Joel 1:14
New International Version
Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

New Living Translation
Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to him there.

English Standard Version
Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

King James Bible
Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,

New King James Version
Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

NASB 1995
Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

NASB 1977
Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

Legacy Standard Bible
Set apart a fast as holy, Call for a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of Yahweh your God, And cry out to Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly, Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD [in penitent pleadings].

Christian Standard Bible
Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

American Standard Version
Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old men and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of Jehovah your God, and cry unto Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
Tell the leaders and people to come together at the temple. Order them to go without eating and to pray sincerely.

English Revised Version
Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old men and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Schedule a time to fast! Call for an assembly! Gather the leaders and everyone who lives in the land. Bring them to the temple of the LORD your God, and cry to the LORD for help.

Good News Translation
Give orders for a fast; call an assembly! Gather the leaders and all the people of Judah into the Temple of the LORD your God and cry out to him!

International Standard Version
Set apart time for a fast! Call a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and everyone living in the land to the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD!"

Majority Standard Bible
Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

NET Bible
Announce a holy fast; proclaim a sacred assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

New Heart English Bible
Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of the LORD, your God, and cry to the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry to the LORD,

World English Bible
Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of Yahweh, your God, and cry to Yahweh.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Sanctify a fast, proclaim a restraint, "" Gather [the] elderly [and] all those inhabiting the land, "" [Into the] house of your God YHWH,

Young's Literal Translation
Sanctify a fast, proclaim a restraint, Gather the elders -- all the inhabitants of the land, Into the house of Jehovah your God,

Smith's Literal Translation
Consecrate a fast, call an assembly, gather together the old men, all the inhabitants of the land to the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Sanctify ye a fast, call an assembly; gather together the ancients, all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God: and cry ye to the Lord:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Sanctify a fast, call an assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God. And cry out to the Lord:

New American Bible
Proclaim a holy fast! Call an assembly! Gather the elders, all who dwell in the land, To the house of the LORD, your God, and cry out to the LORD!

New Revised Standard Version
Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry to the LORD your God, and say,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Hallow a fast! Call the assembly! Have the Elders gathered and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of LORD JEHOVAH your God. Cry to LORD JEHOVAH your God and say:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Sanctify ye a fast, Call a solemn assembly, Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Unto the house of the LORD your God, And cry unto the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn service, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God, and cry earnestly to the Lord,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Call to Repentance
13Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. 14Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.…

Cross References
2 Chronicles 20:3-4
Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. / So the people of Judah gathered to seek the LORD, and indeed, they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.

Jonah 3:5-9
And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. / When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. / Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink. ...

Nehemiah 9:1-3
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads. / Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. / While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.

Esther 4:16
“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”

Leviticus 23:36
For seven days you are to present a food offering to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.

Isaiah 58:6-9
Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? / Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? / Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. ...

Jeremiah 36:9
Now in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before the LORD was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who had come there from the cities of Judah.

Zechariah 8:19
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”

1 Samuel 7:5-6
Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.” / When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

2 Kings 23:1-3
Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. / And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. / So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

Ezra 8:21-23
And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. / For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.” / So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

Acts 13:2-3
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” / And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Matthew 6:16-18
When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. / But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, / so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.

Mark 2:18-20
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t Your disciples fast like John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees?” / Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast. / But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.


Treasury of Scripture

Sanctify you a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry to the LORD,

Sanctify.

Joel 2:15,16
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: …

2 Chronicles 20:3,4
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah…

solemn assembly.

Leviticus 23:36
Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

Nehemiah 8:18
Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

the elders.

Deuteronomy 29:10,11
Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, …

2 Chronicles 20:13
And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Nehemiah 9:2,3
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers…

cry.

Jonah 3:8
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

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Joel 1
1. Joel, declaring various judgments of God, exhorts to observe them,
8. and to mourn.
14. He prescribes a solemn fast to deprecate those judgments.














Consecrate a fast
The Hebrew word for "consecrate" is "qadash," which means to set apart or make holy. In the context of Joel, this call to consecrate a fast is a call to the people of Judah to dedicate themselves wholly to God in repentance and humility. Fasting, in biblical times, was a physical expression of spiritual need and dependence on God. It was a way to humble oneself before the Lord, seeking His mercy and intervention. This act of consecration signifies a turning away from sin and a turning towards God, acknowledging His sovereignty and seeking His favor.

Proclaim a sacred assembly
The term "sacred assembly" comes from the Hebrew "atsarah," which refers to a solemn gathering for worship and repentance. In ancient Israel, such assemblies were called during times of crisis or significant religious observance. This phrase emphasizes the communal aspect of repentance and worship, highlighting the importance of coming together as a community to seek God's face. It underscores the belief that collective prayer and repentance can lead to divine intervention and blessing.

Gather the elders
The "elders" in ancient Israel were the leaders and decision-makers within the community. They were respected for their wisdom and experience. By calling the elders to gather, Joel emphasizes the need for leadership in spiritual matters. The elders were to lead by example, guiding the people in repentance and prayer. This highlights the biblical principle that leaders have a responsibility to lead their people in righteousness and to seek God's guidance in times of trouble.

And all the residents of the land
This phrase indicates that the call to repentance and prayer was not limited to the leaders but extended to every inhabitant of the land. It underscores the inclusive nature of the call to repentance, emphasizing that everyone, regardless of status or position, is accountable to God and in need of His mercy. This reflects the biblical teaching that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and thus all are in need of repentance and divine grace.

To the house of the LORD your God
The "house of the LORD" refers to the temple in Jerusalem, the central place of worship for the Israelites. It was considered the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. By calling the people to gather at the temple, Joel emphasizes the importance of coming before God in His designated place of worship. This act symbolizes a return to God, seeking His presence and favor. It reflects the belief that true repentance and worship must be directed towards God and conducted in accordance with His ordained means.

And cry out to the LORD
The phrase "cry out" is a call to earnest, heartfelt prayer. It conveys a sense of urgency and desperation, recognizing the dire situation the people are in and their need for divine intervention. This call to cry out to the LORD reflects the biblical understanding that God is a compassionate and merciful God who hears the prayers of His people. It encourages believers to approach God with sincerity and faith, trusting in His willingness to respond to their cries for help.

(14) A solemn assembly.--The Hebrew word strictly means a festival day, on which the people gathered themselves together, being relieved from work. Here they are summoned for a fast. The word may also be translated, as in the margin, "a day of restraint," its root signifying to shut, to hold back.

Verses 14-20. - After urging the priests to lead the way in the matter, he proceeds to summon all classes of the people, and particularly the elders, to engage in penitence, fasting, and solemn supplications, in order to avert the calamities that were impending, or to escape from them if they had already begun. Verse 14. - Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. The command is addressed to the priests as the representatives and rulers of the people in all matters of religion; they communicated to the people the commands of Jehovah. This verse directs attention to three things - the duty commanded; the persons called upon to discharge it; and the place of its performance.

1. The duty required was a fast and a solemn assembly; and the priests are strictly enjoined to see to it that both these shall be duly announced and rightly observed. The fast was abstention from food in token of sorrow for sin; it was intended to be the external evidence of penitential sorrow for sin. The solemn assembly, or "day of restraint," as it stands in the margin, was a public meeting of the people for the purpose of solemn supplication that the Almighty might be entreated to deliver them from the sore calamity with which he had seen fit to visit them. It was a season during which they were restrained from all servile work, and attention given exclusively to humiliation and prayer.

2. The persons summoned for this purpose were the elders, those who were so both by age and office - the magistrates as examples to others, and as having been implicated in the sins from which they now suffered. With the word "elders" are joined all the inhabitants of the land - the whole of the people, poor ann rich alike; all had had their share in the national sin, all were sharers in the national suffering, and it therefore behoved all to repent of their sins and seek the Lord.

3. The place of assembly was the house of the Lord; that is, the temple, or that portion of it called "the court of the Israelites." Nor were they to assemble there without an errand; the purpose of their assembling in that sacred place was to supplicate the Lord to alleviate their distress, or rather remove it altogether. They were directed to cry mightily to the Lord; to cry unto him with vehement earnestness and importunate perseverance till he would be pleased to send relief. The proclamation of a fast was a common expedient, to which people, Jewish and Gentile, according to their respective light, resorted in the day of their difficulty and distress. We read of it on many occasions; for example, by King Jehoshaphat in prospect of a hostile attack by the allied armies of Moab, Ammon, and Edom; again in the reign of Jehoiakim; also by Ezra in the day of danger; and by the people of Nineveh in consequence of the preaching of Jonah.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Consecrate
קַדְּשׁוּ־ (qad·də·šū-)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 6942: To be set apart or consecrated

a fast;
צוֹם֙ (ṣō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6685: Fasting, a fast

proclaim
קִרְא֣וּ (qir·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

a solemn assembly!
עֲצָרָ֔ה (‘ă·ṣā·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6116: An assembly, on a, festival, holiday

Gather
אִסְפ֣וּ (’is·p̄ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

the elders
זְקֵנִ֗ים (zə·qê·nîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2205: Old

and all
כֹּ֚ל (kōl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the residents
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י (yō·šə·ḇê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

of the land
הָאָ֔רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

to the house
בֵּ֖ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God,
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

and cry out
וְזַעֲק֖וּ (wə·za·‘ă·qū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 2199: To shriek, to announce, convene publicly

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the LORD.
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Prophets: Joel 1:14 Sanctify a fast (Jl Joe.)
Joel 1:13
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