תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּצִיּוֹן וְהָרִיעוּ בְּהַר קָדְשִׁי יִרְגְּזוּ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ כִּי־בָא יוֹם־ה' כִּי קָרוֹב

Sound the shofar in Zion and sound a blast on My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, as the day of the Lord is coming, as it, the day on which God will smite the land with locusts, is near.

יוֹם חֹשֶׁךְ וַאֲפֵלָה יוֹם עָנָן וַעֲרָפֶל כְּשַׁחַר פָּרֻשׂ עַל־הֶהָרִים עַם רַב וְעָצוּם כָּמֹהוּ לֹא נִהְיָה מִן־הָעוֹלָם וְאַחֲרָיו לֹא יוֹסֵף עַד־שְׁנֵי דּוֹר וָדוֹר

It will be a day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and fog, the swarm of locusts will be like the dawn darkness spread over the mountains; it, the locusts, will be like a numerous and mighty people; never has there been its like on this scale, and there will never be again for the years of generation upon generation.

לְפָנָיו אָכְלָה אֵשׁ וְאַחֲרָיו תְּלַהֵט לֶהָבָה כְּגַן־עֵדֶן הָאָרֶץ לְפָנָיו וְאַחֲרָיו מִדְבַּר שְׁמָמָה וְגַם־פְּלֵיטָה לֹא־הָיְתָה לּוֹ

Before it a fire consumes, and after it a flame sears. The locusts will devour everything, as though the swarm were both preceded and followed by a fire. The land was like the Garden of Eden before it, before the appearance of the locusts, and after it, it will be a desolate wilderness; indeed, there was no escape from it.

כְּמַרְאֵה סוּסִים מַרְאֵהוּ וּכְ פָרָשִׁים כֵּן יְרוּצוּן

Its appearance is like the appearance of horses. Indeed, the shape of a locust’s head and back resemble those of a horse. And like a stampede of horsemen, that is, men on horseback, so they run; they charge forward in that same manner.

כְּקוֹל מַרְכָּבוֹת עַל־רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים יְרַקֵּדוּן כְּקוֹל לַהַב אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה קָשׁ כְּעַם עָצוּם עֱרוּךְ מִלְחָמָה

Rather than emitting sounds from vocal chords as human beings do, locusts create sound through their movements. The movement of a swarm of locusts is like the sound of chariots; on mountaintops they leap. The rustle of millions of locusts moving in unison can be heard across great distances. And it, the sound, is like the popping and crackling sound of a flame of fire consuming straw, like a mighty people arrayed for war.

מִפָּנָיו יָחִילוּ עַמִּים כָּל־פָּנִים קִבְּצוּ פָארוּר

Before it peoples will be terrified; out of this tremendous fear all faces will be gathered to a cauldron. All faces will be shriveled and lose their vitality as if cooked in a cauldron. Alternatively, all faces will be blackened like the sides of a cauldron.

כְּגִבּוֹרִים יְרֻצוּן כְּאַנְשֵׁי מִלְחָמָה יַעֲלוּ חוֹמָה וְאִישׁ בִּדְרָכָיו יֵלֵכוּן וְלֹא יְעַבְּטוּן אֹרְחוֹתָם

They will run like the valiant; like men of war they will scale the wall. Locusts are capable of climbing walls due to their hard protective coating, known as the cuticle; each will go in his own way and they will not twist their paths. Each locust follows its own path, and the swarm thereby covers an enormous area, like a large encampment.

וְאִישׁ אָחִיו לֹא יִדְחָקוּן גֶּבֶר בִּמְסִלָּתוֹ יֵלֵכוּן וּבְעַד הַשֶּׁלַח יִפֹּלוּ לֹא יִבְצָעוּ

One will not jostle another; each will proceed on his own track. Locusts do not seem to act as mindless creatures. The steady progress of millions of locusts eating and eradicating everything in their path is truly impressive. They will fall upon weapons. Weapons do not deter them at all; they settle upon them, but they will not be wounded. Even in modern times, mankind has failed to develop effective defenses against a swarm of locusts; certainly in the days of the prophets there was nothing that could halt their devastation.

בָּעִיר יָשֹׁקּוּ בַּחוֹמָה יְרֻצוּן בַּבָּתִּים יַעֲלוּ בְּעַד הַחַלּוֹנִים יָבֹאוּ כַּגַּנָּב

The locusts advance at a steady, unstoppable pace. They stomp in the city; all hear the flapping of their wings; they run on the wall; they go up and into the houses; they enter through the windows like a thief and devour everything inside.

