Joel 2:32

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Joel 2:32 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.
Joel 2:32 — American Standard Version

Context — Joel 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered, etc.] Or “saved”, as in (<440221>Acts 2:21); from those miseries and calamities before described, from the impending ruin and destruction of the city; and so it was, that those that believed in Christ, that were in the city, had an intimation of it beforehand, and removed from thence to a place called Pella F68, and so escaped being involved in the common calamity: though this also may be understood of a spiritual deliverance and salvation by Christ, from sin, Satan, and the world, and from the second death, and wrath to come, and out of the hands of every enemy; which such share in who call on…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“call on . . . name of . . . Lord--Hebrew, JEHOVAH. Applied to Jesus in Rom 10:13 (compare Act 9:14; Co1 1:2). Therefore, Jesus is JEHOVAH; and the phrase means, "Call on Messiah in His divine attributes." shall be delivered--as the Christians were, just before Jerusalem's destruction, by retiring to Pella, warned by the Saviour (Mat 24:16); a type of the spiritual deliverance of all believers, and of the last deliverance of the elect "remnant" of Israel from the final assault of Antichrist. "In Zion and Jerusalem" the Saviour first appeared; and there again shall He appear as the Deliverer (Zac 14:1-5). as the Lord hath said--Joel herein refers, not to the other prophets, but to his own…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord - To call upon the name of the Lord, is to worship Him, as He is, depending “upon” Him. “The name of the Lord,” expresses His True Being, That which He is. Hence, so often in Holy Scripture, people are said to “call on the Name of the Lord,” to bless the Name of the Lord, to praise the Name of the Lord, to sing praises to His Name, to make mention of His Name, to tell of His Name, to know His Name” but it is very rarely said “I will praise the Name of God” (Psalms 69:31; Hebrew), for the Name rendered “the Lord,” expresses that He is, and that He Alone is, the Self-Same, the Unchangeable; the name rendered “God” is not the special Name of God.…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Whosoever shall call - Who hearing the gospel repents and believes in Christ. Delivered - Either from those outward afflictions, or which is infinitely better from eternal miseries, which will swallow up the unbelieving world; "and it will aggravate the ruin of those who perish, that they might have been saved on such easy terms." Is it then easy for a non - elect to repent and believe? May he not as easily pull the sun out of the firmament? In mount Zion - In the true church typified by Zion. Jerusalem - In mystical Jerusalem, the church and the city of the Messiah. Deliverance - Temporal and eternal. Shall call - To believe in Christ, and by him to wait for eternal life. Next: Joel Chapter…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“2:32 everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved: Calling on the name of God should not be a final act of desperation; it accompanies a lifelong commitment of worship, service, and fellowship with the Lord (see Gen 12:8; Ps 105:1; Isa 12:4; Rom 10:13; 12:1-2). • Those whom the Lord has called are his chosen remnant, the survivors of judgment who worship him (see 2 Kgs 19:31; Ezra 9:8-15; Isa 10:20-22).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“that: Psa 50:15; Jer 33:3; Zac 13:9; Act 2:21; Rom 10:11-14; Co1 1:2 for: Isa 46:13, Isa 59:20, Isa 59:21; Oba 1:17, Oba 1:21; Joh 4:22; Rom 11:26; Heb 12:22 and in: Isa 10:22, Isa 11:11, Isa 11:16; Jer 31:7; Mic 4:6, Mic 4:7, Mic 5:3, Mic 5:7, Mic 5:8; Joh 10:16; Act 2:39, Act 15:17; Rom 8:28-30, Rom 9:24, Rom 9:27, Rom 11:5, Rom 11:7; Th2 2:13, Th2 2:14 Next: Joel Chapter 3”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification