Who are the locusts?

Explanation:

Joel explains that something is coming that has never been experienced by Israel. Then he describes how the locusts devour everything. Next, in Joel 1:6 he reveals that the locusts are an army by explaining that a powerful nation, beyond number, has come up against God’s land. It seems that the author wants the reader to connect the plague of the locusts from Joel 1:4 with the powerful nation that is coming against the land in Joel 1:6.

We reach a similar admission in Joel 2:1–2, where the day of the Lord is described as a day when a great and powerful people will spread upon the mountains. The following verses, Joel 2:3–11, then describe how the land will be devoured by fire as the people draw up for battle (Joel 2:5). Like warriors they will charge, and like soldiers they will scale the wall (Joel 2:7). Once again, the author is connecting the judgment of the Lord with an army. After describing the terror of the army, which is so vast it shakes the earth, the section ends by tying the description of Joel 2:3–11 back into Joel 2:1 with Joel asking the rhetorical question: who can endure the day of the Lord (Joel 2:11)?

Finally, in Joel 2:18–19 we find out that the Lord has pity on Israel and decides to restore them. God does this by first removing the northerner far from the land, driving him to a parched and desolate land (Joel 2:20). We know that Israel had enemies in the north, including the Assyrians and Babylonians, and other prophets had foretold that attacks from the north were eminent (Jeremiah 1:14–15; Jeremiah 4:6; Jeremiah 6:1, Jeremiah 6:22; Jeremiah 10:22). Joel seems to imply that the northerners are the locust army who has attacked and plundered Israel.³

Counterargument:

Since we are dealing with prophecy, it is entirely possible that the phrases used in the above verses are figurative terms used to describe a literal locust plague rather than an army. For example, when Joel 1:6 states that a nation has come up against the land powerful and without number, this could refer to a host of locusts. Further, in Joel 2:2 we read that a day of darkness and gloom is coming, like blackness spread upon the mountains because of a great and powerful people, the term people could be used figuratively for a swarm of locusts which cause darkness by covering the sky. And finally, the term northern in Joel 2:20 might be taken literally to refer to the direction from which the locust plague originated. Thus, when God drives the northerner far from the Israelites, he means to drive back the plague of locusts he had sent.

Response to counterargument:

Unfortunately, while interpreting the references to nations and people as referring figurately to locusts is plausible, it is just as if not more likely that these refer to actual nations and people. At face value it seems very odd to compare a swarm of locusts to a nation, while it is somewhat common to compare a nation to a swarm of locusts. Even stranger is the notion that Joel would describe the locusts as powerful people (Joel 2:2). Added to this, it seems to be common knowledge that the locust plagues normally originated from the southern desert region. This makes it very unlikely that the northerner removed by God is a swarm of locusts (Joel 2:20).⁴

Explanation:

There are several occasions when the Bible and other ancient Near Eastern texts describe an army as locusts.⁵ For example, in Judges 6 we read that because Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, the Midianites attacked them and destroyed their land. In Judges 6:5 the Midianites are described as coming like locusts in number. Later, in Judges 7, Gideon is instructed to attack the Midianites and the Amalekites who lay along the valley like locusts in abundance (Judges 7:12).

In the prophecy of Nahum we find another striking example of locusts being used to describe the destruction of an invading army. Nahum prophecies against the city of Nineveh in Assyria. Nahum explains that because of their sins the Lord’s judgment is upon Nineveh. As part of the judgment, enemies will breach the gates of their land and cut them off with the sword, devouring them like locusts (Nahum 3:15). Interestingly, Nahum goes on to compare the princes and scribes of Nineveh to grasshoppers and locusts who fly away when the sun rises on a cold day (Nahum 3:17).

Finally, in Jeremiah 46:1–28 the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah concerning the nations, including Egypt. The Lord explains that although Egypt is a beautiful land, her soldiers have become like fatted calves. At the hand of the Lord an enemy who is more numerous than locusts will come in from the north and cause destruction (Jeremiah 46:23).

Added to this, there are other ancient Near East sources that describe armies as locusts. For example, Sennacherib, king of Assyria from 704–681 BC, records how the king of Babylon and others joined forces against him. When he describes the army, he compares the multitude to locusts: Like a spring invasion of a swarm of locusts, they were advancing toward me as a group to do battle.⁶

Counterargument:

While it might be that the Bible and other ancient Near East documents use the term locusts to describe armies, the passage itself seems to describe an actual swarm of locusts, including the devastation left behind when locusts ravage the land.⁷ For example, we read that the vines are laid waste and the bark is stripped off the fig trees (Joel 1:7). Also, the fields are laid waste and the grain is destroyed (Joel 1:10).

The locusts themselves are described as being like horses (Joel 2:4), a description that is also used in Revelation 9:7where it states, In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. The passage also describes how they leap on the city wall (Joel 2:9) before noting that the sun and moon darken (Joel 2:10), likely due to the intensity of the swarm.

Response to counterargument:

While some aspects of the devastation of the land could be due to locusts, there are other aspects that could only be due to an invading army. For example, Joel 1:19 describes how the pastures have been devoured by fire and all of the trees burned. And Joel 2:3 uses similar language, stating that the fire and flames destroy the land that was once like the garden of Eden.

Further, the aspects of destruction that could be due to locusts, could just as likely be due to an invading army. In Joel 1:7 it states that the powerful nation with its lion teeth have splintered the fig trees. One could see how a locust could eat the leaves from a fig tree, but it is hard to see how they could splinter the branches. Also, the fields being laid bare and the fruit trees withering (Joel 1:10, Joel 1:12) could be due to the invaders plundering the land by snatching all of the mature grain and ripe fruit for themselves.

The point is, while some of the description could point to a locust plague, there are other descriptions that only fit the context of an invading army, while an invading army can account for both.

Explanation:

After introducing the fact that the locusts will devour the land (Joel 1:4), Joel goes on to describe the result of their destruction. He explains that the vine withers, and the fig tree languishes, while the fruit trees of the field all die (Joel 1:12). Habakkuk uses similar language to describe the land after enemies have come in like a whirlwind to scatter the people and devour the poor (Habakkuk 3:14). After the invasion he describes the land, stating that the fig tree does not blossom, nor fruit grow on the vines, and the fields yield no food (Habakkuk 3:16). Habakkuk’s description of the land after it has been plundered by an enemy is strikingly similar to Joel’s.

Further, the description of the terror being brought to the land in Joel 1:1–20 and Joel 2:1–32 is similar to the descriptions used by Jeremiah to describe an army invading the land. For example, Jeremiah 50:41–42 describes a cruel people coming from the north, the sound of them like the roaring of the sea riding upon horses, ready for battle. Joel 2:20 mentions the northerner being sent away by God and describes the army as crackling like a flame with the appearance of horses (Joel 2:4–5).

Counterargument:

While the destruction described by Joel might have parallels in the language of other accounts of the land’s destruction by armies, this is not enough to show that the locusts in Joel are an invading army. The reason for this is that the land was vital to Israel for survival. This means that an effective way to bring judgment upon the people, whether at the hands of locusts, armies, or another plague such as a drought, would be to inhibit the fruitfulness of the land. The prophet Amos offers us a window into the phenomenon of God’s sending not just an army but a drought and a locust plague to cause Israel to repent. There we read that God withheld the rain so that the fields withered, and yet the people did not return to God (Amos 4:7–8). After this, God sent locusts to devour the fig trees and the olive trees, yet Israel did not return to the Lord (Amos 4:9). Here Amos uses similar language as Joel to describe the Lord’s judgment on the land, and yet he is describing not an army but a drought and a locust plague.

Explanation:

When we reach Joel 3:1–21, God explains that he will restore the fortunes of Jerusalem and Judah (Joel 3:1). Further, he will gather the nations and bring them to the valley of Jehoshaphat where he will bring judgment on them on account of Israel (Joel 3:2). And what is the reason for God’s bringing judgment on the nations? It is that they have scattered the Israelites, divided their land, and traded and sold boys and girls for the prostitute and for wine (Joel 3:2–3). In other words, after the description of a locust-like army’s bringing judgment upon Israel by the hand of God, once Israel is restored, judgment will be brought upon the Gentiles.⁸ Since it does not make sense for God to punish the Gentiles because a locust plague has fallen on Israel, we should consider the locust plague as having to do with an army invasion.

