Joel 2:14 (KJV)

Passage

Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

Nearby Context

Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joel 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knoweth", "return", "repent", "leave", "blessing", "behind", "even", and "meat". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knoweth" and "return", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And rend your heart and not your..." into verse 15's "Blow the trumpet in Zion sanctify a...", so "knoweth" and "return" 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 "knoweth" and "return" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.