And I will remove far off from you him [that cometh] from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.
Joel 2:18 Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land, and will have pity on his people.
Joel 2:19 And Jehovah will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I send you corn, 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 And I will remove far off from you him [that cometh] from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.
Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for Jehovah doeth 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 yield full increase.
The verse centers on "remove", "cometh", "north", "drive", "land", "barren", "desolate", and "face". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "remove" and "cometh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And Jehovah will answer and say unto..." into verse 21's "Fear not O land be glad and...", so "remove" and "cometh" 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 "cometh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.