Charles Ellicott Commentary Joel 1:2-3

"Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and [let] your children [tell] their children, and their children another generation." — Joel 1:2-3 (ASV)

Hath this been in your days? The introduction points to the startling nature of the portent: it was unexampled; it was a cause of consternation to all who saw it; it would be recollected as a subject of wondering comment among succeeding generations. The hand of God was evident, recalling the marvellous things he did in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.