Joel 3:3 (WEB)

Passage

and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

Nearby Context

Joel 3:1 “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Joel 3:2 I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment on them there for my people, and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations. They have divided my land,

Joel 3:3 and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

Joel 3:4 “Yes, and what are you to me, Tyre, and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will you repay me? And if you repay me, I will swiftly and speedily return your repayment on your own head.

Joel 3:5 Because you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my finest treasures into your temples,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cast", "lots", "people", "given", "prostitute", "sold", "girl", and "wine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cast" and "lots", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "I will gather all nations and will..." into verse 4's "Yes and what are you to me...", so "cast" and "lots" 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 "cast" and "lots" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.