This final verse of the section clearly shows that Yahweh himself has caused the difficulties that Jerusalem and Judah are experiencing. In ancient times the army of Judah was considered Yahweh’s army, but now the locusts are the army of Yahweh, and they attack Judah itself.
The LORD utters his voice before his army: The Hebrew expression for utters his voice is frequently associated with thunder as the voice of God, or else with the roaring of a lion, as in 3.16. Good News Translation makes the image here explicit by rendering these two lines as “The LORD thunders commands to his army.” Another possible model is “The LORD gives commands to his army with a voice that sounds like the thunder [or, a lion].” Before his army places Yahweh at the head of the army, calling out commands as a general does. New Jerusalem Bible says “at the head of his troops,” and Revised English Bible has “as he leads his host.”
For his host is exceedingly great: The Hebrew particle rendered for sometimes introduces the cause or the reason for what has been stated, but it also frequently introduces an emphatic statement. Here it is an emphatic marker, so it is better rendered “surely” or “indeed” instead of for. New Revised Standard Version expresses the emphasis here by rendering the whole line as “how vast is his host!” His host is a synonym for his army in the previous line. Is exceedingly great means it consists of a very large number of soldiers.
He that executes his word is powerful: This line begins with the same emphatic particle in Hebrew as the previous line, but Revised Standard Version does not render it here. He that executes his word is a poetic reference to the army, as if it were a single person who obeys Yahweh’s commands. Powerful is parallel with great in the previous line, for the power and might of this army is related to its size, its large number of soldiers. New Revised Standard Version renders this line clearly: “Numberless are those who obey his command.”
Good News Translation combines the third and fourth lines into a single statement: “The troops that obey him are many and mighty.”
For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible: The Hebrew word rendered For is the same particle at the beginning of each of the previous two lines. Here it can be understood either as an emphatic marker (so New Revised Standard Version “Truly”), or as a logical connector (so Revised Standard Version). However, it is quite evident that this line and the next one sum up the entire contents of verses 1-11. Translators should determine how such a summary can best be expressed and whether any introductory term is needed in their language.
For a discussion of the day of the LORD, see the comments on 1.15. Normally a prophet was expected to say that the day of the LORD is great, implying that it is to be great in a good sense. But here the prophet adds the additional description very terrible, that is, very terrifying. So it is “great” in a negative sense. Bijbel in Gewone Taal translates great as “disastrous.” For the whole line Good News Translation simply says “How terrible is the day of the LORD!”
Who can endure it?: This is a rhetorical question expecting the answer “No one can.” In many languages it may be necessary to translate this question as an emphatic statement, such as “No one can possibly survive it” or “It is impossible for anyone to endure it.” Good News Translation keeps a rhetorical question here, saying “Who will survive it?” For the last two lines Bible en français courant has “Yes, the day of the Lord is terrible, so terrifying that no one can survive.”
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 .