Joel · Chapter 2

V. 1. Blow ye-The prophet continues his exhortation to the priests, who were appointed to summon the solemn assemblies.

Verse 1. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion] This verse also shows that the temple was still standing. All assemblies of the people were collected by the sound of the trumpet.

The day of the Lord cometh] This phrase generally means a day of judgment or punishment.

Verse 1. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion — The prophet, having in the preceding chapter described the locusts and caterpillars as a mighty army sent by God, in pursuance of this metaphor now exhorts the people to prepare to meet them, in the same terms as if they were alarmed to oppose an enemy, which was always done by the sound of the trumpet. Danger is proclaimed in this way, Ezekiel 33:3, 5; Hosea 5:8; Amos 3:6. Natural means were wont to be used, to prevent the devastations of locusts; pits and trenches were dug, bags were provided, and combustible matter was prepared and set on fire: see Shaw’s Travels, 4to. p. 187. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble — Let them be seized with as terrible an apprehension of this approaching judgment, as if they saw an enemy invading their country.

Verse 1. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, to convoke a solemn assembly for fasting and humiliation. Numbers 10:2, 3.

1. By the blowing of the horn the priests are to warn the people (Amos 3:6) of the near approach of the day of Jehovah and to gather them into the temple to pray. The latter thought is not expanded until verse 15. Trumpet — Better, horn. See on cornet, Hosea 5:8. Evidently the priests are addressed, which would indicate that the signal was intended also to summon the people to worship. Before speaking of the latter the prophet describes the calamity that calls for penitence and prayer. Zion — One of the hills on which Jerusalem stood. First mentioned as a Jebusite fortress which David captured, and whose name he changed into City of David. Its exact location is still a matter of dispute. Christian tradition identifies it with the southwest spur, but it was more likely in the southeast. After the building of the temple the name was extended so as to include the temple hill; so here. The signal is to be given from the top of the temple mount, so as to be heard far and wide. Holy mountain — Called holy because it was separated as the dwelling place of the Holy One of Israel (Psalm 2:6; see on Hosea 11:9; Zechariah 14:20). Tremble — It is high time to awake from careless indifference, for this is not an ordinary calamity; it forebodes the near approach of the day of Jehovah (Joel 1:15). In order to make more effective the appeal which is to follow, the prophet pictures in 2ff. the terror of the day as signalized by the present calamity. The first half of the verse is closely connected with verse 1, it describes the day as a day of darkness… gloominess… clouds… thick darkness — Four synonyms, for the sake of emphasis — intense, impenetrable darkness (Zephaniah 1:15; Ezekiel 34:12). Three of the words are used in Deuteronomy 4:11, of the darkness in which Sinai was enveloped when Jehovah descended upon it in fire; the fourth is applied in Exodus 10:22, to the plague of darkness. Darkness is in the Old Testament a very common figure for calamity (Isaiah 5:30; 8:22; 9:2); here it is a very appropriate picture, for all writers agree in speaking of locusts as clouds darkening the sun. “These creatures do not come in legions, but in whole clouds.… All the air is full and darkened when they fly. Though the sun shine ever so bright, it is no brighter than when most clouded.” “Soon after my arrival at Barosh I saw a swarm of locusts extending a mile in length and half a mile in width. They appeared in the distance like a black cloud. When they came nearer from the east the black swarm darkened the rays of the sun and cast a dark shadow like an eclipse” (Forbes). As the morning — Better, R.V., “dawn.” This does not belong to the preceding; it opens the description of the present calamity, which is not the day itself, only the dawn. As — See on Joel 1:15. It is in every respect like the dawn, because (1) as the dawn introduces the day, so the present calamity marks the beginning of the day of Jehovah; (2) the reflection of the sunlight from the wings of the locusts produces a glimmer that may be likened to the light of dawn. “The day before the arrival of the locusts we could infer that they were coming from a yellow reflection in the sky, proceeding from their yellow wings. As soon as the light appeared no one had the slightest doubt that an enormous swarm of locusts was approaching” (Alvarez). (3) Whether there is the additional thought that the locusts came from the east, where the dawn becomes first visible, is doubtful. Spread upon the mountains — Not in apposition to “day” (A.V.), nor is parus, “spread out,” the predicate of an indefinite subject (Keil); it is rather the predicate of the subject “a great people and a strong”; so that the whole sentence should be read, “Like dawn lies spread out upon the mountain a great people and a strong” (verse 5). People — The army of verse 11 and of verse 25, the swarms of locusts (Joel 1:4). The rest of verse 2 points back to 1:2. The present calamity has no analogy in the past, no matter how far back one goes; nor will it ever be equaled in the future; it stands out unique and without parallel (Exodus 10:14). It is because of the enormity of the plague that Joel regards it as the forerunner of the final judgment, and it is on this account that he uses the hyperbolical expressions.

The destructiveness of the great and powerful people is further described in verse 3. All is lost; the beautiful country has become a wasted desert. Fire… before… behind them a flame — Literally, him, or it, the swarm of locusts. Like fire the locusts have swept over the country; whatever was in their way they have devoured, they have left behind nothing but destruction and ruin (compare comment on Joel 1:19). A most appropriate figure. “A few months afterward a much larger army alighted and gave the whole country the appearance of having been burned.” “Wherever they settled it looks as if fire had devoured and burned up everything” (Forbes). “It is better to have to do with the Tartars than with these destructive animals; you would think that fire follows their track” (Volney). “Bamboo groves have been stripped of their leaves and left standing like saplings after a rapid bush fire, and grass has been devoured so that the bare ground appeared as if burned” (G.A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve, 403; also Tristram, 316). The following expression emphasizes the destructiveness still more: before them the land was as the garden of Eden — Fertile, rich in verdure, pleasant to look upon (Genesis 2:8ff.). A similar comparison of the restored land with the garden of Eden is found in Ezekiel 36:35; our passage may be dependent on that in Ezekiel, though not necessarily. Desolate wilderness — Such as Egypt and Edom will become (Joel 3:19; compare Jeremiah 12:10). Nothing shall escape — Better, R.V., “none hath escaped.” The future tenses in verses 3-11 should be rendered, as in R.V., as present or past tenses, describing a condition present to the prophet and his listeners.

V. 2. A day of darkness-A time of exceeding great troubles and calamities. And this passage may well allude to the day of judgment, and the calamities which precede that day. As the morning-As the morning spreads itself over all the hemisphere and first upon the high mountains, so shall the approaching calamities overspread this people. A great people-This seems more directly to intend the Babylonians.

Verse 2. A day of darkness, &c.] The depredations of the locusts are described from the second to the eleventh verse, and their destruction in the twentieth. Dr. Shaw, who saw locusts in Barbary in 1724 and 1725, thus describes them:—

“I never observed the mantes, bald locusts, to be gregarious. But the locusts, properly so called, which are so frequently mentioned by sacred as well as profane writers, are sometimes so beyond expression. Those which I saw in 1724 and 1725 were much bigger than our common grasshopper; and had brown spotted wings, with legs and bodies of a bright yellow. Their first appearance was toward the latter end of March, the wind having been for some time south. In the middle of April their numbers were so vastly increased that, in the heat of the day, they formed themselves into large and numerous swarms; flew in the air like a succession of clouds; and, as the prophet Joel expresses it, (Joel 2:10) they darkened the sun. When the wind blew briskly, so that these swarms were crowded by others, or thrown one upon another, we had a lively idea of that comparison of the psalmist, (Psalm 109:23,) of being ‘tossed up and down as the locust.’ In the month of May, when the ovaries of those insects were ripe and turgid, each of these swarms began gradually to disappear; and retired into the Mettijiah, and other adjacent plains, where they deposited their eggs. These were no sooner hatched in June, than each of these broods collected itself into a compact body of a furlong or more in square; and, marching immediately forward in the direction of the sea, they let nothing escape them; eating up every thing that was green and juicy, not only the lesser kinds of vegetables, but the vine likewise; the fig tree, the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, Joel 1:12; in doing which they kept their ranks like men of war; climbing over, as they advanced, every tree or wall that was in their way. Nay, they entered into our very houses and bedchambers, like so many thieves. The inhabitants, to stop their progress, made a variety of pits and trenches all over their fields and gardens, which they fined with water; or else they heaped up in them heath, stubble, and such like combustible matter, which were severally set on fire upon the approach of the locusts. But this was all to no purpose, for the trenches were quickly filled up, and the fires extinguished, by infinite swarms succeeding one another; while the front was regardless of danger, and the rear pressed on so close, that a retreat was altogether impossible. A day or two after one of these broods was in motion, others were already hatched to march and glean after them; gnawing off the very bark, and the young branches, of such trees as had before escaped with the loss only of their fruit and foliage. So justly have they been compared by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:3) to a great army; who further observes, that ‘the land is as the garden of Eden before them and behind them a desolate wilderness.’

“Having lived near a month in this manner (like a muriostomon xifov, or sword with ten thousand edges, to which they have been compared,) upon the ruin and destruction of every vegetable substance which came in their way, they arrived at their full growth, and threw old their nympha state by casting their outward skin. To prepare themselves for this change, they clung by their hinder feet to some bush, twig, or corner of a stone; and immediately, by using an undulating motion, their heads would first break out, and then the rest of their bodies. The whole transformation was performed in seven or eight minutes, after which they lay for a short time in a torpid and seemingly languishing condition; but as soon ad the sun and air had hardened their wings, by drying up the moisture which remained upon them, after casting their sloughs, they reassumed their former voracity, with an addition both of strength and agility. Yet they did not continue long in this state before they were entirely dispersed, as their parents were before, after they had laid their eggs; and as the direction of the marches and flights of them both was always to the northward, and not having strength, as they have sometimes had, to reach the opposite shores of Italy, France, or Spain, it is probable they perished in the sea, a grave which, according to these people, they have in common with other winged creatures.”—Travels, 4to. edition pp. 187, 188.

A day of darkness] They sometimes obscure the sun. And Thuanus observes of an immense crowd, that “they darkened the sun at mid-day.” As the morning spread upon the mountains] They appeared suddenly: as the sun, in rising behind the mountains, shoots his rays over them. Adanson, in his voyage to Senegal, says: “Suddenly there came over our heads a thick cloud which darkened the air, and deprived us or the rays of the sun. We soon found that it was owing to a cloud of locusts.” Some clouds of them are said to have darkened the sun for a mile, and others for the space of twelve miles! See on Joel 2:10.

Verse 2. A day of darkness and of gloominess — A day of great calamity and trouble, which is often expressed in the Scripture by darkness. Or, perhaps, the prophet’s words are to be taken here in the literal sense; for it is certain that, in the eastern countries, locusts will sometimes, on a sudden, cover the sky like a cloud, intercept the light of the sun, and diffuse a darkness on the tract of country over which they are flying. “Solem obumbrant,” They darken the sun, says Pliny, Nat. Hist. lib. 11:28. Thuanus, (lib. 34:7, p. 364, vol. 5.,) describing a calamity of this kind, says, Laborabat eo tempore, &c. “Syria was afflicted at that time with the want of every kind of forage and provisions, on account of such a multitude of locusts as was never seen before in the memory of man, which, like a thick cloud, darkening the light in mid-day, flying to and fro, devoured the fruits of the ground everywhere.” And Adanson, in his Voyage to Senegal, p. 127, says, “Suddenly there came over our heads a thick cloud, which darkened the air and deprived us of the rays of the sun. We soon found that it was owing to a cloud of locusts.” And in Chandler, on verse 10, Hermanus is quoted, as saying that “locusts obscure the sun for the space of a mile;” and Aloysius, “for the space of twelve miles.” For a further account of them, see note on Exodus 10:5, 13. As the morning spread upon the mountains — This signifies, that the darkness occasioned by the locusts should be very diffusive or general; that they should spread themselves everywhere, as the rays of the morning do upon the mountains. A great people and strong — The locusts, being represented as a great army coming to destroy, are here termed a great and strong people: see note on chap. 1:6. There hath not been ever the like, &c. — The locusts which plagued Egypt are described after the same manner, Exodus 10:14. The expression in both places seems to be proverbial, and intended to set forth the extraordinary greatness of the judgment; but is not to be understood too strictly, according to the grammatical sense of the words. Thus we read of Hezekiah, that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, 2 Kings 18:5; and yet the same character is given of Josiah, 2 Kings 23:25.

Ver. 2. A day of darkness, nigrum esse. The army of locusts obscured the light while flying through the air. More than twenty travellers are agreed on this subject. An army of locusts sometimes is a mile, and sometimes ten miles broad in the air. In a moral view, darkness implies the greatest of national disasters.

V. 3. A fire-The Chaldeans, as a fire shall utterly consume all things. Behind them-What is left behind is as burnt with a flame. As Eden-Fruitful and pleasant.

Verse 3. A fire devoureth before them] They consume like a general conflagration. “They destroy the ground, not only for the time, but burn trees for two years after.” Sir Hans Sloane, Nat. Hist. of Jamaica, vol. i., p. 29.

Behind them a flame burneth] “Wherever they feed,” says Ludolf, in his History of Ethiopia, “their leavings seem as if parched with fire.” Nothing shall escape them.] “After devouring the herbage,” says Adanson, “with the fruits and leaves of trees, they attacked even the buds and the very bark; they did not so much as spare the reeds with which the huts were thatched.”

Verse 3. A fire devoureth before them, &c. — They consume like a general conflagration. “They destroy the ground,” says Sir Hans Sloane, (Natural History of Jamaica, 1:29,) “not only for the time, but burn trees for two years after.” “Wheresoever they feed, says Ludolphus, (History of Ethiopia, lib. 1. c. 13,) “their leavings seem, as it were, parched with fire.” Pliny bears the same testimony, 11:29, Multa contactu adurentes, “Burning things up by the touch.” The land is as the garden of Eden before them, &c. — The land of Judea, so famous for its fertility and pleasantness, shall be turned into a desolate wilderness by the ravages they will make. The garden of Eden is a proverbial expression for a place of pleasure and fruitfulness, in which sense we commonly use the word paradise. And nothing shall escape them — Namely, which the ground produces. “After devouring the herbage,” says Adanson, as above, “with the fruits and the leaves of the trees, they attacked even the buds and very bark. They did not so much as spare the reeds with which the huts were thatched.” Thus also Ludolphus: “Sometimes they enter the very bark of trees, and then the spring itself cannot repair the damage.” “Omnia morsu erodentes, et fores quoque tectorum,” says Pliny, 11:20. “Consuming all things, even the doors of the houses.” In the Philosophical Transactions, No. 112, A.D. 1686, we have an account of the locusts in Languedoc, being about an inch in length, of a gray colour. “The earth,” it is observed, “in some places, was covered four inches thick with them, in the morning, before the heat of the sun was considerable; but as soon as it began to grow hot they took wing, and fell upon the corn, eating up both leaf and ear; and that with such expedition, by reason of their number, that in three hours they would devour a whole field, after which they again took wing, and their swarms were so thick, that they covered the sun like a cloud, and were whole hours in passing. After having eaten up the corn, they fell upon the vines, the pulse, the willows, and even the hemp, notwithstanding its great bitterness; after this these insects died, and stunk very much.”

Ver. 3. A fire devoureth before them. The inhabitants in their feeble way make fires to stop their progress, and fires behind them to annoy them by the smoke, and force them to depart. Ditches also are dug that they may fall into them and perish. The fields of corn, wherever these insects alight, are devoured in a few hours: they eat the blade and the ear, leaving only the stalk. The pastures, after the devastation, have the appearance of being burnt. The foliage of the tree is wholly destroyed, and the tree itself is so very much weakened that it cannot bear fruit till the second year after the spoliage. Sir Hans Sloane’s Nat. Hist, of Jamaica: vol. 1:29.

Verse 4. The appearance of horses] The head of the locust is remarkably like that of the horse; and so Ray on Insects describes them: Caput oblongum, equi instar, prona spectans— “They have an oblong head, like to that of a horse, bending downward.” On this account the Italians call them cavaletta, cavalry. Bochart remarks, from an Arabic writer, that the locusts resemble ten different kinds of animals: 1. The HORSE in its head.

2. The ELEPHANT in its eyes. 3. The BULL in its neck. 4. The STAG in its horns. 5. The LION in its breast. 6. The SCORPION in its belly. 7. The EAGLE in its wings. 8. The CAMEL in its thighs. 9. The OSTRICH in its feet. And 10. The SERPENT in its tail. Vid. Hieroz., vol. ii., p. 475, edit. 1692. But its most prominent resemblance is to the horse, which the prophet mentions; and which the Arabic writer puts in the first place, as being the chief.

Verses 4-6. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses — Bochart and many other writers mention the resemblance which the head of a locust bears to that of a horse; whence the Italians call them cavalette. Like the noise of chariots on the mountains shall they leap — Or, as the clause may be better rendered, They shall leap on the tops of mountains with the noise of chariots. The locusts being represented as an army attacking the country, and chariots being anciently a part of warlike preparations, the text says that these locusts shall resemble them in their swiftness, noise, and terror. Pliny mentions (Natural History, lib. 40. cap. 29) locusts “making a noise with their wings, as if they were winged fowls.” Like the noise of a flame of fire, &c. — Like the crackling of the fire burning up stubble. Cyril says of them, that while they are breaking their food with their teeth, the noise is like that of flame driven about by the wind. See Bochart on the place. The Baron de Tott, quoted by Harmer, speaking of the clouds of locusts coming from Tartary toward Constantinople, observes, “To the noise of their flight succeeds that of their devouring activity; it resembles the rattling of hailstones, but its consequences are infinitely more destructive. Fire itself eats not so fast, nor is there a vestige of vegetation to be found, when they again take their flight, and go elsewhere to produce like disasters.” As a strong people set in battle array — Their noise is like that of the shouts of an army going to be engaged. These expressions are undoubtedly hyperbolical; but yet the noise which such a vast multitude of locusts would make must needs be very great. Before their face the people shall be much pained — At seeing their vast multitudes, and the havoc they make of the fruits of the earth, the inhabitants of the land shall be in great pain and anguish, and shall be seized with such a dread and fear as shall make their visage look black and ghastly, like that of persons who are dying.

4. As… horses — The head of the locust bears a strong resemblance to the head of a horse, as Theodoret (c. 450 A.D.) remarked: “If you carefully consider the head of the locust you will find it exceedingly like that of a horse.” Tristram, referring to this passage, says, “To this day the same metaphor is familiar in every Arab camp. One of my Arabs gave me a long list of reasons why the locust is like the horse or horseman.” It is this similarity that explains one of the German words for locust, Heupferd (hay-horse). Not only in appearance, but also in rapidity of motion, locusts resemble horses. For A.V. “horsemen” read margin of R.V., “war-horses.” In verse 5 the noise accompanying the advance of the innumerable horses is compared to the rattling of chariots — Low two-wheeled vehicles used for military and other purposes. Chariots were not adapted to the hills of Palestine, but the Canaanites used them in the valleys (Joshua 17:16; Judges 4:3). They were common also among other ancient nations. The Persians armed the axles and sometimes the tongue with scythes, and such chariots were known in Palestine during the Seleucidan period (2 Macc. 13:2). For an expansion of this picture compare Revelation 9:7ff. On the tops of mountains — Not to be connected with “chariots,” for chariots cannot well be used on the mountains, but with they leap — The locusts are seen to approach over the mountains, and “they come so near the top of the mountains that they seem to leap over them rather than to fly.” The noise meant is the indistinct sound heard in the distance; the next comparison brings them nearer. Travelers compare the noise made by the wings of the locusts to the blowing of a wind, the rush of a torrent, the roar of the sea. “The noise made by them in marching and foraging was like that of a heavy shower falling upon a distant forest” (Thomson). Having pictured the locusts approaching from the distance, he now describes them as they are devouring herbs, plants, shrubs, and trees. Flame — The noise made while eating is like the noise of a flame that sweeps over a dry field. Stubble — Fires during the dry season are not uncommon in Palestine (Joel 1:19; Isaiah 5:24; Amos 7:4); sometimes the stubbles are set on fire for purposes of fertilization. Our passage refers to fire, whatever its origin. Strong people in battle array — The point of comparison is not the noise, but the orderly steady advance. “Their number was astounding; the whole face of the mountain was black with them; on they came like a disciplined army” (Thomson). “They seemed to march in regular battalions, crawling over everything that lay in their passage” (Morier). The impression made is the same as that made by a hostile army. Everybody is terror-struck. The people — R.V., “the peoples.” Neither is correct; the Hebrew has no article — “peoples,” that is, whole nations. Shall be much pained — Or, with R.V., “are in anguish,” a very strong word, used especially of the anguish of women in travail (Deuteronomy 2:5; Isaiah 13:8; Micah 4:9). Hardly an exaggeration, for locusts do cause immense loss of property and are responsible for disastrous famines. “In Algiers after an invasion of locusts in 1866 two hundred thousand persons are said to have perished from famine” (Driver). “The Bedouins who occupy the Sinaitic peninsula are frequently driven to despair by the multitudes of locusts” (Burkhardt). All faces… gather blackness — So Targum, Peshitto, Vulgate, and a few later writers, but an impossible translation of the Hebrew; better, R.V., “all faces are waxed pale”; literally, all faces draw in redness, that is, beauty, healthy color. As a result of terror the blood leaves the face and returns to the inward parts of the body; only paleness remains (Jeremiah 30:6).

Verse 5. Like the noise of chariots] Bochart also remarks:— “The locusts fly with a great noise, so as to be heard six miles off, and while they are eating the fruits of the earth, the sound of them is like that of a flame driven by the wind.”—Ibid., p. 478.

Verses 4-6. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses — Bochart and many other writers mention the resemblance which the head of a locust bears to that of a horse; whence the Italians call them cavalette. Like the noise of chariots on the mountains shall they leap — Or, as the clause may be better rendered, They shall leap on the tops of mountains with the noise of chariots. The locusts being represented as an army attacking the country, and chariots being anciently a part of warlike preparations, the text says that these locusts shall resemble them in their swiftness, noise, and terror. Pliny mentions (Natural History, lib. 40. cap. 29) locusts “making a noise with their wings, as if they were winged fowls.” Like the noise of a flame of fire, &c. — Like the crackling of the fire burning up stubble. Cyril says of them, that while they are breaking their food with their teeth, the noise is like that of flame driven about by the wind. See Bochart on the place. The Baron de Tott, quoted by Harmer, speaking of the clouds of locusts coming from Tartary toward Constantinople, observes, “To the noise of their flight succeeds that of their devouring activity; it resembles the rattling of hailstones, but its consequences are infinitely more destructive. Fire itself eats not so fast, nor is there a vestige of vegetation to be found, when they again take their flight, and go elsewhere to produce like disasters.” As a strong people set in battle array — Their noise is like that of the shouts of an army going to be engaged. These expressions are undoubtedly hyperbolical; but yet the noise which such a vast multitude of locusts would make must needs be very great. Before their face the people shall be much pained — At seeing their vast multitudes, and the havoc they make of the fruits of the earth, the inhabitants of the land shall be in great pain and anguish, and shall be seized with such a dread and fear as shall make their visage look black and ghastly, like that of persons who are dying.

Ver. 5. Like the noise of chariots shall they leap. The French Encyclopædia, on the article locust, affirms that they can leap two hundred times the length of their own bodies. But there are various kinds of locusts. Those described in Exodus 10., are large; but those which visited Languedoc in 1686, the year after the persecution of the protestants commenced, were about an inch long, and of a greyish colour.

4-11. Having described in general terms the destructiveness of the people great and strong, the prophet pictures most vividly the appearance of the host and its terrible advance. The locusts he compares to horses (4), the noise accompanying the advance to the noise of advancing armies and of a consuming fire (5), producing terror wherever they go (6), their attack to the attack of a well-equipped, well-organized army (7-9); even the sky is darkened (10); surely the day of Jehovah is at hand (11). The prophet has been so successful in his description that the thing compared and the object to which it is compared have been confused, and the locusts have been regarded as mere symbols of a hostile army (compare above, pp 142ff).

V. 6. Blackness-Such as is the colour of dead men, or the dark paleness of men frightened into swoons.

Verse 6. All faces shall gather blackness.] Universal mourning shall take place, because they know that such a plague is irresistible.

Verses 4-6. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses — Bochart and many other writers mention the resemblance which the head of a locust bears to that of a horse; whence the Italians call them cavalette. Like the noise of chariots on the mountains shall they leap — Or, as the clause may be better rendered, They shall leap on the tops of mountains with the noise of chariots. The locusts being represented as an army attacking the country, and chariots being anciently a part of warlike preparations, the text says that these locusts shall resemble them in their swiftness, noise, and terror. Pliny mentions (Natural History, lib. 40. cap. 29) locusts “making a noise with their wings, as if they were winged fowls.” Like the noise of a flame of fire, &c. — Like the crackling of the fire burning up stubble. Cyril says of them, that while they are breaking their food with their teeth, the noise is like that of flame driven about by the wind. See Bochart on the place. The Baron de Tott, quoted by Harmer, speaking of the clouds of locusts coming from Tartary toward Constantinople, observes, “To the noise of their flight succeeds that of their devouring activity; it resembles the rattling of hailstones, but its consequences are infinitely more destructive. Fire itself eats not so fast, nor is there a vestige of vegetation to be found, when they again take their flight, and go elsewhere to produce like disasters.” As a strong people set in battle array — Their noise is like that of the shouts of an army going to be engaged. These expressions are undoubtedly hyperbolical; but yet the noise which such a vast multitude of locusts would make must needs be very great. Before their face the people shall be much pained — At seeing their vast multitudes, and the havoc they make of the fruits of the earth, the inhabitants of the land shall be in great pain and anguish, and shall be seized with such a dread and fear as shall make their visage look black and ghastly, like that of persons who are dying.

4-11. Having described in general terms the destructiveness of the people great and strong, the prophet pictures most vividly the appearance of the host and its terrible advance. The locusts he compares to horses (4), the noise accompanying the advance to the noise of advancing armies and of a consuming fire (5), producing terror wherever they go (6), their attack to the attack of a well-equipped, well-organized army (7-9); even the sky is darkened (10); surely the day of Jehovah is at hand (11). The prophet has been so successful in his description that the thing compared and the object to which it is compared have been confused, and the locusts have been regarded as mere symbols of a hostile army (compare above, pp 142ff).

V. 7. Their ranks-This skill in ordering and the steadiness in keeping under, exactly like trained soldiers, foretells the terror and strength of both the armies signified by these locusts, and of the locusts themselves.

Verse 7. Like mighty men—like men of war (and as horsemen, Joel 2:4)] The prophet does not say they are such, but they resemble. They are locusts; but in their operations they are LIKE the above. They shall not break their ranks] See the account on Joel 2:2, from Dr. Shaw.

Verses 7, 8. They shall run like mighty men — They shall proceed everywhere like stout and mighty men, who are afraid of nothing. The description here given agrees perfectly to locusts, as Bochart has shown. “First, They shall run. Now their manner of fighting is thus described: They strike, or wound, not as they stand, but as they run. Secondly, They run as mighty men. What are more innumerable or strong than locusts, says St. Jerome, which no human pains can resist? Thirdly, They shall march every one in his way, and not break their ranks: and in the next verse, Neither shall one thrust or press his comrade. St. Jerome, in his notes on this place, observes, ‘This we lately saw in our part of the country; for when swarms of locusts came and filled the lower region of the air, they flew in such order, by the divine appointment, and kept their places as exactly, as when several tiles, or party-coloured stones, are skilfully placed in a pavement, so as not to be a hair’s breadth out of their several ranks.’“ The same is observed by other writers cited by Bochart: and what is further remarkable, before the body of them come to any place, they send scouts and messengers, as it were, to view the ground, and measure it out for their use; as the same last-mentioned writer remarks from Sigibertus, concerning the locusts which destroyed France in the year

874. When they fall upon the sword they shall not be wounded — By reason of their lightness and nimbleness, and the hardness and smoothness of the outward coat of their skin. It “refers,” says Newcome, “to the scales with which locusts are covered as with a coat of mail.” “Most animals retreat at the sight of a man, but it is the reverse with locusts, for they will studiously attack. Where they collect in numbers, the inhabitants retire into their dwellings as fast as possible, lest by appearing abroad they might provoke their anger. They show no fear, and, from their slender shape, frequently elude the blow aimed at them.”

7-10. The comparison with a well-equipped army is taken up again and carried further; the advance is irresistible; there is no confusion or disorder in their ranks; they climb the highest walls; they penetrate the inmost recesses of the houses. They… run — To the assault; advance, charge (Psalm 18:29; Job 15:26). There is no delay (verse 4); if they have decided upon a point of attack they carry out their plan; nothing can impede their progress; walls they climb like men of war. They do not get into one another’s way, they advance straight ahead, without turning to the right or left. An admirable description of the advance of locusts (compare remark on verse 4). Jerome says: “When the swarms of locusts come and fill the whole atmosphere between earth and sky, they fly, according to the appointment of the commanding God, in such order that they preserve an exact shape, just like the squares drawn upon a tessellated pavement, not diverging on either side by, so to speak, so much as a finger’s breadth.… There is no road impassable to locusts; they penetrate into fields, and crops, and trees, and cities, and houses, and even the recesses of the bedchambers.” So also Theodoret: “You may see the locusts like a hostile army ascending the walls, and advancing the roads, not suffering any difficulty to disperse them, but steadily moving forward as if according to some concerted plan.” And when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded — Better, R.V., “and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.” No resistance is effective; they throw themselves upon the weapons and pass on without being disturbed or confused. Some may be wounded and drop, but the great mass continues in regular order. This is a better interpretation than that implied in the translation, “They did not cut themselves to pieces” (Keil), or “without being wounded” (Von Orelli). The verse would seem to imply that the people were accustomed to meet the locusts with weapons to fight them off; and that is actually done, according to the statements of some travelers. “Both in Asia and Europe they sometimes take the field against the locusts with all the implements of war” (Hasselquist). “The guard of the Red Town attempted to stop their irruption into Transylvania by firing at them; and indeed when the balls and shot went through the swarm they gave way and divided; but having filled up their ranks in a moment they proceeded on their journey” (quoted by Pusey). Thomson also speaks of the impossibility of stopping their progress: “We dug trenches and kindled fires, and beat and burned to death heaps upon heaps, but the effort was utterly hopeless.” Livy and Pliny seem to have known of similar methods of fighting the locusts. Sword — R.V., “weapons”; Hebrews shelah; not the ordinary word for weapon, but one used only in late writings; it seems to have been a weapon that was extended or held in front.

Held back by nothing, the host (9) forces its way into the city. They shall run to and fro in the city — Hebrews shaqaq; literally, drive, impel to run, then, run hither and thither; here not, “they run to and fro in the city” after mastering it (A.V., Driver, Hitzig), but “they throw themselves upon the city” (Isaiah 33:4; Nahum 2:4). Again they are successful; they run upon the wall, yea, they get into the houses themselves. On verse 9 Theodoret makes this comment: “And this we have frequently seen done, not merely by hostile armies but also by locusts, which not only when flying but by creeping along the walls penetrate into dwellings by the light holes.” “During the great plague of locusts in 1865 many inhabitants of Nazareth were compelled to leave their homes” (Riehm). Windows — Glass was and still is exceedingly scarce in the Orient, therefore expensive and used but rarely for windows; the latter consist ordinarily of lattice work, and serve also as chimneys out of which smoke may escape; so it was quite easy for locusts to creep through. Like a thief — Would hardly be said of a hostile army, but is true of the locusts.

With verse 10 a new start is made. The whole earth is terrified, for it becomes clear that the judgment is of unusual significance. The thought of the day of Jehovah becomes more prominent and influences the description to a large extent. Before them — The singular, as in verse 6, while the verbs in the preceding verses referring to the locusts are in the plural; yet the pronoun refers undoubtedly to the swarm of locusts which are looked upon as a unit. The preposition is not the same as in verse 6; in the latter causality is implied, here the phenomena spoken of may be regarded not as caused by the locusts, but simply accompanying them; it leaves it undecided whether the locusts of 2-9 or Jehovah (verse 11) is the cause. The earth shall quake… the heavens shall tremble — “It is not that the strength of the locusts is so great that it can move the heavens and shake the earth, but that, to those who suffer from such calamities, through the greatness of their own terror the heavens appear to shake and the earth to reel” (Jerome). Shall be dark — Heb, kadhar, “coal black”; not a particle of light is to be seen. The day of Jehovah is inaugurated by extraordinary phenomena in the sphere of nature (Joel 2:30, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 13:10, 13; Amos 8:9). The locusts do darken the sky, but here the reference seems to be to something more — we are in the sphere of the apocalyptic — to the approach of Jehovah himself, before whom all nature stands in awe and terror. The thought of an actual earthquake, eclipse, or severe thunderstorm may have been in the mind of the prophet; but this is not certain, though the coming of Jehovah is often pictured in the imagery of a storm (Psalm 18:7ff.). The whole is a vivid picture of the terror that overcomes man and nature when it is discovered that Jehovah approaches for judgment. Jehovah is the leader of the hosts. Utter his voice — Of command; Hebrews nathan qol; a very common Old Testament expression to designate thunder. Only so can he make himself understood, because the camp is very great — It stretches far into the distance, and the noise made by the locusts must be drowned; it is this vastness of the army also that makes it necessary to have a divine commander. The introduction of the next two clauses with “for” rather weakens the message of the prophet; they should be translated as exclamations (G.-K., 148d), emphasizing the vastness of Jehovah’s army: “Yea, strong is he that executeth his word” — the army of locusts (2-9, 25), which carries out his command; “yea, the day of Jehovah.” Here again the day cannot be identified with the calamity already experienced; it is still in the future, though near at hand. Already the wonderful phenomena that announce the day are seen in the sky (verse 31; Malachi 4:5). Who can abide — Or, endure. No one can stand its terrors. The forerunner has exhausted all resources, all strength. Complete annihilation threatens, unless somehow the final blow can be turned aside.

V. 8. The sword-The sword shall not be a weapon to destroy them; literally verified in the locusts, and verified in the strange preservations in the most desperate adventures made by the Assyrians or Babylonians.

Verse 8. They shall not be wounded.] They have hard scales like a coat of mail; but the expression refers to the utter uselessness of all means to prevent their depredations. See Shaw’s account above.

Verses 7, 8. They shall run like mighty men — They shall proceed everywhere like stout and mighty men, who are afraid of nothing. The description here given agrees perfectly to locusts, as Bochart has shown. “First, They shall run. Now their manner of fighting is thus described: They strike, or wound, not as they stand, but as they run. Secondly, They run as mighty men. What are more innumerable or strong than locusts, says St. Jerome, which no human pains can resist? Thirdly, They shall march every one in his way, and not break their ranks: and in the next verse, Neither shall one thrust or press his comrade. St. Jerome, in his notes on this place, observes, ‘This we lately saw in our part of the country; for when swarms of locusts came and filled the lower region of the air, they flew in such order, by the divine appointment, and kept their places as exactly, as when several tiles, or party-coloured stones, are skilfully placed in a pavement, so as not to be a hair’s breadth out of their several ranks.’“ The same is observed by other writers cited by Bochart: and what is further remarkable, before the body of them come to any place, they send scouts and messengers, as it were, to view the ground, and measure it out for their use; as the same last-mentioned writer remarks from Sigibertus, concerning the locusts which destroyed France in the year

874. When they fall upon the sword they shall not be wounded — By reason of their lightness and nimbleness, and the hardness and smoothness of the outward coat of their skin. It “refers,” says Newcome, “to the scales with which locusts are covered as with a coat of mail.” “Most animals retreat at the sight of a man, but it is the reverse with locusts, for they will studiously attack. Where they collect in numbers, the inhabitants retire into their dwellings as fast as possible, lest by appearing abroad they might provoke their anger. They show no fear, and, from their slender shape, frequently elude the blow aimed at them.”

7-10. The comparison with a well-equipped army is taken up again and carried further; the advance is irresistible; there is no confusion or disorder in their ranks; they climb the highest walls; they penetrate the inmost recesses of the houses. They… run — To the assault; advance, charge (Psalm 18:29; Job 15:26). There is no delay (verse 4); if they have decided upon a point of attack they carry out their plan; nothing can impede their progress; walls they climb like men of war. They do not get into one another’s way, they advance straight ahead, without turning to the right or left. An admirable description of the advance of locusts (compare remark on verse 4). Jerome says: “When the swarms of locusts come and fill the whole atmosphere between earth and sky, they fly, according to the appointment of the commanding God, in such order that they preserve an exact shape, just like the squares drawn upon a tessellated pavement, not diverging on either side by, so to speak, so much as a finger’s breadth.… There is no road impassable to locusts; they penetrate into fields, and crops, and trees, and cities, and houses, and even the recesses of the bedchambers.” So also Theodoret: “You may see the locusts like a hostile army ascending the walls, and advancing the roads, not suffering any difficulty to disperse them, but steadily moving forward as if according to some concerted plan.” And when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded — Better, R.V., “and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.” No resistance is effective; they throw themselves upon the weapons and pass on without being disturbed or confused. Some may be wounded and drop, but the great mass continues in regular order. This is a better interpretation than that implied in the translation, “They did not cut themselves to pieces” (Keil), or “without being wounded” (Von Orelli). The verse would seem to imply that the people were accustomed to meet the locusts with weapons to fight them off; and that is actually done, according to the statements of some travelers. “Both in Asia and Europe they sometimes take the field against the locusts with all the implements of war” (Hasselquist). “The guard of the Red Town attempted to stop their irruption into Transylvania by firing at them; and indeed when the balls and shot went through the swarm they gave way and divided; but having filled up their ranks in a moment they proceeded on their journey” (quoted by Pusey). Thomson also speaks of the impossibility of stopping their progress: “We dug trenches and kindled fires, and beat and burned to death heaps upon heaps, but the effort was utterly hopeless.” Livy and Pliny seem to have known of similar methods of fighting the locusts. Sword — R.V., “weapons”; Hebrews shelah; not the ordinary word for weapon, but one used only in late writings; it seems to have been a weapon that was extended or held in front.

Held back by nothing, the host (9) forces its way into the city. They shall run to and fro in the city — Hebrews shaqaq; literally, drive, impel to run, then, run hither and thither; here not, “they run to and fro in the city” after mastering it (A.V., Driver, Hitzig), but “they throw themselves upon the city” (Isaiah 33:4; Nahum 2:4). Again they are successful; they run upon the wall, yea, they get into the houses themselves. On verse 9 Theodoret makes this comment: “And this we have frequently seen done, not merely by hostile armies but also by locusts, which not only when flying but by creeping along the walls penetrate into dwellings by the light holes.” “During the great plague of locusts in 1865 many inhabitants of Nazareth were compelled to leave their homes” (Riehm). Windows — Glass was and still is exceedingly scarce in the Orient, therefore expensive and used but rarely for windows; the latter consist ordinarily of lattice work, and serve also as chimneys out of which smoke may escape; so it was quite easy for locusts to creep through. Like a thief — Would hardly be said of a hostile army, but is true of the locusts.

With verse 10 a new start is made. The whole earth is terrified, for it becomes clear that the judgment is of unusual significance. The thought of the day of Jehovah becomes more prominent and influences the description to a large extent. Before them — The singular, as in verse 6, while the verbs in the preceding verses referring to the locusts are in the plural; yet the pronoun refers undoubtedly to the swarm of locusts which are looked upon as a unit. The preposition is not the same as in verse 6; in the latter causality is implied, here the phenomena spoken of may be regarded not as caused by the locusts, but simply accompanying them; it leaves it undecided whether the locusts of 2-9 or Jehovah (verse 11) is the cause. The earth shall quake… the heavens shall tremble — “It is not that the strength of the locusts is so great that it can move the heavens and shake the earth, but that, to those who suffer from such calamities, through the greatness of their own terror the heavens appear to shake and the earth to reel” (Jerome). Shall be dark — Heb, kadhar, “coal black”; not a particle of light is to be seen. The day of Jehovah is inaugurated by extraordinary phenomena in the sphere of nature (Joel 2:30, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 13:10, 13; Amos 8:9). The locusts do darken the sky, but here the reference seems to be to something more — we are in the sphere of the apocalyptic — to the approach of Jehovah himself, before whom all nature stands in awe and terror. The thought of an actual earthquake, eclipse, or severe thunderstorm may have been in the mind of the prophet; but this is not certain, though the coming of Jehovah is often pictured in the imagery of a storm (Psalm 18:7ff.). The whole is a vivid picture of the terror that overcomes man and nature when it is discovered that Jehovah approaches for judgment. Jehovah is the leader of the hosts. Utter his voice — Of command; Hebrews nathan qol; a very common Old Testament expression to designate thunder. Only so can he make himself understood, because the camp is very great — It stretches far into the distance, and the noise made by the locusts must be drowned; it is this vastness of the army also that makes it necessary to have a divine commander. The introduction of the next two clauses with “for” rather weakens the message of the prophet; they should be translated as exclamations (G.-K., 148d), emphasizing the vastness of Jehovah’s army: “Yea, strong is he that executeth his word” — the army of locusts (2-9, 25), which carries out his command; “yea, the day of Jehovah.” Here again the day cannot be identified with the calamity already experienced; it is still in the future, though near at hand. Already the wonderful phenomena that announce the day are seen in the sky (verse 31; Malachi 4:5). Who can abide — Or, endure. No one can stand its terrors. The forerunner has exhausted all resources, all strength. Complete annihilation threatens, unless somehow the final blow can be turned aside.

V. 9. Runs to and fro-This seems not proper to these insects, but it well suits with soldiers, that conquer a city and search all places for plunder. Run upon the wall-To clear the wall of all the besieged. The houses-Either forsaken by the inhabitants, or defended by such as are in them. Like a thief-Suddenly, unexpectedly, to spoil if not to kill.

Verses 9, 10. They shall run to and fro in the city — No place shall be inaccessible to them, nor free from them. “Every place,” says St. Jerome, “lies open to them; for they infest not only the fields, and the fruits of the earth, but creep into cities, houses, and the most secret recesses.” The earth shall quake before them — The inhabitants of the land of Judea shall be seized with a horrible dread at their approach. The heavens shall look dark and dismal, because they shall come in such swarms as to intercept the rays of the sun, and the light of the moon and stars. By the expression, The heavens shall tremble, is either meant, that the whole state of the kingdom of Judah, of the very highest in rank and dignity, as well as the meanest, should be struck with a panic at this unusual judgment; or else that the locusts should so fill the sky, that, at a great height, it would appear as if the heavens themselves trembled.

