Joel 2:14 · Bible study
Joel 2:14 Commentary: The Rhetoric of Uncertainty in God's Mercy
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does Joel's 'Who knows?' express genuine doubt about God relenting from judgment, or is it a rhetorical spur to repentance?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The phrase expresses hopeful uncertainty whether God will remove a temporal judgment following repentance, trusting His character while leaving the outcome to Him.
- Key words: 'Who knows?' (מִי יוֹדֵעַ), an idiom of humble hope; 'relent' (נִחָם), God's change in dealing with judgment; 'blessing' (בְּרָכָה), restoration of harvest for temple offerings.
- Main debate: Is the uncertainty genuine or rhetorical? Some (Barnes, Gill) say it reflects real ambiguity about temporal punishment; others (Calvin, Keil & Delitzsch) see it as a device to stir the complacent.
- Theological theme: The interplay of divine sovereignty and human repentance, God's mercy is sure for eternal salvation but leaves room for varied temporal responses.
- Best use: Teaching on humble prayer, the nature of repentance, and trust in God's character even when outcomes remain unknown.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him— grain and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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?
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Who knoweth? He might return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, an oblation and a drink-offering for Jehovah your God?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ Quién sabe si volverá, y se apiadará, y dejará bendición tras de él, presente y libación para Jehová Dios vuestro?
Quem sabe talvez ele volte atrás e se arrependa, e deixe após si uma bênção, uma oferta de alimento de de bebida ao SENHOR vosso Deus?
Qui sait s’ il ne reviendra pas et ne se repentira pas,
Wer weiß, es mag ihn wiederum gereuen, und er mag einen Segen hinter sich lassen, zu opfern Speisopfer und Trankopfer dem HERRN, eurem Gott.
Wie weet, Hij mocht Zich wenden en berouw hebben; en Hij mocht een zegen achter Zich overlaten tot spijsoffer en drankoffer voor den HEERE, uw God.
Chi sa ch’ei non si volga e si penta lasciando dietro a sé una benedizione, delle offerte e delle libazioni per l’Eterno, per l’Iddio vostro?
Któż wie, nie obrócili się, a nie będzieli mu żal, i nie zostawili po sobie błogosławieństwa na śniedną i mokrą ofiarę Panu, Bogu waszemu.
Кто знает, не сжалится ли Он, и не оставит ли благословения, хлебного приношения и возлияния Господу Богу вашему?
或者他轉意 後悔，留下 餘 福，就是留下獻給耶和華─你們 神 的素祭 和奠祭，也未 可知。
May it not be that he will again let his purpose be changed and let a blessing come after him, even a meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Joel 2:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators generally agree that the phrase 'Who knows?' (מִי יוֹדֵעַ) in Joel 2:14 is not a statement of absolute uncertainty about God's mercy toward repentant sinners, but a humble expression of hope for a change in temporal circumstances. Barnes notes that God has promised forgiveness of sins and eternal punishment to those who turn to Him with their whole heart, of that there is no doubt. The uncertainty concerns whether God will remit the temporal punishment: the locust plague and its agricultural devastation. The 'blessing' left behind is the restoration of grain and wine so that the temple's meal offering and drink offering can resume (Joel 1:9). Gill and the Cambridge Bible see the phrase as parallel to David's words in 2 Samuel 12:22 and the king of Nineveh's in Jonah 3:9, cases where penitent hearts hoped for a softer judgment, not a guaranteed reversal. Calvin adds that the seeming doubt is a rhetorical goad: it rouses spiritual torpor and shakes off self-complacency. The consensus holds that the verse invites the people to repent with genuine contrition, trusting God's character (gracious, merciful, slow to anger) while leaving the precise outcome to His sovereign will.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Genuine uncertainty (temporal focus): Barnes and Gill argue that forgiveness of sin is assured, but removal of temporal punishment is not guaranteed, as seen in David's experience (2 Sam 12:22) and the Ninevites (Jonah 3:9).
- Rhetorical spur to action: Calvin and Keil & Delitzsch contend that the phrase is designed to shake believers out of complacency and prevent them from presuming on God's grace, not to express actual doubt about divine willingness to relent.
- Expression of humble hope: Cambridge Bible and others see it as a blend: a genuine 'perhaps' that reflects the mysterious freedom of God, neither mechanical guarantee nor cold uncertainty.
