Joel 2:7
“They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The invaders charge like warriors, scaling walls and marching in perfect, unbroken order.
What Does Joel 2:7 Mean?
Joel returns to the army's discipline. They run like mighty men and climb the wall like seasoned soldiers, each one marching straight on his own course without breaking ranks. The picture is of flawless military order, an advance that no obstacle slows and no confusion scatters. Even city walls, the last line of defense, do not stop them.
There is something dreadful about an enemy that cannot be thrown into disorder. Human armies falter, panic, and break; this force does not. Joel uses the image to underline how futile resistance will be. Yet the same precision that makes this army so fearsome will be matched, in the chapter's second half, by the precision of God's mercy, who promises to drive the invader away and restore exactly what was lost. The discipline of judgment is real, but it serves a God whose purposes of grace are just as ordered and sure.