7-10. The comparison with a well-equipped army is taken up again and carried further; the advance is irresistible; there is no confusion or disorder in their ranks; they climb the highest walls; they penetrate the inmost recesses of the houses. They… run — To the assault; advance, charge (Psalm 18:29; Job 15:26). There is no delay (verse 4); if they have decided upon a point of attack they carry out their plan; nothing can impede their progress; walls they climb like men of war. They do not get into one another’s way, they advance straight ahead, without turning to the right or left. An admirable description of the advance of locusts (compare remark on verse 4). Jerome says: “When the swarms of locusts come and fill the whole atmosphere between earth and sky, they fly, according to the appointment of the commanding God, in such order that they preserve an exact shape, just like the squares drawn upon a tessellated pavement, not diverging on either side by, so to speak, so much as a finger’s breadth.… There is no road impassable to locusts; they penetrate into fields, and crops, and trees, and cities, and houses, and even the recesses of the bedchambers.” So also Theodoret: “You may see the locusts like a hostile army ascending the walls, and advancing the roads, not suffering any difficulty to disperse them, but steadily moving forward as if according to some concerted plan.” And when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded — Better, R.V., “and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.” No resistance is effective; they throw themselves upon the weapons and pass on without being disturbed or confused. Some may be wounded and drop, but the great mass continues in regular order. This is a better interpretation than that implied in the translation, “They did not cut themselves to pieces” (Keil), or “without being wounded” (Von Orelli). The verse would seem to imply that the people were accustomed to meet the locusts with weapons to fight them off; and that is actually done, according to the statements of some travelers. “Both in Asia and Europe they sometimes take the field against the locusts with all the implements of war” (Hasselquist). “The guard of the Red Town attempted to stop their irruption into Transylvania by firing at them; and indeed when the balls and shot went through the swarm they gave way and divided; but having filled up their ranks in a moment they proceeded on their journey” (quoted by Pusey). Thomson also speaks of the impossibility of stopping their progress: “We dug trenches and kindled fires, and beat and burned to death heaps upon heaps, but the effort was utterly hopeless.” Livy and Pliny seem to have known of similar methods of fighting the locusts. Sword — R.V., “weapons”; Hebrews shelah; not the ordinary word for weapon, but one used only in late writings; it seems to have been a weapon that was extended or held in front.

Held back by nothing, the host (9) forces its way into the city. They shall run to and fro in the city — Hebrews shaqaq; literally, drive, impel to run, then, run hither and thither; here not, “they run to and fro in the city” after mastering it (A.V., Driver, Hitzig), but “they throw themselves upon the city” (Isaiah 33:4; Nahum 2:4). Again they are successful; they run upon the wall, yea, they get into the houses themselves. On verse 9 Theodoret makes this comment: “And this we have frequently seen done, not merely by hostile armies but also by locusts, which not only when flying but by creeping along the walls penetrate into dwellings by the light holes.” “During the great plague of locusts in 1865 many inhabitants of Nazareth were compelled to leave their homes” (Riehm). Windows — Glass was and still is exceedingly scarce in the Orient, therefore expensive and used but rarely for windows; the latter consist ordinarily of lattice work, and serve also as chimneys out of which smoke may escape; so it was quite easy for locusts to creep through. Like a thief — Would hardly be said of a hostile army, but is true of the locusts.

With verse 10 a new start is made. The whole earth is terrified, for it becomes clear that the judgment is of unusual significance. The thought of the day of Jehovah becomes more prominent and influences the description to a large extent. Before them — The singular, as in verse 6, while the verbs in the preceding verses referring to the locusts are in the plural; yet the pronoun refers undoubtedly to the swarm of locusts which are looked upon as a unit. The preposition is not the same as in verse 6; in the latter causality is implied, here the phenomena spoken of may be regarded not as caused by the locusts, but simply accompanying them; it leaves it undecided whether the locusts of 2-9 or Jehovah (verse 11) is the cause. The earth shall quake… the heavens shall tremble — “It is not that the strength of the locusts is so great that it can move the heavens and shake the earth, but that, to those who suffer from such calamities, through the greatness of their own terror the heavens appear to shake and the earth to reel” (Jerome). Shall be dark — Heb, kadhar, “coal black”; not a particle of light is to be seen. The day of Jehovah is inaugurated by extraordinary phenomena in the sphere of nature (Joel 2:30, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 13:10, 13; Amos 8:9). The locusts do darken the sky, but here the reference seems to be to something more — we are in the sphere of the apocalyptic — to the approach of Jehovah himself, before whom all nature stands in awe and terror. The thought of an actual earthquake, eclipse, or severe thunderstorm may have been in the mind of the prophet; but this is not certain, though the coming of Jehovah is often pictured in the imagery of a storm (Psalm 18:7ff.). The whole is a vivid picture of the terror that overcomes man and nature when it is discovered that Jehovah approaches for judgment. Jehovah is the leader of the hosts. Utter his voice — Of command; Hebrews nathan qol; a very common Old Testament expression to designate thunder. Only so can he make himself understood, because the camp is very great — It stretches far into the distance, and the noise made by the locusts must be drowned; it is this vastness of the army also that makes it necessary to have a divine commander. The introduction of the next two clauses with “for” rather weakens the message of the prophet; they should be translated as exclamations (G.-K., 148d), emphasizing the vastness of Jehovah’s army: “Yea, strong is he that executeth his word” — the army of locusts (2-9, 25), which carries out his command; “yea, the day of Jehovah.” Here again the day cannot be identified with the calamity already experienced; it is still in the future, though near at hand. Already the wonderful phenomena that announce the day are seen in the sky (verse 31; Malachi 4:5). Who can abide — Or, endure. No one can stand its terrors. The forerunner has exhausted all resources, all strength. Complete annihilation threatens, unless somehow the final blow can be turned aside.

V. 10. The earth-A divine hyperbole. But this also may have a reference to the great day.

Verse 10. The earth shall quake—the heavens shall tremble] Poetical expressions, to point out universal consternation and distress. The earth quaked to see itself deprived of its verdure; the heavens trembled to find themselves deprived of their light.

The sun and the moon shall be dark] Bochart relates that “their multitude is sometimes so immense as to obscure the heavens for the space of twelve miles!”—Ibid. p. 479.

Verses 9, 10. They shall run to and fro in the city — No place shall be inaccessible to them, nor free from them. “Every place,” says St. Jerome, “lies open to them; for they infest not only the fields, and the fruits of the earth, but creep into cities, houses, and the most secret recesses.” The earth shall quake before them — The inhabitants of the land of Judea shall be seized with a horrible dread at their approach. The heavens shall look dark and dismal, because they shall come in such swarms as to intercept the rays of the sun, and the light of the moon and stars. By the expression, The heavens shall tremble, is either meant, that the whole state of the kingdom of Judah, of the very highest in rank and dignity, as well as the meanest, should be struck with a panic at this unusual judgment; or else that the locusts should so fill the sky, that, at a great height, it would appear as if the heavens themselves trembled.

7-10. The comparison with a well-equipped army is taken up again and carried further; the advance is irresistible; there is no confusion or disorder in their ranks; they climb the highest walls; they penetrate the inmost recesses of the houses. They… run — To the assault; advance, charge (Psalm 18:29; Job 15:26). There is no delay (verse 4); if they have decided upon a point of attack they carry out their plan; nothing can impede their progress; walls they climb like men of war. They do not get into one another’s way, they advance straight ahead, without turning to the right or left. An admirable description of the advance of locusts (compare remark on verse 4). Jerome says: “When the swarms of locusts come and fill the whole atmosphere between earth and sky, they fly, according to the appointment of the commanding God, in such order that they preserve an exact shape, just like the squares drawn upon a tessellated pavement, not diverging on either side by, so to speak, so much as a finger’s breadth.… There is no road impassable to locusts; they penetrate into fields, and crops, and trees, and cities, and houses, and even the recesses of the bedchambers.” So also Theodoret: “You may see the locusts like a hostile army ascending the walls, and advancing the roads, not suffering any difficulty to disperse them, but steadily moving forward as if according to some concerted plan.” And when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded — Better, R.V., “and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.” No resistance is effective; they throw themselves upon the weapons and pass on without being disturbed or confused. Some may be wounded and drop, but the great mass continues in regular order. This is a better interpretation than that implied in the translation, “They did not cut themselves to pieces” (Keil), or “without being wounded” (Von Orelli). The verse would seem to imply that the people were accustomed to meet the locusts with weapons to fight them off; and that is actually done, according to the statements of some travelers. “Both in Asia and Europe they sometimes take the field against the locusts with all the implements of war” (Hasselquist). “The guard of the Red Town attempted to stop their irruption into Transylvania by firing at them; and indeed when the balls and shot went through the swarm they gave way and divided; but having filled up their ranks in a moment they proceeded on their journey” (quoted by Pusey). Thomson also speaks of the impossibility of stopping their progress: “We dug trenches and kindled fires, and beat and burned to death heaps upon heaps, but the effort was utterly hopeless.” Livy and Pliny seem to have known of similar methods of fighting the locusts. Sword — R.V., “weapons”; Hebrews shelah; not the ordinary word for weapon, but one used only in late writings; it seems to have been a weapon that was extended or held in front.

Held back by nothing, the host (9) forces its way into the city. They shall run to and fro in the city — Hebrews shaqaq; literally, drive, impel to run, then, run hither and thither; here not, “they run to and fro in the city” after mastering it (A.V., Driver, Hitzig), but “they throw themselves upon the city” (Isaiah 33:4; Nahum 2:4). Again they are successful; they run upon the wall, yea, they get into the houses themselves. On verse 9 Theodoret makes this comment: “And this we have frequently seen done, not merely by hostile armies but also by locusts, which not only when flying but by creeping along the walls penetrate into dwellings by the light holes.” “During the great plague of locusts in 1865 many inhabitants of Nazareth were compelled to leave their homes” (Riehm). Windows — Glass was and still is exceedingly scarce in the Orient, therefore expensive and used but rarely for windows; the latter consist ordinarily of lattice work, and serve also as chimneys out of which smoke may escape; so it was quite easy for locusts to creep through. Like a thief — Would hardly be said of a hostile army, but is true of the locusts.

With verse 10 a new start is made. The whole earth is terrified, for it becomes clear that the judgment is of unusual significance. The thought of the day of Jehovah becomes more prominent and influences the description to a large extent. Before them — The singular, as in verse 6, while the verbs in the preceding verses referring to the locusts are in the plural; yet the pronoun refers undoubtedly to the swarm of locusts which are looked upon as a unit. The preposition is not the same as in verse 6; in the latter causality is implied, here the phenomena spoken of may be regarded not as caused by the locusts, but simply accompanying them; it leaves it undecided whether the locusts of 2-9 or Jehovah (verse 11) is the cause. The earth shall quake… the heavens shall tremble — “It is not that the strength of the locusts is so great that it can move the heavens and shake the earth, but that, to those who suffer from such calamities, through the greatness of their own terror the heavens appear to shake and the earth to reel” (Jerome). Shall be dark — Heb, kadhar, “coal black”; not a particle of light is to be seen. The day of Jehovah is inaugurated by extraordinary phenomena in the sphere of nature (Joel 2:30, 31; 3:15; Isaiah 13:10, 13; Amos 8:9). The locusts do darken the sky, but here the reference seems to be to something more — we are in the sphere of the apocalyptic — to the approach of Jehovah himself, before whom all nature stands in awe and terror. The thought of an actual earthquake, eclipse, or severe thunderstorm may have been in the mind of the prophet; but this is not certain, though the coming of Jehovah is often pictured in the imagery of a storm (Psalm 18:7ff.). The whole is a vivid picture of the terror that overcomes man and nature when it is discovered that Jehovah approaches for judgment. Jehovah is the leader of the hosts. Utter his voice — Of command; Hebrews nathan qol; a very common Old Testament expression to designate thunder. Only so can he make himself understood, because the camp is very great — It stretches far into the distance, and the noise made by the locusts must be drowned; it is this vastness of the army also that makes it necessary to have a divine commander. The introduction of the next two clauses with “for” rather weakens the message of the prophet; they should be translated as exclamations (G.-K., 148d), emphasizing the vastness of Jehovah’s army: “Yea, strong is he that executeth his word” — the army of locusts (2-9, 25), which carries out his command; “yea, the day of Jehovah.” Here again the day cannot be identified with the calamity already experienced; it is still in the future, though near at hand. Already the wonderful phenomena that announce the day are seen in the sky (verse 31; Malachi 4:5). Who can abide — Or, endure. No one can stand its terrors. The forerunner has exhausted all resources, all strength. Complete annihilation threatens, unless somehow the final blow can be turned aside.

V. 11. Utter his voice-Summon them in and encourage them as a general doth his soldiers. His army-Of locusts and insects, and of Chaldeans signified by these.

Verse 11. The Lord shall utter his voice] Such a mighty force seems as if summoned by the Almighty, and the noise they make in coming announces their approach, while yet afar off.

Verse 11. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army — God, who can make the meanest parts of the creation the instruments of his vengeance, is here sublimely introduced, like a leader or general, commanding and animating this his army by his voice. For his camp is very great — That is, his army is very great and terrible, making whatsoever havoc he orders them, and wheresoever. For the day of the Lord is great, &c. — The time of God’s particular judgments, as well as that of his general one, is commonly expressed by the day of the Lord, the former being an earnest and imperfect representation of the latter.

Ver. 11. His camp is very great. I have followed the majority of critics in applying the above to the plague of the locusts; but I ought to apprize the reader, that though some translators understand it of the Assyrian, or of the Babylonian invasion, yet the locusts are here described because of the mode of their destruction: ver. 20, 21, 25. God promises to restore the product of the years which the various insects had eaten.

4-11. Having described in general terms the destructiveness of the people great and strong, the prophet pictures most vividly the appearance of the host and its terrible advance. The locusts he compares to horses (4), the noise accompanying the advance to the noise of advancing armies and of a consuming fire (5), producing terror wherever they go (6), their attack to the attack of a well-equipped, well-organized army (7-9); even the sky is darkened (10); surely the day of Jehovah is at hand (11). The prophet has been so successful in his description that the thing compared and the object to which it is compared have been confused, and the locusts have been regarded as mere symbols of a hostile army (compare above, pp 142ff).

Verse 12. Turn ye even to me] Three means of turning are recommended: Fasting, weeping, mourning, i.e., continued sorrow.

Verses 12-14. Therefore, also now, &c. — Or, Nevertheless, also now, saith the Lord, &c. — Here a method is pointed out, whereby they might still have hopes of avoiding the calamity denounced against them, namely, by turning to God sincerely, and publicly testifying their inward repentance and grief for their sins, by outward expressions of sorrow and humiliation. And rend your heart — Rending of the garments was customary in times of great sorrow and affliction, not only among the Jews and Israelites, but among almost all the ancient nations. The prophet here does not absolutely forbid their using this outward sign of sorrow, but exhorts them to attend more to inward contrition and humiliation, without which the outward signs of them were of no signification before God. The Hebrew writers often signify the preference that is due to one thing above another in terms which express the rejecting of that which is less worthy. Thus we read, Hosea 6:6, I will have mercy and not sacrifice; that is, I require mercy rather than sacrifice. In the same sense we are to understand the text before us. God prefers a broken and a contrite heart far before all outward expressions of humiliation and grief. For he is gracious and merciful, &c. — These words allude to God’s own declaration of himself, Exodus 34:6, on which they might with good reason ground hopes of forgiveness on their repenting unfeignedly of their sins, and bringing forth fruit worthy of repentance. And repenteth him of the evil — That is, of the evil which he had threatened to inflict in case those, against whom his threatenings were denounced, did not turn to him in true repentance. God is in Scripture said to repent when the humiliation of sinners and the reformation of their conduct make it unfit that he should inflict the punishment threatened by him. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent — God’s own nature, and the former instances we have found of his merciful disposition, encourage us to hope, that our sincere repentance may avail to avert his wrath, and engage him to restore his blessings upon us and our land. The prophet expresses himself between hope and fear of what might be the event, lest he should fill them with too much security on one hand, or drive them on the other, by a despair of pardon, to have no thoughts of repentance or amendment, but to go on still in their sins. Even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God — At least sufficient provision to supply the necessary parts of God’s public worship, which since the dearth had been necessarily omitted.

12-14. There is still hope. The door of mercy is open, and if the people turn to Jehovah in a spirit of penitence he may yet pardon. 12. Therefore also now — Better, R.V., “Yet even now.” At the eleventh hour, when destruction seems imminent. Saith Jehovah — Literally, whisper of Jehovah. A very solemn asservation, giving to the utterance special weight and demanding earnest attention. The expression is common in the prophetic books. “Whisper,” Hebrews na’um, is a passive participle from a root “to utter a low sound”; hence, the whispered or murmured utterance of revelation that falls upon the mental ear. Turn ye… to me — Leave your self-chosen paths of rebellion, come to your senses, recognize me as your God, and follow my instruction. This is the appeal of all the great prophets (compare Hosea 14:1; Isaiah 1:2; Amos 4:6, etc.). Turn emphasizes the idea of conversion in its practical aspect. The exhortation indicates clearly the purpose of all the prophets in delivering their dark messages of judgment. The judgments themselves were primarily disciplinary; and the interpretations of these judgments by the prophets had for their sole object repentance and a return to God on the part of the people. But it is not to be merely a formal, external return. With all your heart — In Hebrew thought the heart is the seat not only of the emotions, but of all the powers of personality, intellect, sensibility, and will (Delitzsch, System of Biblical Psychology, 292ff.). It includes the entire activity of the human spirit; all thoughts, all affections, all volitions. These are to be centered upon Jehovah. In Deuteronomy the same thought is expressed by the phrase “with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Joel 4:29; 6:5, etc.). The heart turning manifests itself in outward signs of grief for past sins: Fasting (Joel 1:14),… weeping,… mourning — The last literally, beating the breast (Joel 1:9, 13, 14). In the emphasis on externals Joel differs greatly from the earlier prophets. To them fasting and the entire external ceremonial was of very little or no importance; but the statement, “It comes in the end to this, that to repent is equivalent to to hold a day for fasting and prayer; and that is the real goal of Joel in Joel 2:1-17, and Joel 1:1-20; certainly along with it comes the exhortation: rend your heart, and not your garments; water alone cannot do it” (Wellhausen), does not recognize sufficiently the emphasis of the prophet upon heart repentance. He does not place exclusive emphasis upon externals. Lest the people should be satisfied with external, formal turning, the prophet repeats (verse 13) his summons to repentance, with even greater emphasis on the inner change. Rend your heart, and not your garments — The rending of the garment was among many ancient nations an expression of deep grief or terror. It was practiced in bereavement, as soon as the report of the death was received; the custom was weakened afterward to a conventional tearing of the garment at the breast for a hand’s breadth (Joshua 7:6; 2 Samuel 3:31; compare Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible, article “Mourning”). The mere tearing of the garments is not sufficient; for this reason the prophet insists most strongly on the spiritual conditions accompanying it. The rending of the heart signifies true contrition (Psalm 51:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 4:4).

They should be moved to such repentance by past experience, for Jehovah has shown himself to be gracious — Literally, inclined, that is, to pardon the repentant sinner. Merciful — Possessing mercy in abundance; equivalent to full of compassion, indicating the benevolent attitude of Jehovah toward all mankind, worthy and unworthy; his sympathy with man’s miseries. Slow to anger — Literally, long as to the breathing of the nostrils, that is, in anger. He does not allow his anger to break forth immediately on the discovery of sin and shortcoming; he waits to see whether the sinner will repent and do better. Of great kindness — R.V., “abundant in loving-kindness.” Hebrews hesedh; used (1) of the love of God toward man, (2) of the love of man toward God, (3) of the love of man toward man (see on Hosea 2:19); here, in the first sense, might be reproduced by paternal affection. It indicates the chief characteristic of God’s dealings with men, especially with those who are needy and helpless; and thus it includes all the virtues spoken of before. Think, says the prophet, of the paternal affection manifested by Jehovah toward you in all your past history, and let that thought become so vivid that it will lead you to repentance. This description of the character of God is taken from Exodus 34:6. Repenteth him — Continuation of the description of the character of Jehovah. Better taken as a participle, translated by a relative clause, “and one who repents.” The usual meaning of the verb niham, “to repent,” is “to change one’s mind or purpose out of pity for those whom one’s actions have affected, or because the results of an action have not fulfilled expectations.” That God repents is often stated in the Old Testament; this does not mean, however, that God ever changes his absolute will because he has been mistaken, or that he ever substitutes a worthier idea for one unworthy of his dignity. His essential attitude does not change, but the expression of God’s character toward man depends upon man’s attitude toward God. Now, since the announcement of a future manifestation of God is always conditional, its fulfillment depending upon the future attitude of man, cases may occur in which the announcement results in a complete change of attitude on the part of those doomed to destruction (compare Jonah and Nineveh). In such a case God may revoke the punishment in perfect accord with the immutability of his character. Such change on the part of the people is presupposed here. An unphilosophical, primitive people, whose apprehension of the infinite God was limited, must use expressions whose contents could be understood, though they were not literally true of God (Jeremiah 18:5-12; Jonah 3:10). The evil — The evil that Jehovah has threatened to send as punishment of their guilt. In view of the merciful character of Jehovah the prophet hopes that even in this crisis there may be a withholding of further judgment, and the change of the present calamity into a blessing. 14. Who knoweth — Equivalent to perhaps. “He speaks after the manner of a terrified conscience that is lifted up again with difficulty after a season of affliction and begins to aspire after hope and the mercy of God.… The expression does not indicate doubt, but rather affirmation coupled with desire; as if we were to say, God will, if it please him, turn again” (Luther). A more confident expression might have made the people even more reckless. Return — Turn back from the judgment upon the execution of which he has already entered (verse 11). Repent — See on verse 13. That instead of devastation and ruin he will leave behind him a blessing can mean in this connection only removal of the locusts, cessation of the drought and the fire, and restoration of fertility. But the true significance of the new fertility lies not in supplying means for the sustenance of life, but in that it will make possible the resumption or continuation of the daily sacrifices and thus assure the continued presence of Jehovah (Joel 1:9). The restoration of the daily sacrifice seems to be the greatest blessing desired. Fertility, harvest, vintage, are always in the Old Testament regarded as direct gifts from God (Hosea 2:5ff.).

V. 13. And repenteth him-He turneth from executing the fierceness of his wrath.

Verse 13. Rend your heart] Let it not be merely a rending of your garments, but let your hearts be truly contrite. Merely external worship and hypocritical pretensions will only increase the evil, and cause God to meet you with heavier judgments.

For he is gracious] Good and benevolent in his own nature. Merciful] Pitying and forgiving, as the effect of goodness and benevolence.

Slow to anger] He is not easily provoked to punish, because he is gracious and merciful.

Of great kindness] Exuberant goodness to all them that return to him. And repenteth him of the evil.] Is ever ready to change his purpose to destroy, when he finds the culprit willing to be saved. See Clarke’s notes on “Exodus 34:6-7”.

Verses 12-14. Therefore, also now, &c. — Or, Nevertheless, also now, saith the Lord, &c. — Here a method is pointed out, whereby they might still have hopes of avoiding the calamity denounced against them, namely, by turning to God sincerely, and publicly testifying their inward repentance and grief for their sins, by outward expressions of sorrow and humiliation. And rend your heart — Rending of the garments was customary in times of great sorrow and affliction, not only among the Jews and Israelites, but among almost all the ancient nations. The prophet here does not absolutely forbid their using this outward sign of sorrow, but exhorts them to attend more to inward contrition and humiliation, without which the outward signs of them were of no signification before God. The Hebrew writers often signify the preference that is due to one thing above another in terms which express the rejecting of that which is less worthy. Thus we read, Hosea 6:6, I will have mercy and not sacrifice; that is, I require mercy rather than sacrifice. In the same sense we are to understand the text before us. God prefers a broken and a contrite heart far before all outward expressions of humiliation and grief. For he is gracious and merciful, &c. — These words allude to God’s own declaration of himself, Exodus 34:6, on which they might with good reason ground hopes of forgiveness on their repenting unfeignedly of their sins, and bringing forth fruit worthy of repentance. And repenteth him of the evil — That is, of the evil which he had threatened to inflict in case those, against whom his threatenings were denounced, did not turn to him in true repentance. God is in Scripture said to repent when the humiliation of sinners and the reformation of their conduct make it unfit that he should inflict the punishment threatened by him. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent — God’s own nature, and the former instances we have found of his merciful disposition, encourage us to hope, that our sincere repentance may avail to avert his wrath, and engage him to restore his blessings upon us and our land. The prophet expresses himself between hope and fear of what might be the event, lest he should fill them with too much security on one hand, or drive them on the other, by a despair of pardon, to have no thoughts of repentance or amendment, but to go on still in their sins. Even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God — At least sufficient provision to supply the necessary parts of God’s public worship, which since the dearth had been necessarily omitted.

12-14. There is still hope. The door of mercy is open, and if the people turn to Jehovah in a spirit of penitence he may yet pardon. 12. Therefore also now — Better, R.V., “Yet even now.” At the eleventh hour, when destruction seems imminent. Saith Jehovah — Literally, whisper of Jehovah. A very solemn asservation, giving to the utterance special weight and demanding earnest attention. The expression is common in the prophetic books. “Whisper,” Hebrews na’um, is a passive participle from a root “to utter a low sound”; hence, the whispered or murmured utterance of revelation that falls upon the mental ear. Turn ye… to me — Leave your self-chosen paths of rebellion, come to your senses, recognize me as your God, and follow my instruction. This is the appeal of all the great prophets (compare Hosea 14:1; Isaiah 1:2; Amos 4:6, etc.). Turn emphasizes the idea of conversion in its practical aspect. The exhortation indicates clearly the purpose of all the prophets in delivering their dark messages of judgment. The judgments themselves were primarily disciplinary; and the interpretations of these judgments by the prophets had for their sole object repentance and a return to God on the part of the people. But it is not to be merely a formal, external return. With all your heart — In Hebrew thought the heart is the seat not only of the emotions, but of all the powers of personality, intellect, sensibility, and will (Delitzsch, System of Biblical Psychology, 292ff.). It includes the entire activity of the human spirit; all thoughts, all affections, all volitions. These are to be centered upon Jehovah. In Deuteronomy the same thought is expressed by the phrase “with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Joel 4:29; 6:5, etc.). The heart turning manifests itself in outward signs of grief for past sins: Fasting (Joel 1:14),… weeping,… mourning — The last literally, beating the breast (Joel 1:9, 13, 14). In the emphasis on externals Joel differs greatly from the earlier prophets. To them fasting and the entire external ceremonial was of very little or no importance; but the statement, “It comes in the end to this, that to repent is equivalent to to hold a day for fasting and prayer; and that is the real goal of Joel in Joel 2:1-17, and Joel 1:1-20; certainly along with it comes the exhortation: rend your heart, and not your garments; water alone cannot do it” (Wellhausen), does not recognize sufficiently the emphasis of the prophet upon heart repentance. He does not place exclusive emphasis upon externals. Lest the people should be satisfied with external, formal turning, the prophet repeats (verse 13) his summons to repentance, with even greater emphasis on the inner change. Rend your heart, and not your garments — The rending of the garment was among many ancient nations an expression of deep grief or terror. It was practiced in bereavement, as soon as the report of the death was received; the custom was weakened afterward to a conventional tearing of the garment at the breast for a hand’s breadth (Joshua 7:6; 2 Samuel 3:31; compare Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible, article “Mourning”). The mere tearing of the garments is not sufficient; for this reason the prophet insists most strongly on the spiritual conditions accompanying it. The rending of the heart signifies true contrition (Psalm 51:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 4:4).

They should be moved to such repentance by past experience, for Jehovah has shown himself to be gracious — Literally, inclined, that is, to pardon the repentant sinner. Merciful — Possessing mercy in abundance; equivalent to full of compassion, indicating the benevolent attitude of Jehovah toward all mankind, worthy and unworthy; his sympathy with man’s miseries. Slow to anger — Literally, long as to the breathing of the nostrils, that is, in anger. He does not allow his anger to break forth immediately on the discovery of sin and shortcoming; he waits to see whether the sinner will repent and do better. Of great kindness — R.V., “abundant in loving-kindness.” Hebrews hesedh; used (1) of the love of God toward man, (2) of the love of man toward God, (3) of the love of man toward man (see on Hosea 2:19); here, in the first sense, might be reproduced by paternal affection. It indicates the chief characteristic of God’s dealings with men, especially with those who are needy and helpless; and thus it includes all the virtues spoken of before. Think, says the prophet, of the paternal affection manifested by Jehovah toward you in all your past history, and let that thought become so vivid that it will lead you to repentance. This description of the character of God is taken from Exodus 34:6. Repenteth him — Continuation of the description of the character of Jehovah. Better taken as a participle, translated by a relative clause, “and one who repents.” The usual meaning of the verb niham, “to repent,” is “to change one’s mind or purpose out of pity for those whom one’s actions have affected, or because the results of an action have not fulfilled expectations.” That God repents is often stated in the Old Testament; this does not mean, however, that God ever changes his absolute will because he has been mistaken, or that he ever substitutes a worthier idea for one unworthy of his dignity. His essential attitude does not change, but the expression of God’s character toward man depends upon man’s attitude toward God. Now, since the announcement of a future manifestation of God is always conditional, its fulfillment depending upon the future attitude of man, cases may occur in which the announcement results in a complete change of attitude on the part of those doomed to destruction (compare Jonah and Nineveh). In such a case God may revoke the punishment in perfect accord with the immutability of his character. Such change on the part of the people is presupposed here. An unphilosophical, primitive people, whose apprehension of the infinite God was limited, must use expressions whose contents could be understood, though they were not literally true of God (Jeremiah 18:5-12; Jonah 3:10). The evil — The evil that Jehovah has threatened to send as punishment of their guilt. In view of the merciful character of Jehovah the prophet hopes that even in this crisis there may be a withholding of further judgment, and the change of the present calamity into a blessing. 14. Who knoweth — Equivalent to perhaps. “He speaks after the manner of a terrified conscience that is lifted up again with difficulty after a season of affliction and begins to aspire after hope and the mercy of God.… The expression does not indicate doubt, but rather affirmation coupled with desire; as if we were to say, God will, if it please him, turn again” (Luther). A more confident expression might have made the people even more reckless. Return — Turn back from the judgment upon the execution of which he has already entered (verse 11). Repent — See on verse 13. That instead of devastation and ruin he will leave behind him a blessing can mean in this connection only removal of the locusts, cessation of the drought and the fire, and restoration of fertility. But the true significance of the new fertility lies not in supplying means for the sustenance of life, but in that it will make possible the resumption or continuation of the daily sacrifices and thus assure the continued presence of Jehovah (Joel 1:9). The restoration of the daily sacrifice seems to be the greatest blessing desired. Fertility, harvest, vintage, are always in the Old Testament regarded as direct gifts from God (Hosea 2:5ff.).

V. 14. He will return-God doth not move from one place to another; but when he withholds his blessings, he is said to withdraw himself. And so when he gives out his blessing, he is said to return. And leave a blessing behind him-Cause the locusts to depart before they have eaten up all that is in the land.

Verse 14. Who knoweth if he will return] He may yet interpose and turn aside the calamity threatened, and so far preserve the land from these ravagers, that there will be food for men and cattle, and a sufficiency of offerings for the temple service. Therefore—

Verses 12-14. Therefore, also now, &c. — Or, Nevertheless, also now, saith the Lord, &c. — Here a method is pointed out, whereby they might still have hopes of avoiding the calamity denounced against them, namely, by turning to God sincerely, and publicly testifying their inward repentance and grief for their sins, by outward expressions of sorrow and humiliation. And rend your heart — Rending of the garments was customary in times of great sorrow and affliction, not only among the Jews and Israelites, but among almost all the ancient nations. The prophet here does not absolutely forbid their using this outward sign of sorrow, but exhorts them to attend more to inward contrition and humiliation, without which the outward signs of them were of no signification before God. The Hebrew writers often signify the preference that is due to one thing above another in terms which express the rejecting of that which is less worthy. Thus we read, Hosea 6:6, I will have mercy and not sacrifice; that is, I require mercy rather than sacrifice. In the same sense we are to understand the text before us. God prefers a broken and a contrite heart far before all outward expressions of humiliation and grief. For he is gracious and merciful, &c. — These words allude to God’s own declaration of himself, Exodus 34:6, on which they might with good reason ground hopes of forgiveness on their repenting unfeignedly of their sins, and bringing forth fruit worthy of repentance. And repenteth him of the evil — That is, of the evil which he had threatened to inflict in case those, against whom his threatenings were denounced, did not turn to him in true repentance. God is in Scripture said to repent when the humiliation of sinners and the reformation of their conduct make it unfit that he should inflict the punishment threatened by him. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent — God’s own nature, and the former instances we have found of his merciful disposition, encourage us to hope, that our sincere repentance may avail to avert his wrath, and engage him to restore his blessings upon us and our land. The prophet expresses himself between hope and fear of what might be the event, lest he should fill them with too much security on one hand, or drive them on the other, by a despair of pardon, to have no thoughts of repentance or amendment, but to go on still in their sins. Even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God — At least sufficient provision to supply the necessary parts of God’s public worship, which since the dearth had been necessarily omitted.

12-14. There is still hope. The door of mercy is open, and if the people turn to Jehovah in a spirit of penitence he may yet pardon. 12. Therefore also now — Better, R.V., “Yet even now.” At the eleventh hour, when destruction seems imminent. Saith Jehovah — Literally, whisper of Jehovah. A very solemn asservation, giving to the utterance special weight and demanding earnest attention. The expression is common in the prophetic books. “Whisper,” Hebrews na’um, is a passive participle from a root “to utter a low sound”; hence, the whispered or murmured utterance of revelation that falls upon the mental ear. Turn ye… to me — Leave your self-chosen paths of rebellion, come to your senses, recognize me as your God, and follow my instruction. This is the appeal of all the great prophets (compare Hosea 14:1; Isaiah 1:2; Amos 4:6, etc.). Turn emphasizes the idea of conversion in its practical aspect. The exhortation indicates clearly the purpose of all the prophets in delivering their dark messages of judgment. The judgments themselves were primarily disciplinary; and the interpretations of these judgments by the prophets had for their sole object repentance and a return to God on the part of the people. But it is not to be merely a formal, external return. With all your heart — In Hebrew thought the heart is the seat not only of the emotions, but of all the powers of personality, intellect, sensibility, and will (Delitzsch, System of Biblical Psychology, 292ff.). It includes the entire activity of the human spirit; all thoughts, all affections, all volitions. These are to be centered upon Jehovah. In Deuteronomy the same thought is expressed by the phrase “with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Joel 4:29; 6:5, etc.). The heart turning manifests itself in outward signs of grief for past sins: Fasting (Joel 1:14),… weeping,… mourning — The last literally, beating the breast (Joel 1:9, 13, 14). In the emphasis on externals Joel differs greatly from the earlier prophets. To them fasting and the entire external ceremonial was of very little or no importance; but the statement, “It comes in the end to this, that to repent is equivalent to to hold a day for fasting and prayer; and that is the real goal of Joel in Joel 2:1-17, and Joel 1:1-20; certainly along with it comes the exhortation: rend your heart, and not your garments; water alone cannot do it” (Wellhausen), does not recognize sufficiently the emphasis of the prophet upon heart repentance. He does not place exclusive emphasis upon externals. Lest the people should be satisfied with external, formal turning, the prophet repeats (verse 13) his summons to repentance, with even greater emphasis on the inner change. Rend your heart, and not your garments — The rending of the garment was among many ancient nations an expression of deep grief or terror. It was practiced in bereavement, as soon as the report of the death was received; the custom was weakened afterward to a conventional tearing of the garment at the breast for a hand’s breadth (Joshua 7:6; 2 Samuel 3:31; compare Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible, article “Mourning”). The mere tearing of the garments is not sufficient; for this reason the prophet insists most strongly on the spiritual conditions accompanying it. The rending of the heart signifies true contrition (Psalm 51:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 4:4).

They should be moved to such repentance by past experience, for Jehovah has shown himself to be gracious — Literally, inclined, that is, to pardon the repentant sinner. Merciful — Possessing mercy in abundance; equivalent to full of compassion, indicating the benevolent attitude of Jehovah toward all mankind, worthy and unworthy; his sympathy with man’s miseries. Slow to anger — Literally, long as to the breathing of the nostrils, that is, in anger. He does not allow his anger to break forth immediately on the discovery of sin and shortcoming; he waits to see whether the sinner will repent and do better. Of great kindness — R.V., “abundant in loving-kindness.” Hebrews hesedh; used (1) of the love of God toward man, (2) of the love of man toward God, (3) of the love of man toward man (see on Hosea 2:19); here, in the first sense, might be reproduced by paternal affection. It indicates the chief characteristic of God’s dealings with men, especially with those who are needy and helpless; and thus it includes all the virtues spoken of before. Think, says the prophet, of the paternal affection manifested by Jehovah toward you in all your past history, and let that thought become so vivid that it will lead you to repentance. This description of the character of God is taken from Exodus 34:6. Repenteth him — Continuation of the description of the character of Jehovah. Better taken as a participle, translated by a relative clause, “and one who repents.” The usual meaning of the verb niham, “to repent,” is “to change one’s mind or purpose out of pity for those whom one’s actions have affected, or because the results of an action have not fulfilled expectations.” That God repents is often stated in the Old Testament; this does not mean, however, that God ever changes his absolute will because he has been mistaken, or that he ever substitutes a worthier idea for one unworthy of his dignity. His essential attitude does not change, but the expression of God’s character toward man depends upon man’s attitude toward God. Now, since the announcement of a future manifestation of God is always conditional, its fulfillment depending upon the future attitude of man, cases may occur in which the announcement results in a complete change of attitude on the part of those doomed to destruction (compare Jonah and Nineveh). In such a case God may revoke the punishment in perfect accord with the immutability of his character. Such change on the part of the people is presupposed here. An unphilosophical, primitive people, whose apprehension of the infinite God was limited, must use expressions whose contents could be understood, though they were not literally true of God (Jeremiah 18:5-12; Jonah 3:10). The evil — The evil that Jehovah has threatened to send as punishment of their guilt. In view of the merciful character of Jehovah the prophet hopes that even in this crisis there may be a withholding of further judgment, and the change of the present calamity into a blessing. 14. Who knoweth — Equivalent to perhaps. “He speaks after the manner of a terrified conscience that is lifted up again with difficulty after a season of affliction and begins to aspire after hope and the mercy of God.… The expression does not indicate doubt, but rather affirmation coupled with desire; as if we were to say, God will, if it please him, turn again” (Luther). A more confident expression might have made the people even more reckless. Return — Turn back from the judgment upon the execution of which he has already entered (verse 11). Repent — See on verse 13. That instead of devastation and ruin he will leave behind him a blessing can mean in this connection only removal of the locusts, cessation of the drought and the fire, and restoration of fertility. But the true significance of the new fertility lies not in supplying means for the sustenance of life, but in that it will make possible the resumption or continuation of the daily sacrifices and thus assure the continued presence of Jehovah (Joel 1:9). The restoration of the daily sacrifice seems to be the greatest blessing desired. Fertility, harvest, vintage, are always in the Old Testament regarded as direct gifts from God (Hosea 2:5ff.).

Verse 15. Blow the trumpet] Let no time be lost, let the alarm be sounded.

Verses 15, 16. Blow the trumpet in Zion — This was a signal for assembling the people at the solemn times of public worship. Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly — Or, appoint ye a fast, proclaim a solemn day: so Archbishop Newcome. Sanctify the congregation — Let the people prepare themselves for this solemn time of humiliation, not only by washing themselves and their clothes, and cleansing themselves from all legal impurities, as is required Exodus 19:10-15, but by true contrition of heart, godly sorrow for, and forsaking all known sin, as also by abstaining from all sensual pleasures, however innocent and allowable at other times. Absolute self-denial is but a reasonable preparation for keeping a day of solemn humiliation before God, on account of national sins or calamities. This kind of abstinence was recommended among the heathen as a necessary preparation for solemn worship. Assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts — Let both young and old join in this duty, for all ages joining in it will add much to the solemnity of it, and is very proper to work in men’s minds that sincere contrition, which may avert those judgments which threaten the whole nation, and in which their posterity may suffer. Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet — Even on the day of their marriage, or during the marriage-feast. Let newly-married persons disregard the concerns and enjoyments peculiar to their situation, and afflict themselves with the rest of the people.

Verses 15-17 are an emphatic re-iteration of the exhortation in Joel 1:14. Verse 15 takes us back to verse 1, where the priests are exhorted to blow the trumpet. There it was intended to be chiefly a signal of danger, here a call to a religious gathering. 15b is a repetition of Joel 1:14a. No one is to be excluded or excused from the proposed service; all are to take part. Even the smallest children are to join. Verse 16 is an expansion of Joel 1:14b. Gather the people — In Joel 1:14, “all the inhabitants of the land.” The purpose of the gathering is indicated in the following expression: Sanctify the congregation [“assembly”] — Call a holy meeting of the congregation and consecrate the thus gathered people so that they can approach God properly (Exodus 19:10; 1 Samuel 16:5). The act of consecration was external, but it signified an inner spiritual preparation (13). In order that none might consider themselves exempt, the people are precisely defined as old men, children, and sucklings. No one is free from sin, no one can escape the judgment; therefore no one can afford to stay away from the service of prayer. Elders — Better, R.V., “old men.” Persons of old age (Joel 1:2), not elder in an official sense (Joel 1:14). Those that suck the breasts — “Nothing could evidence the deep and universal guilt of the entire nation more than the fact that on the great day of penitence and prayer even the newborn babes were to be brought together in the arms of their parents” (Umbreit). Bridegroom… bride — Even the newly wedded, who are least inclined to mourning, and who might possibly claim exemption (Deuteronomy 24:5), are to come forth and participate in the solemn worship. Chamber (Hebrews hedher)… closet (Hebrews huppah) — The two words are to be understood as synonyms; the bride and groom are thought to be together in the bridal chamber or nuptial pavilion (Psalm 19:5). A common Arabic phrase for the consummation of marriage is “he built a tent over his wife,” and even to-day a special tent or hut is built for the bride on the night of marriage (W.R. Smith, Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia, 167ff.). It is the duty of the priests, who are the mediators between the community and God, to convey the petition to the throne of Jehovah; in verse 17 they are exhorted to discharge their duty in the religious gathering. Weep — In sorrow and repentance. Between the porch and the altar — As in Ezekiel 8:16. The porch is the fore court on the east side of the temple, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide (1 Kings 6:3), which separates the inner court, or court of the priests (1 Kings 6:36; 2 Chronicles 4:9), from the great court (2 Chronicles 4:9) intended for the laity. In the court of the priests was the great altar of burnt offering, perhaps near the fore court and thus in sight of the people in the outer court (1 Kings 8:64; 2 Chronicles 8:12). Here, with their faces turned toward the temple, they are to entreat Jehovah with tears. The prayer is prescribed by the prophet. Spare — Have mercy, and withhold further judgment. Thy people… thine heritage — The fact that Israel is the people, the heritage, of Jehovah is made the basis of appeal (Deuteronomy 9:26, 29); he should be intensely interested in their welfare. Give not… to reproach — To be an object of reproach and mockery. Again and again Jehovah is reminded that, should he forsake Israel and permit it to be destroyed, his own power would be called in question. That the heathen [“nations”] should rule over them — The greatest disgrace in the thoughts of the Jews was the fact of being governed by heathen nations, as is shown at a later period by their frequent revolts against the Roman power. The severity of the plague of locusts has exhausted their resources; in case of hostility the Jews would fall an easy prey to their enemies, and thus become an object of reproach. The above meaning is reproduced in the ancient versions and is adopted by some moderns; it is supported by Psalm 106:41; Deuteronomy 15:6; Lamentations 5:8, and is in perfect accord with the context. For its bearing upon the allegorical interpretation see above p. 145. Most commentators, however, favor the marginal reading, “use a byword against them.” Mashal be means ordinarily “to rule over,” but the other translation is possible, and the last clause of the verse rather favors it. (The claim of Merx, Nowack, and others, that the same construction is found in Ezekiel 12:23; 18:3, is not well founded; the preposition be is used there in a sense entirely different from that required here.) The country having been so severely afflicted, the surrounding nations might be tempted to mock the Jews, and declare that they were forsaken by their God, or that he had no power to help them (Exodus 32:12; Numbers 14:13-16). Where is their God? — A sneer at the covenant relation between Jehovah and his people to which Jehovah could not be indifferent. The ancients traced every extraordinary event directly to the deity. The prosperity of a people was evidence of the power of its God, and even surrounding nations would look up to such a deity with a feeling of respect. On the other hand, disaster was proof of the weakness of the deity, and he would be mocked (Isaiah 10:10, 11; 36:18, 20). The only way to avoid such mockery is for Jehovah to avert the calamity (Exodus 32:12; Psalm 79:10).

With this appeal, presenting the strongest reason why God should avert the judgment, the first division of the book closes. The prayer was not in vain; Jehovah heard it, and turned in mercy and loving-kindness toward his penitent people.

PROMISE OF JEHOVAH TO AVERT THE JUDGMENT AND TO BESTOW

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS, Joel 2:18-3:21.

Though not expressly stated, it is implied that the prophet’s exhortation was heeded; the solemn assembly was held, the people turned to Jehovah in penitence, and as a result Jehovah altered his purpose. Now he promises to remove the locusts and to restore prosperity, such as has not been known before, until all will know that Jehovah himself dwells in the midst of the people (Joel 2:18-27). The manifestation of his mercy will not stop there; to the temporal blessings he will add rich spiritual gifts (28, 29). When the day of judgment finally comes, introduced by extraordinary phenomena (30, 31), it will not strike the chosen people; they will be spared (32), and those who are still in exile will be brought back to Zion (Joel 3:1); but the enemies of the Jews will be annihilated in a terrible conflict in the valley of Jehoshaphat (2-16). Zion will continue in the enjoyment of highest felicity under the direct protection of Jehovah, while her enemies will be turned into desolation and ruin (17-21). The promises, then, refer, on the one hand, to the immediate future (18-27); on the other, to times more remote (28ff.).

Blessings to be enjoyed in the immediate future, 18-27.

V. 16. The children-Though they understand little what is done, yet their cities ascend, and God with pity looks on their tears. These that suck-Their cries and tears may perhaps move the congregation to more earnest supplication to God for mercy. So the Ninevites, Jonah 3:7,8. The bridegroom-Let the new married man leave the mirth of the nuptials and afflict himself with the rest.

Verse 16. Gather the children] Let all share in the humiliation, for all must feel the judgment, should it come. Let no state nor condition among the people be exempted. The elders, the young persons, the infants, the bridegroom, and the bride; let all leave their houses, and go to the temple of God.

Verses 15, 16. Blow the trumpet in Zion — This was a signal for assembling the people at the solemn times of public worship. Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly — Or, appoint ye a fast, proclaim a solemn day: so Archbishop Newcome. Sanctify the congregation — Let the people prepare themselves for this solemn time of humiliation, not only by washing themselves and their clothes, and cleansing themselves from all legal impurities, as is required Exodus 19:10-15, but by true contrition of heart, godly sorrow for, and forsaking all known sin, as also by abstaining from all sensual pleasures, however innocent and allowable at other times. Absolute self-denial is but a reasonable preparation for keeping a day of solemn humiliation before God, on account of national sins or calamities. This kind of abstinence was recommended among the heathen as a necessary preparation for solemn worship. Assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts — Let both young and old join in this duty, for all ages joining in it will add much to the solemnity of it, and is very proper to work in men’s minds that sincere contrition, which may avert those judgments which threaten the whole nation, and in which their posterity may suffer. Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet — Even on the day of their marriage, or during the marriage-feast. Let newly-married persons disregard the concerns and enjoyments peculiar to their situation, and afflict themselves with the rest of the people.

Verses 15-17 are an emphatic re-iteration of the exhortation in Joel 1:14. Verse 15 takes us back to verse 1, where the priests are exhorted to blow the trumpet. There it was intended to be chiefly a signal of danger, here a call to a religious gathering. 15b is a repetition of Joel 1:14a. No one is to be excluded or excused from the proposed service; all are to take part. Even the smallest children are to join. Verse 16 is an expansion of Joel 1:14b. Gather the people — In Joel 1:14, “all the inhabitants of the land.” The purpose of the gathering is indicated in the following expression: Sanctify the congregation [“assembly”] — Call a holy meeting of the congregation and consecrate the thus gathered people so that they can approach God properly (Exodus 19:10; 1 Samuel 16:5). The act of consecration was external, but it signified an inner spiritual preparation (13). In order that none might consider themselves exempt, the people are precisely defined as old men, children, and sucklings. No one is free from sin, no one can escape the judgment; therefore no one can afford to stay away from the service of prayer. Elders — Better, R.V., “old men.” Persons of old age (Joel 1:2), not elder in an official sense (Joel 1:14). Those that suck the breasts — “Nothing could evidence the deep and universal guilt of the entire nation more than the fact that on the great day of penitence and prayer even the newborn babes were to be brought together in the arms of their parents” (Umbreit). Bridegroom… bride — Even the newly wedded, who are least inclined to mourning, and who might possibly claim exemption (Deuteronomy 24:5), are to come forth and participate in the solemn worship. Chamber (Hebrews hedher)… closet (Hebrews huppah) — The two words are to be understood as synonyms; the bride and groom are thought to be together in the bridal chamber or nuptial pavilion (Psalm 19:5). A common Arabic phrase for the consummation of marriage is “he built a tent over his wife,” and even to-day a special tent or hut is built for the bride on the night of marriage (W.R. Smith, Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia, 167ff.). It is the duty of the priests, who are the mediators between the community and God, to convey the petition to the throne of Jehovah; in verse 17 they are exhorted to discharge their duty in the religious gathering. Weep — In sorrow and repentance. Between the porch and the altar — As in Ezekiel 8:16. The porch is the fore court on the east side of the temple, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide (1 Kings 6:3), which separates the inner court, or court of the priests (1 Kings 6:36; 2 Chronicles 4:9), from the great court (2 Chronicles 4:9) intended for the laity. In the court of the priests was the great altar of burnt offering, perhaps near the fore court and thus in sight of the people in the outer court (1 Kings 8:64; 2 Chronicles 8:12). Here, with their faces turned toward the temple, they are to entreat Jehovah with tears. The prayer is prescribed by the prophet. Spare — Have mercy, and withhold further judgment. Thy people… thine heritage — The fact that Israel is the people, the heritage, of Jehovah is made the basis of appeal (Deuteronomy 9:26, 29); he should be intensely interested in their welfare. Give not… to reproach — To be an object of reproach and mockery. Again and again Jehovah is reminded that, should he forsake Israel and permit it to be destroyed, his own power would be called in question. That the heathen [“nations”] should rule over them — The greatest disgrace in the thoughts of the Jews was the fact of being governed by heathen nations, as is shown at a later period by their frequent revolts against the Roman power. The severity of the plague of locusts has exhausted their resources; in case of hostility the Jews would fall an easy prey to their enemies, and thus become an object of reproach. The above meaning is reproduced in the ancient versions and is adopted by some moderns; it is supported by Psalm 106:41; Deuteronomy 15:6; Lamentations 5:8, and is in perfect accord with the context. For its bearing upon the allegorical interpretation see above p. 145. Most commentators, however, favor the marginal reading, “use a byword against them.” Mashal be means ordinarily “to rule over,” but the other translation is possible, and the last clause of the verse rather favors it. (The claim of Merx, Nowack, and others, that the same construction is found in Ezekiel 12:23; 18:3, is not well founded; the preposition be is used there in a sense entirely different from that required here.) The country having been so severely afflicted, the surrounding nations might be tempted to mock the Jews, and declare that they were forsaken by their God, or that he had no power to help them (Exodus 32:12; Numbers 14:13-16). Where is their God? — A sneer at the covenant relation between Jehovah and his people to which Jehovah could not be indifferent. The ancients traced every extraordinary event directly to the deity. The prosperity of a people was evidence of the power of its God, and even surrounding nations would look up to such a deity with a feeling of respect. On the other hand, disaster was proof of the weakness of the deity, and he would be mocked (Isaiah 10:10, 11; 36:18, 20). The only way to avoid such mockery is for Jehovah to avert the calamity (Exodus 32:12; Psalm 79:10).

With this appeal, presenting the strongest reason why God should avert the judgment, the first division of the book closes. The prayer was not in vain; Jehovah heard it, and turned in mercy and loving-kindness toward his penitent people.

PROMISE OF JEHOVAH TO AVERT THE JUDGMENT AND TO BESTOW

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS, Joel 2:18-3:21.

Though not expressly stated, it is implied that the prophet’s exhortation was heeded; the solemn assembly was held, the people turned to Jehovah in penitence, and as a result Jehovah altered his purpose. Now he promises to remove the locusts and to restore prosperity, such as has not been known before, until all will know that Jehovah himself dwells in the midst of the people (Joel 2:18-27). The manifestation of his mercy will not stop there; to the temporal blessings he will add rich spiritual gifts (28, 29). When the day of judgment finally comes, introduced by extraordinary phenomena (30, 31), it will not strike the chosen people; they will be spared (32), and those who are still in exile will be brought back to Zion (Joel 3:1); but the enemies of the Jews will be annihilated in a terrible conflict in the valley of Jehoshaphat (2-16). Zion will continue in the enjoyment of highest felicity under the direct protection of Jehovah, while her enemies will be turned into desolation and ruin (17-21). The promises, then, refer, on the one hand, to the immediate future (18-27); on the other, to times more remote (28ff.).

Blessings to be enjoyed in the immediate future, 18-27.

V. 17. The porch-That stately porch built by Solomon, 1 Kings 6:3. The altar-The altar of burnt-offering, which stood at some distance from this porch, and here are the priests commanded to stand, fasting and praying, whence they might be heard and seen by the people in the next court, in which the people were wont to pray. To reproach-Famine, though by locusts is a reproach to this thine heritage; it will be greater reproach to be slaves to the nations signified by the locusts, therefore in mercy deliver us from both one and the other.

Verse 17. Let the priests—weep between the porch and the altar] The altar of burnt-offerings stood before the porch of the temple, 2 Chronicles 8:12, and between them there was an open space of fifteen or twenty cubits. It was there that the priests prostrated themselves on such occasions. It was into this place that the priests brought the sacrifice or victim of atonement; and where the high priest laid his hands on the head of the victim confessing his sins.

Let them say] The following was the form to be used on this occasion, “Spare thy people,” &c. And if this be done with a rent heart, &c., “then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people,” Joel 2:18. He will surely save, if ye seriously return to and penitently seek him.

Verse 17. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar — The priests, being in a peculiar sense the Lord’s servants, are here required to take the lead in this sacred work of penitence, and to stand weeping and praying between the porch and the altar; that is, in the open court, just before the porch of the temple built by Solomon, (see 1 Kings 6:3,) and the altar of burnt-offerings. This was called the priests’ court, and was the place where the greatest part of those, whose course it was, gave their attendance. Hereupon this is mentioned as the most proper place for the priests to stand in, while they addressed their prayers and intercessions to God in behalf of the people; because here they could best be seen and heard by all the assembly, and here they had before offered the sacrifices proper for such an occasion. And let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord — It was usual to prescribe certain forms of prayer or praise to the priests, in their public ministrations: see Hosea 14:2; 1 Chronicles 16:36. Such was this here mentioned, wherein they beseech God to deliver his people, not for any merit of theirs, but for his own glory, lest the heathen round about them should take occasion to blaspheme his name, as if he were not able to protect his worshippers. That the heathen should rule over them — This translation of the Hebrew verb lmv, favours their interpretation, who understand by the army, at the beginning of the chapter, an invading human enemy. But if expounded of a plague of locusts, still this translation, as Archbishop Newcome justly observes, may be supported, because, when the people were distressed by the locusts, they would be an easier prey to their enemies. But, to make a proverb of them, or to use a by-word against them, as the margin reads, is the more natural translation: for to have their country destroyed by locusts would naturally make them the subject of their enemies’ scorn and derision, as if they were forsaken by the God whom they worshipped; and the Hebrew verb above mentioned is indifferently taken in either sense.

Verses 15-17 are an emphatic re-iteration of the exhortation in Joel 1:14. Verse 15 takes us back to verse 1, where the priests are exhorted to blow the trumpet. There it was intended to be chiefly a signal of danger, here a call to a religious gathering. 15b is a repetition of Joel 1:14a. No one is to be excluded or excused from the proposed service; all are to take part. Even the smallest children are to join. Verse 16 is an expansion of Joel 1:14b. Gather the people — In Joel 1:14, “all the inhabitants of the land.” The purpose of the gathering is indicated in the following expression: Sanctify the congregation [“assembly”] — Call a holy meeting of the congregation and consecrate the thus gathered people so that they can approach God properly (Exodus 19:10; 1 Samuel 16:5). The act of consecration was external, but it signified an inner spiritual preparation (13). In order that none might consider themselves exempt, the people are precisely defined as old men, children, and sucklings. No one is free from sin, no one can escape the judgment; therefore no one can afford to stay away from the service of prayer. Elders — Better, R.V., “old men.” Persons of old age (Joel 1:2), not elder in an official sense (Joel 1:14). Those that suck the breasts — “Nothing could evidence the deep and universal guilt of the entire nation more than the fact that on the great day of penitence and prayer even the newborn babes were to be brought together in the arms of their parents” (Umbreit). Bridegroom… bride — Even the newly wedded, who are least inclined to mourning, and who might possibly claim exemption (Deuteronomy 24:5), are to come forth and participate in the solemn worship. Chamber (Hebrews hedher)… closet (Hebrews huppah) — The two words are to be understood as synonyms; the bride and groom are thought to be together in the bridal chamber or nuptial pavilion (Psalm 19:5). A common Arabic phrase for the consummation of marriage is “he built a tent over his wife,” and even to-day a special tent or hut is built for the bride on the night of marriage (W.R. Smith, Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia, 167ff.). It is the duty of the priests, who are the mediators between the community and God, to convey the petition to the throne of Jehovah; in verse 17 they are exhorted to discharge their duty in the religious gathering. Weep — In sorrow and repentance. Between the porch and the altar — As in Ezekiel 8:16. The porch is the fore court on the east side of the temple, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide (1 Kings 6:3), which separates the inner court, or court of the priests (1 Kings 6:36; 2 Chronicles 4:9), from the great court (2 Chronicles 4:9) intended for the laity. In the court of the priests was the great altar of burnt offering, perhaps near the fore court and thus in sight of the people in the outer court (1 Kings 8:64; 2 Chronicles 8:12). Here, with their faces turned toward the temple, they are to entreat Jehovah with tears. The prayer is prescribed by the prophet. Spare — Have mercy, and withhold further judgment. Thy people… thine heritage — The fact that Israel is the people, the heritage, of Jehovah is made the basis of appeal (Deuteronomy 9:26, 29); he should be intensely interested in their welfare. Give not… to reproach — To be an object of reproach and mockery. Again and again Jehovah is reminded that, should he forsake Israel and permit it to be destroyed, his own power would be called in question. That the heathen [“nations”] should rule over them — The greatest disgrace in the thoughts of the Jews was the fact of being governed by heathen nations, as is shown at a later period by their frequent revolts against the Roman power. The severity of the plague of locusts has exhausted their resources; in case of hostility the Jews would fall an easy prey to their enemies, and thus become an object of reproach. The above meaning is reproduced in the ancient versions and is adopted by some moderns; it is supported by Psalm 106:41; Deuteronomy 15:6; Lamentations 5:8, and is in perfect accord with the context. For its bearing upon the allegorical interpretation see above p. 145. Most commentators, however, favor the marginal reading, “use a byword against them.” Mashal be means ordinarily “to rule over,” but the other translation is possible, and the last clause of the verse rather favors it. (The claim of Merx, Nowack, and others, that the same construction is found in Ezekiel 12:23; 18:3, is not well founded; the preposition be is used there in a sense entirely different from that required here.) The country having been so severely afflicted, the surrounding nations might be tempted to mock the Jews, and declare that they were forsaken by their God, or that he had no power to help them (Exodus 32:12; Numbers 14:13-16). Where is their God? — A sneer at the covenant relation between Jehovah and his people to which Jehovah could not be indifferent. The ancients traced every extraordinary event directly to the deity. The prosperity of a people was evidence of the power of its God, and even surrounding nations would look up to such a deity with a feeling of respect. On the other hand, disaster was proof of the weakness of the deity, and he would be mocked (Isaiah 10:10, 11; 36:18, 20). The only way to avoid such mockery is for Jehovah to avert the calamity (Exodus 32:12; Psalm 79:10).

With this appeal, presenting the strongest reason why God should avert the judgment, the first division of the book closes. The prayer was not in vain; Jehovah heard it, and turned in mercy and loving-kindness toward his penitent people.

PROMISE OF JEHOVAH TO AVERT THE JUDGMENT AND TO BESTOW

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS, Joel 2:18-3:21.

Though not expressly stated, it is implied that the prophet’s exhortation was heeded; the solemn assembly was held, the people turned to Jehovah in penitence, and as a result Jehovah altered his purpose. Now he promises to remove the locusts and to restore prosperity, such as has not been known before, until all will know that Jehovah himself dwells in the midst of the people (Joel 2:18-27). The manifestation of his mercy will not stop there; to the temporal blessings he will add rich spiritual gifts (28, 29). When the day of judgment finally comes, introduced by extraordinary phenomena (30, 31), it will not strike the chosen people; they will be spared (32), and those who are still in exile will be brought back to Zion (Joel 3:1); but the enemies of the Jews will be annihilated in a terrible conflict in the valley of Jehoshaphat (2-16). Zion will continue in the enjoyment of highest felicity under the direct protection of Jehovah, while her enemies will be turned into desolation and ruin (17-21). The promises, then, refer, on the one hand, to the immediate future (18-27); on the other, to times more remote (28ff.).

Blessings to be enjoyed in the immediate future, 18-27.

