Joel 2:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They will seize control of the city gates, erect their fortifications, and infiltrate the temples, entering through the windows like robbers. The ground will be shattered before Him, and the heavens will tremble; the sun and the moon will lose their brightness, and the stars will cease to shine. Indeed, they will scale the walls, ravaging the fields, and like thieves, they will break into the windows, sowing disorder among the people and seemingly overturning everything, leading to the perception that even the heavens are disturbed, while the sun, the moon, and the stars appear to maintain their brilliance. This figurative language conveys the weighty and distressing nature of the calamity faced by those on earth.

The fearful do not follow their own paths, as highlighted by the prophet, who illustrates the power and audacity of the Assyrians. It is typical of the fearful to hesitate and deviate from their chosen course. The prophet states, "And with windows they shall enter in like a tatie," which may refer to the strategies of their adversaries that have not yet been executed, or it could describe what occurred when they seized well-defended cities that had no direct entry points.

It has been observed repeatedly that this is accomplished not solely by adversaries but also by locusts. Furthermore, numerous instances illustrate that these pests do not merely attack from above; they also ascend walls and infiltrate homes through the windows.