Joel 2:14 Meaning: Who Knows? Hope When the Outcome Is Unclear
Who knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering to Yahweh, your God.
Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?
Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God?
Who knoweth--He doth turn back, Yea--He hath repented, And He hath left behind Him a blessing, A present and libation of Jehovah your God?
Who knoweth? He might return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, an oblation and a drink-offering for Jehovah your God?
Meaning in one sentence
What does 'Who knows?' in Joel 2:14 mean? It is a hopeful call to repentance, trusting God may relent and leave a blessing.
Context
The prophet Joel speaks to a people reeling from a devastating locust plague and the looming threat of the day of the Lord. In chapter 2, after describing the terrifying judgment, he issues a direct summons: tear your hearts, not your garments, and turn to God. Why? Because God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and relents from sending calamity. Verse 14 follows this call with a quiet, hopeful phrase, "Who knows?", as the people are urged to gather, fast, and plead with God. The verse sits at the hinge between judgment and the possibility of restoration.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words open the door to this verse. First, mi yodea ("who knows?") is a biblical idiom for reluctant hope. It appears exactly the same way in Jonah 3:9 when the king of Nineveh says, "Who knows? God may turn and relent." It is not doubt about God's character; it is honest uncertainty about what He will do next.
Second, shuv ("turn") is the same word used for the people's repentance in verse 12. Here it describes God turning back from the path of judgment, a reversal God delights to make when His people come home.
Third, berakah ("blessing") is startlingly concrete. It does not mean a vague sense of favor; it means grain and drink offerings for the temple. The blessing is measurable: restored harvests, renewed worship. This verse invites us to hope not just for forgiveness but for the tangible gifts that flow from a reconciled relationship with God.
How Christians Read This Verse
Reformed commentators like John Calvin read "Who knows?" as a rhetorical device to shake the people out of spiritual laziness. God's mercy for repentant sinners is certain, but the prophet uses uncertainty about temporal outcomes to prod them into action. Baptist scholar John Gill sees it as an expression of hope grounded in God's revealed character, not doubt about pardon, but humble uncertainty about whether God will at once remove the affliction. Anglicans (Cambridge Bible) note the same idiom in 2 Samuel 12:22 and Jonah 3:9, where it carries real uncertainty about whether God will spare a life or a city. Together these readings agree: the verse does not question God's willingness to forgive, but it leaves room for His freedom in how He restores.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
You may be living with the aftermath of a failure or a painful season. You have repented, honestly, tearfully, but the circumstances have not changed. The crops are still gone. The relationship is still strained. This verse gives you language for that middle place: "Who knows?" It is not a shrug of resignation. It is a posture of hope that does not demand a timeline. You keep turning to God, and you let Him decide what blessing He leaves behind. This week, when you pray about something that feels stuck, try ending with "Who knows?" not as doubt but as trust that God knows exactly what to do next.
Main takeaway: God's mercy is sure for the repentant, but the shape and timing of His blessing remain in His wise and loving hands.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Sometimes we do not know what will happen next. But when we say sorry to God, we can always hope for something good. He loves to leave a blessing.
For ages 9, 12
Joel told the people to fast and pray because a locust swarm had destroyed everything. God said to turn back to Him with all their hearts. Verse 14 says, "Who knows?" It means: we cannot be sure if God will give back all we lost, but because He is good, we can hope and trust Him even when we do not know the answer.
Questions People Ask
Does 'Who knows?' in Joel 2:14 mean God might not forgive me?
No. The question is not about forgiveness. Verse 13 already says God is gracious, merciful, and relents from calamity. The phrase expresses uncertainty about whether God will also remove the temporal punishment, like the locust damage and famine. It is an idiom of humble hope, not theological doubt.
What does 'leave a blessing behind him' mean in Joel 2:14?
The blessing is specified as grain and drink offerings for the Lord. This is a concrete restoration: God would give back the harvests so the people could resume worship in the temple. The blessing is not just a feeling but a tangible sign of God's favor, especially the ability to offer thanks through their gifts.
How does Joel 2:14 compare to Jonah 3:9?
The wording is almost identical. The king of Nineveh says, 'Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn away from His fierce anger.' Both passages use the same idiom. In both cases, the people have sinned and are facing judgment, and the 'who knows' expresses their only hope: that God will mercifully relent if they repent.
Did the people in Joel's time really not know if God would answer?
They knew God's character, gracious and merciful, but they did not know if He would choose to remove this specific disaster. They were not doubting His willingness to forgive, but they were being honest about whether He would change the outward situation. This kept them from presumption and deepened their earnestness in prayer.
What does the word 'relent' (nacham) mean in Joel 2:14?
It means to be sorry, to comfort oneself, to change one's mind or course of action. When used of God, it does not mean He made a mistake. It means He responds to repentance by altering His dealings with us, turning from judgment to mercy. The word also carries a sense of comfort, as if God's relenting brings comfort to His people.
For pastors & researchers
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