Joel 3:10
New International Version
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”

New Living Translation
Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors.

English Standard Version
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

Berean Standard Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

King James Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

New King James Version
Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”

NASB 1995
Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”

NASB 1977
Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”

Amplified Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am strong!”

Christian Standard Bible
Beat your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Beat your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”

American Standard Version
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

Contemporary English Version
Make swords out of plows and spears out of garden tools. Strengthen every weakling."

English Revised Version
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Hammer your plowblades into swords and your pruning shears into spears. Weaklings should say that they are warriors.

Good News Translation
Hammer the points of your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Even the weak must fight.

International Standard Version
Beat your plow blades into swords, and your pruning knives into spears! Let the frail say, "I am strong!"

Majority Standard Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

NET Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears! Let the weak say, 'I too am a warrior!'

New Heart English Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Beat your plow-shares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

World English Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Beat your plowshares to swords, "" And your pruning-hooks to javelins, "" Let the weak say, “I [am] mighty.”

Young's Literal Translation
Beat your ploughshares to swords, And your pruning-hooks to javelins, Let the weak say, 'I am mighty.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Beat your plough-shares into swords, and your pruning-knives into spears: the weak shall say, I am strong.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cut your ploughshares into swords, and your spades into spears. Let the weak say: I am strong.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Cut your ploughs into swords and your hoes into spears. Let the weak say, ‘For I am strong.’

New American Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning knives into spears; let the weakling boast, “I am a warrior!”

New Revised Standard Version
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Beat your plowshares into swords and your sickles into spears. Let the weak say, I am a mighty man.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Beat the blades of your ploughs into swords and your sickles into spears, and he who is weak will say, “I am a mighty man!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning-hooks into spears; Let the weak say: 'I am strong.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your sickles into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD Judges the Nations
9Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war; rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war advance and attack! 10Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’ 11Come quickly, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O LORD.…

Cross References
Isaiah 2:4
Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.

Micah 4:3
Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor will they train anymore for war.

Isaiah 11:4-5
but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips. / Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

Isaiah 41:15-16
Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 51:20
“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.

Ezekiel 39:9-10
Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. / They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it from the forests, for they will use the weapons for fuel. They will loot those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.

Zechariah 12:8
On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.

Zechariah 14:14
Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.

Psalm 46:9
He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.

Psalm 149:6-9
May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands, / to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, / to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with shackles of iron, ...

2 Corinthians 10:4
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Ephesians 6:11-17
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. / For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. / Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. ...

Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Thessalonians 5:8
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


Treasury of Scripture

Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

your plowshares.

Isaiah 2:4
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Micah 4:3
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Luke 22:36
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

pruninghooks.

2 Chronicles 25:8
But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.

Zechariah 12:8
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

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Beat Hammered Hooks Javelins Mighty Plowshares Plow-Shares Pruning Pruninghooks Pruning-Hooks Spears Strong Swords Warrior Weak
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Beat Hammered Hooks Javelins Mighty Plowshares Plow-Shares Pruning Pruninghooks Pruning-Hooks Spears Strong Swords Warrior Weak
Joel 3
1. God's judgments against the enemies of his people.
9. God will be known in his judgment.
18. His blessing upon the church.














Beat your plowshares into swords
This phrase is a reversal of the more familiar prophetic vision found in Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3, where nations are called to beat their swords into plowshares. Here, the prophet Joel calls for the opposite transformation, indicating a time of war rather than peace. The Hebrew word for "plowshares" is "’ēt," which refers to the cutting edge of a plow, a tool for cultivation and growth. The transformation into "swords" (Hebrew: "ḥereb") signifies a shift from agricultural productivity to military readiness. This call to arms reflects the urgency and seriousness of the impending divine judgment and the need for the people to prepare for the spiritual battle that lies ahead.

and your pruning hooks into spears
Similar to the previous phrase, this part of the verse continues the theme of transformation from tools of peace to instruments of war. "Pruning hooks" (Hebrew: "mazmerah") are tools used for trimming vines, symbolizing care and nurturing. The conversion into "spears" (Hebrew: "romach") further emphasizes the necessity of readiness for conflict. This imagery underscores the gravity of the situation Joel is addressing, where the usual activities of life are interrupted by the call to defend and uphold God's justice. It serves as a metaphor for the spiritual vigilance required of God's people in times of moral and spiritual crisis.

Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’
This phrase is a powerful declaration of faith and divine empowerment. The Hebrew word for "weak" is "ḥālâ," which can mean sick, weak, or afflicted. In the context of this verse, it represents those who feel inadequate or powerless. The command for the weak to proclaim, "I am strong" (Hebrew: "gibbôr"), is an encouragement to rely on God's strength rather than their own. It is a call to courage and trust in God's provision and might, reminiscent of Paul's declaration in 2 Corinthians 12:10, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." This transformation from weakness to strength is not through human effort but through divine intervention and empowerment, reminding believers that their true strength lies in their relationship with God.

(10) Beat your plowshares . . .--When the contest was over, and the victory of the Lord achieved, Micah foresaw the reversal of this order: the weapons of offence were once more to resume their peaceful character. "They "--i.e., the nations--"shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Micah 4:3).

Verse 10. - Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears. The weapons of war are to be provided; and the speediest way in which the manufacture of those weapons could be effected was by turning their implements of husbandry into them. The figure may, perhaps, have been suggested by the interest King Uzziah took in, and the encouragement he consequently gave to, husbandry and vine-culture, if we may presume Joel to have been in part contemporary with that king, of whom we are informed that "he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vinedressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry." It is also a familiar fact that Isaiah and Micah reverse the expression in their description of Messianic times; while well-known parallels are quoted from the Latin classics. Let the weak say, I am strong; or, a hero. The approaching war was to be one in which no release, no excuse, and no exemption from any cause would be allowed, nay, the excitement of the occasion should warm the cold blood of the weakling into some degree of warlike enthusiasm. The address, it will be observed, of the previous verse is to the heroic chiefs; that of this verse, to the rank-and-file of the army.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Beat
כֹּ֤תּוּ (kōt·tū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3807: To bruise, violently strike

your plowshares
אִתֵּיכֶם֙ (’it·tê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 855: A hoe, other digging implement

into swords
לַֽחֲרָב֔וֹת (la·ḥă·rā·ḇō·wṯ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

and your pruning hooks
וּמַזְמְרֹֽתֵיכֶ֖ם (ū·maz·mə·rō·ṯê·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 4211: A pruning knife

into spears.
לִרְמָחִ֑ים (lir·mā·ḥîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7420: A lance, the iron point

Let the weak
הַֽחַלָּ֔שׁ (ha·ḥal·lāš)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2523: Frail

say,
יֹאמַ֖ר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘I [am]
אָֽנִי׃ (’ā·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

strong!’
גִּבּ֥וֹר (gib·bō·wr)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1368: Powerful, warrior, tyrant


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OT Prophets: Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your (Jl Joe.)
Joel 3:9
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