יואל, פרק ב׳, פסוק כ״א

Following a period of severe destruction and mourning, a dramatic shift brings comfort and the promise of a miraculous restoration. A reassuring call is directed toward the earth, urging it to abandon its fear.

This address to the land is understood on several levels. It can be seen as speaking directly to the inhabitants of the Land of Israel [רד"ק], or to the land itself, provided that the people return in repentance [רש"י]. Alternatively, the focus is specifically on the orchards and fruit trees rather than the grain fields [מלבי"ם]. The reassurance not to fear serves to calm the lingering anxiety that the devastating locust plague might return [מצודת דוד]. This comfort stands in direct contrast to the earlier reality of the plague, which was experienced as something deeply terrifying [אבן עזרא].

A call for joy replaces the previous atmosphere of mourning, lamentation, and fasting that consumed the people during the plague [רד"ק, אבן עזרא]. This joy involves two distinct emotional experiences. The first is a sudden outburst of excitement over unexpected good news, such as the miraculous recovery of the destroyed trees. The second is a steady, continuous state of happiness that settles in afterward [מלבי"ם].

The primary approach among commentators is that this restoration is an act of divine compensation. God will now perform great acts of goodness to serve as a counterbalance to the massive harm caused by the locusts. This intervention is a tremendous, supernatural miracle, brought about by the merit of the Israelites [מלבי"ם].