Joel 2:20
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →God promises to drive the invading army far away into desolate land, ending its threat completely.
What Does Joel 2:20 Mean?
God pledges to deal with the invader Himself. He will remove the northern army far off, driving it into a barren wilderness, its forces scattered toward the eastern and western seas, until only the stench of its ruin remains. The threat that no human defense could stop is undone by the hand of God in a single sweeping act. What devoured the land is itself destroyed.
The phrase because he hath done great things carries a note of irony: the army boasted in its destructive power, but God will have the final word. The same chapter that earlier said the LORD will do great things for His people now turns that greatness against their oppressor. This is the consistent pattern of God's deliverance: He removes the enemy His people could never defeat. It foreshadows the greater victory in which God Himself overcomes the powers of ruin and death on behalf of those who trust Him.