But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
Joel 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
Joel 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
Joel 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do 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 her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
The verse centers on "remove", "northern", "army", "drive", "land", "barren", "desolate", and "face". 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 "Yea the LORD will answer and say..." 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.