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;

JOEL 3:4KJV
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Joel 3:4 (KJV)

What does Joel 3:4 mean?

Joel 3:4 describes God directly addressing the cities of Tyre, Zidon, and the regions along the coast of Palestine, questioning what business they have with Him and warning that any attempt to repay or retaliate against Him will quickly result in their actions coming back on their own heads. The verse is a warning that any hostility or payback toward God or His people will be swiftly returned in kind.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Joel to foreign nations—specifically Tyre (H6865), Zidon (H6721), and the coastal areas of Palestine (H6429)—who have acted against Israel. The language is confrontational, with God challenging their motives and declaring that any attempt to "recompense" (pay back or retaliate) will be met with immediate and just consequences. This fits into a larger section where God is pronouncing judgment on nations that have harmed His people.

The Hebrew behind Joel 3:4

  • "Coasts" (חֹפֵי, ḥōp̄ê, H1552) refers to the borderlands or coastal regions, highlighting that the warning is not just to the main cities but to the whole surrounding area.
  • "Render" (שָׁלַם, shālam, H7999) means to pay back or make restitution, often with the sense of settling a debt or score.
  • "Recompence" (גְּמוּל, gəmūl, H1576) refers to a reward or payback, good or bad, emphasizing the idea of consequences for actions.
  • "Swiftly" (קָל, qal, H7031) and "speedily" (מְהֵרָה, məhērāh, H4120) both stress the rapid response God promises, underlining that there will be no delay in His justice.
  • "Return" (שׁוּב, shuv, H7725) means to turn back or bring back, making clear that whatever these nations do will come back upon themselves.

Why Joel 3:4 matters

  • Joel 3:4 clarifies that God is not indifferent to the actions of foreign nations against His people; He notices and responds directly.
  • The verse emphasizes the principle of divine justice: whatever harm is done will be repaid in kind, and quickly.
  • This warning sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, where God’s judgment on the nations is a central theme, showing that no nation is beyond accountability.

Where else these words appear

“coasts” Hebrew H1552 · used in 5 verses

  • Joshua 13:2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
  • Joshua 22:10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
  • Joshua 22:11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

“Palestine” Hebrew H6429 · used in 8 verses

  • Exodus 15:14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
  • Psalms 83:7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
  • Psalms 108:9 Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.

“swiftly” Hebrew H7031 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Samuel 2:18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
  • Isaiah 18:2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
  • Jeremiah 46:6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

“recompence” Hebrew H1576 · used in 17 verses

  • Judges 9:16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
  • Psalms 137:8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
  • Isaiah 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.