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Joel 2:8

in Joel 2

They do not jostle one another; each proceeds in his path. They burst through the defenses, never breaking ranks.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Neither doth one thrust another; they march every one in his path; and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.

KJV

Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

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This verse in Joel 2

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

They shall not be wounded - They have hard scales like a coat of mail; but the expression refers to the utter uselessness of all means to prevent their depredations. See Shaw’s account above.

This site's exposition

Before their face the people shall be much pained

on Joel 2:6-9

Before their face the people shall be much pained, all faces gather blackness, a description of terror that reads equally of a village facing locusts or of a village facing an army, which is the crux the commentators return to across the chapter. Verses 7 through 9 describe a discipline no ordinary insect swarm needs named for it, they shall not break their ranks, neither shall one thrust another, each marching in his own path, and older commentators from Jerome forward have taken the military precision as figurative language for the locusts' own uncanny orderliness rather than proof of a human army. They shall enter in at the windows like a thief closes the description on total, unstoppable penetration, no threshold able to keep the invader out.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Joel · Written before 420.

proposed

(Chapter 2 — Verses 1 onwards) Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like the dawn spreading over the mountains, a large and strong people appears, such as has never been before and will never be again in generations to come. Before them, a devouring fire; behind them, a blazing flame.

The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

And see how necessary it is that those who are employed in any service for God should observe order, and keep ranks, should diligently go on in their own work and stand in one another's way. They are very swift; they run like horsemen (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

An earnest call to repentance, ver. 12-17. A promise of all good things to the penitent, ver. 18-27. A prophecy of the Messiah's kingdom, ver. 28-32.

quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-18/28-anchored-1-11

Neither shall one thrust another,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

A serious call to the people, when they are under this sore judgment, to return and repent, to fast and pray, and to seek unto God for mercy, with directions how to do this aright,
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Neither shall one thrust another--that is, press upon so as to thrust his next neighbor out of his place, as usually occurs in a large multitude. when they fall upon the sword--that is, among missiles. not be wounded--because they are protected by defensive armor [GROTIUS].
When they fall upon the sword - (literally, “among the darts”) they shall not be wounded It may be that the prophet would describe how the locust seems armed as in a suit of armor. As one says , “Their form was wondrous; they had a sort of gorget round their neck like a lancer, and a helm on their head, such as soldiers wear.” But, more, he exhibits their indomitableness and impenetrableness, how nothing checks, nothing retards, nothing makes any impression upon them. : “They do not suffer themselves to be impeded by any obstacles, but fly boldly on, and are drowned in the sea when they come to it.” : “When on a march during the day, it is utterly impossible to turn the direction of a troop, which is generally with the wind.” : “The guard of the Red Town attempted to stop their irruption into Transylvania by firing at them; and indeed when the balls and shot swept through the swarm, they gave way and divided; but having filled up their ranks in a moment, they proceeded on their journey.” And in like way of the young swarms ; “The inhabitants, to stop their progress, made trenches all over their fields and gardens and filled them with water; or else, placing in a row great quantities of heath, stubble, and such like combustible matter, they set them on fire on the approach of the locusts. But all this was to no purpose, for the trenches were quickly filled up, and the fires put out by infinite swarms, succeeding one another; while the front seemed regardless of danger, and the van pressed on so close, that a retreat was impossible.” : “Like waves, they roll over one another on and on, and let themselves be stopped by nothing. Russians and Germans try many means with more or less success against them, when they come from the waste against the grainlands. […]

The words behind it

12 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Job 33:18to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.3 works2 Chronicles 23:10He stationed all the troops, with their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.3 works2 Chronicles 32:5Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David, and he produced an abundance of weapons and shields.3 worksNehemiah 4:23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water.3 worksSong of Solomon 4:13Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,2 worksJob 36:12But if they do not obey, then they perish by the sword and die without knowledge.2 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Nehemiah 4:17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Song of Solomon 4:13

    Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

    it leads to

    • Song of Solomon 1:14

      My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.

    • Ecclesiastes 2:5

      I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.

    • Song of Solomon 6:11

      I went down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.

  • Through

    Job 33:18

    to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.

    it leads to

    • Job 33:28

      He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’

    • Job 33:30

      to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

    • 2 Peter 3:9

      The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

  • Through

    2 Chronicles 32:5

    Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City…

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 25:23

      There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from…

    • 1 Kings 9:24

      As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.

Where this verse is studied

About Joel

Joel: the study guide →Read Joel 2 →
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentaries on the Twelve; Jerome, Commentary on Joel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Joel 2 →