Joel 3:12
“Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God calls the nations up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, where He Himself will sit to judge them all.
What Does Joel 3:12 Mean?
God states plainly why the nations are gathered: let them come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. The valley whose name means the LORD judges now becomes the courtroom of God. He pictures Himself seated, as a judge takes His seat, to render verdict over all the surrounding nations.
To sit in judgment is the posture of settled, deliberate authority. God is not reacting in haste but presiding with calm and rightful power over the affairs of the world. Every nation will give account. This is a weighty truth for all peoples and all ages: history is moving toward a reckoning before God, who judges justly. For the wronged it means vindication; for the proud it means humbling. The God who once let His people suffer at the nations' hands now takes His seat as Judge, and His judgment will be true.