What does Joel 3:21 mean?
"For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion." - Joel 3:21
Joel 3:21 - "For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion."
Joel 3:21 (KJV) states, "For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion." This verse comes at the end of the Book of Joel, which is one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible. The book is attributed to the prophet Joel, who is believed to have lived in Judah during the reign of King Josiah and is thought to have been written around the 5th century BC. The book addresses the Day of the Lord, a time of divine judgment and restoration, and Joel 3:21 serves as a concluding statement that emphasizes the cleansing and restoration that the Lord will bring to His people.
The verse begins with the promise of cleansing the blood of the people. In biblical context, blood is often associated with sin and the need for forgiveness. The cleansing of blood symbolizes the removal of guilt and the atonement for sin. This reflects God's mercy and grace in offering forgiveness and redemption to those who repent and turn towards Him. This theme of cleansing and forgiveness is central to the message of Joel and is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, ultimately pointing to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, which provides spiritual cleansing and forgiveness for humanity.
The verse continues with the statement, "for the Lord dwelleth in Zion." This references the dwelling place of God among His people. Zion is often used in the Bible to indicate the presence of God and His Kingdom. In a broader sense, it represents the place of God's sovereignty and ultimate rule. The mention of Zion in this verse signifies the restoration of God's presence and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. It points to the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan for the redemption and restoration of His people.
The themes present in Joel 3:21 are consistent with the overall message of the book, which emphasizes the need for repentance, the impending judgment of God, and the hope of restoration. The verse offers a message of assurance and hope, highlighting the faithfulness and mercy of God in bringing about restoration and renewal.
In a broader theological context, the verse can also be understood as a reflection of God's faithfulness to His covenant with His people. Despite their disobedience and sin, God promises to cleanse and restore them, highlighting His unchanging love and commitment to His chosen people. This theme of covenantal faithfulness is a recurring motif throughout the Old Testament and finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ and the new covenant established through His sacrificial death and resurrection.
In conclusion, Joel 3:21 conveys a message of hope, restoration, and redemption. It emphasizes God's mercy in cleansing the sin of His people and His presence dwelling among them in Zion. The verse serves as a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness, His redemptive work, and His ultimate plan for the restoration of His people. It offers encouragement to those who seek His forgiveness and restoration, pointing towards the promise of renewal and the establishment of God's Kingdom.
Joel 3:21 Artwork
Joel 3:21 - "For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion."
Joel 2:21 - "¶ Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things."
Joel 3:15 - "The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining."
Joel 3:20 - "But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation."
Joel 3:14 - "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision."
Joel 3:3 - "And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink."
Joel 3:1 - "For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,"
Joel 1:3 - "Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation."
Joel 3:10 - "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong."
Joel 3:12 - "Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about."
Joel 3:13 - "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great."
1 Chronicles 7:3 - "And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men."
Joel 3:5 - "Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:"
Revelation 21:3
Joel 3:6 - "The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border."
Joel 3:19 - "Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land."
Genesis 21-3
Joel 3:7 - "Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:"
Joel 3:8 - "And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it."
Joel 3:9 - "¶ Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:"
Joel 3:11 - "Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD."
Joel 2:3 - "A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them."
Joel 3:18 - "¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim."
Joel 3:16 - "The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."
Isaiah 3:21 - "The rings, and nose jewels,"
Joel 3:17 - "So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more."
Joel 3:2 - "I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land."
Job 3:20-21 - "Job 3:20-21: Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure?"
Joel 3:4 - "Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;"
Colossians 3:21 - "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."