Chapter 2 of Sefer Yoel continues the locust prophecy of the previous chapter, but the Malbim establishes a fundamental distinction between the two chapters. In Chapter 1, the prophet saw in a prophetic vision that locusts were destined to arrive, serving as an advance warning: "I see this now in prophecy; beware." In our chapter, the locusts are already beginning to arrive and actually attack the land. From this point forward, the prophet describes what is unfolding in real time, calling upon the people to blow the shofar and repent before everything is destroyed.
Teki'ah and Teru'ah - Two Objectives
תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּצִיּוֹן וְהָרִיעוּ בְּהַר קׇדְשִׁי יִרְגְּזוּ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ כִּי־בָא יוֹם־יְהֹוָה כִּי קָרוֹב׃ - Blow a shofar in Zion and sound an alarm on My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Hashem is coming, for it is near.
The shofar is meant to arouse the people to repent before the calamity strikes. It was their practice to sound warnings about impending troubles, and blowing the shofar served as an alarm: the locusts have arrived. However, the Malbim notes with precision that two distinct actions and two separate objectives are mentioned here. The purpose of the teki'ah is to assemble the people, which is why it says "Blow a shofar in Zion" - throughout the entire city, so that all the city's inhabitants might hear. The teru'ah, on the other hand, is meant to awaken dread so that they will repent, which is why it says "and sound an alarm on My holy mountain" - in the Beit Hamikdash. Through this, "let all the inhabitants of the land tremble" - they will revere Hashem and realize that the day of Hashem has arrived and His day is near.
"For It Is Coming" - With Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Nothing Can Intervene
The Malbim explains: Regarding flesh and blood, one cannot say that something "has come" unless it has actually arrived. As long as the calamity has not yet arrived, there are barriers between it and its coming - many factors could prevent it, and who knows what may happen in the meantime. But with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, there are no barriers. "Who knows?" Hashem knows; Hashem is the One Who determines reality. Therefore, regarding the Holy One, Blessed be He, one can say "it is coming" even though the event is not yet immediate, and it suffices that it is near. This is the meaning of "for the day of Hashem is coming, for it is near" - since with Hashem nothing can obstruct His decree, whatever is near is already considered as having arrived.
A Day of Darkness and Gloom - Darkness of Absence and Tangible Darkness
יוֹם חֹשֶׁךְ וַאֲפֵלָה יוֹם עָנָן וַעֲרָפֶל כְּשַׁחַר פָּרֻשׂ עַל־הֶהָרִים עַם רַב וְעָצוּם כָּמֹהוּ לֹא נִהְיָה מִן־הָעוֹלָם וְאַחֲרָיו לֹא יוֹסֵף עַד־שְׁנֵי דּוֹר וָדוֹר׃ - A day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and thick fog, like dawn spread over the mountains, a vast and mighty people; the like of which has never been from eternity, nor shall there ever be after it, unto the years of generation after generation.
Radak offers two explanations. First: trouble is compared to darkness. Just as joy is expressed through light - "The Jews had light and gladness" - so sadness, gloom, and affliction are depicted as darkness and obscurity. Second: the darkness here is literal and physical. For when the locust swarm arrives, it is said, "and it covered the surface of the earth, so that one could not see the land" - the locusts will arrive in such numbers that everything will be blacked out and the sun will not be seen.
The Malbim asks why there is a redundancy of "darkness and gloom" alongside "cloud and thick fog," and answers that there are two dimensions of darkness. There is privative darkness - the mere absence of light. When the sun sets, or if you close the shutters, darkness immediately ensues. You have not introduced anything new inside; you have merely removed the light. In contrast, there is substantial, tangible darkness, which the Malbim defines as vapors and thick fog that obscure. If one were to fill the room with dense, black fog, there would be a tangible darkness here, one that could almost be felt and touched. Therefore, the verse mentions both "darkness and gloom" from the absence of light, and "cloud and thick fog," which constitutes an additional, tangible darkness.
The Malbim adds further: the locust swarm will look like the dawn spread out across the mountains in the morning, glinting and shimmering from afar upon the mountain peaks - "a vast people" in quantity, and "mighty" in strength.
