Joel 3:20 kjv
But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joel 3:20 nkjv
But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joel 3:20 niv
Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.
Joel 3:20 esv
But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations.
Joel 3:20 nlt
"But Judah will be filled with people forever,
and Jerusalem will endure through all generations.
Joel 3 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 48:8 | As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish her forever. | Jerusalem established forever. |
| Ps 89:36 | His line shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. | Davidic covenant, enduring reign. |
| Isa 9:7 | Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end... establishing it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. | Everlasting government/peace. |
| Isa 60:15 | Instead of your being forsaken and hated... I will make you majestic forever, a joy from generation to generation. | Jerusalem's eternal joy & majesty. |
| Isa 61:8 | For I the Lord love justice... I will faithfully give them their recompense... I will make an everlasting covenant with them. | God's everlasting covenant. |
| Jer 31:35-36 | If these fixed orders depart from before me... then also the offspring of Israel shall cease... before me forever. | Israel's perpetual existence. |
| Eze 37:25 | They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob... they and their children and their children's children, forever. | Perpetual dwelling in promised land. |
| Amos 9:15 | I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them. | Never uprooted, permanent dwelling. |
| Obadiah 1:17 | But in Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. | Deliverance in Zion, possessions secured. |
| Mic 4:7 | And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. | God's eternal reign from Zion. |
| Zech 8:3 | Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city. | God dwells in restored Jerusalem. |
| Zech 12:6 | On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among sticks... and they shall devour all the surrounding peoples. | Judah's victory over enemies. |
| Rom 11:29 | For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. | God's irrevocable calling of Israel. |
| Heb 8:10 | For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel... I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. | New Covenant, God's enduring people. |
| Heb 12:22-24 | But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... | Heavenly Jerusalem, enduring dwelling. |
| Rev 21:3-4 | Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. | God's eternal dwelling with His people. |
| Rev 21:24-27 | The nations will walk by its light... its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. | New Jerusalem's eternal accessibility. |
| Isa 2:2-3 | In the latter days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains... and all the nations shall stream to it. | Nations flock to Lord's house. |
| Zech 14:11 | And Jerusalem shall be inhabited and shall never again be devoted to destruction, but Jerusalem shall dwell in security. | Jerusalem's secure habitation. |
| 1 Pet 2:9 | But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession... | Spiritual Israel as chosen people. |
| Eph 2:19-22 | So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God... | Believers as spiritual Jerusalem/God's temple. |
Joel 3 verses
Joel 3 20 Meaning
Joel 3:20 pronounces an enduring future of secure habitation and eternal existence for Judah and Jerusalem, directly contrasting with the complete destruction prophesied for the nations that oppose God's people. It speaks to God's steadfast covenant faithfulness and the permanency of His dwelling place among His chosen. This verse underscores the secure and lasting restoration of God’s people, embodying a promise of uninterrupted divine presence and national survival.
Joel 3 20 Context
Joel 3:20 is situated at the climax of the book of Joel, following vivid descriptions of God's judgment upon the nations gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1-16) for their injustice against His people and land. Chapters 1-2 detail the Day of the Lord as a day of severe locust plague and divine judgment on Judah, leading to repentance. Chapter 3 then shifts to a broader, eschatological Day of the Lord, focusing on the judgment of gentile nations and the ultimate vindication and restoration of God's covenant people. Verses 18-21 present a glorious picture of renewed Edenic prosperity and God’s everlasting presence for Judah and Jerusalem. This verse, therefore, acts as a divine guarantee of security and perpetuity for Israel, in stark contrast to the fate of their oppressors, depicted as desolate. Historically, this promise would have provided immense hope to a people who had experienced significant distress, invasions, and exile.
Joel 3 20 Word analysis
- But: Hebrew: וְ (ve). Functions as a conjunction, here used adversatively. It marks a decisive contrast between the fate of the nations (desolation in v.19) and the future of Judah and Jerusalem (perpetual habitation). This "but" signifies a divine turning point and a distinction in God's judgment and grace.
- Judah: Hebrew: יְהוּדָה (Yehudah). Refers to the southern kingdom, often used interchangeably with "Israel" or God's people as a whole in post-exilic prophecies. The name itself means "praise." It represents the inheritors of the Davidic covenant and the ancestral line of the Messiah. Its specific mention highlights the continued existence of the physical and spiritual descendants of Jacob.
- will be inhabited: Hebrew: תֵּשֵׁב (tēshēbh), from the root יָשַׁב (yashab). Means to dwell, sit, abide, inhabit. It denotes stability, security, and permanence, implying an undisturbed residence. The imperfect tense indicates continuous or future action, signifying an ongoing state of habitation.
- forever: Hebrew: לְעוֹלָם (l'olam). Signifies eternity, an indefinite or perpetual duration, extending beyond any foreseeable end. This term underscores the everlasting nature of God's covenant and His commitment to His people and holy city. It strongly implies divine guarantee.
- and Jerusalem: Hebrew: וִירוּשָׁלַם (viyrushalayim). The capital city, both earthly and symbolically spiritual (Zion). Often personified as the dwelling place of God's presence, the center of worship, and the focal point of God's kingdom on earth. Its enduring status ensures the perpetuity of divine-human communion.
- from generation to generation: Hebrew: וָדוֹר דּוֹר (l'dor vador). Literally "and generation, generation." This idiomatic phrase emphasizes unending continuity through successive ages, signifying perpetual legacy and unbroken lineage. It reinforces the concept of "forever" by detailing the generational transmission of habitation and divine blessing, ensuring the endurance of the community.
- Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "But Judah will be inhabited forever": This phrase establishes the inviolability of God's promise to His chosen people, promising them a secure and eternal homeland. It is a promise rooted in God's faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, emphasizing that despite any temporary setbacks or judgments, their ultimate existence and possession of the land are divinely guaranteed.
- "and Jerusalem from generation to generation": This clause extends the promise of permanence to the city that serves as the heart of Judah's spiritual and national identity. Jerusalem is not merely a geographic location but represents the place of God's special presence and future kingdom. Its eternal habitation signifies an enduring spiritual center and the unbroken succession of a divinely favored people living under God's rule.
Joel 3 20 Bonus section
The prophecy in Joel 3:20, while primarily literal for Judah and Jerusalem, also has broader theological implications. In the New Testament, the Church is often described as spiritual Israel or the New Jerusalem, highlighting that the promises of secure dwelling and divine presence find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ and His people. This verse speaks not only to the physical restoration of a nation but also to the establishment of an eternal, holy community where God dwells forever. It affirms the unchanging purpose of God's salvific work through all ages.
Joel 3 20 Commentary
Joel 3:20 is a powerful declaration of God's unswerving faithfulness to His covenant people, Israel, and their sacred capital, Jerusalem. In vivid contrast to the final and utter destruction pronounced upon the nations that rise against them, Judah and Jerusalem are promised an eternal future of secure dwelling. This promise is not contingent on human merit but on God's unwavering character and His predetermined redemptive plan. It speaks to an eschatological hope where God’s people will dwell in prosperity, safety, and God's tangible presence, experiencing a state of blessedness and enduring existence, stretching from one generation to the next, eternally. It underscores the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom and the enduring nature of His elect people on earth.