לְפָנָיו רָגְזָה אֶרֶץ רָעֲשׁוּ שָׁמָיִם שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ קָדָרוּ וְכוֹכָבִים אָסְפוּ נָגְהָם

The earth shook before it; the heavens quaked. When millions of locusts flew en masse, the sun and the moon were darkened and the stars withdrew their shining, as though the locusts gathered in the light of the heavenly bodies or removed their light. The swarm of locusts is similar to a thick cloud of darkness that arrives from afar and blots out the daylight.

וַה' נָתַן קוֹלוֹ לִפְנֵי חֵילוֹ כִּי רַב מְאֹד מַחֲנֵהוּ כִּי עָצוּם עֹשֵׂה דְבָרוֹ כִּי־גָדוֹל יוֹם־ה' וְנוֹרָא מְאֹד וּמִי יְכִילֶנּוּ!

The Lord projected His voice before His army, the locusts that He sends forth, for His camp is very great, for the executor of His word is mighty; for the day of the Lord, on which He brings the locusts upon you is great and very awesome; who can bear it? Alternatively, the day of the Lord refers to the Day of Judgment at the End of Days, and the verse means that the plague of locusts serves as a prelude to that awesome day. One who has faced this plague can understand something of the overwhelming fear that people will experience at the End of Days.

וְגַם־עַתָּה נְאֻם־ה' שֻׁבוּ עָדַי בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם וּבְצוֹם וּבִבְכִי וּבְמִסְפֵּד

Even now, although disaster has already struck and there is no end in sight – the utterance of the Lord – return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with lamentation.

וְקִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְאַל בִּגְדֵיכֶם וְשׁוּבוּ אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כִּי־חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם הוּא אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה

Rend your hearts but not your garments; rending garments is the customary expression of mourning. Witnesses to the land’s utter destruction by locusts will certainly mourn, but the prophet stresses that they should rend their hearts in sincere repentance rather than perform the superficial gesture of tearing their garments. And return to the Lord your God, as He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and reconsiders harm.

מִי יוֹדֵעַ יָשׁוּב וְנִחָם וְהִשְׁאִיר אַחֲרָיו בְּרָכָה מִנְחָה וָנֶסֶךְ לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

Who knows? Perhaps, after you repent, He will relent and reconsider His decree, and leave a blessing of some produce after it, the locusts, from which it will be possible to bring a meal offering or a libation to the Lord your God. Then you will be able to bring a thanks offering to God, which includes meal offerings and libations.

תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּצִיּוֹן קַדְּשׁוּ צוֹם קִרְאוּ עֲצָרָה

Sound the shofar in Zion, set the day as a fast, convene an assembly;

אִסְפוּ־עָם קַדְּשׁוּ קָהָל קִבְצוּ זְקֵנִים אִסְפוּ עוֹלָלִים וְיוֹנְקֵי שָׁדָיִם יֵצֵא חָתָן מֵחֶדְרוֹ וְכַלָּה מֵחֻפָּתָהּ

gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble elders, gather children and babes who suck at breasts. Bring together a large gathering of all the people. Let even the groom emerge from his chamber, and the bride from her canopy. Everyone must share in the communal grief.

בֵּין הָאוּלָם וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ יִבְכּוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתֵי ה' וְיֹאמְרוּ חוּסָה ה' עַל־עַמֶּךָ וְאַל־תִּתֵּן נַחֲלָתְךָ לְחֶרְפָּה לִמְשָׁל־בָּם גּוֹיִם לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ בָעַמִּים אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם

Let the priests, servants of the Lord, weep between the Hall and the altar, and let them say: Pity your people, Lord, and do not give over Your inheritance to disgrace to have the nations rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples: Where is their God? Since the land will be completely emptied of its produce, it will be vulnerable to conquest by foreign nations. Even if there were storehouses where a portion of the produce had somehow been protected from the locusts, this would not be enough to sustain the needs of the entire nation. Consequently, after suffering the severe blow delivered by the locusts, the weakened nation will be unable to defend itself from invading peoples.

וַיְקַנֵּא ה' לְאַרְצוֹ וַיַּחְמֹל עַל־עַמּוֹ

The prophet describes what will occur if the people repent: However, due to Israel’s disgrace among the nations, the Lord was zealous for His land after its destruction by the locusts, and He had compassion for His people.

