Blow the trumpet in Zion
The phrase "Blow the trumpet" refers to the sounding of the shofar, a ram's horn, which was used in ancient Israel for various purposes, including calling the people to assembly, signaling the start of a festival, or warning of impending danger. The Hebrew word for trumpet here is "shofar," which carries a deep spiritual significance. It is a call to attention, a divine alarm that demands the people's focus and action. In the context of Joel, it is a call to repentance and urgency. "In Zion" refers to the hill of Jerusalem on which the city of David was built, symbolizing the spiritual center of God's people. Zion represents the heart of God's covenant community, and the call to blow the trumpet there signifies a message for all of God's people, urging them to return to Him with sincerity and devotion.

Consecrate a fast
The word "Consecrate" comes from the Hebrew "qadash," meaning to set apart as holy or to dedicate for a sacred purpose. In the biblical context, consecration involves a purification process, preparing oneself to meet God. "A fast" is a voluntary abstention from food, often accompanied by prayer and repentance. Fasting is a physical expression of humility and dependence on God, seeking His mercy and guidance. In Joel's time, consecrating a fast was a communal act of repentance, acknowledging sin and seeking God's forgiveness and favor. It is a call to spiritual renewal and a reminder of the need for God's intervention in times of crisis.

Call a sacred assembly
The phrase "Call a sacred assembly" involves gathering the community for a holy purpose. The Hebrew word for "assembly" is "atsarah," which denotes a solemn gathering, often for worship or repentance. This assembly is "sacred," indicating that it is set apart for God, a time for the people to come together in unity to seek the Lord. In the historical context of Joel, this assembly would have been a time for collective prayer, confession, and seeking God's face. It underscores the importance of community in the life of faith, where believers come together to support one another and to corporately seek God's will and favor. This call to assembly is a reminder of the power of united prayer and the strength found in communal worship and repentance.

(15, 16) Sanctify a fast.--The prophet renews, therefore, his summons to the priests to proclaim a day of humiliation, on which all, without distinction of age or circumstances, are to be required to present themselves before the Lord. There was no room for the plea, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come."

Verses 15-17. - "The harsh blast of the consecrated ram's horn called an assembly for an extraordinary fast. Not a soul was to be absent. Like the fiery cross, it convened old and young, men and women, mothers with infants at their breasts, the bridegroom and the bride on their bridal day. All were there stretched in front of the altar. The altar itself presented the dreariest of all sights - a hearth without its sacred fire, a table spread without its sacred feast. The priestly caste, instead of gathering as usual upon its steps and its platform, were driven, as it were, to the further space; they turned their backs to the dead altar, and lay prostrate, gazing towards the Invisible Presence within the sanctuary. Instead of the hymns and music which, since the time of David, had entered into their prayers, there was nothing heard but the passionate sobs and the loud dissonant howls such as only an Eastern hierarchy could utter. Instead of the mass of white mantles which they usually presented, they were wrapt in black goat's-hair sackcloth, twisted round them, not with the brilliant sashes of the priestly attire, but with a rough girdle of the same texture, which they never unbound night or day. What they wore of their common dress was rent asunder or cast off. With bare breasts they waved their black drapery towards the temple, and shrieked aloud, 'Spare thy people, O Lord!'" Such is Dean Stanley's vivid picture of the circumstances and scene described by the prophet in the above verses. A scene exceedingly similar occurs in the commencement of the 'OEdipus Tyrannus' of Sophocles -

"Why sit ye here, my children, younger brood
Of Cadmus famed of old, in solemn state,
Your bands thus wreathed with the suppliants' boughs?
And all the city reeks with incense,

And all re-echoes with your hymns and groans;
And I, my children, counting it unmeet
To hear report from others, I have come
Myself, whom all name OEdipus the Great."

Parallel Commentaries ...

Blow
תִּקְע֥וּ (tiq·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 8628: To clatter, slap, clang, to drive, to become bondsman

the trumpet
שׁוֹפָ֖ר (šō·w·p̄ār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7782: A cornet, curved horn

in Zion,
בְּצִיּ֑וֹן (bə·ṣî·yō·wn)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6726: Zion -- a mountain in Jerusalem, also a name for Jerusalem

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

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

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

a sacred assembly.
עֲצָרָֽה׃ (‘ă·ṣā·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6116: An assembly, on a, festival, holiday


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OT Prophets: Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion! (Jl Joe.)