Joel 2:4-5
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What's easy to miss is how the locusts are described not just in their shape (like horses) but also in their action (like horsemen running). This powerful imagery captures their terrifying speed, unified movement, and overwhelming force as they advance.
The prophet Joel is sounding an alarm, describing an impending invasion by a vast army – likely the Babylonians or Assyrians, though the imagery is also applied to literal locusts. This terrifying force is compared to horses and horsemen, emphasizing their speed, power, and overwhelming numbers. This vivid description sets the stage for the devastating destruction they will bring, leaving the land desolate like the Garden of Eden turned into a wasteland.
Joel uses vivid imagery to describe the approaching locusts, comparing them to something familiar yet terrifying: horses and horsemen. But what makes this comparison so potent?
Joel 2:4 compares the locusts to horses and horsemen. This isn't just about their appearance, though many observers have noted the resemblance between a locust's head and a horse's head, leading to names like 'cavalletta' in Italian.
More importantly, this comparison highlights their characteristics:
The description of the locusts is not merely an observation of nature; it's a dire warning. What is the ultimate significance of this terrifying swarm?
The description in Joel 2:4 is deeply connected to the 'Day of the LORD' mentioned throughout the passage. This 'day' is a time of God's powerful intervention and judgment.
By comparing the locusts to horses and horsemen, Joel emphasizes the swiftness, ferocity, and overwhelming power of this judgment. It's meant to evoke fear and prompt repentance:
Understand the original words
merkabah · Hebrew Noun
A combat vehicle typically drawn by horses, used extensively in ancient warfare for shock and mobility. It symbolizes military power, human reliance on weaponry, and the might of armies.
The vivid imagery of locusts resembling horses and horsemen in Joel's prophecy reflects the terror and overwhelming force of the Assyrian military campaigns that threatened Judah during the 8th century BC.
c. 800-750 BC
Prophetic Ministry of Joel
Joel prophesies during a period of significant social and religious decline in Judah, possibly after the Assyrian threat had begun to emerge but before its full devastating impact.
c. 740 BC
Assyrian Expansion
The Neo-Assyrian Empire, under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V, aggressively expands its territory, posing a severe threat to the smaller kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
c. 734-732 BC— this verse
Syro-Ephraimite War
Aram (Syria) and the northern kingdom of Israel attempt to force Judah into an anti-Assyrian coalition, leading to a siege of Jerusalem. The prophet Joel's warnings about a divinely appointed judgment likely resonate with the fear and devastation experienced during this conflict.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel is destroyed by the Assyrians, leading to the exile of the northern tribes and reinforcing the threat to Judah.
This passage in Revelation directly echoes Joel's imagery, describing locusts that look like horses prepared for battle, highlighting the terrifying, powerful appearance of these destructive forces.
Jeremiah 4:13Here, the prophet Jeremiah uses the image of horses and chariots to describe the swift and fearsome Babylonian army invading Judah, mirroring Joel's depiction of a relentless, charging enemy.
2 Samuel 1:23This verse from the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan describes the swiftness and grace of the two warriors in battle as being 'swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions,' a similar sentiment of powerful, swift movement that Joel applies to the locusts.
Job 39:19-20This passage describes the powerful warhorse, noting its strength and how its neck is clothed with thunder, and its mane is like a flowing army, echoing the formidable and intimidating characteristics Joel assigns to the locusts.
pulpitJoel 2:4: "The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run."
Verses 4-6. - These verses describe the appearance of the locusts and the alarm which their presence causes. Verse 4. - The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses. They arc said to resemble horses in the shape of the head; hence the Germans call them Heupferde, or hay-horses, and the Italians cavalette. This resemblance had been noticed long ago by Theodoret, who says, "If any one s…
ellicottJoel 2:4: "The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run."
(4) As the appearance of horses.— So also are locusts described in the Revelation: “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle” (from this likeness the Italians call a locust cavalletta) . . . “and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses running to battle” ( Revelation 9:7 ; Revelation 9:9 ).
What's easy to miss is how the locusts are described not just in their shape (like horses) but also in their action (like horsemen running). This powerful imagery captures their terrifying speed, unified movement, and overwhelming force as they advance.
The prophet Joel is sounding an alarm, describing an impending invasion by a vast army – likely the Babylonians or Assyrians, though the imagery is also applied to literal locusts. This terrifying force is compared to horses and horsemen, emphasizing their speed, power, and overwhelming numbers. This vivid description sets the stage for the devastating destruction they will bring, leaving the land desolate like the Garden of Eden turned into a wasteland.
The prophet Joel is sounding an alarm, describing an impending invasion by a vast army – likely the Babylonians or Assyrians, though the imagery is also applied to literal locusts. This terrifying force is compared to horses and horsemen, emphasizing their speed, power, and overwhelming numbers. This vivid description sets the stage for the devastating destruction they will bring, leaving the land desolate like the Garden of Eden turned into a wasteland.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Joel 2:4-5 is available in the Sola app.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieging Jerusalem. This event underscores the immense power of the Assyrian war machine that Joel describes.
"Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stub…" — What's easy to miss is how the locusts are described not just in their shape (like horses) but also in their action (like horsemen running). This powerful imagery captures their terrifying speed,…