Verses 18-20. Then will the Lord be jealous for his land — If you do what I propose to you, if you sincerely humble yourselves before God, confess your sins, and truly repent of them, turning to God in newness of life, then will the Lord be concerned for the honour and welfare of that land which he has chosen to settle his worshippers in. Yea, the Lord will say, Behold, I will send you corn, &c. — I will restore your former plenty, and the nations about you shall have no more occasion to reproach your desolate condition. But I will remove far off from you the northern army — Or, enemy, nation, or people; that is, the locusts, which might enter Judea by the north, as Circassia and Mingrelia abound with them. Because Joel represents this army as coming from the north, some have been ready to imagine, that he was speaking not of real locusts, but of the Chaldeans, or some other desolating army of men that should come from that quarter. “But the Baron de Tott assures us, in a late publication of his, that he found locusts coming in great numbers from Tartary toward Constantinople, which lies to the south of that country. ‘I saw,’ says he, ‘no appearance of culture on my route, because the Noguais (the Tartars) avoid the cultivation of frequented places. Their harvest by the sides of roads would serve only as pasture to travellers’ horses. But if this precaution preserves them from such kind of depredation, nothing can protect their fields from a much more fatal scourge. Clouds of locusts frequently alight on their plains; and, giving the preference to their fields of millet, ravage them in an instant. Their approach darkens the horizon, and so enormous is their multitude, it hides the light of the sun. When the husbandmen happen to be sufficiently numerous, they sometimes divert the storm by their agitation and cries; but when they fail, the locusts alight on their fields, and there form a bed of six or seven inches thick. This plague, no doubt, would be more extensive in countries better cultivated; and Greece and Asia Minor would be more frequently exposed, did not the Black sea swallow up most of those swarms which attempt to pass that barrier. I have often seen the shores of the Pontus Euxinus, toward the Bosphorus of Thrace, covered with their dried remains, in such multitudes, that one could not walk along the strand without sinking half-leg deep into a bed of these skinny skeletons. Curious to know the true cause of their destruction, I sought the moment of observation, and was a witness of their ruin by a storm, which overtook them so near the shore, that their bodies were cast upon the land while yet entire. This produced an infection so great, that it was several days before they could be approached.’ — Memoirs, part 2. p. 58-60. They frequently then, according to this writer, in that part of the world, pass, or attempt to pass, from north to south. In Judea they have been supposed to go from the southeastward in a contrary direction. And if this is the common route they take there, it must have struck the Jews very much, when they found the prophet predicting the going of the locusts to the southward; and still more so when they found it exactly accomplished, as it was a demonstration of the perfect foreknowledge of Jehovah, perhaps of his guiding and directing those vast bodies of insects. The locusts, it is said, have no king, yet go they forth by bands, Proverbs 30:27. But if they have no king of their own species, they are undoubtedly under the direction of the God that made them: he is their king.” — Harmer, vol. 4. obs. 146.

Some of the locusts, which here are the subject of Joel’s prophecy, were to be driven by the wind into the desert, or, as it is here styled, a land barren and desolate; some into the Dead sea, called here the east sea, lying eastward of Jerusalem; some into the Mediterranean, or western sea, called here the utmost sea. By his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, is described the extent of the body, or army of locusts; the face meaning the foremost of them, and the hinder part the hindmost of them. And his stink shall come up — “That a strong and pestilential smell,” says Newcome, “arises from putrefied heaps of locusts, whether driven upon land or cast up from the sea in which they have perished, appears from the testimony of many writers. Among various other authorities to the same effect, St. Jerome is quoted by Bochart as saying, that in his time those troops of locusts which covered Judea were cast by the wind in mare primum et novissimum; and that, when the waters threw them up, their smell caused a pestilence. Thevenot says of them, They live not above six months; and when dead, the stench of them so corrupts and infects the air, that it often occasions dreadful pestilences. — City Remem. 1:123. There came such a stench from those which appeared at Novogorod in 1646, as not only offended the nose, but the brain: it was not to be endured: men were forced to wash their noses with vinegar, and hold handkerchiefs dipped in it continually to their nostrils, Ibid. 125. In Ethiopia, when they die and rot, they raise a pestilence. — Mead, 1:36.” Because he hath done great things — That is, committed great devastation. Or rather, although he hath done great things: though this army of insects, by God’s appointment, has made such destruction in the land, yet it shall come to this shameful end.

Verse 18 marks the transition to the promises. The future tenses of A.V. have been rightly changed into past tenses in R.V. Then — The time is not definitely stated but is implied, when the people turned to Jehovah in penitence of heart. Jealous… pity — Jealousy is frequently ascribed to God in the Old Testament. The expression is probably adopted from the marriage relation, which is often used to describe the relation of Jehovah to the people of Israel (Isaiah 54:5; 62:5; Hosea 2:19). Though at present the word is used commonly in a bad sense, it was not always so. The jealousy of Jehovah is aroused when his power is doubted, or when he is robbed of his proper dues, or when proper treatment is refused to one who is the object of his peculiar care and love. In the last case Jehovah interferes not merely to secure what belongs to him, but he interposes in behalf of his loved one. The calamity that had befallen the people had caused the surrounding nations to ask mockingly, “Where is their God?” Now Jehovah must vindicate himself; but he was moved also by pity for his people. “Love, having been made jealous by misrepresentation or ill treatment on the part of a third person, undergoes a strong reaction against the latter in favor of the former” (Exodus 20:5; Zechariah 1:14; 8:2; Ezekiel 36:5, 6).

Verse 19. Yea, the Lord will answer] It is not a peradventure; it will surely be done; if ye seek God as commanded, ye will find him as promised.

I will send you corn and wine] He will either prevent the total ravaging of the land, or so bless it with extraordinary vegetable strength, that ye shall have plentiful crops.

Verses 18-20. Then will the Lord be jealous for his land — If you do what I propose to you, if you sincerely humble yourselves before God, confess your sins, and truly repent of them, turning to God in newness of life, then will the Lord be concerned for the honour and welfare of that land which he has chosen to settle his worshippers in. Yea, the Lord will say, Behold, I will send you corn, &c. — I will restore your former plenty, and the nations about you shall have no more occasion to reproach your desolate condition. But I will remove far off from you the northern army — Or, enemy, nation, or people; that is, the locusts, which might enter Judea by the north, as Circassia and Mingrelia abound with them. Because Joel represents this army as coming from the north, some have been ready to imagine, that he was speaking not of real locusts, but of the Chaldeans, or some other desolating army of men that should come from that quarter. “But the Baron de Tott assures us, in a late publication of his, that he found locusts coming in great numbers from Tartary toward Constantinople, which lies to the south of that country. ‘I saw,’ says he, ‘no appearance of culture on my route, because the Noguais (the Tartars) avoid the cultivation of frequented places. Their harvest by the sides of roads would serve only as pasture to travellers’ horses. But if this precaution preserves them from such kind of depredation, nothing can protect their fields from a much more fatal scourge. Clouds of locusts frequently alight on their plains; and, giving the preference to their fields of millet, ravage them in an instant. Their approach darkens the horizon, and so enormous is their multitude, it hides the light of the sun. When the husbandmen happen to be sufficiently numerous, they sometimes divert the storm by their agitation and cries; but when they fail, the locusts alight on their fields, and there form a bed of six or seven inches thick. This plague, no doubt, would be more extensive in countries better cultivated; and Greece and Asia Minor would be more frequently exposed, did not the Black sea swallow up most of those swarms which attempt to pass that barrier. I have often seen the shores of the Pontus Euxinus, toward the Bosphorus of Thrace, covered with their dried remains, in such multitudes, that one could not walk along the strand without sinking half-leg deep into a bed of these skinny skeletons. Curious to know the true cause of their destruction, I sought the moment of observation, and was a witness of their ruin by a storm, which overtook them so near the shore, that their bodies were cast upon the land while yet entire. This produced an infection so great, that it was several days before they could be approached.’ — Memoirs, part 2. p. 58-60. They frequently then, according to this writer, in that part of the world, pass, or attempt to pass, from north to south. In Judea they have been supposed to go from the southeastward in a contrary direction. And if this is the common route they take there, it must have struck the Jews very much, when they found the prophet predicting the going of the locusts to the southward; and still more so when they found it exactly accomplished, as it was a demonstration of the perfect foreknowledge of Jehovah, perhaps of his guiding and directing those vast bodies of insects. The locusts, it is said, have no king, yet go they forth by bands, Proverbs 30:27. But if they have no king of their own species, they are undoubtedly under the direction of the God that made them: he is their king.” — Harmer, vol. 4. obs. 146.

Some of the locusts, which here are the subject of Joel’s prophecy, were to be driven by the wind into the desert, or, as it is here styled, a land barren and desolate; some into the Dead sea, called here the east sea, lying eastward of Jerusalem; some into the Mediterranean, or western sea, called here the utmost sea. By his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, is described the extent of the body, or army of locusts; the face meaning the foremost of them, and the hinder part the hindmost of them. And his stink shall come up — “That a strong and pestilential smell,” says Newcome, “arises from putrefied heaps of locusts, whether driven upon land or cast up from the sea in which they have perished, appears from the testimony of many writers. Among various other authorities to the same effect, St. Jerome is quoted by Bochart as saying, that in his time those troops of locusts which covered Judea were cast by the wind in mare primum et novissimum; and that, when the waters threw them up, their smell caused a pestilence. Thevenot says of them, They live not above six months; and when dead, the stench of them so corrupts and infects the air, that it often occasions dreadful pestilences. — City Remem. 1:123. There came such a stench from those which appeared at Novogorod in 1646, as not only offended the nose, but the brain: it was not to be endured: men were forced to wash their noses with vinegar, and hold handkerchiefs dipped in it continually to their nostrils, Ibid. 125. In Ethiopia, when they die and rot, they raise a pestilence. — Mead, 1:36.” Because he hath done great things — That is, committed great devastation. Or rather, although he hath done great things: though this army of insects, by God’s appointment, has made such destruction in the land, yet it shall come to this shameful end.

Verses 19, 20 are placed in the mouth of Jehovah; in 21 the prophet steps in once more as the speaker. In the presence of calamity, joy had vanished from the sons of men (Joel 1:12); the promises of 19, 20 mean a complete transformation. In view of the new prospects he calls upon the land (21), the beasts (22), and the children of Zion (23) to be glad and rejoice.

V. 20. The northern army-That part of the locusts which are toward the north. With his face-The van of this army shall be driven into the dead sea, east of Jerusalem. The hinder part-The rear of this army shall be driven into the west sea. His stink-The stench of these locusts destroying and lying putrified on the face of the earth, or the corpses of the Assyrians slain and unburied.

Verse 20. I will remove far off from you the northern army] “That is, the locusts; which might enter Judea by the north, as Circassia and Mingrelia abound with them. Or the locusts may be thus called, because they spread terror like the Assyrian armies, which entered Judea by the north. See Zephaniah 2:13.”—Newcome. Syria, which was northward of Judea, was infested with them; and it must have been a northern wind that brought them into Judea, in the time of Joel; as God promises to change this wind, and carry them into a barren and desolate land, Arabia Deserta. “And his face toward the east sea,” i.e., the Dead Sea, which lay eastward of Jerusalem. “His hinder part toward the utmost sea,” the western sea, i.e., the Mediterranean.

And his stink shall come up] After having been drowned by millions in the Mediterranean, the reflux of the tide has often brought them back, and thrown there in heaps upon the shore, where they putrefied in such a manner as to infect the air and produce pestilence, by which both men and cattle have died in great multitudes. See Bochart, Hieroz., vol. ii., p. 481. Livy, and St. Augustine after him, relate that there was such an immense crowd of locusts in Africa that, having eaten up every green thing, a wind arose that carried them into the sea, where they perished; but being cast upon the shore, they putrefied, and bred such a pestilence, that eighty thousand men died of it in the kingdom of Massinissa, and thirty thousand in the garrison of Utica, in which only ten remained alive. See Calmet and Livy, lib. xc., and August. Deuteronomy Civitate Dei, lib. iv., c. 31. We have many testimonies of a similar kind.

Because he hath done great things] Or, yk ki, although he have done great things, or, after he has done them, i.e., in almost destroying the whole country.

Verses 18-20. Then will the Lord be jealous for his land — If you do what I propose to you, if you sincerely humble yourselves before God, confess your sins, and truly repent of them, turning to God in newness of life, then will the Lord be concerned for the honour and welfare of that land which he has chosen to settle his worshippers in. Yea, the Lord will say, Behold, I will send you corn, &c. — I will restore your former plenty, and the nations about you shall have no more occasion to reproach your desolate condition. But I will remove far off from you the northern army — Or, enemy, nation, or people; that is, the locusts, which might enter Judea by the north, as Circassia and Mingrelia abound with them. Because Joel represents this army as coming from the north, some have been ready to imagine, that he was speaking not of real locusts, but of the Chaldeans, or some other desolating army of men that should come from that quarter. “But the Baron de Tott assures us, in a late publication of his, that he found locusts coming in great numbers from Tartary toward Constantinople, which lies to the south of that country. ‘I saw,’ says he, ‘no appearance of culture on my route, because the Noguais (the Tartars) avoid the cultivation of frequented places. Their harvest by the sides of roads would serve only as pasture to travellers’ horses. But if this precaution preserves them from such kind of depredation, nothing can protect their fields from a much more fatal scourge. Clouds of locusts frequently alight on their plains; and, giving the preference to their fields of millet, ravage them in an instant. Their approach darkens the horizon, and so enormous is their multitude, it hides the light of the sun. When the husbandmen happen to be sufficiently numerous, they sometimes divert the storm by their agitation and cries; but when they fail, the locusts alight on their fields, and there form a bed of six or seven inches thick. This plague, no doubt, would be more extensive in countries better cultivated; and Greece and Asia Minor would be more frequently exposed, did not the Black sea swallow up most of those swarms which attempt to pass that barrier. I have often seen the shores of the Pontus Euxinus, toward the Bosphorus of Thrace, covered with their dried remains, in such multitudes, that one could not walk along the strand without sinking half-leg deep into a bed of these skinny skeletons. Curious to know the true cause of their destruction, I sought the moment of observation, and was a witness of their ruin by a storm, which overtook them so near the shore, that their bodies were cast upon the land while yet entire. This produced an infection so great, that it was several days before they could be approached.’ — Memoirs, part 2. p. 58-60. They frequently then, according to this writer, in that part of the world, pass, or attempt to pass, from north to south. In Judea they have been supposed to go from the southeastward in a contrary direction. And if this is the common route they take there, it must have struck the Jews very much, when they found the prophet predicting the going of the locusts to the southward; and still more so when they found it exactly accomplished, as it was a demonstration of the perfect foreknowledge of Jehovah, perhaps of his guiding and directing those vast bodies of insects. The locusts, it is said, have no king, yet go they forth by bands, Proverbs 30:27. But if they have no king of their own species, they are undoubtedly under the direction of the God that made them: he is their king.” — Harmer, vol. 4. obs. 146.

Some of the locusts, which here are the subject of Joel’s prophecy, were to be driven by the wind into the desert, or, as it is here styled, a land barren and desolate; some into the Dead sea, called here the east sea, lying eastward of Jerusalem; some into the Mediterranean, or western sea, called here the utmost sea. By his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, is described the extent of the body, or army of locusts; the face meaning the foremost of them, and the hinder part the hindmost of them. And his stink shall come up — “That a strong and pestilential smell,” says Newcome, “arises from putrefied heaps of locusts, whether driven upon land or cast up from the sea in which they have perished, appears from the testimony of many writers. Among various other authorities to the same effect, St. Jerome is quoted by Bochart as saying, that in his time those troops of locusts which covered Judea were cast by the wind in mare primum et novissimum; and that, when the waters threw them up, their smell caused a pestilence. Thevenot says of them, They live not above six months; and when dead, the stench of them so corrupts and infects the air, that it often occasions dreadful pestilences. — City Remem. 1:123. There came such a stench from those which appeared at Novogorod in 1646, as not only offended the nose, but the brain: it was not to be endured: men were forced to wash their noses with vinegar, and hold handkerchiefs dipped in it continually to their nostrils, Ibid. 125. In Ethiopia, when they die and rot, they raise a pestilence. — Mead, 1:36.” Because he hath done great things — That is, committed great devastation. Or rather, although he hath done great things: though this army of insects, by God’s appointment, has made such destruction in the land, yet it shall come to this shameful end.

Verses 19, 20 are placed in the mouth of Jehovah; in 21 the prophet steps in once more as the speaker. In the presence of calamity, joy had vanished from the sons of men (Joel 1:12); the promises of 19, 20 mean a complete transformation. In view of the new prospects he calls upon the land (21), the beasts (22), and the children of Zion (23) to be glad and rejoice.

Verse 21. Fear not—for the Lord will do great things.] The words are repeated from the preceding verse; Jehovah will do great things in driving them away, and supernaturally restoring the land to fertility.

Verses 21, 22. Fear not, O land, &c. — “In the former part of this prophecy the land is elegantly represented as mourning, the beasts groaning, and the herds of cattle as greatly distressed; the rivers of water dried up, and the pastures of the wilderness as all consumed. In the same elegant strain he calls upon the land to rejoice, and the beasts of the field to be glad; because the rain should descend, the trees yield their increase, the earth its plenty, and every thing minister to the joy and comfort of the inhabitants: so that though the threatening ran, that the land (which looked, before the locusts invaded it, like the garden of Eden) should appear behind them like a desolate wilderness; the blessing intimated upon their repentance is, that the desolate wilderness should be again turned into a garden of Eden, and abound with every thing for usefulness and pleasure.” For the Lord will do great things — God will magnify himself, and show his power as much in acts of mercy as he did before in the strokes of his justice. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field — As the cattle and the wild beasts had their share in the dearth, (chap. 1:18, 20,) so now even they shall receive comfort, in the return of plenty. The fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength — That is, bear fruit according to their kind, in great abundance.

21. Land — In 1:10, it is represented as mourning; now the danger is past, therefore, it is time for rejoicing. The land rejoices when it greens and brings forth abundant harvest. Jehovah will do great things — R.V., “hath done.” The same phrase as that applied to the locusts in verse 20 (Psalm 126:2, 3). The great thing is the change of purpose and the destruction of the foe that “had done great things.” The tense is the so-called prophetic perfect; the deliverance is not yet accomplished, but to the prophet it is as good as accomplished, since Jehovah has decided upon Joel 2:22. Beasts — They had groaned on account of the destruction of all vegetation (Joel 1:18, 20); all is changed now, food will no longer be wanting. Pastures — Devoured by the fire (Joel 1:19). Do spring — They bring forth new grass (Genesis 1:11, 12; Psalm 23:2). The tenses as in verse 21. The beasts are called upon to rejoice because the trees bear fruit once more. The tree beareth her fruit — The fruit bearing of the trees, especially of the vine and fig, has no direct bearing on the happiness of the beasts; but they are to enter into sympathy with the inhabitants and rejoice with them over the new fertility. There is, however, another reason for their rejoicing. In Joel 1:20, the water brooks are described as dried up, producing great suffering among the beasts. Without water there can be no vegetation. On the other hand, vegetation presupposes plenty of water, and new growth of the trees implies abundance of water to relieve the thirst of the beasts; therefore, they may well rejoice. Yield their strength — They produce fruit, not sparingly as in the past, but in accord with their full powers.

V. 22. Their strength-Bring forth as much as they are able to stand under.

Verses 21, 22. Fear not, O land, &c. — “In the former part of this prophecy the land is elegantly represented as mourning, the beasts groaning, and the herds of cattle as greatly distressed; the rivers of water dried up, and the pastures of the wilderness as all consumed. In the same elegant strain he calls upon the land to rejoice, and the beasts of the field to be glad; because the rain should descend, the trees yield their increase, the earth its plenty, and every thing minister to the joy and comfort of the inhabitants: so that though the threatening ran, that the land (which looked, before the locusts invaded it, like the garden of Eden) should appear behind them like a desolate wilderness; the blessing intimated upon their repentance is, that the desolate wilderness should be again turned into a garden of Eden, and abound with every thing for usefulness and pleasure.” For the Lord will do great things — God will magnify himself, and show his power as much in acts of mercy as he did before in the strokes of his justice. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field — As the cattle and the wild beasts had their share in the dearth, (chap. 1:18, 20,) so now even they shall receive comfort, in the return of plenty. The fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength — That is, bear fruit according to their kind, in great abundance.

V. 23. The former rain-The autumn rain which is needful to mellow the earth and fit it to receive the corn. The latter rain-Needful to bring forward and ripen the fruits, accounted the latter rain because these husbandmen and vine-dressers reckoned from seed time to spring and harvest. The first month-That is, our March.

Verse 23. The former rain moderately] hqdxl hrwmh hammoreh litsedakah, “the former rain in righteousness,” that is, in due time and in just proportion. This rain fell after autumn, the other in spring. See Hosea 6:3.

In the first month.] בראשונ barishon, “as aforetime.” So Bp. Newcome. In the month Nisan.—Syriac.

Verse 23. He hath given you the former rain moderately — The season of the former rain was about the middle of October. The Hebrew word hqdxl, rendered moderately, literally signifies, according to righteousness: and is equivalent with according to judgment. Archbishop Newcome renders it, in just proportion: and he will cause to come the latter rain in the first month — Which was Nisan, partly answering to our March. The regular season for this rain was three months before harvest, Amos 4:7; that is, before wheat-harvest, which was later than the barley-harvest in Judea. Of the former and latter rain, see note on Hosea 6:3.

Ver. 23. The latter rain in the first month. It should read, “the latter rain as aforetime.” The first month was exactly the time of the barley harvest. The English version has copied the error from Piscator. See Deuteronomy 11:14.