What is clear: God's character as described in verse 13 (gracious, merciful, slow to anger, relenting from evil) provides the foundation for all hope, and repentance is the appropriate human response.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the uncertainty | The phrase does not express doubt about God's willingness to forgive repentant sinners in an eternal sense. | Some (Barnes, Gill) view it as genuine uncertainty about whether God will remove the specific temporal calamity; others (Calvin, Keil & Delitzsch) argue it is a rhetorical device to prevent presumption and prod deeper repentance. |
| Meaning of 'leave a blessing behind him' | The blessing refers concretely to the restoration of agricultural produce so that meal and drink offerings can again be presented in the temple. | Some commentators (Cambridge Bible, Barnes) emphasize the material nature of the blessing (harvest); others (Matthew Henry) also see it as a symbol of restored covenantal relationship. |
| Relationship to God's character | The hope in verse 14 is grounded in the attributes of God listed in verse 13: gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and relenting from evil. | There is minor difference on whether the phrase 'who knows' primarily reflects the people's doubt (Gill) or is a literary device used by the prophet to keep them from taking mercy for granted (Calvin). |
| Parallel with Jonah 3:9 | Both verses use the identical Hebrew idiom (מִי יוֹדֵעַ יָשׁוּב וְנִחָם) and appear in contexts of threatened judgment and potential repentance. | Some see the king of Nineveh's uncertainty as resolved positively (God did relent), while Joel's outcome is more ambiguous, the text moves directly to a prayer in verse 17 and then to God's response in verse 18, leaving the 'who knows' as a transition. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The book of Joel opens with a devastating locust plague, described in military terms as an invading army, that strips the land bare. Joel 1:9 laments that 'the meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Yahweh’s house.' This is not just an agricultural crisis; it stops the regular temple worship, the visible sign of covenant relationship. In Joel 2, the prophet sounds the trumpet and summons the people to a solemn assembly. The call to repentance in verses 12, 13 is urgent: 'Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning' and 'Rend your heart, not your garments.' The reference to rending garments reflects an ancient Near Eastern mourning practice that could become empty ritual. Joel demands inward transformation.
Verse 14 provides the hinge: after the admonition comes a fragile hope. The idiom 'Who knows?' appears elsewhere in Scripture at moments of desperate prayer, David pleading for his child's life (2 Samuel 12:22), the Philistines hoping to avert a plague (1 Samuel 6:5), Hezekiah’s officials seeking help against Assyria (2 Kings 19:4). Each instance has a provisional, 'perhaps' quality. The phrase does not deny God's mercy but acknowledges that God's response to specific temporal judgments is not mechanically predictable. The blessing hoped for, a restored grain offering and drink offering, is concrete: enough harvest to sustain both the people and the worship of Yahweh. Verse 15 then resumes the call to gather everyone, from elders to nursing infants, for a national day of prayer. The historical backdrop is a community on the edge of ruin, learning that repentance is the path back to both physical sustenance and the joy of temple worship.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Joel 2:14. The Hebrew text is stable. The main variation lies in how English translations render the idiom. Some (WEB, BSB) treat 'Who knows?' as a rhetorical question followed by a statement of possibility: 'Who knows? He may turn and relent.' Others (KJV, ASV) render it as a conditional: 'Who knoweth if he will return and repent.' Both are legitimate translations of the Hebrew, which literally reads 'Who knows? He will turn and relent.' The sense is equivalent to 'perhaps' or 'it may be.'
Reception History
Early Jewish commentators, such as those cited by Gill (Kimchi, Ben Melech, Jarchi), often read the 'who knows' as referring to human understanding: 'he who knows his sin will return, and God will relent.' Jerome, as quoted in Keil & Delitzsch, saw the phrase as a deliberate safeguard against both despair over great sins and careless presumption of mercy. The reformed tradition, through Calvin and the Geneva Bible, emphasized the rhetorical force: the uncertainty is not in God but is used to combat human sluggishness. In liturgical use, this verse has been paired with the call to repentance in the season of Lent, particularly in traditions that observe Ash Wednesday or penitential services. The verse also appears in hymnody that pleads for God to 'turn and leave a blessing.' Throughout church history, Joel 2:14 has been a touchstone for teaching that while God's mercy toward the penitent is sure, the timing and manner of His deliverance remain in His hands.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The crisis that strips worship bare. The locust plague cut off the meal and drink offerings, not just food, but the people's ability to meet with God in the prescribed way. This is a picture of how judgment disrupts even our access to grace, driving us to cry out.
- Repentance that goes deeper than ritual. Tearing the heart rather than garments means the inward turn must match the outward call. God's character, gracious, merciful, slow to anger, is the ground for hope, not the guarantee that everything will go back to normal.
- Leaving the outcome to God. 'Who knows?' is the language of humble faith. It is not doubt about God's mercy toward repentant sinners, but a reverent acknowledgment that temporal consequences may vary. The blessing that remains is still a gift.
