Joel 1:6

 Joel 1:6

For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

a. ASV: For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: For a [heathen and hostile] nation [of locusts, illustrative of a human foe] has invaded My land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jaw teeth of a lioness. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT: A vast army of locusts[fn] has invaded my land, a terrible army too numerous to count. Its teeth are like lions’ teeth, its fangs like those of a lioness. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

e. The Israel Bible: For a nation has invaded my land, Vast beyond counting. With teeth like the teeth of a lion, With the fangs of a lion’s breed. [The English Translation was adapted by Israel 365 from the JPS Tanakh. Copyright Ⓒ 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. All rights reserved.]

f. Torah, Judaism and Jewish information on the web: www.chabad.org; Online English Translation of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible): For a nation has ascended upon my land, mighty and innumerable; its teeth are like the teeth of an old lion, and its molars are like those of a young lion. [English Translation, Ⓒ Copyright The Judaica Press All rights reserved.]

1. “For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number…”

a. For [Strong: 3588 kiy kee a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.]

b. [a] nation [Strong: 1471 gowy go'-ee rarely (shortened) goy {go'-ee}; apparently from the same root as 1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts:--Gentile, heathen, nation, people.] 

c. [is] come up [Strong: 5927 `alah aw-law' a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative (as follow):--arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, + perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.]

d. upon [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

e. [my] land [Strong: 776 'erets eh'-rets from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

f. strong [Strong:  6099 `atsuwm aw-tsoom' or matsum {aw-tsoom'}; passive participle of 6105; powerful (specifically, a paw); by implication, numerous:--+ feeble, great, mighty, must, strong.]

g. [and] without [Strong: 369 'ayin ah'-yin as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a non-entity; generally used as a negative particle:--else, except, fail, (father-)less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without.]

h. number [Strong: 4557 micpar mis-pawr' from 5608; a number, definite (arithmetical) or indefinite (large, innumerable; small, a few); also (abstractly) narration:--+ abundance, account, X all, X few, (in-)finite, (certain) number(-ed), tale, telling, + time.]

2. “...whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.”

a. [whose] teeth [Strong: 8127 shen shane from 8150; a tooth (as sharp); specifically (for 8143) ivory; figuratively, a cliff:--crag, X forefront, ivory, X sharp, tooth.]

b. [are the] teeth [Strong: 8127 shen shane from 8150; a tooth (as sharp); specifically (for 8143) ivory; figuratively, a cliff:--crag, X forefront, ivory, X sharp, tooth.]

c. [of a] lion [Strong: 738 'ariy ar-ee' or (prolonged) earyeh {ar-yay'}; from 717 (in the sense of violence); a lion:--(young) lion, + pierce (from the margin).]

d. [and he hath the] cheek teeth [Strong: 4973 mthall`ah meth-al-leh-aw' contr. from 3216; properly, a biter, i.e. a tooth:--cheek (jaw) tooth, jaw.]

e. [of a] great lion [Strong: 3833 labiy' law-bee' or (Ezek. 19:2) lbiyao {leb-ee-yaw'}; irreg. masculine plural lbaviym {leb-aw-eem'}; irreg. feminine plural lbaeowth {leb-aw-oth'}; from an unused root men. to roar; a lion (properly, a lioness as the fiercer (although not a roarer; Compare 738)):--(great, old, stout) lion, lioness, young (lion).]

1). J. Vernon McGee: Here the locusts are compared to an invading armyand its destructiveness. These little bitty insects, the locusts, can tear a tree down. They can move through a field of grain and leave absolutely nothing but bare ground. They came along in these four bands with no leader, no king. They came, in most cases, as a judgment from God, but this plague was a warning from God. Later Joel will move ahead to that which is still future, the Day of the LORD which will be just like a plague upon the earth. The four horsemen of the Apocalypse are yet to ride.

2). According to Bob Yandian in his book, Joel, The Outpouring of God’s Glory, the four series of locust invasions are the four invasions of Assyria. The first was Tiglath-Pileser, the second was Sargon II, the third, Sennacherib, and the fourth, the son of Sennacherib.