Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves together.” Cause your mighty ones to come down there, Yahweh.
- BSB Come quickly, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O LORD.
- NKJV Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.
- NASB Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves there. Bring down, Lord, Your warriors.
- NLT Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.” And now, O Lord, call out your 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 surrounding nations are called to gather, while Joel prays for Yahweh to bring down His mighty ones. Human armies assemble only to face God's heavenly host.
Overview
Joel summons the nations to converge for judgment and then breaks into prayer, asking God to send down His warriors. The contrast between the gathered nations and God's mighty ones, likely His angelic host, underscores where true power lies. The scene anticipates the final triumph of God over all rebellious powers, accomplished through Christ the conquering King.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Isa 13:3I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
- Zeph 3:8Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
- Joel 3:2I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
- Ezek 38:9–18Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
- Mic 4:12But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.
- Zech 14:2–3For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
- 2 Th 1:7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
- Rev 16:14–16For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
- Isa 37:36Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
- Isa 10:34And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
- Rev 20:8–9And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
- Rev 19:14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
- Rev 19:19–20And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
- Ps 103:20Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
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 3:11 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.