Five-point outline
- Joel's diagnosis: judgment has come, and worship has stopped (v.9).
- The prescription: a whole-hearted return to God (v.12).
- The heart of true repentance: inward contrition, not outward show (v.13a).
- The foundation of all hope: God's revealed character (v.13b).
- The posture of faith: 'Who knows?', a quiet trust that leaves room for God's freedom (v.14).
Illustration hooks
- A farmer after a drought: he has done everything he can, planted, prayed, but the rain is not in his hands. 'Who knows?' becomes an act of trust, not despair.
- A congregation after a church split or financial collapse: the offering plates are thin, but the people gather to pray, not knowing if God will restore numbers or resources, but knowing He is good.
- A parent praying for a wayward child: they have wept, fasted, pleaded. The 'Who knows?' of Joel matches their own mix of hope and surrender.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God always remove the consequences of my sin when I repent?
- How can I tell whether my repentance is merely outward or truly from the heart?
- If God is merciful, why does He still let bad things happen after I turn to Him?
Leading a Discussion
Joel 2:14 sits in the middle of a call to national repentance. The people have experienced a locust plague that stopped the temple offerings. The prophet urges them to turn back to God with their whole hearts, and then he adds this phrase: 'Who knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him.' It is a moment of suspended hope. As a group, explore what this verse reveals about the relationship between human repentance and divine response.
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase 'Who knows?' communicate about the speaker's confidence in God's response? Why not say 'He will surely relent'?
- Read Joel 2:13 and list the attributes of God mentioned there. How do these attributes encourage repentance even when the outcome is uncertain?
- Compare Joel 2:14 with 2 Samuel 12:22 and Jonah 3:9. What pattern do you see in how these prayers are worded? What does that pattern suggest about approaching God during judgment?
- The 'blessing' in this verse is specifically the restoration of grain and drink offerings for the temple. Why would the prophet focus on worship resources rather than just food and water?
- How do you personally distinguish between 'hoping in God's mercy' (which this verse models) and 'expecting God to do what I want' (which this verse avoids)?
- In what areas of your life right now do you need to adopt the posture of 'Who knows?', not as resignation, but as humble faith?
- How can this passage help someone who has repented but still faces painful consequences of past choices?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 32:30 | On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.” |
| Joshua 14:12 | Now therefore give me this hill country, of which Yahweh spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and great and fortified cities. It may be that Yahweh will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as Yahweh said.” |
| I Samuel 6:5 | Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. |
| II Samuel 12:22 | He said, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ |
| II Kings 19:4 | It may be Yahweh your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’” |
| Isaiah 65:8 | Yahweh says, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for a blessing is in it:’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, that I may not destroy them all. |
| Jeremiah 26:3 | It may be they will listen, and every man turn from his evil way, that I may relent from the evil which I intend to do to them because of the evil of their doings.’” |
| Joel 1:9 | The meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Yahweh’s house. The priests, Yahweh’s ministers, mourn. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that God might still stop the disaster and give enough food for people animals and temple sacrifices. He believes this shows God could intervene to prevent the threat.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees Joel’s people asking for food offerings as a sign that God is still willing to accept worship even when other punishments continue. He believes these gifts remain proof of God’s love as long as they exist.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that God appears unready to forgive here to wake people from their laziness and self-satisfaction. This method helps correct both their slowness to repent and their excessive confidence.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Christians who hold this view point to Joel 2:14 while others emphasize verses about God’s mercy. Both seek to be faithful to Scripture.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the deliberate uncertainty in the phrase "Who knoweth." Even after genuine repentance, the outcome remains in God's hands alone. The commentator stresses that no one can presume on God's mercy; the hope for a blessing left behind comes only through humble, uncertain waiting.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this verse as an expression of hope, not doubt, that God may relent from judgment and change his providence. The hope is grounded in God's revealed character of mercy. The "blessing" left behind refers to enough of the harvest for the temple offerings, showing the people's priority for worship over personal need.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
The commentary notes that Christians who hold the view that God is present in his people during suffering believe he has already removed the curse. It says he will also remove the curse when he returns to help them.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the phrase who knoweth expresses firm hope rather than doubt. It shows confidence that God will turn from judgment and leave behind blessings.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the locust plague is not a mere symbol or type of a future judgment but is itself the actual beginning of the Day of the Lord. He insists the invasion is a real historical calamity, not a metaphor for an enemy army. The call to repentance is urgent because this very event marks God's judgment already arriving.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that God brings people into hardship so they will turn to him in true repentance. He believes this action stops further punishment and leads to improvement.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that God does not travel but appears to move when he stops giving blessings. He also states that God leaves a blessing behind by causing the locusts to leave before they destroy everything.