וַיַּעַן ה' וַיֹּאמֶר לְעַמּוֹ הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֶת־הַדָּגָן וְהַתִּירוֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָר וּשְׂבַעְתֶּם אֹתוֹ וְלֹא־אֶתֵּן אֶתְכֶם עוֹד חֶרְפָּה בַּגּוֹיִם

The Lord answered the prayer of the priests and said to His people: Behold, I am once again sending you the grain and the wine and the oil, and you will be satisfied with it. I assure you that since you had to request the assistance of the surrounding nations due to the severe famine, I will not render you a disgrace among the nations. This is referring specifically to the disgrace Israel felt because they required the produce of other nations to survive.

וְאֶת הַצְּפוֹנִי אַרְחִיק מֵעֲלֵיכֶם וְהִדַּחְתִּיו אֶל־אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וּשְׁמָמָה אֶת־פָּנָיו אֶל־הַיָּם הַקַּדְמֹנִי וְסֹפוֹ אֶל־הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן וְעָלָה בָאְשׁוֹ וְתַעַל צַחֲנָתוֹ כִּי הִגְדִּיל לַעֲשׂוֹת

I will distance the northerner, the northern locusts, from you. Although locusts originate on the African continent and generally approach the Land of Israel from the west or the south and spread out from there, in exceptional cases locusts arrive from the north after following an irregular path. And I will banish him from you, to an arid and desolate land, its face toward the eastern sea, the Dead Sea, and its rear toward the western sea, the Mediterranean Sea. The prophet informs the people that a wind will sweep the locusts in the direction of the arid desert to the south of the Dead Sea. As a result, the locusts will begin to perish; its stench will arise, because it has performed great, terrible, actions in the land. Millions of dead insects will produce a tremendously powerful and foul odor that will extend over great distances.

אַל־תִּירְאִי אֲדָמָה גִּילִי וּשְׂמָחִי כִּי־הִגְדִּיל ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת

Fear not, land; exult and rejoice, for the Lord has exceeded in His actions to counter the devastation wrought by the locusts.

אַל־תִּירְאוּ בַּהֲמוֹת שָׂדַי כִּי דָשְׁאוּ נְאוֹת מִדְבָּר כִּי־עֵץ נָשָׂא פִרְיוֹ תְּאֵנָה וָגֶפֶן נָתְנוּ חֵילָם

Fear not, animals of the field, the shortage of produce caused by the locusts, for the oases have grown grass, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded their riches.

וּבְנֵי צִיּוֹן גִּילוּ וְשִׂמְחוּ בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כִּי־נָתַן לָכֶם אֶת־הַמּוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה וַיּוֹרֶד לָכֶם גֶּשֶׁם מוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ בּרִאשׁוֹן

Children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God, as He has given you the early rain in charity, as a gift, an act of kindness. And He brings down for you the early rain and the later rain in the first month. The plague of locusts will apparently occur during a drought, and they will obliterate the few crops that are left in the fields. But when spring arrives a sudden change will take place: There will be an abundance of rainfall in the month of Nisan, and new crops will grow.

וּמָלְאוּ הַגֳּרָנוֹת בָּר וְהֵשִׁיקוּ הַיְקָבִים תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר

The threshing floor will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with wine and oil.

וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי לָכֶם אֶת הַשָּׁנִים אֲשֶׁר אָכַל הָאַרְבֶּה הַיֶּלֶק וְהֶחָסִיל וְהַגָּזָם חֵילִי הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָּכֶם

I will repay you for the years that were eaten by the desert locust, the migratory locust, the Moroccan locust, and the caterpillar, various types of locusts or different stages of a locust’s growth (see commentary on 1:4), that constituted My great army that I sent among you.

וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אָכוֹל וְשָׂבוֹעַ וְהִלַּלְתֶּם אֶת־שֵׁם ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה עִמָּכֶם לְהַפְלִיא וְלֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי לְעוֹלָם

You will eat, eating to satisfaction, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has acted with you wondrously, and My people will not be ashamed again, forever. Following the devastating blow of the locusts, a redemption will begin that will be greater than anything that came before it.

וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי בְקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל אָנִי וַאֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְאֵין עוֹד וְלֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי לְעוֹלָם

You will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God and there is no other, and My people will not be ashamed forever.