Joel 1:6 (YLT)

Passage

For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth <FI>are<Fi> the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.

Nearby Context

Joel 1:4 What is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm, Eaten hath the caterpillar.

Joel 1:5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, And howl all drinking wine, because of the juice, For it hath been cut off from your mouth.

Joel 1:6 For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth <FI>are<Fi> the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.

Joel 1:7 It hath made my vine become a desolation, And my fig-tree become a chip, It hath made it thoroughly bare, and hath cast down, Made white have been its branches.

Joel 1:8 Wail, as a virgin girdeth with sackcloth, For the husband of her youth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nation", "hath", "come", "land", "strong", "number", and "teeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nation" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Awake ye drunkards and weep And howl..." into verse 7's "It hath made my vine become a...", so "nation" and "hath" 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 "nation" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.