Joel 3:19

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Egypt will be desolate and Edom will be a desolate wilderness, because of the violence they did to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לִשְׁמָמָ֣ה תִֽהְיֶ֔ה וֶאֱד֕וֹם לְמִדְבַּ֥ר שְׁמָמָ֖ה תִּֽהְיֶ֑ה מֵֽחֲמַס֙ בְּנֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁפְכ֥וּ דָם־נָקִ֖יא בְּאַרְצָֽם

Transliteration

Miṣrayim to-šəmāmāh ṯihyeh and-ʾĕḏôm to-miḏbar šəmāmāh tihyeh from-ḥămas bənê yəhûḏāh which-šāp̄əḵû dām-nāqî in-ʾarṣām

Grammar Details

• *miṣrayim*: proper noun - Egypt
• *lišəmāmāh*: preposition + feminine singular noun - to a desolation
• *ṯihyeh*: qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular - it will be
• *weʾĕḏôm*: conjunction + proper noun - and Edom
• *ləmiḏbar*: preposition + masculine singular construct - to a wilderness of
• *šəmāmāh*: feminine singular noun - desolation
• *tihyeh*: qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular - it will be
• *mēḥămas*: preposition + masculine singular construct - because of the violence of
• *bənê*: masculine plural construct - sons/children of
• *yəhûḏāh*: proper noun - Judah
• *ʾăšer*: relative particle - who/which
• *šāp̄əḵû*: qal perfect 3rd person plural - they shed
• *dām-nāqî*: masculine singular noun + adjective masculine singular - innocent blood
• *bəʾarṣām*: preposition + feminine singular noun + 3rd person masculine plural suffix - in their land

Word Meanings

• *šəmāmāh*: desolation/waste/desert
• *miḏbar šəmāmāh*: desolate wilderness/desert wasteland
• *ḥămas*: violence/wrong
• *šāp̄əḵû*: shed/poured out
• *dām-nāqî*: innocent blood/blood of the innocent

Referenced Verses

• Isa 19:1-9 : 1 The Lord Will Judge Egypt This is an oracle about Egypt: Look, the LORD rides on a swift-moving cloud and approaches Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the Egyptians lose their courage. 2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, brothers will fight with each other, as will neighbors, cities, and kingdoms. 3 The Egyptians will panic, and I will confuse their strategy. They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead, from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. 4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master; a powerful king will rule over them,” says the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies. 5 The water of the sea will be dried up, and the river will dry up and be empty. 6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up; the bulrushes and reeds will decay, 7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. All the cultivated land near the river will turn to dust and be blown away. 8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all those who cast a fishhook into the river, and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve. 9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed; those who weave will turn pale. 10 Those who make cloth will be demoralized; all the hired workers will be depressed. 11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice. How dare you say to Pharaoh,“I am one of the sages, one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?” 12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? Let them tell you, let them find out what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has planned for Egypt. 13 The officials of Zoan are fools, the officials of Memphis are misled; the rulers of her tribes lead Egypt astray. 14 The LORD has made them undiscerning; they lead Egypt astray in all she does, so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing, head or tail, shoots or stalk.
• Isa 34:1-9 : 1 The Lord Will Judge Edom Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention, you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and everything that lives in it. 2 For the LORD is angry at all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will annihilate them and slaughter them. 3 Their slain will be left unburied, their corpses will stink; the hills will soak up their blood. 4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, the sky will roll up like a scroll; all its stars will wither, like a leaf withers and falls from a vine or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 5 He says,“Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment.” 6 The LORD’s sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams’ kidneys. For the LORD is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat. 8 For the LORD has planned a day of revenge, a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch. 10 Night and day it will burn; its smoke will ascend continually. Generation after generation it will be a wasteland and no one will ever pass through it again. 11 Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The LORD will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction. 12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom and all her officials will disappear. 13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there. 14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; wild goats will bleat to one another. Yes, nocturnal animals will rest there and make for themselves a nest. 15 Owls will make nests and lay eggs there; they will hatch them and protect them. Yes, hawks will gather there, each with its mate. 16 Carefully read the scroll of the LORD! Not one of these creatures will be missing, none will lack a mate. For the LORD has issued the decree, and his own spirit gathers them. 17 He assigns them their allotment; he measures out their assigned place. They will live there permanently; they will settle in it through successive generations.
• Isa 63:1-6 : 1 The Victorious Divine Warrior Who is this who comes from Edom, dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? Who is this one wearing royal attire, who marches confidently because of his great strength?“It is I, the one who announces vindication, and who is able to deliver!” 2 Why are your clothes red? Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat? 3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself; no one from the nations joined me. I stomped on them in my anger; I trampled them down in my rage. Their juice splashed on my garments, and stained all my clothes. 4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance, and then payback time arrived. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was shocked because there was no one offering support. So my right arm accomplished deliverance; my raging anger drove me on. 6 I trampled nations in my anger, I made them drunk in my rage, I splashed their blood on the ground.”
• Jer 49:17 : 17 “Edom will become an object of horror. All who pass by it will be filled with horror; they will hiss out their scorn because of all the disasters that have happened to it.
• Jer 51:35 : 35 The person who lives in Zion says,“May Babylon pay for the violence done to me and to my relatives.” Jerusalem says,“May those living in Babylonia pay for the bloodshed of my people.”
• Lam 4:21 : 21 ש(Sin/Shin)The Prophet Speaks: Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of Edom, who reside in the land of Uz. But the cup of judgment will pass to you also; you will get drunk and take off your clothes.
• Ezek 25:1-9 : 1 A Prophecy Against Ammon The LORD’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, turn toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites,‘Hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You said“Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile. 4 So take note, I am about to make you slaves of the tribes of the east. They will make camps among you and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 6 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced with intense scorn over the land of Israel, 7 take note, I have stretched out my hand against you, and I will hand you over as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from the lands. I will destroy you; then you will know that I am the LORD.’” 8 A Prophecy Against Moab“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘Moab and Seir say,“Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.” 9 So look, I am about to open up Moab’s flank, eliminating the cities, including its frontier cities, the beauty of the land– Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim. 10 I will hand it over, along with the Ammonites, to the tribes of the east, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. 11 I will execute judgments against Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’” 12 A Prophecy Against Edom“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘Edom has taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully culpable by taking vengeance on them. 13 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom, and I will kill the people and animals within her, and I will make her desolate; from Teman to Dedan they will die by the sword. 14 I will exact my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel. They will carry out in Edom my anger and rage; they will experience my vengeance, declares the Sovereign LORD.’” 15 A Prophecy Against Philistia“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘The Philistines have exacted merciless revenge, showing intense scorn in their effort to destroy Judah with unrelenting hostility. 16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take note, I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines. I will kill the Cherethites and destroy those who remain on the seacoast. 17 I will exact great vengeance upon them with angry rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I exact my vengeance upon them.’”
• Ezek 35:1-9 : 1 Prophecy Against Mount Seir The LORD’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, turn toward Mount Seir, and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir; I will stretch out my hand against you and turn you into a desolate ruin. 4 I will lay waste your cities; and you will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD! 5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment. 6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; I will cut off from it the one who passes through or returns. 8 I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall. 9 I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 10 “‘You said,“These two nations, these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,”– although the LORD was there– 11 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will deal with you according to your anger, and according to your envy, by which you acted spitefully against them. I will reveal myself to them when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, saying,“They are desolate, they have been given to us for food.” 13 You exalted yourselves against me with your speech and hurled many insults against me– I have heard them all! 14 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will turn you into a desolation. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you– you will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all of Edom– all of it! Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
• Amos 1:11-12 : 11 This is what the LORD says:“Because Edom has committed three crimes– make that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. He chased his brother with a sword; he wiped out his allies. In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; in his fury he relentlessly attacked them. 12 So I will set Teman on fire; fire will consume Bozrah’s fortresses.”
• Obad 1:1 : 1 ¶ God’s Judgment on Edom The vision that Obadiah saw. The Sovereign LORD says this concerning Edom: Edom’s Approaching Destruction We have heard a report from the LORD. An envoy was sent among the nations, saying,“Arise! Let us make war against Edom!”
• Obad 1:10-16 : 10 Edom’s Treachery Against Judah“Because you violently slaughtered your relatives, the people of Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed forever. 11 You stood aloof while strangers took his army captive, and foreigners advanced to his gates. When they cast lots over Jerusalem, you behaved as though you were in league with them. 12 You should not have gloated when your relatives suffered calamity. You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed. You should not have boasted when they suffered adversity. 13 You should not have entered the city of my people when they experienced distress. You should not have joined in gloating over their misfortune when they suffered distress. You should not have looted their wealth when they endured distress. 14 You should not have stood at the fork in the road to slaughter those trying to escape. You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity. 15 The Coming Day of the Lord“For the day of the LORD is approaching for all the nations! Just as you have done, so it will be done to you. You will get exactly what your deeds deserve. 16 For just as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink, and they will gulp down; they will be as though they had never been.
• Zech 10:10 : 10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the lands of Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be enough room for them.
• Zech 14:18-19 : 18 If the Egyptians will not do so, they will get no rain– instead there will be the kind of plague which the LORD inflicts on any nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Shelters. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Shelters.
• Mal 1:3-4 : 3 and rejected Esau. I turned Esau’s mountains into a deserted wasteland and gave his territory to the wild jackals.” 4 Edom says,“Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places.” So the LORD of Heaven’s Armies responds,“They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the LORD is permanently displeased.
• 2 Thess 1:6 : 6 For it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
• Ps 137:7 : 7 Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said,“Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!”
• Isa 11:15 : 15 The LORD will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind, he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, and enable them to walk across in their sandals.