1:2 Hear . . . give ear. This series of commands calls the people to recognize the personal and spiritual significance of the locust invasion. The repetition of thought in the first and second lines and in the third and fourth lines illustrates the parallelism typical of Hebrew poetry.

elders. This term designates the community and religious leaders. The same term used in 2:28 seems to refer to age, hence the translation “old men.”

all inhabitants of the land. The entire population of Judah and Jerusalem is called to listen.