"The Like of Which Has Never Been" - What About the Locusts of Egypt?
At first glance, a difficulty arises: there was already a plague of locusts in Egypt, and there it was stated that there had never been anything like it, nor would there ever be again. However, as previously explained, the commentators address this distinction. The locusts of Egypt were primarily of a single species, yet in a quantity never seen before - billions of individual insects. The locusts in Yoel's day did not reach the sheer numerical volume of Egypt, but in their variety, they surpassed anything that had ever occurred: yelek, chasil, gazam. The uniqueness of Egypt's locust plague lay in its quantity, while the uniqueness of Yoel's locust plague lay in its diverse species and types. Never had so many different species arrived in a single plague. Therefore, of both it was said, "there was none like it, nor shall there ever be," each in its own distinct aspect.
Fire and Flame - Total Destruction with No Escape
לְפָנָיו אָכְלָה אֵשׁ וְאַחֲרָיו תְּלַהֵט לֶהָבָה כְּגַן־עֵדֶן הָאָרֶץ לְפָנָיו וְאַחֲרָיו מִדְבַּר שְׁמָמָה וְגַם־פְּלֵיטָה לֹא־הָיְתָה לּוֹ׃ - Before it a fire consumes, and behind it a flame blazes; the land is like the Garden of Eden before it, and behind it a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes it.
The Malbim explains: The locust leaves nothing behind. Whatever it eats it completely destroys - every tree and every plant - like a fire that consumes and incinerates everything. It is as though even before it arrives, a fire has already preceded it and burned everything down, so that when it passes, nothing remains. Consequently, afterward there is nothing left for fire to consume, as everything has already been eaten. This is a poetic metaphor.
And what is said about what follows it? "And behind it a flame blazes." A flame differs from a fire: the fire consumes what is visible above ground, while the flame continues burning downward, scorching even the roots beneath the soil. Before its arrival, the land was like the Garden of Eden, filled with every good thing, but after it departed, the land was like a desolate wilderness. This is even more severe than a normal fire, for from a fire one can sometimes salvage something and items are preserved, but here, "and nothing escapes it" - absolutely nothing survived.
Horses and Horsemen - The Locusts as an Army Marching to Battle
כְּמַרְאֵה סוּסִים מַרְאֵהוּ וּכְפָרָשִׁים כֵּן יְרוּצוּן׃ - Its appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like horsemen, so do they run.
From here onward, the Malbim explains a series of verses in which the prophet compares the locusts to an army and legion rushing into war, presenting several vivid images. He begins with horses: in wartime, horses charge forth to conquer the land. The horse possesses innate might, galloping with thunder and roaring noise - "its appearance is like the appearance of horses." The rider upon the horse is called a horseman (parash), and when a horse runs with a horseman upon it, it gallops much faster, for there is someone whipping it and spurring its pace.
Here lies an important principle in poetic rhetoric: one always begins with one idea and progressively builds upon it. If you do not add anything new, there is no purpose in multiplying words. If someone says, "We will strike the country, cut off its water sources, kill all the warriors, and strike even women and children" - each statement adds a new dimension. But if, after saying "I will kill everyone," he adds "and I will also burn the oil wells" - what has he added? After all, everyone is already gone. Therefore, in any expression intended to convey the magnitude of an event, the imagery continually escalates. So it is here: first, "its appearance is like the appearance of horses," which is not yet the pinnacle of speed, and then, "and like horsemen, so do they run," where the velocity is far greater.
What is the underlying poetic concept? The horseman spurs the horse on. The locusts are like horses, but who is the horseman? The Holy One, blessed be He. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is, as it were, the horseman driving the locusts to rush and devour the land; the command of Hashem and His decree ride upon it, as it were.
The Sound of Chariots and the Sound of Flame - Psychological Warfare
כְּקוֹל מַרְכָּבוֹת עַל־רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים יְרַקֵּדוּן כְּקוֹל לַהַב אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה קָשׁ כְּעַם עָצוּם עֱרוּךְ מִלְחָמָה׃ - Like the sound of chariots bounding on mountaintops, like the sound of a blazing fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army arrayed for battle.
