The Locusts in the Message of Joel

Author(s): Pablo R. Andiñach

Source: Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 42, Fasc. 4 (Oct., 1992), pp. 433-441
Published by: BRILL
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 VetusTestamentum
XLII, 4 (1992)

THE LOCUSTS IN THE MESSAGE OF JOEL'

by

PABLO R. ANDINACH
Buenos Aires

FromJoeli 4 untiltheend ofthebook,theinterpretation ofJoel

dependsupon a decisionabout the identity of the locusts.This is
notjust a matterof exegeticaldetail. A decisionabout thisissue
enablesthepossibility fordiscerning a politicaldimensionthrough-
out the book.
There are onlytwoexplicitreferences to thelocustsin Joel: i 4
and ii 25. The secondoccursin the "answer" of Yahweh,which
beginsin ii 18 and continuesto theend of thebook.2Apartfrom
thesereferences, thelocustsmay be impliedin i 6, 7, ii 2, 10-11.
the
However, significance ofthesetextsdependsupon a priordeci-
sion regardingthemeaningofJoel i 4 and ii 25. Finally,themen-
tion of a "northerner"(ii 20) is also takenby many authorsas
anotherallusionto the same locusts.However,thisjudgementis
problematicbecause, as is well known,locustsalwayscome from
the desertareas of the south.3
The alternativesthat we face are threefold:(1) to read the
passage as a descriptionofa locustplague; (2) to read thepassage
taking the locustsas a symbolof the eschatologicalarmyof God;

1 For readingand correcting myEnglishmanuscript, I wishto thankProfessor

David Petersenand Raul Fernandez-Calienes.
2 The book
ofJoelhas twobasicparts:(1) i 5-ii17, theinvasionand destruction
of the land and the cryof thepeople to God; and (2) ii 18-iv17, the answerof
God and hispromisesoffertility andjustice.In addition,thebookhas a prologue
(i 1-4) and an epilogue(ii 18-21).The transitionbetweenii 17 and 18 constitutes
a majorpointoftransition in thebook. Cf. H. W. Wolff, JoelundAmos(Neukir-
chen, 1969), pp. 5-7 = E. tr.,JoelandAmos(Philadelpha,1977), pp. 6-8; L.
Alonso-Sch6kel, (Madrid, 1980), pp. 926-7;J. Garret,"The structure
Profetas of
Joel", JETS 28 (1985), pp. 289-99.
3 Cf. B. S. Childs, "The
Enemyfromthe Northand the Chaos Tradition",
JBL 78 (1959), pp. 187-98(forJoel p. 197); C.-A. Keller, "Joel", in S. Jacob,
C.-A. Keller, and S. Amsler,Osee,Joel,Amos,Abdias,Jonas(Neuchatel,1965),
p. 137.

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434 PABLO R. ANDINACH

(3) to understandthepassageas a description ofa foreignmilitary

invasion.We shall analyseeach possibility.
The firstoptionis based on a straightforward readingofthetext.
Joel i 4 identifies the locustsas the sourceof the devastationand
beginsdescribingtheirtypicalacts of devastation:destruction of
plants (i 7), destruction of grains (i 10-11), destruction of the
vegetation (ii 3), their"unavoidable" advance(ii 7-8), and thesky
becomingdark (ii 10). However, not all these descriptionsare
necessarilyconnectedto a plague of locusts. In fact,as will be
shownbelow,theyare clearerwhenwe readthemas iftheydid not
referto locusts,especiallybecause thelocustsare presentedin i 4
and notagainuntilii 25, namely,in theanswerofGod and outside
the description of the invasion.
When we read carefully the transitionbetweenchs i and ii we
have thefeelingthatthetragedydescribedin ch. ii is not a locust
plague.4Alsowhenwe accepttheliterary continuity in thedescrip-
tionofa greatnationalcalamity,thedetailedreadingrevealssome
important differences betweenbothchapters.In ch. ii thereare no
references to a typicaldestruction bylocustsbuttheactionsappear
to be performed byregular human troops:destruction by fire(ii 3);
peopleswho are in anguishbeforethem(ii 6); theconquestofthe
citythroughits walls and houses (ii 7); the local people combat
themwitharrows(ii 8); theenemiesare called "thieves" (ii 9). If
we rememberthatthelocustsare notmentionedthroughout i 5-ii
17 and that, fromi 8 forward,the effectsof the calamityare
unrelatedto the action of locusts,then it seems thata different
readingcould betterexplainthe meaningof the text.
Anotherelementthatleads us to move beyondthisstraightfor-
wardreadingis theinsistence ofthetexton theextraordinary char-
acterofthatevent,as wellas thetext'sdramaticpresentation ofit.5
These featuresdo not fitthe naturalperiodicity of the plaguesin

4 Cf. Wolff, 48-9; E. tr., 42. His is thatch. 11 is an inten-

pp. p. interpretation
sificationof the eventof ch. i. While ch. i describesa naturaldisaster,ch. ii
presentsan eschatologicalone.
5 A. S.
Kapelrud,viewsthelocustsas an historicalevent.Howeverhe points
out that"This ... does notmeanthatwe have committed ourselvesto a one-sided
historicalinterpretation.
Joel has indeedan historicstartingpoint,but fromthis
startingpoint ... he goes over to culticflightsof thoughtsand culticmodes of
expression":JoelStudies(Uppsala; 1948), p. 17.

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 THE LOCUSTS IN THE MESSAGE OF JOEL 435

Syria-Palestine. In Judah, which has relatively fertile soil and

enough rainfall in the winter season,6 the effectsof a locust
plague-although initiallyterribleforthe economy of the region-
will be overcome in a relativelyshort period of time, and will be
forgottenafterseveral seasons. Moreover, a locust plague involves
not only economic effects, but the feeling of impotence and
weakness that the people experience before it, and the sense of
devastation immediately after it has passed. We have several
examples of both the temporarinessand the emotional impact in the
Hebrew Bible. In the narrative of the eighth plague in Egypt
(Exod. x 12-20) the firstreaction of Pharaoh before the disaster is
anguish and repentance, whereas afterthe plague has passed he
returns to his former attitude forgettingthe phenomenon very
quickly. Amos iv 9 provides another example of how a plague did
not change the people's behaviour:
yourfigtreesand yourolive trees
the locustdevoured;
yetyou did not returnto me, says the Lord.
In the light of these examples, which show the power but also the
weakness of a locust plague, it is difficultto thinkthat the author
of Joel would have thoughtthat such a natural event would have
caused the havoc described in this book. Hence it is appropriate to
look for another explanation.
The second alternativeis to understand the locusts as a symbol
of the eschatological army of God. This reading is based on the
assumption that much in Joel is a penitentialliturgy,7which has
many apocalyptic features.Ch. i is taken as a summons to mourn-
ing and lamentation beforethe tremendoustragedyof the plague,
which v. 15 presents as the action of God:
Alas! forthe day.
For the day of the Lord is near;
and as destruction fromthe Almightyit comes.

6
Cf. D. C. Hopkins,TheHighlands ofCanaan(Sheffield,1985); see fortherain-
fallpp. 91-4; forthesoil characteristics
pp. 130-2.0. Borowski,Agriculture inIron
AgeIsrael(Winona Lake, 1987), pp. 143-51,discussessoil fertility.
7 Alonso-Schokel
(n. 2), p. 930, pointsout thatthe textcould be understood
as havingthestructure ofa literaryliturgy,but was perhapsneverused in a real
servicein the temple.

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436 PABLO R. ANDINACH

Ch. ii followswith a liturgy,which interpretsthe action of God

using the imageryof insects that invade the land before the impo-
tent people, who are in fact those who participate in the liturgy.
The growingpressure created by the terribleaction of the insects
leads to an announcement of the activityof the divine army led by
God, who has come to judge the land and to deliver his people
(ii 18-27).
The understandingof the locusts as the eschatological army of
God has two kinds of textual support. First, the book explicitly
refersto an army. Joel ii 11 says "the Lord uttershis voice before
his army"; and in ii 25 theyare called by Yahweh "my great army,
which I send among you". The second argumentis literary:verses
ii 4, 5, 7 present many comparisons followingthe pattern "X are
like..." horses, sound of chariots, crackling of a flame of fire,
horsemen. The imageryis predominatelymilitary,and there is no
other comparison saying that "the army is like..." locusts.
However, this approach also has several weak points. In i 6 the
invaders are called "a nation" withoutmention of any relation to
Yahweh. Joel ii 17 states that the foreignpeoples ask: "Where is
their[the Israelites'] God?", a serious accusation thatis difficultto
imagine occurring in a religious liturgyof Jerusalem's temple.
These verses are betterunderstood ifwe read them in relationto
the subject of the destruction-the foreignnations (ii 17)8-rather
than a referenceto the divine army. These passages are clearer if
we construe them as referringto real human enemies, who can be
viewed as tools of Yahweh as he works out his sovereign purposes
in an internationalcontext. Moreover, regarding the expressions
"his army" and "my great army", it is necessary to remember
thatnot everyreferenceto an "army of God" involveseschatology.
The connection between foreignmilitaryforces and the action of
God is well attested in the Hebrew scriptures without any
eschatological connotation (cf. Isa. xli 2-3, 25, xliv 28, xlv 1-7).
The argument based on the comparisons of ii 4, 5, 7 is not so
strongas it looks. In fact,the comparisons are ambiguous. They do
not say that the locusts were such things; their subject is "a great
and powerfulpeople" (ii 2b), which sends us again to the starting
point. We need to decide about the identityof that "people".

8
We shall discuss below the textual decision on this verse.

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 THE LOCUSTS IN THE MESSAGE OF JOEL 437

Finally, it is importantto remember that the presence of sym-

bolic elements in the text does not necessarilyrequire referenceto
the liturgicalrealm. In otherwords, to rejectthe supposed liturgical
background of Joel does not mean that one denies thatJoel used
symboliclanguage to develop his message and to appeal to signifi-
cant aspects of human experience.
Attention to two textual problems introduces the third alter-
natives for understanding the locust in Joel. The reading of the
locusts as real locusts or as eschatological army requires two textual
emendations. Joel ii 25 reads: "I will restoreto you the years ('et-
hassanim)which the swarminglocust has eaten". The plural noun,
"years", poses a problem, because, as is well known, a plague
never takes more than a few days; and it typicallyaffectsno more
than the year in which it happened. The apparatus criticusof BHS
suggests, without the support of any manuscript, that we should
reverse the position of the two words and read Pnayim)et-, "the
double of'.9 This conjectural emendation avoids the contradiction
between the textand devastationby locusts. However, to followthe
MT as it is leads us to a more suitable interpretation,as will be
made clear below.
The second textual problem involves not an emendation but a
lexical problem. In ii 17 the phrase limnol-bdm g6yimis often
translated "a byword among the nations", whereas the literal
meaning is "to rule over them Judah] the nations".10 The LXX
xar&apEatand the Vulgate (dominentur) regularlyhave the meaning
"to rule". The meaning "to mock" is not the main meaning of the
root mrsl,but in order to reconcile the idea of real locusts and this
root the translatorshave chosen a secondary meaning of this par-
ticular word. This approach, though sometimes valid, does not
work well in this text, since Joel clearly suggests that the tragedy
involves foreigndomination of Judah and foreignnations ruling
over them. In summary,the mentionof "years' of locusts, and the
foreignnations that "ruled over them", suggestsa thirdinterpreta-
tion of the text: locusts as a descriptionof a foreignarmy.

9 D. Stuartfollowsthis emendation,
althoughhe interprets the locustsas a
militaryarmy:Hosea-Jonah (Waco, 1987), pp. 256, 260.
10
Wolff(n.2), p. 45; E. tr.,p. 39; and Stuart,p. 248, followthistranslation.
G. A. Smith,TheBookoftheTwelre ProphetsIf (rev. edn,London, 1928; New York,
1929), p. 408, decidesfor"to mock" on the basis of the parallelism.

