Joel 2 · Verse 8

Joel 2:8

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.
Joel 2:8, King James Version

Joel 2:8 in other translations

BSBThey do not jostle one another; each proceeds in his path. They burst through the defenses, never breaking ranks.
WEBOne doesn’t jostle another. They each march in their own path. They burst through the defenses and don’t break ranks.
ASVNeither doth one thrust another; they march every one in his path; and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.
YLTAnd each his brother they press not, Each in his way they go on, If by the missile they fall, they are not cut off.
DARBYNeither doth one press upon another; they march every one in his path; and fall amid weapons, but are not wounded.
BBENo one is pushing against another; everyone goes straight on his way: bursting through the sword points, their order is not broken.
WebsterNeither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

What does Joel 2:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joel 2:7-9

7-9. Depicting the regular military order of their advance, "One locust not turning a nail's breadth out of his own place in the march" [Jerome]. Compare Pr 30:27, "The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands."

Read the full comment on Joel 2:7-9 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joel 2:1-14

God's judgments. (Joel 2:1-14) Exhortations to fasting and prayer; blessings promised. (Joel 2:15-27) A promise of the Holy Spirit, and of future mercies. (Joel 2:28-32) Verses 1-14 The priests were to alarm the people with the near approach of the Divine judgments. It is the work of ministers to warn of the fatal consequences of sin, and to reveal the wrath from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of…

Read the full comment on Joel 2:1-14 →

Joel 2:8 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאִ֤ישׁve.'Ishand eachH376
אָחִיו֙'a.Chivbrother itsH251
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
יִדְחָק֔וּןyid.cha.Kunthey crowd !H1766
גֶּ֥בֶרGe.vera manH1397
בִּמְסִלָּת֖וֹbim.si.la.Toon track itsH4546
יֵֽלֵכ֑וּןye.le.Khunthey go !H1980
וּבְעַ֥דu.ve.'Adand throughH1157
הַשֶּׁ֛לַחha.She.lachthe weapon[s]H7973
יִפֹּ֖לוּyi.Po.luthey fallH5307
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יִבְצָֽעוּ\׃yiv.Tza.'uthey stopH1214

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joel 2:8

  • 2 Chronicles 23:10

    And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about.

  • Job 33:18

    He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

  • Nehemiah 4:23

    So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:5

    Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

  • Nehemiah 4:17

    They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

  • Song of Solomon 4:13

    Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

  • Job 36:12

    But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
sword. or, dart.
2Ch 23:10; 32:5; *marg:
Ne 4:17,23; Job 33:18; 36:12; So 4:13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joel 2:7

    They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

  • Joel 2:8

    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.

  • Joel 2:9

    They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

Read all of Joel 2

Joel 2:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Ninguno apretará á su compañero, cada uno irá por su carrera; y aun cayendo sobre la espada no se herirán.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et ils ne se pressent pas l’un l’autre. Ils marchent chacun dans sa route; ils se précipitent à travers les traits et ne sont pas blessés;
German
Elberfelder 1871		und keiner drängt den anderen, sie ziehen jeder einzeln auf seiner Bahn; und sie stürzen zwischen den Waffen hindurch und verwunden sich nicht
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Unusquisque fratrem suum non coarctabit, singuli in calle suo ambulabunt; sed et per fenestras cadent, et non demolientur.