When several horses are hitched to a chariot, the noise is even greater, as the rumbling of the wheels and axles is added as well. The Malbim explains: they unite together and make a sound like the roar of chariots. And even though it is not the way of horses and chariots to ascend mountain peaks, here they will dance upon the tops of the mountains.
After describing the sound heard during the destruction, he adds: "like the sound of a flame of fire consuming stubble." We have already seen that he depicts the locusts as fire, but now he comes to speak of the sound. When fire burns, it is sometimes quiet, but when it consumes stubble, constant crackling and popping sounds are heard. The element of sound is important, because warfare in those days was heavily based on psychological warfare. When soldiers went out to the battlefield, each side tried to make terrifying noises to instill faintness of heart in the enemy: shrieking cries, the blasting of horns. In this way, an aura of terror is created - as if an enormous monster and a vast army were advancing. They might number only a hundred men, yet they made the noise of three thousand, causing fear and panic to fall upon the enemy camp so that they melted away and fled. So too here: the tremendous roar strikes fear into the heart and shatters morale.
Finally, he describes how the locusts direct themselves to descend from the mountains toward the cities, portraying them as an army preparing for war - "like a mighty people set in battle array," organized and advancing from the mountains.
"All Faces Turn Pale"
מִפָּנָיו יָחִילוּ עַמִּים כׇּל־פָּנִים קִבְּצוּ פָארוּר׃ - Before it peoples shudder; all faces turn pale.
The nations are terrified and tremble before it. There is an enemy against whom one marches out to fight, and there is an enemy of whom one is terrified and flees. "All faces gather pe'erur" - the beauty and radiance (pe'er) of the face withdraws and gathers inward out of intense fear and grief. The Radak's father wonders about this interpretation: the word "gathered" (kibetzu) does not fit here as well as "withdrawn" (ne'esaf), as in the phrase, "and he drew up (vaye'esof) his feet into the bed." It would have been more appropriate to say "all faces withdrew their radiance" - meaning the radiance disappeared from the face.
This interpretation, that pe'erur is derived from pe'er (radiance, beauty), is the explanation of Menachem and also of the Ibn Ezra. In his Be'ur HaMilot, the Malbim cites an additional interpretation: pe'erur is the opposite of pe'er. How so? Just as we find with mesharesh (rooting/uprooting) and mesakel (stoning/clearing stones) - where to root can mean to take root, but to uproot (lesharesh) means to tear out by the roots, both from the same letters; and there is stoning with stones, casting stones upon someone, whereas clearing stones (lesakel) means removing them; and there is keles in the sense of mockery, yet to praise (lekales) means to laud and extol. So too here: there is to beautify (lefa'er), and pe'erur means to strip away beauty. This is how the Malbim explains it based on the doubling of the third root letter, namely the letter reish.
Another explanation: pe'erur is related to crumbling (lehitporer). When a face is smooth, it appears as a single unit, but when a person contracts and wrinkles their face in distress, it appears fragmented into pieces, like crumbs. Rashi explains that "gathered pe'erur" means that their faces grew dark like the blackness of a pot, as in the verse, "and cooked it in a pot (parur)," with the letter aleph here being an extra, unpronounced letter.
Charging the Wall and Scaling It
כְּגִבּוֹרִים יְרֻצוּן כְּאַנְשֵׁי מִלְחָמָה יַעֲלוּ חוֹמָה וְאִישׁ בִּדְרָכָיו יֵלֵכוּן וְלֹא יְעַבְּטוּן אֹרְחוֹתָם׃ - Like mighty men they run, like men of war they scale a wall; and they march each on his way, and do not break their ranks.
After descending from the mountains toward the city, the prophet describes how they conquer the city wall. First, they run to the wall like mighty warriors. For a troop coming to attack a city cannot advance leisurely, since the opposing garrison stands upon the wall to repel them; it must advance with great speed, so that before the defenders have time to prepare, the attackers are already right at the wall, breaching the gate and storming inside. Afterward, tactics of war are required to scale the wall - "like men of war they scale a wall."
The Malbim explains the distinction in phrasing: a "mighty man" (gibbor) is someone who is strong by nature, possessing physical power and muscle. A "man of war" (ish milchamah) does not necessarily have to be naturally mighty, but is skilled in military tactics and strategies. Hence, both expressions are used.
Afterwards, they organize the troops, and each battalion has its own path - "and each marches on his ways." Furthermore, they also arrange a side path for them, so that if they encounter fierce resistance along the main route, they can divert to it, or flank the enemy from the side and attack him from behind in a pincer movement. They always leave an escape route or an alternative direction to assist the corps in whatever situation it might encounter.
The Malbim distinguishes between three concepts: a derech is the main road, what we would call a highway. Orahos are the side roads branching off from it to villages and towns. A mesilah is a paved and leveled highway. "And they do not distort their paths [ye'abetun orhosam]" - they do not veer off into the side road. Radak explains: they do not delay their journey; nothing delays them along the way. He also brings an explanation related to "you shall surely lend him [ha'avet ta'avitenu]," though this does not clearly connect here. The more probable explanation follows Ibn Ezra and Rashi, and is implied by the Targum, that it means "they distort" [ye'avetun, as if spelled with an ayin and vav] - even though it is spelled here with a beit and tet, the meaning is like ayin and vav, as it is in Arabic, having no exact parallel in Scripture. And to distort means to bend and curve: they do not travel along a crooked path.
Order and Discipline - Falling upon the Swords Unharmed
וְאִישׁ אָחִיו לֹא יִדְחָקוּן גֶּבֶר בִּמְסִלָּתוֹ יֵלֵכוּן וּבְעַד הַשֶּׁלַח יִפֹּלוּ לֹא יִבְצָעוּ׃ - Neither does one thrust his fellow; each marches along his path; and upon the sword they fall and are not wounded.
They do not crowd one another, nor do they march in disarray. Soldiers marching into battle cannot jostle one another, for you are going to fight against the enemy, not against the man to your right or left - especially when carrying swords and spears, so as not to stab one's fellow. Rather, "each marches along his path" - every individual marches along the course paved before him, neither far from his fellow nor crowding him. The Malbim notes that the verse uses the word gever (man/mighty one), even though this term applies to a human being and not to locusts, to indicate that the locusts will arrive with mighty strength.
And after scaling the wall, the Malbim explains, they jump down or drop onto the swords below. Down below, the defenders do not sit idly by; they await them with drawn swords to stab them as they drop. Shelach means a sword, and this is the meaning of "and upon the sword they fall" - they plunge straight toward the swords. Normally, anyone falling upon a sword is wounded, but here "they are not cut down [lo yivtza'u]" - they suffer no wound whatsoever, and no harm befalls them. Some commentators explain yivtza'u from the term for breaking bread (betzi'at hapas), which is cutting: they plunge toward the sword and are not cut, meaning they take no damage from it.
The Malbim explains the distinction between a shelach and a cherev (sword): a sword is double-edged and used like a blade for slashing, as in the phrase "slashing his throat with a sword." A shelach, on the other hand, is meant for thrusting - like a spear or a rapier with a sharp tip. When the besiegers leap down from the wall, those below hold the shelach upright so that the jumpers will be impaled as they fall. Yet here the prophet says: it will not be so; "and upon the sword they fall and are not wounded" - nothing will happen to them.
Rashi explains that shelach means a window: "and through the window they drop" - they will enter through the window and pass past all weapons, falling and encamping. And lo yivtza'u comes from the root of greed and profit (botze'a betza) - they do not come for money, but on a mission for the sake of Heaven, not for monetary gain. In the name of Targum Yonatan, he cites that it is related to emissary (shelichut): "on account of their mission [be'ad hashelach] they fall" - because Hashem sent them, and they take no monetary gain.
