Hear this, you aged men, give ear, all inhabitants of the land!: These two parallel lines are similar in meaning. The commands Hear this and give ear show that this prophecy was spoken and not only written down. These commands refer to what the prophet is about to say. Give ear renders a Hebrew idiom that simply means “listen” (Good News Translation). It also implies that the hearers were to think about, or consider, the significance of what was said. If an idiomatic expression can be used for give ear, that will be better; for example, “open your ears.” Good News Translation changes the order of the parts in the second line. In some languages it will be more natural to leave the order as it is in the Hebrew and start with the verb in the imperative, just as in the first line. If the parallelism of these two lines can not be maintained, it may be better to use only one verb; for example, they may be rendered “Listen to what I am going to say, you old people and everyone [else] in Judah.”
The Hebrew word for aged men is rendered “elders” in the sense of leaders of the people by the New Revised Standard Version (New Revised Standard Version) and New English Bible. Contemporary English Version says “leaders.” Some scholars believe it is better to understand the word as referring to old men or old people, as do Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, since the prophet asks them about their experience of the past. However, the elders had become prominent officials in this period after the Exile. When Joel adds the second command in line two, he does not address “young people,” as if in contrast to the elderly, but addresses all the inhabitants of the land. Therefore it seems better to understand the “elders” as the leaders of the people in line one, with the command shifting from the leaders to the whole population in line two. In many cultures “elders” are the main leaders, so a rendering of aged men will carry both senses.
Inhabitants of the land refers to everyone in general who was living in Judah. Because the Temple is in a prominent position during the plague of locusts (1.13; 2.1), and because “Judah and Jerusalem” are mentioned specifically in 3.1, the land is no doubt the land of “Judah” (Good News Translation) in southern Palestine.
Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?: This is a rhetorical question that expects the answer “No.” Rhetorical questions are usually used to make an emphatic statement, so this one may be understood to say “No locust attack as destructive as this one has ever happened in Judah.” The answer may have to be supplied in languages that do not naturally accept rhetorical questions. Alternatively, it will be quite acceptable to translate “Such a thing has never happened in your time or that of your fathers,” even though this rendering may not have the same impact.
Such a thing (Good News Translation “anything like this”) clearly refers to the disaster caused by the locusts, and this may need to be stated clearly in some languages. However, translators should avoid being too explicit at this point, since keeping people in suspense does contribute to the impact of this statement. They may say “Has such a disaster ever happened to you or your forefathers?”
In your days and in the days of your fathers render common Hebrew idioms meaning “during the time that you have lived” and “during the times past when your fathers lived.” For in your days, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “your lifetime,” and Segond says “your times.” The Hebrew word translated fathers often includes grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and even earlier “ancestors,” as Good News Translation has it, so Joel is implying that no similar disaster has struck since God’s people inhabited Judah. Many languages are similar to Hebrew by including ancestors in their word for “father” or “grandfather” (so Swahili).
Quoted with permission from de Blois, Kees & Dorn, Louis. A Handbook on Joel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .