1:1–12 · The devastating consequences of the locust invasion:Joel first addresses the general population and the elders (1:2), invoking the audience to “hear” his message. The nuance of the Hebrew root for “hear” implies that the audience understands the message and responds. The prophet also implores the people to recount this event to their descendants, in hopes that their children will learn that covenantal disobedience requires divine punishment. The incomparable catastrophe that plagues the inhabitants of the land in the form of a locust swarm will certainly produce a story of legendary proportions that will become part of the nation’s history.

The prophet uses four different words for “locusts” in 1:4 and 2:25, perhaps reflecting the various stages of the development of locusts. He…