The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Parallel translations
- WEB Their appearance is as the appearance of horses, and as horsemen, so do they run.
- BSB Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like swift steeds.
- NKJV Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run.
- NASB Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run.
- NLT They look like horses; they charge forward like warhorses.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The invaders look like horses and charge like cavalry. Their appearance conveys speed and martial power.
Overview
Joel compares the army's appearance to horses and its movement to charging horsemen, fitting both the look of locusts and the imagery of a disciplined military force. The comparison heightens the sense of unstoppable, organized assault. Such vivid description impresses on the hearers the terror of the day of Yahweh and the futility of resisting God's appointed judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Rev 9:7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
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The promised outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh and the call to 'everyone who calls on the name of the LORD' are fulfilled at Pentecost in the name of Jesus.
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Original language
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