You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from their own border: The attackers from Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia had carried away captives from Judah and sold them as slaves to the Greeks, who lived far to the northwest. This added to the indignity of slavery the fact that they were far from Jerusalem, completely removed from their homeland. The people of Judah and Jerusalem is literally “the sons of….” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “The young men of….” However, the rendering of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation for this phrase is better. Far from their own border may be translated “far from their homeland” or “far from their fathers’ land [or, house/home].”

Quoted with permission from de Blois, Kees & Dorn, Louis. A Handbook on Joel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .