The Meaning of Joel 2:20 Explained

Joel 2:20

KJV: But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

YLT: And the northern I put far off from you, And have driven him unto a land dry and desolate, With his face unto the eastern sea, And his rear unto the western sea, And come up hath his stink, And come up doth his stench, For he hath exerted himself to work.

Darby: And I will remove far off from you him that cometh from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.

ASV: but I will remove far off from you the northern army , and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But I will remove far off  from you the northern  [army], and will drive  him into a land  barren  and desolate,  with his face  toward the east  sea,  and his hinder part  toward the utmost  sea,  and his stink  shall come up,  and his ill savour  shall come up,  because he hath done  great things. 

What does Joel 2:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet now revealed that this invader would come from the North. Both Assyria and Babylon, as well as all other eastern invaders, entered Israel from the north because of the impassability of the Arabian Desert to Israel"s east.
"If "the northerner" is yet future (eschatological), the army is possibly the army in Joel 3:9; Joel 3:12; Daniel 11:40; and Zechariah 14:2." [1]
Instead of leading this army against Jerusalem ( Joel 2:11), the Lord would drive it from Judah. He would drive its soldiers into a parched and desolate land (Arabia?) and into the eastern (Dead) sea and the western (Mediterranean) sea (cf. Daniel 11:45). In other words, He would turn against them rather than leading them and scatter them rather than uniting them against Jerusalem. The smell of the dead carcasses of the many soldiers would fill the air because they had done many great things. In short, they had tried to overthrow God"s people (cf. the Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea). Masses of dead locusts also smell terrible, especially after dying in the sea and then being washed ashore. [2]

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 2:20 mean?

But the northern [army] I will remove far from you and will drive him away into a land barren and desolate with his face toward the sea eastern and his back the sea western and will come up His stench and will rise his foul odor because monstrous things he has done
וְֽאֶת־ הַצְּפוֹנִ֞י אַרְחִ֣יק מֵעֲלֵיכֶ֗ם וְהִדַּחְתִּיו֮ אֶל־ אֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֣ה וּשְׁמָמָה֒ אֶת־ פָּנָ֗יו אֶל־ הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י וְסֹפ֖וֹ הַיָּ֣ם הָאַֽחֲר֑וֹן וְעָלָ֣ה בָאְשׁ֗וֹ וְתַ֙עַל֙ צַחֲנָת֔וֹ כִּ֥י הִגְדִּ֖יל לַעֲשֽׂוֹת

הַצְּפוֹנִ֞י  the  northern  [army] 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צְפֹונִי  
Sense: northern.
אַרְחִ֣יק  I  will  remove  far 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָחַק  
Sense: to be or become far, be or become distant, be removed, go far away.
מֵעֲלֵיכֶ֗ם  from  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, second person masculine plural
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.
וְהִדַּחְתִּיו֮  and  will  drive  him  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָדַח 
Sense: to impel, thrust, drive away, banish.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֶ֣רֶץ  a  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
צִיָּ֣ה  barren 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: צִיָּה  
Sense: dryness, drought, desert.
וּשְׁמָמָה֒  and  desolate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
פָּנָ֗יו  his  face 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֶל־  toward 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַיָּם֙  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
הַקַּדְמֹנִ֔י  eastern 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: קַדְמֹנִי  
Sense: former, ancient, eastern.
וְסֹפ֖וֹ  and  his  back 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: סׄוף  
Sense: end, conclusion.
הַיָּ֣ם  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
הָאַֽחֲר֑וֹן  western 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אַחֲרֹון  
Sense: behind, following, subsequent, western.
וְעָלָ֣ה  and  will  come  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
בָאְשׁ֗וֹ  His  stench 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בְּאֹשׁ  
Sense: stench, foul odour.
וְתַ֙עַל֙  and  will  rise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
צַחֲנָת֔וֹ  his  foul  odor 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: צַחֲנָה  
Sense: stench, foul odour.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
הִגְדִּ֖יל  monstrous  things 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּדַל  
Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.
לַעֲשֽׂוֹת  he  has  done 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.