23. Children of Zion — In the narrower sense this expression includes only the inhabitants of Jerusalem; here probably all who suffered from the locusts, the inhabitants of Judah. Especially in a religious community the capital might stand for the whole land, for in it the whole life was centered. In Jehovah — In their rejoicing they are to remember that it is the mercy of Jehovah that has caused the transformation. The former rain moderately — R.V., “the former rain in just measure”; margin, “a teacher of righteousness”; or, rendering the first word “former rain,” it translates the second “according to righteousness”; margin R.V., “in (or, for) righteousness.” It has been well said that “from time immemorial there has been a diversity of opinion as to the meaning of these words.” The teacher unto righteousness is a perfectly correct translation; it is the translation and interpretation of ancient Jewish commentators, and is adopted by a few moderns (Merx, Von Orelli, Keil, and others). The expression is explained by passages such as 1 Kings 8:36; 2 Chronicles 6:27, according to which “the answer to prayer for rain must be preceded by divine instruction respecting the good way” (Von Orelli). There is a difference of opinion, however, as to who is this teacher. Some suppose him to be the Messiah, some a future teacher, some the ideal teacher or the collective body of messengers from God, others the prophet Joel himself, and still others the entire procession of teachers culminating in the Messiah. While the possibility of this translation is readily admitted, the rendering embodied in the text is preferable, because (1) the “teacher unto righteousness” would be a spiritual gift, but we do not expect a reference to a spiritual gift here. The blessings announced in this section are purely physical — the destruction of the locusts and the restoration of fertility. The announcement of the higher spiritual gifts marks a distinct advance, and these are not expected by the prophet until a more distant future. (2) The word moreh is used again in the last clause of the verse, where it refers undoubtedly to “early rain.” It is at least doubtful that the prophet, anxious to be understood, would use, without explanation, the two words in so close connection with different meanings. On the whole, the rendering “former rain” is more satisfactory. Moderately — Or, in just measure. It is exceedingly doubtful that the word sedhakah is ever used in the physical sense of correctness or correct measure, as is implied in the above rendering. It seems to be used exclusively in an ethical sense; therefore here better, “according to righteousness” (Hosea 10:12), that is, as Jehovah’s righteousness prompts him (Isaiah 42:6; 45:13); which means, in abundant measure. This is more satisfactory than the translation of Ewald and others, “rain for justification” — the rain which is a sign that they are adopted again into the righteous consideration of God. Rain — Hebrews geshem. General term for abundant rain, but especially the heavy rains beginning, as a rule, toward the close of October and continuing until February. Former rain — The rains at the opening of the rainy season, September-October. Latter rain — The showers of March and April. Since they come just before the dry season sets in, they are of the greatest importance in Palestine. In the first month — The first month would be Nisan, March-April, which is the time for the latter rain, but it could not be connected with the former rain as it seems to be connected in the text. If the Hebrew text is correct it is better translated, with the margin, “at the first,” in contrast with “afterward” (verse 28) when the spiritual gifts are bestowed. Some of the ancient versions, followed by some modern scholars, read “as before,” that is, before the calamity. This gives excellent sense, and requires but a slight emendation of the text. Wellhausen suggests to omit the second “former rain,” since it appears to be a useless repetition. If this suggestion is accepted we have in this text the three principal rains of the season in their regular order; all three are essential for fertility, therefore Jehovah will restore them.

V. 24. The fats-The vessels into which the liquor ran out of the press.

24-27. The heavens are open once more, the drought will come to an end, the locusts will disappear, the harvest and vintage will be plentiful, so that the presence of Jehovah will indeed be realized. 24. A repetition by the prophet of the thought expressed by Jehovah in verse 19. The conditions described in Joel 1:10-12, are to be reversed; corn, wine, and oil will be plentiful. Floors — Threshing floors, where corn is threshed out and heaped up (Thomson, 2:314-316). Fats — Modern form, vats. Not the wine presses, but the receptacles into which the wine flows from the presses, usually excavated in the natural rock (Isaiah 5:2), a little lower than the presses (Van Lennep, 117ff.); applied here also to the receptacles for the oil. The vintage will be so plentiful that the vats will overflow (Proverbs 3:10).

V. 25. Restore-Make up to you.

Verse 25. I will restore—the years] It has already been remarked that the locusts not only destroyed the produce of that year, but so completely ate up all buds, and barked the trees, that they did not recover for some years. Here God promises that he would either prevent or remedy that evil; for he would restore the years that the locusts, cankerworm, caterpillar, and palmerworm had eaten.

Verses 25-27. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten — I will compensate you, or make you amends, for what the locusts have eaten in the foregoing years, by an extraordinary plenty of the fruits of the earth. This verse proves, beyond a doubt, that they mistake who interpret this prophecy of a hostile invasion of Judea; for it seems to be a general rule in the prophecies, that when any thing of a common nature is expressed by metaphors, that which is the literal sense of these metaphors is generally signified in the conclusion, that there may be no mistake about it. Of this many instances have been given; and perhaps no instances of the use of metaphors in the prophetic writings, about things of a common nature, can be brought, but that in the end the metaphor is explained, and what is meant by it expressly declared. But here, instead of any indication in the conclusion of a metaphor’s being used, or what is meant by that metaphor, the locust is literally spoken of as being the cause of that calamity, and, indeed, in such very express terms, that the passage cannot, without great violence, be interpreted of a hostile invasion. “We have here,” says Archbishop Newcome, “a key to the grand and beautiful description which runs through these two chapters. And if we consider verse 7, and the propriety of the adjuncts, as applicable to locusts, and often to locusts only, there can remain no doubt but that the prophet is to be understood in a literal sense, as foretelling a plague of locusts. Every reader of taste must be struck with the poetical and sublime manner in which the allegory is conducted. There is not a more splendid piece of poetry extant.” And my people shall never be ashamed — Provided they continue to serve me. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel — God’s giving tokens of his especial blessing and protection to his people, is expressed by his dwelling among them, or in the midst of them, Joel 3:17; Leviticus 26:11, 12; Ezekiel 37:26. This is a favour he never promises, but upon condition of their sincere and steady obedience: as appears in the fore-cited places. And that I am the Lord your God, and none else — You will then be convinced that I am always ready to protect you, and you need not apply yourselves to any other gods in your wants or troubles. And my people shall never be ashamed — Shall not be any more disappointed of the trust they place in me, nor be reproached by the heathen, as if I had forsaken them.

25. By means of the bountiful harvest promised in verse 24 Jehovah will restore to the people the loss they have suffered through the locusts. Years — The calamity was not limited to one year, and it is not easy to see how the effects of a calamity like that described in chapter i could have been confined to one year. Locusts — For the names see comment on 1:4; here they occur in different order, an indication that the names cannot refer to locusts in successive stages of development. My great army — The locusts are identified with the “army” of verse 11 (compare verse 2); that takes us back also to Joel 1:4, proving that the prophet is concerned throughout with locusts as such, and not as symbols of hostile armies.

V. 26. Wondrously-In one year giving as much as the locusts wasted in the years foregoing. Ashamed-Neither disappointed of your hopes, nor necessitated to seek relief among the heathen.

Verse 26. Praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you] In so destroying this formidable enemy; and so miraculously restoring the land to fertility, after so great a devastation.

Verses 25-27. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten — I will compensate you, or make you amends, for what the locusts have eaten in the foregoing years, by an extraordinary plenty of the fruits of the earth. This verse proves, beyond a doubt, that they mistake who interpret this prophecy of a hostile invasion of Judea; for it seems to be a general rule in the prophecies, that when any thing of a common nature is expressed by metaphors, that which is the literal sense of these metaphors is generally signified in the conclusion, that there may be no mistake about it. Of this many instances have been given; and perhaps no instances of the use of metaphors in the prophetic writings, about things of a common nature, can be brought, but that in the end the metaphor is explained, and what is meant by it expressly declared. But here, instead of any indication in the conclusion of a metaphor’s being used, or what is meant by that metaphor, the locust is literally spoken of as being the cause of that calamity, and, indeed, in such very express terms, that the passage cannot, without great violence, be interpreted of a hostile invasion. “We have here,” says Archbishop Newcome, “a key to the grand and beautiful description which runs through these two chapters. And if we consider verse 7, and the propriety of the adjuncts, as applicable to locusts, and often to locusts only, there can remain no doubt but that the prophet is to be understood in a literal sense, as foretelling a plague of locusts. Every reader of taste must be struck with the poetical and sublime manner in which the allegory is conducted. There is not a more splendid piece of poetry extant.” And my people shall never be ashamed — Provided they continue to serve me. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel — God’s giving tokens of his especial blessing and protection to his people, is expressed by his dwelling among them, or in the midst of them, Joel 3:17; Leviticus 26:11, 12; Ezekiel 37:26. This is a favour he never promises, but upon condition of their sincere and steady obedience: as appears in the fore-cited places. And that I am the Lord your God, and none else — You will then be convinced that I am always ready to protect you, and you need not apply yourselves to any other gods in your wants or troubles. And my people shall never be ashamed — Shall not be any more disappointed of the trust they place in me, nor be reproached by the heathen, as if I had forsaken them.

26. As a result of the bountiful restoration, the Jews will recognize Jehovah as their God and praise him for his divine interposition. Name of Jehovah — Equivalent to person of Jehovah (see on Amos 2:7; Micah 5:4; Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible, article “Name,” 5). Shall never be ashamed — Having been brought to a true recognition of God, they may now enjoy his favor; he need not turn away from them again, or send calamities that would disgrace them in the eyes of their neighbors (2:17; compare Isaiah 49:23; Psalm 22:5). 27. The calamity was an evidence of the displeasure of Jehovah (Hosea 2:6, 7, 9; 5:15; Ezekiel 10:18, 19; 11:23), in the same manner prosperity will be a proof of his favor and presence. In the midst of Israel — As the source of blessing, as protector and refuge in all need (Isaiah 12:6; Hosea 11:9; Deuteronomy 7:21). Israel — Evidently the theocratic community made up of the reunited Israel and Judah (Isaiah 11:12, 13). This verse is a reply to the taunt in verse 17, “Where is their God?” I am Jehovah your God — Every religious leader from the time of Moses insisted that Jehovah was the God of Israel (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6), but the people too frequently forgot it and went “whoring after other gods” (Hosea 2:5, 8). To bring them to their senses Jehovah must pour out judgment again and again; but the present blow will cure them, and they will recognize in him, and in him only, their God. The phrase is a very common one in the Old Testament, used always, in connections similar to this one, “to denote the conviction produced by some great act of judgment or deliverance upon those who witness it.” None else — “By their fruits ye shall know them.” The gods who in the past lured away the people are seen to be worthless; they have no power to protect or help (Hosea 2:7; Isaiah 1:29-31; Isaiah 45:5, 6, 18; Deuteronomy 4:35). The closing words are a repetition, from the preceding verse, rounding off in a rhetorical manner the promises of the immediate temporal blessings and of permanent protection. Spiritual gifts to be bestowed in a more distant future, Joel 2:28-32 (Hebrew chap. 3).

This section takes us to a more distant future; how far is not stated. In addition to the temporal blessings promised for the immediate future (verses 19-27), higher spiritual blessings are awaiting the people. The Spirit will be poured out upon them, so that the spiritual perception of all will be clarified and intensified (28, 29); and being in a new fellowship with Jehovah they have nothing more to fear. The day of Jehovah will come, inaugurated by extraordinary phenomena in nature (30, 31), but those who through the outpouring of the Spirit have become true children of God shall escape (32).

Verses 25-27. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten — I will compensate you, or make you amends, for what the locusts have eaten in the foregoing years, by an extraordinary plenty of the fruits of the earth. This verse proves, beyond a doubt, that they mistake who interpret this prophecy of a hostile invasion of Judea; for it seems to be a general rule in the prophecies, that when any thing of a common nature is expressed by metaphors, that which is the literal sense of these metaphors is generally signified in the conclusion, that there may be no mistake about it. Of this many instances have been given; and perhaps no instances of the use of metaphors in the prophetic writings, about things of a common nature, can be brought, but that in the end the metaphor is explained, and what is meant by it expressly declared. But here, instead of any indication in the conclusion of a metaphor’s being used, or what is meant by that metaphor, the locust is literally spoken of as being the cause of that calamity, and, indeed, in such very express terms, that the passage cannot, without great violence, be interpreted of a hostile invasion. “We have here,” says Archbishop Newcome, “a key to the grand and beautiful description which runs through these two chapters. And if we consider verse 7, and the propriety of the adjuncts, as applicable to locusts, and often to locusts only, there can remain no doubt but that the prophet is to be understood in a literal sense, as foretelling a plague of locusts. Every reader of taste must be struck with the poetical and sublime manner in which the allegory is conducted. There is not a more splendid piece of poetry extant.” And my people shall never be ashamed — Provided they continue to serve me. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel — God’s giving tokens of his especial blessing and protection to his people, is expressed by his dwelling among them, or in the midst of them, Joel 3:17; Leviticus 26:11, 12; Ezekiel 37:26. This is a favour he never promises, but upon condition of their sincere and steady obedience: as appears in the fore-cited places. And that I am the Lord your God, and none else — You will then be convinced that I am always ready to protect you, and you need not apply yourselves to any other gods in your wants or troubles. And my people shall never be ashamed — Shall not be any more disappointed of the trust they place in me, nor be reproached by the heathen, as if I had forsaken them.

24-27. The heavens are open once more, the drought will come to an end, the locusts will disappear, the harvest and vintage will be plentiful, so that the presence of Jehovah will indeed be realized. 24. A repetition by the prophet of the thought expressed by Jehovah in verse 19. The conditions described in Joel 1:10-12, are to be reversed; corn, wine, and oil will be plentiful. Floors — Threshing floors, where corn is threshed out and heaped up (Thomson, 2:314-316). Fats — Modern form, vats. Not the wine presses, but the receptacles into which the wine flows from the presses, usually excavated in the natural rock (Isaiah 5:2), a little lower than the presses (Van Lennep, 117ff.); applied here also to the receptacles for the oil. The vintage will be so plentiful that the vats will overflow (Proverbs 3:10).

V. 28. Afterward-After the return out of Babylon, after the various troubles and salvations by which these may know that I am the Lord. I will pour-In extraordinary gifts on the first preachers of the gospel, and in various graces to all believers. Upon all flesh-Before these gifts were confined to one particular nation; but now they shall be enlarged to all nations, and all that believe. Shall prophesy-This was in part fulfilled according to the letter in the first days of the gospel; but the promise means farther, by pouring out of the spirit on your sons and your daughters, they shall have as full a knowledge of the mysteries of God’s law, as prophets before time had. Shalt dream dreams-This also was literally fulfilled in the apostles days. But it may mean farther, the knowledge of God and his will, shall abound among all ranks, sexes and ages in the Messiah’s days, and not only equal, but surpass all that formerly was by prophesy, dreams, or visions.

Verse 28. Shall come to pass afterward] כנ אחרי acharey ken, “after this;” the same, says Kimchi, as in the latter days, which always refers to the days of the Messiah; and thus this prophecy is to be interpreted: and we have the testimony of St. Peter, Acts 2:17, that this prophecy relates to that mighty effusion of the Holy Spirit which took place after the day of pentecost. Nor is there any evidence that such an effusion took place, nor such effects were produced, from the days of this prophet till the day of pentecost. And the Spirit was poured out then upon all flesh, that is, on people of different countries, speaking the languages of almost all the people of the earth; which intimated that these were the first-fruits of the conversion of all the nations of the world. For there was scarcely a tongue in the universe that was not to be found among the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Jews, Cappadocians, people of Pontus, of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Rome, Crete, and Arabia, who were residents at Jerusalem at that time; and on whom this mighty gift was poured out, each hearing and apprehending the truths of the Gospel, in his own language wherein he was born. Thus we have Divine authority for saying, that was the fulfilment of this prophecy by Joel. And the mighty and rapid spread of the Gospel of Christ in the present day, by means of the translation of the Scriptures into almost all the regular languages of the world, and the sending missionaries to all nations, who preach the Gospel in those tongues, are farther proofs that the great promise is in the fullest progress to be speedily fulfilled, even in the utmost sense of the words. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy] Shall preach-exhort, pray, and instruct, so as to benefit the Church.

Your old men shall dream dreams] Have my will represented to them in this way, as the others by direct inspiration.

Your young men shall see visions] Have true representations of Divine things made upon their imaginations by the power of God; that they shall have as full an evidence of them as they could have of any thing that came to the mind through the medium of the senses.

Verses 28, 29. And it shall come to pass afterward — Some versions begin the third chapter with this verse; and indeed the subject which is begun here is of so different a nature from what goes before, that it seems evident a new chapter ought to be begun here. The Jewish Rabbi Kimchi says here, that the expression afterward signifies the same as in the latter days, Isaiah 2:2, and that whenever the words occur, they denote the times of the Messiah; and therefore he refers this prophecy to his days, and makes it descriptive of the event which is foretold Isaiah 11:9, The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. This is unquestionably the true meaning of it, and thus it is explained by St. Peter, Acts 2:17. “And though the things here prophesied of were not to happen till several ages afterward, yet was the prophecy highly proper to encourage the minds of the pious Jews; as it was an assurance to them that, let them be brought ever so low by this or any other calamity, yet God would preserve them a people, till all the promises made to their forefathers should be actually accomplished; and especially till the Messiah should come, under whom the knowledge of God should spread itself among all the nations of the earth, and the gifts of the Spirit of God should be poured out in a much more abundant manner than ever they were before:” see Chandler. I will pour out my Spirit — In extraordinary gifts on the first preachers of the gospel, and in various graces on all believers; upon all flesh — Upon believing Gentiles, as well as believing Jews. In former times those gifts were confined to one particular nation, but now they shall be extended to those of all nations that will apply unto God for them through faith in the Messiah. The plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit is often represented by the prophets as the peculiar character of the gospel state, and is elsewhere compared to the pouring out of waters upon the thirsty ground, and thereby rendering it fruitful: see the passages referred to in the margin, and compare them with John 7:39. That this prophecy was in a great measure fulfilled in the days of the apostles and first messengers of the Lord Jesus, we have abundant proof from the Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of the New Testament. We need not, however, confine this prophecy to those early times, but, since many prophecies have gradual completions, we may understand this as implying that there shall be another remarkable effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the Jews, in order to their conversion in the latter times of the world. This exposition, which is favoured by some expressions in this prophecy, renders its connection with the contents of the following chapter more manifest. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy — The gift of prophecy was bestowed upon some women under the Old Testament, as upon Miriam, Exodus 15:20; upon Deborah, Judges 4:14; and Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14. But this gift was more frequently conferred upon that sex in the times of the New Testament. Thus we read of four daughters of Philip the Evangelist who prophesied, Acts 21:9; and church history affords us several other instances; such as Perpetua and Felicitas, who were martyrs for the Christian faith; Potamiena, mentioned by Eusebius, lib. 4. cap. 5, and others. Your old men shall dream dreams — Divine dreams, either imparting unto them the knowledge of future events, or discovering to them the will of God in other respects. By this method God often made known his will to the patriarchs and prophets, impressing their minds, while they were asleep, with the things he intended to communicate; sometimes directly, without any parabolical representation, which was a pure dream; as to Solomon and others: sometimes under representations and images, which might be a vision and dream mixed, as in the case of Pharaoh, Joseph, Daniel, and others. Your young men shall see visions — In visions, distinguished from dreams, the inspired person was awake, but his external senses being bound up, and, as it were, laid in a trance, (see Numbers 24:4,) he had a distinct knowledge of the things revealed to him, and that sometimes accompanied with external representations: such was that vision of St. Peter’s, mentioned Acts 10:11. And in this way St. John seems to have received all his revelations. From visions being applied to young men, and dreams to old men, some have observed that the imagination is stronger in those that are young than in the old; so that their senses need not be bound up with sleep, in order to make them capable of receiving heavenly visions. Also upon the servants and upon the handmaids — Even persons of the lowest condition shall be made partakers of the saving graces of the Holy Spirit, and in many instances also of his extraordinary gifts. The poor have the gospel preached to them, and all the blessings of the gospel, whether ordinary or extraordinary, are as free for the poor as the rich, and are more commonly desired and received by them than by the rich.

Ver. 28. Afterwards, or in the last days, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. The prophets mostly poured comfort into the wounds of their hearers. There is no period of jewish history to which this prophecy can be applied, but to the day of Pentecost, and to the Spirit given to gentiles, as well as to the jews. Acts 10:44.