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438 PABLO R. ANDINACH

The idea that the locusts referto a foreignarmy is rejected by

many authors.1' However, the idea is attestedas a motif.In ancient
Near Eastern sources we frequently find armies compared to
locusts. In the Ugaritic legend of King Keret the army is compared
with locusts in the desert, as they approach a city:12
Like the locuststhatdwellon the steppe,
Like grasshoppers on the bordersof the desert.-
March a day and a second;
A third,a fourthday;
A fifth,a sixthday-
Lo! at the sun on the seventh:
Thou arrivestat Udum the Great,
Even at Udum the Grand.
Now do thouattackthe villages,
Harass thetowns(CTA 14.103-11;cf. 192-7,207-16).

In Sumerian sources, we also findlocusts used to describe armies.

The Curse of Agade, composed at the end of the thirdmillennium
to avenge the humiliation caused by King Naram-Sim of Agade
after his armies invaded Sumer and destroyed cities and fields,
depicts the Gutian troops as follows:13
In vast numbers,like locusts,theycoveredthe earth,
their"arm" stretchedout forhim in the steppelike an
animal-trap,
Nothingescaped their"arm",
No one eludedtheir"arm".

Moreover, Assyrian documents link armies and locusts:'

...one and all theywere risenagainstme
to offerbattle,like a springinvasionof
countlesslocusts(Sennacherib).

C J. A. Thompson,"Joel's locustsin thelightofNear Easternparallels",

Cf.
JNtES14 (1955), pp. 52-5, maintainsthatJoel "describesthe locustwithterms
fromhumanarmies(2: 7-9)", and later,thatoftenthereare comparisons between
locustand humanarmiesin theancientNear East literature, but,he says,in "all
thesecases armiesare comparedwithlocustor locustwitharmies,but locustare
neversymbolsof armies'. All the strength of his argumentfallin the distinction
between"comparison" and "symbol". However,thisdistinction is unclearin
relationto ancientliterature.
12
ANET, p. 144, lines 104-11. It is repeatedin lines 192-216.
13
ANETSupl., p. 649, lines 157-60.
in CAD 4, pp. 256-8.
14 Cf. erbuand erebis

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 THE LOCUSTS IN THE MESSAGE OF JOEL 439

...my warriorsswarmedlike locustsout of

the ships(and) on to the bank and broughtabout
theirdefeat(Sennacherib).
...I had the vast armiesof Assurcovertheir
citieslike locusts(Sargon).
...withthe mass of my troops,as withlocusts,
I coveredthe city(Sargon).

The above examples suggest that we must be open to finding

similar kinds of comparison in biblical literature.And in fact such
comparisons occur in the Old Testament. Judg. vi 3-5 provides a
descriptionof the Midianite invaders, who wasted the land "com-
ing like locusts fornumber". In Judg. vii 12 "the Midianites and
Amalekites, and all the people of the East [were] like locusts for
multitude". The prophet Jeremiah (xlvi 23) talking about
Nebuchadnezzar's army on the way to Egypt says: "because they
are more numerous than locusts". Finally Nah. iii 15-16 compares
the soldiers who are destroyingNineveh to locusts:
There will the firedevouryou,
the swordwill cut you off.
It will devouryou like the locust.

The "fire" and "sword" referclearly to soldiers and weapons,

respectively,who are taking the city, namely "devouring it like
locusts".
Both the ancient Near Eastern and biblical textsjust cited, which
cover a period fromthe end of the thirdmillennium to post-exilic
Israelite times, suggest that there is a literaryconvention spread
over centuries in which troops are described as locusts. This con-
ventionexpressedthe power, number, and invincibilityof an army.
Although the above textswere constructedusing the comparative
particle"like", Joel could use the conventionin an innovativeway.
Though withoutthe comparative particle, the image has the same
meaning in Joel: to express how powerful were the forces that
defeated and destroyedthe land.
The close relation in styleand language between the textofJoel
and many otherpropheticpassages thatdescribe militaryinvasions,
though without any mention of locusts, makes this interpretation
compelling. In Jer. 1 41-56 we find a descriptionof a people who
come from the North, well armed, riding horses, whose voices