Counterargument:

Joel would have had a complex understanding of the day of the Lord, in the sense that he would have associated that day with judgment over Israel and the nations. He also understood that if Israel repented, it would receive blessing from the Lord. This means that when the locust plague swept through Israel and ravaged the land, Joel associated this as the day of the Lord.⁹ In other words, the destruction of the locust plague was so vast that Joel was convicted that the end of the world was at hand. As such, when God had revealed that he would have pity on Israel and restore the land, this confirmed Joel’s assumptions, and he interpreted this to mean that the judgment would now fall on the Gentile nations. The awful experience of the plague compelled Joel to write Joel 3:1–21 from his burning heart.¹⁰

Response to counterargument:

The notion that Joel added Joel 3:1–21 because he associated a plague of locusts with the judgment day of the Lord is an arbitrary assertion. It assumes that Joel 1:1–20 and Joel 2:1–32 only describe a locust plague, when there are clear allusions to the fact that an army has invaded Israel from the north. This is backed up by Deuteronomy 28:1–68, which warns Israel of exile and destruction due to disobedience and the language carries strong associations with the destruction depicted in Joel.¹¹ For example, in Deuteronomy 28:25 we read that if Israel fails to obey the Lord, he will cause them to be defeated by their enemies. The passage goes on to explain that another nation will eat the fruit of their ground (Deuteronomy 28:33), and that although they will plant and dress them, they will not drink from their vineyards (Deuteronomy 28:39). Further, they will have olive trees, but they will not anoint themselves with the oil from them (Deuteronomy 28:40), and their sons and daughters will be taken away (Deuteronomy 28:41). Finally, it states that the fruit of the ground shall be possessed by locusts (Deuteronomy 28:42).

Compare this with Joel, which states that when the locusts come, the wine fails and the oil languishes (Joel 1:10). The vine withers and the fruit trees are bare (Joel 1:12), but God will bring judgment because the Gentiles have scattered his people and sold Israel’s sons and daughters for the prostitute and for wine (Joel 3:3).

As we can see, God warned Israel through Moses that if they disobeyed his voice they would be exiled by their enemies, their land would be destroyed, and their sons and daughters would be taken captive. Deuteronomy even uses the language of locusts in the midst of the warning. This shows that Joel was not inventing his own word from the Lord when he wrote Joel 3:1–21, but that the destruction warned of through Moses had fallen on the Israelites, and yet God in his mercy promises to restore their fortune and punish the Gentiles for their excesses.

Possible weakness:

The weakness of this view is that it does not take into account that Joel could be describing a multi-pronged judgment on Israel. While it is true that certain aspects of the passage, including the reference to a nation and people coming against Israel, as well as how God will remove northerners, likely refer to an invading army, there are other aspects that likely refer to a locust plague (Joel 1:11–12) and a drought (Joel 1:20). It is possible that God has sent a multi-pronged judgment on Israel in order to cause repentance, including a locust plague, a drought, and an invasion from the north.

Explanation:

Locust plagues were not uncommon in the Middle East, where Israel was located, and the Israelites did not have the technology in Joel’s time to ward off these infestations.¹⁴ Added to this, the text itself seems to describe the aftermath of a locust plague in accurate detail.¹⁵ For example, we read that the food had been cut off (Joel 1:16), and the storehouses for grain were desolate (Joel 1:17. Added to this, the cattle and the sheep were perplexed because there was no food for them in the pasture (Joel 1:18). These descriptions fit well with a locust plague that would leave the land barren after the pesky insects devour the crops.

Further, when we reach the latter part of chapter Joel 2:1–32, we read how God rescues his people from the devasting plague by restoring the fields, and the fruit trees (Joel 2:23–24). God also ensures that the threshing floors are full of grain (Joel 2:24), and Joel explicitly records that God will restore the years that the various types of locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25). In other words, God used the locust plague to bring judgment on his people by having them devour the food of the land. Since God is gracious and forgiving, he also restores the crops and the food so the people and animals can once again eat.

Counterargument:

There is no doubt among commentators that Joel is describing a destruction brought upon Israel by the judgment of God when he describes the destroying locusts in Joel 1:4. The question is whether these locusts are the literal vehicle for judgment or if they are symbolic for something else. A look at the preceding paragraph suggests that the locusts are symbolic (Joel 1:2–3). The reason for this is because Joel makes it clear that the event he is about to describe has not happened in their day, or the days of the fathers. This language suggests that Joshua is about to describe a highly unique event, but locust swarms were not unique.¹⁶ In fact, some authors suggests that locust plagues occur every few decades in southern Palestine.¹⁷ Added to this, although locust plagues could be devasting, the land tended to recover quickly. And there is a sense from the biblical record that when God uses locusts to get people’s attention, the plague does little to engender repentance. For example, when God sent locusts into Egypt to encourage Pharoah to release Israel from slavery, Pharoah’s heart did not soften toward God (Exodus 10:20). Also, Amos 4:9 states that God sent locusts against Israel that devoured the olive trees and yet, you did not return to me, declares the Lord.¹⁸

To summarize, given the fact that Joel characterizes the locusts plague as a unique and powerful event, the fact that locust plagues were common, and that nations had not always responded to the severity of locust plagues, we have good reason to think that the locusts should be taken symbolically.

