Joel 1:2 (DRB)

Passage

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land: did this ever happen in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

Nearby Context

Joel 1:1 The word of the Lord, that came to Joel, the son of Phatuel.

Joel 1:2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land: did this ever happen in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

Joel 1:3 Tell ye of this to your children, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.

Joel 1:4 That which the palmerworm hath left, the locust hath eaten: and that which the locust hath left, the bruchus hath eaten: and that which the bruchus hath left, the mildew hath destroyed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "give", "inhabitants", "land", "ever", "happen", and "days". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "give", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "The word of the Lord that came..." into verse 3's "Tell ye of this to your children...", so "hear" and "give" 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 "hear" and "give" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.