This contains an important moral lesson: one who comes for the sake of Heaven out of a sense of mission is the most dangerous. Consider suicide attackers - who receives money for that? For what would he receive money, when he is going to end his own life? Nor is this unique to Arabs; think of the kamikaze in World War II. People driven by deep motivation are far more dangerous than those who come for money, for a person will not die for money. Therefore the verse tells you: "upon their mission they fall, they covet no gain" - they come out of a sense of mission, not for monetary gain, and their intense motivation makes them immensely dangerous.
Radak provides another explanation: there are enemies who can be stopped with a sword - he comes against you, you engage him with a sword, and you halt his advance. But here we have an enemy unharmed by swords. "Upon the sword they fall and are not wounded" - it passes through the blade and is not injured at all, for its sheer lightness leaves it unaffected by the strike.
They Rush in the City - Penetrating into the Houses
בָּעִיר יָשֹׁקּוּ בַּחוֹמָה יְרֻצוּן בַּבָּתִּים יַעֲלוּ בְּעַד הַחַלּוֹנִים יָבֹאוּ כַּגַּנָּב׃ - They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter through the windows like a thief.
What is the meaning of yashoku? Rashi explains that it relates to making a sound, like k'meshek gevim ("as the running to and fro of locusts"), dov shokek ("a charging bear"), mimshek charul ("a breeding place of nettles"), and like meshek k'nafav, which refers to the rustling noise of wings. In the city, its buzzing clamor will be heard. Another interpretation: it is related to neshek (weapons) - they will enter the city with their weaponry. Radak explains it in the sense of shok (leg), which specifically points to the locust, which has long legs: "in the city yashoku" means they will set their legs down in the city, meaning they will tread upon it.
Radak further explains that it moves continuously without resting at all, in the sense of "as the running to and fro of locusts (shokek bo)" - not in terms of noise, but in the sense of constant swarming motion, like the phrase "this place is bustling (shokek) with life." It may also be related to mishtokek (craving), as it constantly searches and craves to eat more and more. It emerges that this locust swarm will be exceptionally dangerous.
"They shall climb up into the houses, they shall enter in at the windows" - do not think that anything can block them. Even a window is no barrier to them, and through it they will enter into the houses.
The Malbim adds another explanation for yashoku: derived from shvakim (marketplaces) and streets. They will march, raise their noise, and penetrate the marketplaces and thoroughfares. Indeed, the market itself is an expression of clamor - a place teeming with people, filled with tumult and commotion. To support this, he cites the verse: "they rush to and fro in the broad ways" (Nachum 2:5), an expression of rattling and clamor.
The Earth Quaked and the Heavens Trembled - The Suspension of the Natural Order
לְפָנָיו רָגְזָה אֶרֶץ רָעֲשׁוּ שָׁמָיִם שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ קָדָרוּ וְכוֹכָבִים אָסְפוּ נׇגְהָם׃ - The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars withdraw their shining.
When it arrives, the earth quakes before it, an allegorical expression indicating that reality will become an atmosphere of dread and fear. Rashi explains that "the heavens tremble" is literal, meaning the heavenly host is agitated and shaken, in the sense of "and hear in heaven." For when distress befalls Israel, there is shuddering and trembling in heaven, and because of the calamity befalling Israel, the heavens shake and tremble. "The sun and the moon grow dark" - they are darkened with obscurity, as we saw earlier that the sun is darkened. "And the stars withdraw their shining" - they pull their light inward so that it is no longer visible outward, in the sense of "withdraw your hand" and "and he gathered up his feet," meaning drawn back into oneself.
The Malbim explains that the intended meaning is that the natural cosmic order will be suspended, and this is by direct Divine Providence. For at times the Holy One, blessed be He, acts through the natural cosmic system - physical influences channeled through the sun, the moon, the twelve constellations, and the celestial bodies, which are processes descending through physical vessels; and there are spiritual interventions in which the Holy One, blessed be He, wages war from the heavens, without utilizing nature and without relying on physical systems.
Hashem destroyed Babylon through the cosmic system, as in the prophecy of Yeshayahu, "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall tremble out of her place" - there, the retribution came by Divine Providence, yet through the power of the natural order, where physical factors brought about Babylon's downfall. Here, however, it is not through physical factors, but by Hashem alone. Therefore, it says first "the earth quakes before them" and only then "the heavens tremble": heaven and earth are utterly nullified before Hashem's direct governance; they tremble and quake because their power is suspended, and the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself channels His influence through direct Providence. Consequently, the luminaries as well - "the sun and the moon grow dark" - no longer exert their influence, for Hashem is not currently employing the power of physical agents to execute His decree. Likewise the stars, which Hashem is not utilizing, "withdraw their shining" - they gather back their light, and the Holy One, blessed be He, acts solely by His own power without any mediation from the systems of nature.
"Mighty Is He Who Carries Out His Word" - The Power of the Penitent
וַיהֹוָה נָתַן קוֹלוֹ לִפְנֵי חֵילוֹ כִּי רַב מְאֹד מַחֲנֵהוּ כִּי עָצוּם עֹשֵׂה דְבָרוֹ כִּי־גָדוֹל יוֹם־יְהֹוָה וְנוֹרָא מְאֹד וּמִי יְכִילֶנּוּ׃ - And Hashem utters His voice before His army; for His camp is very great; for mighty is he who executes His word; for the day of Hashem is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Here, explains the Malbim, the prophet provides the reason why Hashem suspends the natural order and does not govern through nature: because "Hashem utters His voice" - the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded and proclaimed this by His Providence. "Before His army" - even before His army, which is the locust swarm, arrives, He proclaimed and announced that although "His camp is very great," nevertheless, "mighty is he who executes His word."
Now, one might have understood that "the executor of His word" refers to the camp itself - the locusts that Hashem sent here, which are vast and mighty. But the Malbim does not explain it this way. "Mighty is the doer of His word" refers to anyone who fulfills the word He spoke, and what did He speak? That they should repent in teshuvah. And this is the meaning: His camp is indeed exceedingly vast, but one who performs His word is mightier than the camp. If you fulfill His word and repent, you are mightier than His vast army, mightier than the locusts, and you will be able to prevail over them.
The Malbim explains this based on a principle we have already seen in his commentary: Scripture never repeats the same concept twice merely for poetic flourish. If it repeats something, it is a sign that it comes to express an additional idea that was not mentioned before. Therefore, "His army, for His camp is exceedingly vast" refers to the locusts, whereas "mighty is the doer of His word" refers to people. Return in teshuvah - and you will see the locusts retreat, and you will see that you can overcome them.
Furthermore, He made His voice heard, saying: "For the day of Hashem is great and exceedingly awesome, and who can endure it?" This day that Hashem designated to punish sinners is great and terrifying, and who can bear it? Who is the man who will muster the strength to repent, and through this power be able to withstand that day and endure that reality, so that the catastrophe will not harm him? Whoever is truly prepared to repent in teshuvah - he is the one who can endure it.
And why is this possible? Because "He uttered His voice before His army" - long before He dispatched the army, Hashem gave voice, meaning He gave advance notice through His prophet about the affliction that was to come. And whoever actually prepared and repented - saved his life.
In summary:
The chapter opens with a call of alarm - a tekiah to gather the people and a teruah to arouse dread and repentance - announcing, "For the day of Hashem is coming," for with the Holy One, blessed be He, nothing can obstruct His decree, and "near" means already arrived. Then the prophet depicts, according to the Malbim, the locusts as an army and legion marching out to battle: like horses and horsemen, like the rumble of chariots and like the sound of fire consuming stubble, like warriors and men of war scaling the wall in flawless formation, whom swords cannot strike down, bursting into the city and into homes through the windows. And with their arrival, the systems of nature are suspended, for divine providence here does not operate through the natural order, but directly from Hashem alone. And amid all this dread lies the message of hope: "for mighty is the doer of His word" - one who fulfills Hashem's word and returns in teshuvah is mightier than the entire locust swarm, and only he can endure the great and awesome day of Hashem. And for this reason, Hashem sounded His voice before His army through His prophets beforehand, so that whoever prepares and repents will save his soul.