὁ βρόμος αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνεν τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְֽאֶת הַצְּפוֹנִ֞י אַרְחִ֣יק מֵעֲלֵיכֶ֗ם וְהִדַּחְתִּיו֮ אֶל אֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֣ה וּשְׁמָמָה֒ אֶת פָּנָ֗יו אֶל הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י וְסֹפ֖וֹ אֶל הַיָּ֣ם הָאַֽחֲר֑וֹן וְעָלָ֣ה בָאְשׁ֗וֹ וְתַ֨עַל֙ צַחֲנָת֔וֹ כִּ֥י הִגְדִּ֖יל לַעֲשֽׂוֹת
Haydock's commentary
The northern enemy. Some understand this of Holofernes and his army, others of the locusts. (Challoner)
Protestants, "the northern army." Hebrew may denote (Haydock) wind. This often drives away locusts. Those here spoken of were drowned in the Mediterranean and Dead Seas. (Calmet)
This occasioned a pestilence, (St. Jerome; St. Augustine, City of God iv. 31.) to prevent which the locusts were to be speedily buried, Isaias xxxiii. 4.
Proudly. Hebrew, "great things." God, or the locusts are meant.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.