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440 PABLO R. ANDINACH

produceterror;itsaspectis likea lion,and itsadvanceis destroying

vegetation.All theseelementsare presentin Joel's description,
includinga reference to thepeople fromtheNorth.15 Jer. Ii 27-33
provides another example, which is interesting
particularly because
itpresentsa call foran attack,a description oftheland in complete
desolation-thehousesand fieldsburnt;and an attackby horsesis
viewedas "bristlinglocusts"(v. 27).16 Moreover,in Hab. iii 16-17
we findthe descriptionof the imminentdestruction of figtrees,
vines,olivetrees,all together withthecattleand foodin generalas
theprophetawaitsforan invasionbya foreign nation.The destruc-
tion of the vegetation will be effectedby human soldiers,not by
locusts. Nahum ii 2-10 presentsthe descriptionof an attackon
Nineveh: horsemen,soldiers runningthroughthe streetsand
againstthewalls,plunderingthepalace and thetreasure,untilthe
finaldevastation.The languageis similarto thatin Joel ii 4-9.
We havedevelopedthisargumentfromtwosides:one showsthat
theuse oflocustas a metaphorforhumanarmieswas widespread
in theancientliterature;theothersuggeststhatthelanguageand
imageryinJoelis remarkably likethatofmilitary attacksdescribed
in otherpropheticbooks. These two argumentshelp advance the
idea thatJoel,whenreferring to locusts,was describinga human
invasion.
If thisbasic approachis legitimate, ofthelocusts
thesignificance
in Joel requiresa hermeneutical approach.During the last locust
plague in Jerusalem,whichoccurredin June 1915,17millionsof
insectshid thesun and devouredeverything greenthattheyfound
in theirway. Such an eventgivesus an idea ofhow it could mark
thefeelings ofpeoplein ancienttimes.This eventwas a tragedyfor
a society,like Israel's, that was based on agriculture.The
phenomenonofthelocustplague involvedtremendouspowerand
unavoidable destruction.18 Like other natural phenomena,the
locustplaguewas understoodas a calamityand as a misfortune for

15 See the detailed excursuson the "northerner"

by Kapelrud (n. 5), pp.
93-108.
16 Cf. also
Jer. iv 5-29, vi 22-4, xlix 19-22.
17 Cf.
J. Whiting,"Jerusalem'sLocust Plague", NationalGeographicMagazine
38 (1915), pp. 511-50.
18 See the
Babylonianplaque showinga man surroundedby locustsbeforehis
god: ANEP, plate 535. In theancientliturgiesof the Babyloniangod Tammuz,
thelocustplague is one of the calamitiesthatoccurduringhis absence.

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 THE LOCUSTS IN THE MESSAGE OF JOEL 441

thepeople,something againstwhichnobodycouldfight.Such con-

ditions were perceived as wild forcesfor which metaphorical
languagewas singularlyappropriate.Joel uses such metaphorical
languagewithall its ambivalenceand evocativecapacities.Placed
at the verybeginningof the book (i 4), referenceto the locusts
introducesthe readerto the tragedythatwillbe narrated,and at
the same time the referencehelps definethe characterof that
tragedy.In thisprologue,the locustsprovidea semanticclue to
interpretthe militaryinvasion.The difference betweena locust
plague and a human armyis thatthe formerdestroysthe land
following naturallaws, but thelatterdestroystheland to conquer
and oppressotherpeoples.The Israelitesweresensitiveto thedif-
ferencebecausetheyremembered theslaveryin Egyptas wellas the
experienceof being an oppressedpeople even while dwellingin
theirownland (Neh. ix 36-7).Joelis describingone moreinvasion
in thehistoryofa weakpeople,and announcingtheanswerofGod
to thoseinjustices.
In conclusion,thelocustsinJoelare notreallocustsnora symbol
of the eschatologicalarmyof God. They are a metaphorwhich
of a human armyin its
clarifiesand enforcesthe characteristics
actionagainstthe people and the land.

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