spoke of this day as one of darkness, gloom, clouds, and blackness (Joel 2:2; see also Amos 5:18, 20). Trumpet and battle cry were familiar elements of war. God’s immediate judgment on Judah would come in the form of the Babylonian armies. The devastation and loss of life during the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. were horrific. The city and its great temple were leveled, and survivors were carted off into captivity. 1:17–18. The phrase walk like blind men suggests helplessness.