28. Afterward — After the realization of the temporal prosperity. Not the expression used by other prophets (Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1). Joel seems to point to a date nearer than that suggested by the other expression, but he also leaves the exact time indefinite. I will pour out — “Shaphakh does not mean merely to give in drops, but to pour out in great abundance” (Calvin). My spirit — The spirit is the life principle in man, the invisible power to which all external actions must be traced. In a similar way all the visible manifestations of Jehovah, whatever the sphere, are caused by the Spirit of Jehovah: creation (Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4); the endowment of Israel’s heroes with warlike energy and administrative power (Judges 3:10; 11:29; compare Journal of Biblical Literature, xix, 1:140ff., and xxiii, 1:13ff.). It is, however, especially in the sphere of the ethical, the religious, and the spiritual that the Spirit is active. The Spirit produces the prophetic power in its lower and higher forms (1 Samuel 10:6, 10; 19:20; Isaiah 61:1, etc.); it inspires the high ethical and spiritual ideas and ideals of the prophets. Thus far the Spirit had been the possession of only a select few; in the afterward the limitation will be done away with. Moses had expressed the wish (Numbers 11:29), “Would that all Jehovah’s people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!” Of the realization of this wish in the future Joel is now convinced. Upon all flesh — A phrase used by the Hebrews sometimes in a wider sense, including all living creatures, both man and beast (Genesis 6:13; 7:15; 9:11, 15); at other times in a narrower sense, of mankind alone (Jeremiah 25:31; Psalm 65:2); here only mankind, since animals nowhere appear as recipients of the Divine Spirit and the following clause seems to exclude them. It is a further question, however, whether all mankind is included or whether the promise is to be limited to Israel. Keil argues for the former, yet it is more probable, judging from the context, that the prophet has in mind Israel only. The specifications of 28,

V. 29. My spirit-Of adoption and sanctification.

Verse 29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids] The gifts of teaching and instructing men shall not be restricted to any one class or order of people. He shall call and qualify the men of his own choice; and shall take such out of all ranks, orders, degrees, and offices in society. And he will pour out his Spirit upon them; and they shall be endowed with all the gifts and graces necessary to convert sinners, and build up the Church of Christ on its most holy faith.

And this God has done, and is still doing. He left the line of Aaron, and took his apostles indiscriminately from any tribe. He passed by the regular order of the priesthood, and the public schools of the most celebrated doctors, and took his evangelists from among fishermen, tent-makers, and even the Roman tax-gatherers. And he, lastly, passed by the Jewish tribes, and took the Gentile converts, and made them preachers of righteousness to the inhabitants of the whole earth. The same practice he continues to the present day; yet he did not then pass by a man brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, no more than he would now a man brought up in a celebrated seminary of learning. He is ever free to use his own gifts, in his own way; and when learning is sanctified, by being devoted to the service of God, and the possessor is humble and pious, and has those natural gifts necessary for a public teacher, perhaps we might safely say, God would in many cases prefer such: but he will have others, as intimated in the prophecy, that we may see the conversion of men is not by human might, nor power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. The learned man can do nothing without his Spirit; the unlearned must have his gifts and graces, without which both their labours would be unprofitable; and thus the excellency of the power is of God, and no flesh can glory in his presence. See my sermon on this passage.

Verses 28, 29. And it shall come to pass afterward — Some versions begin the third chapter with this verse; and indeed the subject which is begun here is of so different a nature from what goes before, that it seems evident a new chapter ought to be begun here. The Jewish Rabbi Kimchi says here, that the expression afterward signifies the same as in the latter days, Isaiah 2:2, and that whenever the words occur, they denote the times of the Messiah; and therefore he refers this prophecy to his days, and makes it descriptive of the event which is foretold Isaiah 11:9, The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. This is unquestionably the true meaning of it, and thus it is explained by St. Peter, Acts 2:17. “And though the things here prophesied of were not to happen till several ages afterward, yet was the prophecy highly proper to encourage the minds of the pious Jews; as it was an assurance to them that, let them be brought ever so low by this or any other calamity, yet God would preserve them a people, till all the promises made to their forefathers should be actually accomplished; and especially till the Messiah should come, under whom the knowledge of God should spread itself among all the nations of the earth, and the gifts of the Spirit of God should be poured out in a much more abundant manner than ever they were before:” see Chandler. I will pour out my Spirit — In extraordinary gifts on the first preachers of the gospel, and in various graces on all believers; upon all flesh — Upon believing Gentiles, as well as believing Jews. In former times those gifts were confined to one particular nation, but now they shall be extended to those of all nations that will apply unto God for them through faith in the Messiah. The plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit is often represented by the prophets as the peculiar character of the gospel state, and is elsewhere compared to the pouring out of waters upon the thirsty ground, and thereby rendering it fruitful: see the passages referred to in the margin, and compare them with John 7:39. That this prophecy was in a great measure fulfilled in the days of the apostles and first messengers of the Lord Jesus, we have abundant proof from the Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of the New Testament. We need not, however, confine this prophecy to those early times, but, since many prophecies have gradual completions, we may understand this as implying that there shall be another remarkable effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the Jews, in order to their conversion in the latter times of the world. This exposition, which is favoured by some expressions in this prophecy, renders its connection with the contents of the following chapter more manifest. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy — The gift of prophecy was bestowed upon some women under the Old Testament, as upon Miriam, Exodus 15:20; upon Deborah, Judges 4:14; and Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14. But this gift was more frequently conferred upon that sex in the times of the New Testament. Thus we read of four daughters of Philip the Evangelist who prophesied, Acts 21:9; and church history affords us several other instances; such as Perpetua and Felicitas, who were martyrs for the Christian faith; Potamiena, mentioned by Eusebius, lib. 4. cap. 5, and others. Your old men shall dream dreams — Divine dreams, either imparting unto them the knowledge of future events, or discovering to them the will of God in other respects. By this method God often made known his will to the patriarchs and prophets, impressing their minds, while they were asleep, with the things he intended to communicate; sometimes directly, without any parabolical representation, which was a pure dream; as to Solomon and others: sometimes under representations and images, which might be a vision and dream mixed, as in the case of Pharaoh, Joseph, Daniel, and others. Your young men shall see visions — In visions, distinguished from dreams, the inspired person was awake, but his external senses being bound up, and, as it were, laid in a trance, (see Numbers 24:4,) he had a distinct knowledge of the things revealed to him, and that sometimes accompanied with external representations: such was that vision of St. Peter’s, mentioned Acts 10:11. And in this way St. John seems to have received all his revelations. From visions being applied to young men, and dreams to old men, some have observed that the imagination is stronger in those that are young than in the old; so that their senses need not be bound up with sleep, in order to make them capable of receiving heavenly visions. Also upon the servants and upon the handmaids — Even persons of the lowest condition shall be made partakers of the saving graces of the Holy Spirit, and in many instances also of his extraordinary gifts. The poor have the gospel preached to them, and all the blessings of the gospel, whether ordinary or extraordinary, are as free for the poor as the rich, and are more commonly desired and received by them than by the rich.

29 point in that direction, and the expectation of the destruction of all nations (chapter 3) decides the point in favor of Israel alone (compare Acts 10:45). But while the outpouring is to be confined to Israel, within the nation no one is to be excluded; all are to become active organs of the divine revelation. Shall prophesy… shall dream dreams… shall see visions — No distinction will be made of sex, age, or position, but the prophet distinguishes between different methods in which the revelation is to be received and the prophetic gift to be exercised. He does not mean, however, that each of the methods is peculiar to the age with which it is connected. That the Spirit manifests itself to the weakened mind of the old man in dreams of the night, to the lively fancy of the youth and maiden in sights during the day — that is, true visions — and to the soul of the child, less able to resist, merely as a divine influence — cannot be proved from the Bible. Visions and dreams are two forms in which prophetic revelation is imparted (Numbers 12:6). All that the prophet means with the specification is that “their sons, daughters, old persons, and youth would receive the Spirit of Jehovah with all its various gifts.” Prophesy — They will be able to do the work which in the past was limited to the prophets; they are to become “organs of divine revelations,” to make known to those outside of Israel the will of God. (For an excellent discussion of the inspiration and activity of the Hebrew prophets see Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible, article “Prophecy and Prophets.”)

29. And also — Better, and even. Introduces something very extraordinary. The position of slaves was very humble; ordinarily they would not be thought of in connection with these great spiritual gifts; but in the Messianic age, there will be no distinction between “bond and free,” so far as spiritual possessions are concerned; all alike will share in the outpouring of the Spirit. LXX. reads, “my servants and my handmaidens,” that is, of God and not of men; the change may be due to failure to understand the extension of the divine promises so as to include even slaves. Whether there is any thought of the non-Israelitish slaves, who as a result of their connection with families of the chosen race are to become par-takers of the Spirit, is not clear. For the fulfillment see above, p. 149. In this new relation the people of Jehovah are forever safe; they will be protected when the day of Jehovah, temporarily postponed, comes; its terrors will fall only upon those who are outside of the covenant relation. This day the prophet appears to expect soon after the outpouring of the Spirit.

V. 30. Wonders-They who read what historians report of these times, will see this fulfilled in the very letter. Blood-Possibly eruption of blood, as some fountains have been reported to have run with blood, prefiguring the great effusion of blood by the sword, and wars following. Fire-Either breaking out of the earth, or lightning in the air.

Verse 30. Wonders in the heavens and in the earth] This refers to those dreadful sights, dreadful portents, and destructive commotion, by which the Jewish polity was finally overthrown, and the Christian religion established in the Roman empire. See how our Lord applies this prophecy, Matthew 24:29, and the parallel texts.

Verse 30. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, &c. — Whoever will be at the pains to compare this prediction with the prophecy of Christ, Matthew 24., and Luke 21., will have no doubt concerning the application of it. It principally and evidently refers to the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the desolation of Judea by the Romans; a judgment justly inflicted upon the Jewish nation for their rejecting and crucifying their Messiah, resisting the Holy Spirit, contemning the gospel and the means of grace connected therewith, and persecuting the apostles and God’s other messengers. Thus Malachi, after he had foretold the coming of the Messiah, preceded by that of his forerunner John the Baptist, (chap. 3:1,) immediately adds, that his coming should be attended with terrible judgments upon the disobedient, verses 2-5, and chap. 4:1. The prophet in the next clause predicts also the extraordinary signs which were to be forerunners of that destruction, by blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke, meaning probably the great slaughter which should be made of men, and the burning of the towns and cities of Judea, events which preceded that last and finishing stroke of the divine vengeance, the destruction of Jerusalem. He may also refer, perhaps, in the last expression, to the comet which hung over their city, and the fearful sights seen in the air some time before, which are mentioned by Josephus, and were foretold by Christ, Luke 21:11; and of which the reader may see an account in the note on Isaiah 66:6.

Ver. 30. I will shew wonders in the heavens. These signs were foretold by our Saviour, and are mentioned by Josephus. A fiery meteor was long seen over Jerusalem before its fall.

30, 31. Wonderful indications of the approach of the judgment. Show — Literally, give. Wonders — Hebrews mophethim. “Any object of significance which surpasses expectation or the ordinary course of nature, and excites wonder in consequence”; here extraordinary phenomena on earth and in the sky. Blood… fire… pillars of smoke — If the phenomena mentioned in this verse are such as take place upon earth, these words point to the terrors of war, bloodshed, violence, and the columns of smoke rising from burned cities. Wars will be on an unprecedented scale, and thus may well be regarded as portents of the day of Jehovah (Isaiah 13:6; Zephaniah 1:7). Some commentators, however, prefer to connect this verse more closely with verse 31, and to interpret the phenomena mentioned in 30 in the light of those in 31. They see in the fire, blood, and pillars of smoke “abnormal atmospherical phenomena”: blood — the blood-red color of the moon; smoke — the smoke clouds filling the air as a result of volcanic eruptions; fire — lightning, since “thunderstorms often accompany earthquakes.” The former interpretation is to be preferred. In 31 the phenomena in the sky are mentioned. “The darkening and extinction of the lights of heaven are frequently mentioned as harbingers of approaching judgment, or as signs of the breaking of the day of judgment” (Joel 2:2, 10; 3:15; Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Jeremiah 4:23, etc.; compare, in the New Testament, Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25; Revelation 6:12). Sun… darkness,… moon… blood — The figures may have been suggested by eclipses of the sun and moon (Amos 8:9), or by strange obscurations caused by other disturbances (Joel 2:2, 10), or as described in the following account: “A dreadful whirlwind occurred here (in Allahabad) on June 2, 1838. The whole sky was blood-red, not with clouds, for there was not a cloud to be seen. Overhead moved immense masses of dust, but below there was not a breath of wind. Shortly after the wind arose, carrying with it sand and dust. It soon became extremely dark, although the sun was still up. The darkness was not only visible but tangible” (Driver, quoted from Asiatic Journal, Nov., 1838). These phenomena, according to the declaration of the prophet, will announce the approach of the great day, just as previously the locust plague pointed to its coming.

V. 31. The sun-Having mentioned the prodigies which were to be wrought on earth, he now specifies what shall be done in heaven. The terrible day-The unholy day of the destruction of Jerusalem; typifying the day of judgment.

Verse 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness] The Jewish polity, civil and ecclesiastical, shall be entirely destroyed.

Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.] In the taking and sacking of Jerusalem, and burning of the temple, by the Romans, under Titus, the son of Vespasian. This was, perhaps, the greatest and most terrible day of God’s vengeance ever shown to the world, or that ever will be shown, till the great day of the general judgment. For a full view of this subject, I wish to refer the reader to the notes on Matthew 24:1-51.

Verse 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, &c. — Particular judgments upon kings and nations are often described in such terms as properly belong to the general judgment and conflagration of the heavens and the earth, as has been observed on verse 10th of this chapter. The expressions here used, in their literal sense, import the failing of light in the sun and moon, whether by eclipses or any other cause, such as perhaps, at the time here referred to, by the prodigious quantity of smoke arising from the burning of cities, towns, and villages on every side, and also of Jerusalem itself, which undoubtedly was sufficient to obscure the heavenly luminaries for some time. Or, the expression in this verse may be interpreted figuratively of the dark and melancholy state of public affairs before and at the destruction of the Jewish nation by the Romans, and of the utter overthrow of their state and government: see note on Isaiah 13:9, 10. The last destruction of Jerusalem, the desolation of Judea, and the prodigious slaughter made of the Jews, might with great propriety be called, as it is here, The great and terrible day of the Lord; since the divine justice was then executed with a severity which had never been used before toward the Jewish people. The calamities of those times were indeed dreadful, almost beyond description, and seem to have exceeded any thing that any other nation had ever suffered; which was agreeable to what Moses, in the very beginning of their state, had foretold should happen to them, if ever, by their disobedience to God’s commands, and their other crimes, they should fill up the measure of their iniquity: see notes on Deuteronomy 28.

30, 31. Wonderful indications of the approach of the judgment. Show — Literally, give. Wonders — Hebrews mophethim. “Any object of significance which surpasses expectation or the ordinary course of nature, and excites wonder in consequence”; here extraordinary phenomena on earth and in the sky. Blood… fire… pillars of smoke — If the phenomena mentioned in this verse are such as take place upon earth, these words point to the terrors of war, bloodshed, violence, and the columns of smoke rising from burned cities. Wars will be on an unprecedented scale, and thus may well be regarded as portents of the day of Jehovah (Isaiah 13:6; Zephaniah 1:7). Some commentators, however, prefer to connect this verse more closely with verse 31, and to interpret the phenomena mentioned in 30 in the light of those in 31. They see in the fire, blood, and pillars of smoke “abnormal atmospherical phenomena”: blood — the blood-red color of the moon; smoke — the smoke clouds filling the air as a result of volcanic eruptions; fire — lightning, since “thunderstorms often accompany earthquakes.” The former interpretation is to be preferred. In 31 the phenomena in the sky are mentioned. “The darkening and extinction of the lights of heaven are frequently mentioned as harbingers of approaching judgment, or as signs of the breaking of the day of judgment” (Joel 2:2, 10; 3:15; Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Jeremiah 4:23, etc.; compare, in the New Testament, Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25; Revelation 6:12). Sun… darkness,… moon… blood — The figures may have been suggested by eclipses of the sun and moon (Amos 8:9), or by strange obscurations caused by other disturbances (Joel 2:2, 10), or as described in the following account: “A dreadful whirlwind occurred here (in Allahabad) on June 2, 1838. The whole sky was blood-red, not with clouds, for there was not a cloud to be seen. Overhead moved immense masses of dust, but below there was not a breath of wind. Shortly after the wind arose, carrying with it sand and dust. It soon became extremely dark, although the sun was still up. The darkness was not only visible but tangible” (Driver, quoted from Asiatic Journal, Nov., 1838). These phenomena, according to the declaration of the prophet, will announce the approach of the great day, just as previously the locust plague pointed to its coming.

V. 32. Whosoever shall call-Who hearing the gospel repents and believes in Christ. Delivered-Either from those outward afflictions, or which is infinitely better from eternal miseries, which will swallow up the unbelieving world; “and it will aggravate the ruin of those who perish, that they might have been saved on such easy terms.” Is it then easy for a non-elect to repent and believe? May he not as easily pull the sun out of the firmament? In mount Zion-In the true church typified by Zion. Jerusalem-In mystical Jerusalem, the church and the city of the Messiah. Deliverance-Temporal and eternal. Shall call-To believe in Christ, and by him to wait for eternal life.

Verse 32. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord] יהוה בשם arqy rva lk col asher yikra beshem Yehovah, “All who shall invoke in the name of Jehovah.” That CHRIST is the Jehovah here mentioned appears plain from Romans 10:13-15, where the reader had better consult the notes. “This refers,” says Bp. Newcome, “to the safety of the Christians during the Jewish and the Roman war.” It may: but it has a much more extensive meaning, as the use of it by St. Paul, as above, evidently shows. Every man who invokes Jehovah for mercy and salvation by or in the name, JESUS—that very name given under heaven among men for this purpose—shall be saved. Nor is there salvation in any other; and those who reject him had better lay these things to heart before it be too late. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem] Our blessed Lord first began to preach the Gospel in Mount Zion, in the temple, and throughout Jerusalem. There he formed his Church, and thence he sent his apostles and evangelists to every part of the globe: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Of the Jews there was but a remnant, a very small number, that received the doctrine of the Gospel, here termed the remnant that the Lord should call; arq kore, whom he calleth. Many were called who would not obey: but those who obeyed the call were saved; and still he delivers those who call upon him; and he is still calling on men to come to him that they may be saved. JOEL

Verse 32. And whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord — Whosoever, having heard the gospel, shall repent and believe in Christ, and call on him, or shall make application to God in prayer through him, shall be delivered — Namely, from temporal and eternal destruction: thus St. Paul interprets this passage, Romans 10:13. For to believe in Christ, give ourselves up to him, and profess ourselves his disciples, is the most effectual, and indeed the only effectual means of escaping the judgments coming upon the unbelieving and disobedient, and likewise of being preserved from the wrath to come. The prediction, as it stands here in the prophecy, chiefly refers to those in Jerusalem who believed in Jesus as the true Messiah; for these, having a firm faith in what he had said, upon seeing some of the signs come to pass which he had foretold should precede the destruction of Jerusalem, they quitted the city in time, and so saved their lives, and escaped all those dreadful calamities which the unbelieving Jews suffered during the siege. For in mount Zion, &c., shall be deliverance — The gospel is described as taking its rise from Jerusalem, and as being from thence carried to all nations. The deliverance, therefore, here said to be in mount Zion, is deliverance by embracing the gospel, which had its rise there. Or mount Zion and Jerusalem may be here put for the gospel church, the mystical Jerusalem, the city of the Messiah, the only place of salvation present and eternal. As the Lord hath said — That is, according to his promises and declarations by his prophets. And in the remnant — Or, among the remnant, whom the Lord shall call — Namely, to believe in Christ, and by him to wait for eternal life. Or, whom the Lord shall appoint to be preserved. This may primarily be understood of those who were converted by the preaching of Christ and his apostles, and who therefore escaped the vengeance which involved the rest of the nation, Acts 2:40; 1 Thessalonians 2:16. These are called the swzomenoi, such as should be saved, or delivered, Acts 2:47. But there is another remnant of the Jews included in this promise, who shall be converted at the end of the world, when the obstinate and incorrigible shall be destroyed. In this sense the word remnant is often understood: see the margin. This sense of the word agrees well with what follows in the next chapter.

Ver. 32. There shall be deliverance. The followers of Christ, having been forewarned of their danger, were delivered by flight, at the time Jerusalem was destroyed. Matthew 24:15-20.

32. Though a day great and terrible, it will be such only to the nations (Joel 3:2); the true worshipers of Jehovah need have no fear. Whosoever — A very comprehensive word, but it is clear from the context, “for in Mount Zion and Jerusalem there shall be those that escape” (R.V.) that the prophet is concerned primarily with the Jews. Call on the name of Jehovah — Not merely with a cold ceremonial or heartless repetition of phrases, but with spiritual, heartfelt worship. To call is equivalent to to worship. The condition of escape is not membership in the Israel according to the flesh; even those within Israel need something more to assure their salvation on that day — namely, a true, whole-hearted devotion to God. For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance — Better, with R.V., “those that escape.” This limits salvation to the Jews, and, among the Jews, to only a part. As Jehovah hath said — This sounds as if Joel were referring to an earlier prophecy. The promise actually occurs in Obadiah 1:17; it is quite possible, therefore, that Joel is dependent on the latter. The remnant — Those that escape the judgment of the great day. The thought of the prophet seems to be that not only the Jews who are in Jerusalem on that day will escape, but that some true worshipers are found also among the Jews who are scattered among the nations. These Jehovah will call to his salvation. That the prophet has in mind believers among the heathen is made improbable by the threat of the utter destruction of the nations in chapter 3.

The apostle Peter quoted verses 28-32a, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, as having been fulfilled by that event. However, the fulfillment cannot be limited to that one event; the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was simply the beginning of the fulfillment which is being continued even now, and will continue until all flesh shall be blessed with divine illumination. Therefore the promise should be regarded “not as a prediction of the event of Pentecost, but of the new order of things of which the day of Pentecost was the first great example” (A.B. Davidson, Expositor, 1888, p. 208).