Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’
Parallel translations
- WEB Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’
- KJV Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
- NKJV Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
- NASB Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”
- NLT Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
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 nations are told to forge weapons from farm tools and even the weak to boast of strength. They marshal all their power for the final confrontation.
Overview
Joel reverses the famous image of swords beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4), here calling the nations to turn tools into weapons for war against God. Even the feeble are urged to claim strength. This ironic mustering of all human might highlights its ultimate futility, for no array of force can prevail against God's judgment in the day of the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Zech 12:8On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.
- Mic 4:3Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor will they train anymore for war.
- Isa 2:4Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.
- 2 Chr 25:8Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
- Luke 22:36“Now, however,” He told them, “the one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
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.
How Joel 3:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.