The Day of the Lord
Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. Joel 2:6
Before their face... Or, “at their presence”; at the sight of them they shall be in pain, as a woman in travail. Into such distress an army of locusts would throw them, since they might justly fear all the fruits of the earth would be devoured by them, and they should have nothing left to live upon.
all faces shall... Like that of a pot, as the word signifies; or such as appears in persons dying, or in fits and swoons; and this here, through fear and hunger (see Nah. 2:10).
Some of the translators say this is speaking of a paleness that comes over the face, when the blood runs out. Their hearts would fail them for fear of things coming upon the earth. It could very well be speaking of mourning, to the extent that the face became black with death.
The relentless charge of the Lord’s army
The response to this awesome army of God was widespread terror, for it involved nations. In anguish (ḥûl) literally refers to writhing, as when a woman is overcome by labor pains (cf. ḥûl in Isa. 26:17; Jer. 4:31; Mic. 4:10). This same response is seen elsewhere in contexts where the Lord comes to do battle (cf. Exo. 15:14; Deut. 2:25; Psm. 77:16; 97:4; Isa. 13:8; Hab. 3:10).
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