Joel 2:18
New International Version
Then the LORD was jealous for his land and took pity on his people.

New Living Translation
Then the LORD will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land.

English Standard Version
Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and He spared His people.

King James Bible
Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

New King James Version
Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And will have compassion for His people.

NASB 1995
Then the LORD will be zealous for His land And will have pity on His people.

NASB 1977
Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And will have pity on His people.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh will be zealous for His land And will spare His people.

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD will be jealous for His land [ready to defend it since it is rightfully and uniquely His] And will have compassion on His people [and will spare them].

Christian Standard Bible
Then the LORD became jealous for his land and spared his people.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the LORD became jealous for His land and spared His people.

American Standard Version
Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD was deeply concerned about his land and had pity on his people.

English Revised Version
Then was the LORD jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the LORD became concerned about his land, and he had pity on his people.

Good News Translation
Then the LORD showed concern for his land; he had mercy on his people.

International Standard Version
Then the LORD will show great concern for his land, and will have compassion on his people.

Majority Standard Bible
Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and He spared His people.

NET Bible
Then the LORD became zealous for his land; he had compassion on his people.

New Heart English Bible
Then the LORD was jealous for his land, And had pity on his people.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

World English Bible
Then Yahweh was jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And let YHWH be zealous for His land, "" And have pity on His people.

Young's Literal Translation
And let Jehovah be zealous for His land, And have pity on His people.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will be jealous for his land, and he will pity for his people.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and hath spared his people.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The Lord has been zealous for his land, and he has spared his people.

New American Bible
Then the LORD grew jealous for his land and took pity on his people.

New Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the LORD will be zealous for his land, and pity his people.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH is zealous for his land and has pity on his people”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then was the LORD jealous for His land, And had pity on His people.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But the Lord was jealous of his land, and spared his people.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Restoration Promised
18Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and He spared His people. 19And the LORD answered His people: “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and by them you will be satisfied. I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.…

Cross References
Zechariah 1:14-17
Then the angel who was speaking with me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, / but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.’ / Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ ...

Hosea 2:19-20
So I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotion and compassion. / And I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.”

Isaiah 54:7-8
“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. / In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

Ezekiel 39:25-29
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name. / They will forget their disgrace and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell securely in their land, with no one to frighten them. / When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations. ...

Jeremiah 31:20
Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 60:10
Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in anger, yet in favor I will show you mercy.

Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.

Jeremiah 12:15
But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.

Amos 9:14-15
I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. / I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

Romans 11:26-27
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. / And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, / who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

James 5:11
See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.

Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. / ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”


Treasury of Scripture

Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

be.

Isaiah 42:13
The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

Zechariah 1:14
So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

Zechariah 8:2
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

and pity.

Deuteronomy 32:16,36,43
They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger…

Judges 10:16
And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

Psalm 103:13,17
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him…

Jump to Previous
Care Honour Jealous Pity Zealous
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Care Honour Jealous Pity Zealous
Joel 2
1. He shows unto Zion the terribleness of God's judgment.
12. He exhorts to repentance;
15. prescribes a fast;
18. promises a blessing thereon.
21. He comforts Zion with present,
28. and future blessings.














Then the LORD became jealous for His land
The phrase "Then the LORD became jealous" reflects the Hebrew word "qanah," which conveys a deep, protective zeal. This is not jealousy in the human sense of envy, but rather a divine passion for His people and His covenant. Historically, God's jealousy is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, emphasizing His exclusive right to worship and devotion. The land, "His land," signifies not just a physical territory but a sacred space chosen by God for His people, Israel. This land is central to God's promises and His redemptive plan, underscoring His commitment to restore and bless it.

and spared His people
The word "spared" comes from the Hebrew "chamal," meaning to have compassion or show mercy. This reflects God's character as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. In the context of Joel, this mercy follows a period of judgment and repentance, highlighting the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Historically, God's sparing of His people is seen throughout the Bible, where despite their failings, He remains faithful to His promises. This phrase reassures believers of God's readiness to forgive and restore when they turn back to Him with sincere hearts.

Verses 18-27 form the sequel of this chapter in the Hebrew, but five additional verses make up the chapter in the Authorized Version. These are divisible into two parts. In the first division the prophet assures his countrymen of the bestowal of temporal mercies, and in the second of the promise of spiritual blessings. Verse 18. - The futures of this verse with vav consec, are properly taken as perfects; nor is there any inconsistency, provided we understand, as following ver. 17 and preceding ver. 18, the fact that the priests had engaged in the penitence enjoined, and offered the supplication to which they had been summoned; neither is the omission of any express mention of the circumstance thus supposed to intervene between these verses any valid objection, especially as the grammar favours the view in question. Then follows a manifestation of God's mercy in answer to the assumed penitence and prayer of his servants. God's jealousy and pity are both engaged - his jealousy for his land, and his compassion for his people. His jealousy is figurative, and the allusion is probably to that of a husband who is jealous on account of any dishonour done to his wife, and who resents it more keenly than a dishonour offered to himself. The pity is such as God ever manifests to his people when penitent; for "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him."

Parallel Commentaries ...


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

became jealous
וַיְקַנֵּ֥א (way·qan·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7065: To be, zealous, jealous, envious

for His land
לְאַרְצ֑וֹ (lə·’ar·ṣōw)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

and spared
וַיַּחְמֹ֖ל (way·yaḥ·mōl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2550: To commiserate, to spare

His people.
עַמּֽוֹ׃ (‘am·mōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock


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OT Prophets: Joel 2:18 Then Yahweh was jealous for his land (Jl Joe.)
Joel 2:17
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