Response to counterargument:

The fact that locust plagues were common does not rule out that Joel is describing locusts in Joel 1:4. In fact, it could be that this particular locust infestation is so ravenous that it cannot be compared with any other locust plague that came before it.

Explanation:

Joel uses vivid imagery in the form of repetition to introduce the fact that a day of judgment in the form of locusts is coming against Israel (Joel 1:4). When we reach Joel 2:1–32, Joel compares the locust invasion with the attributes of an army. He explains that their appearance is like running war horses who leap on top of mountains, and like a powerful army drawn up for battle (Joel 2:4–5). Like warriors they charge (Joel 2:7) and leap upon the city walls (Joel 2:9). The earth quakes before them and the sun and moon are darkened (Joel 2:10).

Joel is describing the locust swarm as a great army that will devour the land. This is most clear when he uses language that describes the characteristics of a locust including that they leap (Joel 2:5, Joel 2:9), and since locusts swarm together, they darken the sun and the moon (Joel 2:10).

Counterargument:

While it is possible that Joel is using the symbolism of an army to describe locusts, he could just as likely be describing an actual army. In Hebrew prophecy, the term like/as could not only refer to something that is not the analogue, but could also be used to describe the fulfilment of the analogue.¹⁹ For example, in Joel 1:15 we read that the day of the Lord is near, like/as destruction of the Almighty. Of course, the burden of Joel 1 is to establish that the plague is from God. This implies that Joel is using the analogue, like/as destruction of the Almighty, not to show that the destruction is not from the Almighty, but to show that it is the full realization of the destruction of the Almighty.²⁰

Another example comes from Ezekiel 26:10 where the prophet says that the horses will enter the gates as/like men who enter a city whose walls have broken through. His point is to say that just as men breach the wall, so these men breach the wall.²¹

All of these examples imply that Joel is using language to suggest that the coming army is the fulfilment of divine judgment.²²

Response to counterargument:

It may be possible to take the descriptions throughout Joel 2:4–11 as descriptions of an army but this is not an obvious reading of the text. If the author were describing an army, it is hard to see why the author would continually compare the army to that of an army. It makes more sense that the author would describe the locusts like an army, or an army like a group of locusts, than an army with an army.²³

Possible weaknesses:

The weakness with this view is that it fails to consider the prophetic language. It is not uncommon for prophets to use figurative language and assimilation as a rhetorical device to get their audience's attention. In this light, since locusts were associated with destruction, Joel could be using the language of the locust to describe any number of disasters on the land. This view also fails to account for the relevance of Joel 3:1–21, which a word from the Lord to Joel (see Interpretation 1, argument 4, response to counterargument).

Explanation:

When God brings judgment upon the land, he does so through a multi-pronged approach including, minimally, locusts, a drought, and an invading army. Joel uses four terms for the locusts in order to convey this multi-pronged judgment.

This fourfold language mimics the fourfold judgment of the Lord predicted by the prophet Ezekiel who writes that the faithlessness of the people will result in four disastrous acts of judgement, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast (Ezekiel 14:21)!

The prophet Jeremiah speaks similarly when God declares that judgment will come upon Judah in the form of pestilence, sword, famine, and captivity (Jeremiah 15:2).²⁵

Added to this, there are sections of Joel that seem to describe a locust invasion (Joel 1:10–12), an invading army (Joel 1:6; Joel 2:2; Joel 2:20), and a drought (Joel 1:20). Further, when the word of the Lord comes to the prophet, he makes it clear that the coming disaster will be like nothing the Israelites have experienced before (Joel 1:2). All of these factors lend to the notion that the disaster is a multi-pronged judgment that consisted minimally of a locust plague, invading army, and drought.

Counterargument:

It is possible that Joel is using the locust language to describe various stages of judgment, but it is just as likely that he uses the language to describe the fact that the judgment is widespread and devasting. For example, it is possible that a locust plague has come through the land in various stages, or that an army invader has been attacking for many consecutive months.

Possible weakness:

The problem with this view is that either a locust plague or an army invasion could plausibly be the cause for the descriptions of destructions throughout the book. For example, a severe locust plague could be described as an army sent against Israel that burns and devours the land. Similarly, if the locusts are symbolic for an invading army, such an army would likely ravage the fields, splinter the fig trees, and divert whatever water source it could.