The Day of the Lord (2:28–32)

Pour out my Spirit … old men will dream dreams (2:28). The concept of having God’s Spirit “poured out” on an individual signified election by the deity. This was done in Mesopotamia with the monarch, who was endowed with melammu, a word denoting the glory of the deity.36 In fact, monarchs had their own melammu, which often in context meant “royal terror.” Assyrian monarchs such as Shalmaneser III and Shamshi-Adad V described themselves in this way in their annals, especially in regard to the enemy, “I poured my melammu over them.”37 Demons and even inanimate objects such as palaces and royal weapons could also be endowed with this divine material.

Moreover, the name of the Mesopotamian god of dreams, Zaqiqu, meant “wind/spirit,” showing a connection, like that in Joel, between spirit and dream revelation.38 However, there was a darker side to this term, for it also referred to phantoms or ghosts, haunted places, ruined cities (i.e., “ghost towns”), or even nothingness.39 The Israelite of this period would have thought in some of these terms concerning the Spirit of God.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood (2:31). This passage is no doubt describing an eclipse, which was usually considered an evil omen in Mesopotamian society, often bringing disaster, especially to the nation or to the king.40 In fact, Mesopotamian kings sometimes “abdicated” their throne and had another “sit on the throne” until the eclipse (and bad omen) was over. In effect, it was hoped that the substitute king, not the true king, would thus endure the hardships associated with the eclipse.41

A lunar eclipse gives the moon a blood-red appearance.

Wikimedia Commons, courtesy of NASA

The Neo-Assyrian kings were especially concerned about celestial observations and their explanations. Ancient scholars often predicted a new or full moon and reported it to the king, especially if the omen was favorable. Interestingly, the nonoccurrence of lunar eclipses is periodically mentioned in the scholarly reports to the king, much to the relief of the monarch. However, a prediction about a lunar eclipse gave the crown time to prepare for the oncoming danger. The scholars who predicted them also gave the monarch advice on how to proceed. We are not certain as to how they determined the eclipse, but the prediction was usually only a few days before the event.

Solar eclipses were rare and more difficult to predict. They were often considered good omens for the king and particularly bad for his enemies. In one report, the time and even color of the solar eclipse was crucial to a favorable report.42 If it was red on the west side and rode the south wind, “locusts will attack’ (line 2). However, if it occurred in Iyyar (II) on the twenty-eighth day, “the days of the king will be long; the land will enjoy abundant business.”43 In one Babylonian letter the monarch asked for a definite statement about a solar eclipse and was told that they were not predictable as lunar ones and could not be determined.44 The scholar went so far as to tell the monarch that one could simply observe it in the field.