Joe 2:4-7 | NET2full | STEP | They look like horses ; they charge ahead like war horses .

Joel 2:4-7

4 They look like horses; ^{▼▼tn Heb “Like the appearance of horses [is] its appearance.”} ^{▼▼sn The fact that a locust’s head resembles a miniature replica of a horse’s head has often been noticed. For example, the German word for locust (Heupferd, “hay horse”) and the Italian word as well (cavaletta, “little horse”) are based on this similarity in appearance.}
they charge ahead like war horses.
5 They sound like ^{▼▼tn Heb “like the sound of.”} ^{▼▼sn The repetition of the word of comparison (“like”) in vv. 4-7 should not go unnoticed. The author is comparing the locust invasion to familiar aspects of human invasion. If the preposition has its normal force here, it is similarity and not identity that is intended. In other words, locusts are being likened to human armies, but human armies are not actually present. On the other hand, this Hebrew preposition is also on occasion used to indicate exactitude, a function described by grammarians as kaph veritatis.} chariots rumbling ^{▼▼tn Heb “jostling” or “leaping.” There is question whether this pictures chariots rumbling over the mountains (e.g., 2 Sam 6:14, 16; 1 Chr 15:29; Nah 3:2) or the locusts flying—or “leaping”—over the mountains (e.g., Job 21:11); see BDB 955 s.v. רָקַד.} over mountain tops,
like the crackling ^{▼▼tn Heb “sound.”} of blazing fire consuming stubble,
like the noise of ^{▼▼tn The phrase “the noise of” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is implied by the parallelism, so it has been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.} a mighty army ^{▼▼tn Heb “people.”} being drawn up for battle. ^{▼▼tn Heb “being arrayed of battle.”}
6 People ^{▼▼tn Or “nations.”} writhe in fear when they see them. ^{▼▼tn Heb “before it.”}
All their faces turn pale with fright. ^{▼▼tn Heb “all faces gather beauty”; or “all faces gather a glow.” The Hebrew word פָּארוּר (paʾrur) is found in the OT only here and in Nah 2:11. Its meaning is very uncertain. Some scholars associate it with a root that signifies “glowing”; hence, “all faces gather a glow of dread.” Others associate the word with פָּרוּר (parur, “pot”); hence, “all faces gather blackness.” Still others take the root to signify “beauty”; hence, “all faces gather in their beauty,” in the sense of growing pale due to fear. This is the view assumed here.}
7 They ^{▼▼sn Since the invaders are compared to warriors, this suggests that they are not actually human but instead an army of locusts.} charge ^{▼▼tn Heb “run.”} like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers. ^{▼▼tn Heb “men of battle.”}
Each one proceeds on his course;
they do not alter ^{▼▼tc The translation reads יְעַבְּתוּן (yeʿabbetun) for MT יְעַבְּטוּן (yeʿabbetun). The verb found in MT (עָבַט, ʿavat) means “take or give a pledge” (cf. Deut 15:6, 8; 24:10) and does not fit the context. Some scholars have proposed various emendations: (1) יְעַוְּתוּן (yeʿavvetun, “they make crooked”); (2) יָטּוּן (yattun, “they turn aside”); (3) יָעַוּוּן (yaʿavvun, “they err”); and (4) יְעַבְּתוּן (adopted in the present translation) from the root I עָבַת (ʿavat, “to twist, pervert”) or II עָבַת (ʿavat, “to change, abandon”). KBL adopt the latter option, but the only biblical evidence for this is the problematic reference in Joel 2:7. Another option is to view it as a variant of the root חבט (khavat, “turn aside from”), a meaning attested for the Arabic cognate. The difference in spelling would be due to the interchange of the guttural letters khet (ח) and ayin (ע). This may lay behind LXX rendering ἐκκλίνωσιν (ekklinōsin; cf. Syriac Peshitta: nstwn and Vg: declinabunt). See S. F. Whitley, “ʿbt in Joel 2, 7,” Bib 65 (1984): 101-2.} their path.