Fading Joy

locust swarms. Locusts were all too common in the ancient Near East and were notorious for the devastation and havoc they brought. The locusts breed in the region of the Sudan. Their migration would strike in February or March and would follow the prevailing winds either to Egypt or Palestine. A locust will consume its own weight each day. Locust swarms have been known to cover as many as four hundred square miles, and even one square mile could teem with over 100 million insects. If the locusts laid their eggs before being blown out to sea, the problem would recur in cycles. A single female laying her eggs in June could potentially result in eighteen million offspring within four months.

locust metaphors. It is not uncommon in ancient Near Eastern literature for armies to be pictured as locusts. Such metaphors are found in Sumerian texts such as the curse of Akkad, in Ugaritic in the Tale of Aqhat, in Nineteenth-Dynasty Egyptian texts, and in Neo-Assyrian texts. Here it is the other way around as the locust swarm is metaphorically described as an invading army (as becomes clear in 2:4–5). The comparison to a lion is common in ancient Near Eastern literature because of the coloring of the locust and the shape of its face and mouth.

Joel, a prophet of Yahweh, receives the following message. The date and intended audience of the prophecy are uncertain. Joel’s prophecy begins by describing the judgment the people are already facing—devastating locust swarms. The locusts have eaten everything, absolutely everything. The devastation is utterly severe. Yet, still the people do not respond as they should. Joel urges them to mourn the judgment that they are currently facing. But, more importantly, Joel calls the people, especially the religious and community leaders, to come before Yahweh in repentance. This call for repentance grows louder in the following section.