Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

JOEL 3:7KJV
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Joel 3:7 (KJV)

What does Joel 3:7 mean?

Joel 3:7 says that God will bring back the people who were sold into exile and will make those who did the selling face the consequences of their actions. The verse promises that those who wronged others will have their own deeds returned upon them.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Joel to the nations that mistreated Israel by selling its people into slavery. The situation is one of judgment: God is declaring that He will rescue His people from the places where they were scattered and will punish those who exploited them. The verse highlights both deliverance for the oppressed and justice for the oppressors.

The Hebrew behind Joel 3:7

  • "raise" (עִיר — ‘îr, H5782): This word often means to stir up or awaken. Here, it carries the sense of God actively bringing the exiles out of their distant places, not just passively letting them return.
  • "sold" (מָכַר — mākar, H4376): This word means to sell, especially into slavery. The verse is directly addressing the nations’ actions of selling Israelites, emphasizing the seriousness of their offense.
  • "return" (שׁוּב — shuv, H7725): This word means to turn back or restore. In this context, God is promising to turn the punishment back onto those who caused harm.
  • "recompence" (גְּמוּל — gəmûl, H1576): This word means a repayment or what is deserved. The verse stresses that the nations will receive exactly what they gave out.
  • "head" (רֹאשׁ — rosh, H7218): In Hebrew thought, to return something on someone’s head means to bring consequences directly upon them, making the punishment personal and unavoidable.

Why Joel 3:7 matters

  • Joel 3:7 clarifies that God sees and responds to injustice, promising both rescue for the victims and consequences for the wrongdoers.
  • The verse connects to the wider theme in Joel of God’s judgment on the nations for how they treated Israel, showing that God’s justice is both restorative and retributive.
  • Understanding the specific Hebrew words deepens the sense that God’s actions are deliberate and personal—He is not distant, but actively involved in righting wrongs.

Where else these words appear

“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.

“raise” Hebrew H5782 · used in 65 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
  • Psalms 73:20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
  • Isaiah 51:17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

“sold” Hebrew H4376 · used in 74 verses

  • Genesis 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
  • Leviticus 25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
  • 2 Kings 17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.