but I will remove far off from you the northern [army], and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things.
Joel 2:18 Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
Joel 2:19 And Jehovah answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations;
Joel 2:20 but I will remove far off from you the northern [army], and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things.
Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for Jehovah hath done great things.
Joel 2:22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength.
The verse centers on "remove", "northern", "army", "drive", "land", "barren", "desolate", and "forepart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "remove" and "northern", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And Jehovah answered and said unto his..." into verse 21's "Fear not O land be glad and...", so "remove" and "northern" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "remove" and "northern" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.