This verse emphasizes that the relationship between God and his people is fully restored.

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: This verse begins literally with the connector “And.” Good News Translation renders it “Then” to express continuity with the previous verse and to emphasize a definite time in the future. The verb know here means to recognize, to realize God’s presence. In a secondary way it also implies acknowledging his presence, trusting in him, and acting according to that faith. The idea of Yahweh being in the midst of Israel is related to the Temple being in their midst, as well as to the days when the Covenant Box was carried in their midst and served as the very throne of God. In this book Israel refers to the people of Judah, who are not mentioned by name until 3.1. Since God is addressing Israel here, this may be rendered “you, Israel.” For this whole line Good News Translation has “Then, Israel, you will know that I am among you,” which expresses the central meaning of the passage. God will once again be active among his people to deliver them and bless them.

And that I, the LORD, am your God and there is none else: This line reaffirms the relationship between God and his people. The Hebrew clause rendered and there is none else may mean that Israel cannot have any other God, although other nations may have their gods. However, it is clear that, in the postexilic period in which Joel lived, the Jewish people regarded all other gods as not truly existing, as mere creations of man’s imagination. So it is better to understand this clause as denying the existence of any other gods.

And my people shall never again be put to shame: In Hebrew these two lines are exactly the same as the last line of verse 26. Repeating a line at the close of a section is characteristic of Joel’s style (see 1.20 and 1.19; 3.21 and 3.17). Therefore there should be a stanza break after this verse, even though the next verse continues with Yahweh speaking. In some languages such repetition may need to be omitted for stylistic reasons, as long as the information is represented in either verse 26 or verse 27. Here the repetition emphasizes the fact that, with Yahweh dwelling among Israel as before, Israel will not be put to shame among the nations. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates this clause differently the second time. In verse 26 it has “No more will the other people mock my people,” emphasizing the aspect of despising. In this verse it says “No more will I surrender my people to shame,” emphasizing the aspect of disgrace or embarrassment. Other languages may require similar variations rather than an exact repetition in verse 27. Even if repetition of the clause is acceptable, it may be helpful to add a discourse marker such as “I say again” in verse 27 to mark the importance of this statement.

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 .