Joel · Chapter 3

V. 1. In those days-When I shall by Cyrus bring Judah out of Babylon. Of Judah-As the type of the whole remnant that are saved. And Jerusalem-For beside what refers to the two tribes restored by Cyrus, the bringing back the captivity of the whole Israel of God by Christ is to be considered all along through this chapter.

Verse 1. For, behold, in those days] According to the preceding prophecy, these days should refer to Gospel times, or to such as should immediately precede them. But this is a part of the prophecy which is difficult to be understood. All interpreters are at variance upon it; some applying its principal parts to Cambyses; his unfortunate expedition to Egypt; the destruction of fifty thousand of his troops (by the moving pillars of sand) whom he had sent across the desert to plunder the rich temple of Jupiter Ammon; his return to Judea, and dying of a wound which he received from his own sword, in mounting his horse, which happened at Ecbatane, at the foot of Mount Carmel. On which his army, composed of different nations, seeing themselves without a head, fell out, and fought against each other, till the whole were destroyed. And this is supposed to be what Ezekiel means by Gog and Magog, and the destruction of the former. See Ezekiel 38:1-39:29.

Others apply this to the victories gained by the Maccabees, and to the destruction brought upon the enemies of their country; while several consider the whole as a figurative prediction of the success of the Gospel among the nations of the earth. It may refer to those times in which the Jews shall be brought in with the fulness of the Gentiles, and be re-established in their own land. Or there may be portions in this prophecy that refer to all the events; and to others that have not fallen yet within the range of human conjecture, and will be only known when the time of fulfilment shall take place. In this painful uncertainty, rendered still more so by the discordant opinions of many wise and learned men, it appears to be my province, as I have nothing in the form of a new conjecture to offer, to confine myself to an explanation of the phraseology of the chapter; and then leave the reader to apply it as may seem best to his own judgment. I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.] This may refer to the return from the Babylonish captivity; extending also to the restoration of Israel, or the ten tribes.

Verses 1, 2. For, &c. — This particle shows the connection of this chapter with the latter part of the preceding: as if he had said, As an earnest of the accomplishment of these predictions, my people shall be restored to their own land, and then their enemies shall be humbled: see note on Joel 2:28. In those days, when I shall bring again — Namely, out of Babylon, (to which deliverance this promise seems primarily to refer,) the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem — As the type of the whole remnant which shall be saved. I will also gather all nations — In the type the expression means, all those nations that had oppressed Judah; in the antitype, all the nations that had been enemies to Christ and his church. And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat — That is, into the place of judgment; for the word Jehoshaphat signifies divine judgment, or, the place where Jehovah will execute judgment. Thus the valley of Jezreel signifies the place where God’s arm, or strength, would exert itself. The expression likewise alludes to the valley of Berachah, or of blessing, as it was afterward called, mentioned 2 Chronicles 20:26, the place in which Jehoshaphat obtained a remarkable victory; or, where God, by his miraculous interposition, so infatuated the enemies of his people, that they destroyed one another, and few or none of them that came against Judah escaped. Archbishop Newcome considers it as a prediction of an extraordinary battle which was to be won in that valley, probably, he thinks, by Nebuchadnezzar, which would utterly discomfit the ancient enemies of the Jews, and resemble that victory of Jehoshaphat. But it seems more probable that the prediction principally refers to a general discomfiture of the enemies of God’s church in the latter days, probably to that foretold Isaiah 66:16, or to the battle of Gog and Magog, described Ezekiel 39., and that of Armageddon, spoken of Revelation 16:14, 16. And I will plead with them — I will require of them the reason why they thus used my people. God pleads with men, and vindicates the cause of oppressed truth and righteousness by his judgments. Then the consciences of the guilty fly in their faces, and force them to acknowledge the justice of the punishments they suffer. For my people and for my heritage Israel, &c. — The prophets in the Old Testament often denounced judgments against Edom, Moab, and other hostile neighbours of the Jews, who took advantage of their calamities to vent their spite against them. But since all nations are summoned to answer the impeachment here mentioned, we may suppose the word Israel to comprehend the faithful of all ages; and then we may observe, that the judgments denounced against the church’s enemies, are chiefly for their hatred and cruelty toward God’s servants.

Verse 1. Behold, in those days, in the days of the Messiah, as stated from the twenty eighth verse of the preseding chapter. Of course all references in our elder critics, to Cambyses, and to Judas Maccabeus, are superseded at a single view.

Cambyses, son of Cyrus, conquered Egypt by a ruse du guerre. He sent his soldiers against their fortified cities with what was deemed a sacred beast under their hand, against which the Egyptians durst not fight. He sent spies also with presents to the king of Ethiopia. The king replied, I know your designs. He then took his huge bow; and bending it in their presence, said, “Tell your master that I advise him not to make war on Ethiopia, till his Persians can bend this bow as I do.” The Elamites were always famed for archery. Jeremiah 49:25.

Cambyses piqued at this defiance, rashly marched his army into the deserts of Numidia, without guides and without provisions. When famine came, the soldiers first ate their beasts, and then cast lots on every tenth man, to be killed and eaten, to save the lives of the other nine. The Persians of course fought one against another, and only a small proportion of that great army returned to Egypt.

But worse still: Cambyses sent fifty thousand of his men to plunder the rich temple of Jupiter Ammon, built among the oases of Libya, west of Egypt. A hurricane came against them, and they were all buried alive in the rolling sands, and not a man returned to relate the disaster. Probably the temple itself is buried in the mountains of sands.—Vide Suidas. Our Addison, who had travelled in Egypt, fully admits the terrors of the sablonous tempests. Lo, where our wide Numidian wastes extend,

Sudden the impetuous hurricanes descend;

Which through the air in circling eddies play,

Tear up the sands, and sweep whole plains away.

The helpless traveller with wild surprise,

Sees the dry desert all around him rise,

And smothered in the dusty whirlwind dies.

Why then do our Arian critics bring forward this case of Cambyses to illustrate this luminous prophecy of Joel? In their efforts to banish the name of Messiah from the old testament, they must be driven to as great extremity of argument, as Cambyses was for provisions for his army. Why do they disagree in argument? A batch of felons put to the bar to hang one another.

The embarrassment of criticism lies in its adherence to Hebrew theology, which brings all the world to their Jerusalem, “in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem above is free, and is the mother of us all.” Galatians 4:25, 26. Poole, in his Synopsis of the critics, says on Isaiah 60., that our Saviour applied those glorious prophecies to the new-testament church; that St. Paul had always done the same, as in Hebrews 12.; and that St. John had, on this principle, illustrated and adorned his description of the church of God. Revelation 21. He cites the ancient Hebrew book, Berashith Rabba, on Genesis 15:17. 25:6, which, in unison with the targums, expounds those promises of the glorious state of the church in the days of the Messiah.

1. For — Connects Joel 3:1, with Joel 2:32. The prophet explains why he mentions the deliverance of only a remnant of the Jews — the other nations will be utterly destroyed. At the same time he indicates by what means the salvation of the dispersed is to be wrought; the judgment upon the nations will help to free the Israelites from bondage. Behold — The truth to be announced is of the greatest importance, and is worthy of the closest attention (Isaiah 3:1; 7:14; Amos 6:11). In those days,… in that time — Refers back, not to Joel 2:28, but to Joel 2:32, the time of the deliverance of the Jews (Jeremiah 33:15); the exact time is determined by what follows. When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem — The judgment upon the nations (verse 2), the restoration of the captives (verse 1), the salvation of the remnant (Joel 2:32), all fall into the same period. Whether this is the right translation, or the one mentioned on page 133, “I shall restore the fortune,” there can be no doubt that the prophet intends to promise a radical change in the condition of the people; and, according to the context, an essential element in the restoration of the fortune is the deliverance of the Israelites from the power of the surrounding nations into whose hands they fell after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

V. 2. All nations-In the type it is all those nations that have oppressed Judah, in the anti-type, all nations that have been enemies to Christ and the church. Into the valley of Jehoshaphat-I will debate my people’s cause, and do them right in the midst of my church, signified by the valley of Jehoshaphat. Parted my land-Such is the injustice of the persecutors of the church now, and so God will judge them in due time.

Verse 2. The valley of Jehoshaphat] There is no such valley in the land of Judea; and hence the word must be symbolical. It signifies the judgment of God, or Jehovah judgeth; and may mean some place (as Bp. Newcome imagines) where Nebuchadnezzar should gain a great battle, which would utterly discomfit the ancient enemies of the Jews, and resemble the victory which Jehoshaphat gained over the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, 2 Chronicles 20:22-26.

And parted my land.] The above nations had frequently entered into the territories of Israel; and divided among themselves the lands they had thus overrun.

While the Jews were in captivity, much of the land of Israel was seized on, and occupied by the Philistines, and other nations that bordered on Judea.

Verses 1, 2. For, &c. — This particle shows the connection of this chapter with the latter part of the preceding: as if he had said, As an earnest of the accomplishment of these predictions, my people shall be restored to their own land, and then their enemies shall be humbled: see note on Joel 2:28. In those days, when I shall bring again — Namely, out of Babylon, (to which deliverance this promise seems primarily to refer,) the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem — As the type of the whole remnant which shall be saved. I will also gather all nations — In the type the expression means, all those nations that had oppressed Judah; in the antitype, all the nations that had been enemies to Christ and his church. And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat — That is, into the place of judgment; for the word Jehoshaphat signifies divine judgment, or, the place where Jehovah will execute judgment. Thus the valley of Jezreel signifies the place where God’s arm, or strength, would exert itself. The expression likewise alludes to the valley of Berachah, or of blessing, as it was afterward called, mentioned 2 Chronicles 20:26, the place in which Jehoshaphat obtained a remarkable victory; or, where God, by his miraculous interposition, so infatuated the enemies of his people, that they destroyed one another, and few or none of them that came against Judah escaped. Archbishop Newcome considers it as a prediction of an extraordinary battle which was to be won in that valley, probably, he thinks, by Nebuchadnezzar, which would utterly discomfit the ancient enemies of the Jews, and resemble that victory of Jehoshaphat. But it seems more probable that the prediction principally refers to a general discomfiture of the enemies of God’s church in the latter days, probably to that foretold Isaiah 66:16, or to the battle of Gog and Magog, described Ezekiel 39., and that of Armageddon, spoken of Revelation 16:14, 16. And I will plead with them — I will require of them the reason why they thus used my people. God pleads with men, and vindicates the cause of oppressed truth and righteousness by his judgments. Then the consciences of the guilty fly in their faces, and force them to acknowledge the justice of the punishments they suffer. For my people and for my heritage Israel, &c. — The prophets in the Old Testament often denounced judgments against Edom, Moab, and other hostile neighbours of the Jews, who took advantage of their calamities to vent their spite against them. But since all nations are summoned to answer the impeachment here mentioned, we may suppose the word Israel to comprehend the faithful of all ages; and then we may observe, that the judgments denounced against the church’s enemies, are chiefly for their hatred and cruelty toward God’s servants.

Ver. 2. I will also gather all nations—into the valley of Jehoshaphat. It is said that the house of the Lord should be established on the tops of the mountains, and exalted above the hills, and that nations shall flow to it. Into that valley, through which the streams of the Gihon flowed on the south of Jerusalem, the Lord once gathered all the nations which composed Sennacherib’s army, and slew them in one night. So now, in the end of the ages of oppression, Christ shall fight against all the nations that fight against his church, and they shall perish from the earth by the burning of his wrath. See what is said on Ezekiel 39. Zechariah 14. Revelation 19. From our Saviour’s words, Matthew 24:27, 30, that the sign of the Son of man should be seen in the clouds of heaven, shining as lightning from the east to the west, by whose coming the evidences of revelation would be renewed, and the enemies of his church destroyed, some have inferred a visible appearance of the Son of God. For this hope they associate the words of St. Peter, that the heavens must contain the Saviour till the times of the restitution of all things. Acts 3:21.

2. At the time of the restoration Jehovah will gather all nations — All that are guilty of hostility toward the people of God; and that included all the nations known to the prophet, for all had sinned at some time against the covenant people. Valley of Jehoshaphat — This name is given to the scene of the final conflict because of the meaning of the name: Jehovah judges. It is thought by some that the place is to be identified with the valley in which several nations were conquered by Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:26ff.), and which received the name, valley of blessing. That valley, however, was farther from Jerusalem than the scene of this conflict. Tradition, from the time of Eusebius on, has identified the valley of Jehoshaphat with the depression between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, otherwise called valley of the Kidron. This may be a correct identification; but it is by no means certain that the prophet had in mind any particular spot; the meaning of the name would account satisfactorily for the use of the same. Hostility against the people was hostility against the God of the people; he now interferes on their behalf. Plead — Or, enter into judgment; R.V., “execute judgment.” Heritage — They belong to Jehovah, and they are as dear and precious to him as an heirloom; therefore he will not “on any terms part with them or suffer them to be lost.” Now follow the specific charges against the nations; they are twofold: (1) they have deported the Jews, and (2) they have parted — divided among themselves — the land of Jehovah. Scattered among the nations,… parted my land — These words cannot refer to the invasion of Judah by the Philistines and Arabians in the time of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:16, 17), for their deeds of violence would not warrant the use of these expressions; they can refer only to a dispersion of great numbers of Jews and the occupying of their territory by foreign invaders. But the statement of Keil, that this takes us to the dispersion of the Jews after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and that therefore we have the prediction of an event in the distant future, finds no support in the context. The words are explained best as presupposing the exiles of 597 and 586 B.C. (Ezekiel 11:17; 12:15). The attempt of Koenig to identify Israel with the northern kingdom only cannot be considered successful, since the terms Israel and Judah are used interchangeably in the Book of Joel. For the expression “parted my land” compare Micah 2:4; Amos 7:17.

V. 3. Cast lots-It was customary with conquerors to divide the captives by lot, and so did these enemies of the Jews.

Verse 3. Have given a boy for a harlot] To such wretched circumstances were the poor Jews reduced in their captivity, that their children were sold by their oppressors; and both males and females used for the basest purposes. And they were often bartered for the necessaries or luxuries of life. Or this may refer to the issue of the Chaldean war in Judea, where the captives were divided among the victors. And being set in companies, they cast lots for them: and those to whom they fell sold them for various purposes; the boys to be slaves and catamites, the girls to be prostitutes; and in return for them they got wine and such things. I think this is the meaning of the text.

Verse 3. They have cast lots for my people — It was customary with conquerors, in those days, to divide the captives, taken in war, among themselves by lot, and so did these enemies of the Jews. And have given a boy for a harlot — By this is meant, that they exchanged, or gave away, Jewish boys, instead of money, for harlots. And sold a girl for wine, that they might drink — For a draught of wine, as it were; that is, at a very vile and low rate. These instances are mentioned, to signify the contempt in which these enemies of the Jews held the worshippers of the true God; they parted with them, when they had taken them captives, upon the vilest terms, as setting little or no value upon them. In Mingrelia, according to Sir John Chardin, they sell captive children for provisions and for wine: see Harmer vol. 2. p. 374.

Ver. 3, 8. They have cast lots for my people. In these verses the Lord expresses his abhorrence of slavery, and his determination to retaliate.

Verse 3 depicts the ignominious treatment which the captive Jews received from their conquerors. Cast lots — The distribution of captives among their captors by lot seems to have been a common custom with ancient peoples (Obadiah 1:11; Nahum 3:10; Thucid., 3:50). This made the captives the absolute property of their masters, who could do with them as they pleased, even might dispose of them if they could do so to greater advantage. Boy — Since he would be of little immediate use, they exchanged him for a harlot — To satisfy their lusts. A girl — Too young to serve their purposes, or after having satisfied their lusts, they give away for wine — To indulge in licentious revelry.

V. 4. Yea-Have I done you any wrong, which you avenge upon my people? Or do you begin to violate the laws of neighbourhood and friendship, and think to escape? Do ye think you have to do with a poor opprest people, my people, and I nothing concerned at it? Palestine-On which were towns of trade, and merchants that bought and sold these captives. A recompence-Have I or my people so dealt with you? And if-If you will deal thus, I will speedily avenge myself and my people of you.

Verse 4. What have ye to do with me] Why have the Tyrians and Sidonians joined their other enemies to oppress my people? for they who touch my people touch me.

Will ye render me a recompense?] Do you think by this to avenge yourselves upon the Almighty? to retaliate upon God! Proceed, and speedily will I return your recompense; I will retaliate.

Verse 4. O Tyre, and Zidon, &c. — “When the Babylonians, the appointed instruments of my vengeance, afflict my land, why do you also, and the bordering nations, assist them? Do you take this occasion of avenging the former victories of my people over you? If so, this your act of revenge shall be speedily punished.” — Newcome. The expression which he here uses, What have ye to do with me? signifies the same as that other so common in the sacred books, What have I to do with you? that is, What is the reason of your so frequently invading and plundering my land and people?

Ver. 3, 8. They have cast lots for my people. In these verses the Lord expresses his abhorrence of slavery, and his determination to retaliate.

4-8. The prophet turns aside for a moment to address the nations who had been especially hostile to the Jews; he points out their special wrongdoings and promises to them swift and righteous retribution for their crimes. Tyre, Zidon [“Sidon”] — The two chief cities of Phoenicia; both are extremely old, Sidon being commonly, though perhaps wrongly, considered the older (Genesis 10:15). Tyre was situated originally on the mainland, but to protect it against invaders it was transferred to a neighboring rocky island. Tyre was nearer to Israel than Sidon; this fact and the ever-increasing power of the city account for the priority of Tyre in the great majority of Old Testament passages in which the two are named together. Here the two cities stand for all Phoenicia. Coasts of Palestine — Better, R.V., “regions of Philistia.” The territory in southwest Canaan, about fifty miles long and fifteen miles wide, divided among five chief cities; independent in time of peace, ordinarily united in time of war. “Regions,” literally, circles, probably refers to this division. The Philistines were exceedingly hostile to the Jews throughout their entire history, from the time of the Exodus on. What have ye to do with me? — R.V., “what are ye to me?” This question, which is addressed to the nations, is left uncompleted, but it is taken up again and explained in the following question. The translation in the margin of R.V. brings out the thought best: “will ye repay a deed of mine, or will ye do aught unto me? swiftly and speedily will I return your deed upon your own head.” Explain your hostile attitude toward my people. Have I done any wrong to you which you would avenge by assailing my people, or is this attack upon them without any provocation? A rhetorical question, to which but one answer can be given: There is nothing to avenge, no occasion for an attack upon my people. But, if you think that you have an occasion that demands retaliation, let me warn you that I will, and that speedily, bring back your doings upon your own head (Obadiah 1:15; Lamentations 3:64; Psalm 7:16).

V. 5. Taken-Either as part of the spoil, or as part of your pay. My silver-Silver and gold vessels dedicated to my service.

Verse 5. Ye have taken my silver and my gold] The Chaldeans had spoiled the temple, and carried away the sacred vessels, and put them in the temple of their own god in Babylon.

Verse 5. Because ye have taken my silver and my gold — Have taken out of my temple the silver and golden vessels dedicated to my service; and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things — Hebrew, my desirable goodly things. God’s temple was several times despoiled of its ornaments by the Chaldeans. Once in the reign of Jehoiakim, 2 Chronicles 36:7. Then in the short reign of Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:13, before the last destruction of it, recorded 2 Kings 25:13. Some part of the furniture might probably be sold to the merchants of Tyre and Sidon. The profanation of God’s temple, and the sacrilegious robbing it of its vessels and ornaments, were crimes remarkably punished by God in heathen and infidels: see Jeremiah 50:28, and 51:11. So it was in Belshazzar, Daniel 5:1; in Antiochus Epiphanes, 1 Mac. 6:12; and afterward in Pompey and Crassus. And no wonder, for God had given remarkable proofs of his divine presence being in that place; and the heathen themselves might have discovered, by the light of nature, that there was but one true and living God.

Ver. 3, 8. They have cast lots for my people. In these verses the Lord expresses his abhorrence of slavery, and his determination to retaliate.

Verses 5, 6 explain what these nations have done to Jehovah: they have stolen his silver and gold and filled their temples with his precious things, and his children they have sold as slaves. My silver… my gold,… my goodly pleasant things — Not exclusively the things stolen from the temple, but also those taken from the palaces and homes of the rich. These things belong to Jehovah, because they are the possessions of his people. In ancient times plundering always followed the conquest of a city (1 Kings 14:26; 2 Kings 14:14). The temple was rich in golden vessels, the palaces full of jewels and valuables of every kind; these the enemies put into their own temples — The Hebrew word means palace as well as temple (Isaiah 13:22; Amos 8:3; Proverbs 30:28). Those who insist on an early date for Joel regard this a reference to the invasion of the Philistines and Arabs (2 Chronicles 21:16ff.); but there the Phoenicians are not mentioned. Neither do we know of a postexilic event to which this accusation could apply. It is impossible, therefore, to say with certainty what invasion is in the prophet’s mind. The historical books of the Old Testament do not give a record of all the events in the history of Israel; especially concerning postexilic times is our knowledge very limited. Not only Jehovah’s possessions but also his people have they maltreated. Sold — As slaves. The Grecians — Not the inhabitants of a city in Arabia Felix (Credner), nor Yawan in Yemen (Hitzig), but the Grecians; literally, Ionians (Genesis 10:2; Isaiah 66:19; Ezekiel 27:13, 19, etc.). The slave traffic of the Phoenicians is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament and in post-biblical writings (Amos 1:9; Ezekiel 27:13; 1 Macc. 3:41). That the Phoenicians and the Greeks had commercial intercourse at a very early period is attested by Greek writers; that slave trade may have been carried on at that early period cannot be denied; that an extensive slave trade between these nations was carried on in postexilic times is certain. In the fifth century B.C., and later, Syrian slaves — and that would include Jewish — were sought after in Greece. Far from their border — So that there would be no possibility of returning. Such separation from home would be a severe blow to the Jews who thought of a foreign country and a foreign nation as unclean. The prophet may have in mind the distant western colonies of the Ionians.

V. 6. Remove them-That there might be no hope of their return to their country.

Verse 6. Sold unto the Grecians] These were the descendants of Javan, Genesis 10:2-5. And with them the Tyrians trafficked, Ezekiel 27:19.

That ye might remove them far from their border.] Intending to send them as far off as possible, that it might be impossible for them to get back to reclaim the land of which you had dispossessed them.

Verse 6. The children also of Judah, &c., have ye sold unto the Grecians — The descendants of Javan, Genesis 10:2, 5. They trafficked with Tyre, and traded in slaves, Ezekiel 27:13. It was customary for the merchants of the neighbouring countries, particularly of Tyre and Sidon, to buy the children of Israel for slaves of their conquerors, in order to sell them again: see 1 Mac. 3:41. The histories which record the calamities of the Jews, speak of great numbers of them being made captives, and then sold and dispersed into foreign countries. Thus forty thousand were sold by Antiochus Epiphanes, 2 Mac. 5:14; and about ninety-seven thousand at the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.

Ver. 3, 8. They have cast lots for my people. In these verses the Lord expresses his abhorrence of slavery, and his determination to retaliate.

Verses 5, 6 explain what these nations have done to Jehovah: they have stolen his silver and gold and filled their temples with his precious things, and his children they have sold as slaves. My silver… my gold,… my goodly pleasant things — Not exclusively the things stolen from the temple, but also those taken from the palaces and homes of the rich. These things belong to Jehovah, because they are the possessions of his people. In ancient times plundering always followed the conquest of a city (1 Kings 14:26; 2 Kings 14:14). The temple was rich in golden vessels, the palaces full of jewels and valuables of every kind; these the enemies put into their own temples — The Hebrew word means palace as well as temple (Isaiah 13:22; Amos 8:3; Proverbs 30:28). Those who insist on an early date for Joel regard this a reference to the invasion of the Philistines and Arabs (2 Chronicles 21:16ff.); but there the Phoenicians are not mentioned. Neither do we know of a postexilic event to which this accusation could apply. It is impossible, therefore, to say with certainty what invasion is in the prophet’s mind. The historical books of the Old Testament do not give a record of all the events in the history of Israel; especially concerning postexilic times is our knowledge very limited. Not only Jehovah’s possessions but also his people have they maltreated. Sold — As slaves. The Grecians — Not the inhabitants of a city in Arabia Felix (Credner), nor Yawan in Yemen (Hitzig), but the Grecians; literally, Ionians (Genesis 10:2; Isaiah 66:19; Ezekiel 27:13, 19, etc.). The slave traffic of the Phoenicians is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament and in post-biblical writings (Amos 1:9; Ezekiel 27:13; 1 Macc. 3:41). That the Phoenicians and the Greeks had commercial intercourse at a very early period is attested by Greek writers; that slave trade may have been carried on at that early period cannot be denied; that an extensive slave trade between these nations was carried on in postexilic times is certain. In the fifth century B.C., and later, Syrian slaves — and that would include Jewish — were sought after in Greece. Far from their border — So that there would be no possibility of returning. Such separation from home would be a severe blow to the Jews who thought of a foreign country and a foreign nation as unclean. The prophet may have in mind the distant western colonies of the Ionians.

V. 7. I will raise them-This was fulfilled when Alexander, and his successors dismissed all the Jews that were slaves in Greece, and gave them leave to return to their own country.

Verse 7. I will raise them] I shall find means to bring them back from the place whither ye have sold them, and they shall retaliate upon you the injuries they have sustained. It is said that Alexander and his successors set at liberty many Jews that had been sold into Greece. And it is likely that many returned from different lands, on the publication of the edict of Cyrus.—Newcome.

Verses 7, 8. Behold, I will raise them, &c. — I will restore them, or their posterity, out of their several captivities whither their enemies have dispersed them. Grotius on this place mentions, that Alexander and his successors set at liberty many Jews, who were slaves in Greece. Many also, on occasion of Cyrus’s decree, might return to their country, from such parts of Asia Minor and the Ionian islands as were subject to that monarch. And will return your recompense upon your own head — Will inflict upon you the punishments mentioned in the following verse. I will sell your sons, &c. — This was fulfilled when Alexander took Gaza, Zidon, and Tyre, and made a great multitude of captives, of whom he is said to have sold thirty thousand for slaves. These captives the Jews, who were in favour with him, had the liberty of buying, and probably afterward sold many of them, by way of traffic, to the Arabians, here meant by the Sabeans.

Ver. 3, 8. They have cast lots for my people. In these verses the Lord expresses his abhorrence of slavery, and his determination to retaliate.

7, 8. Indeed, these enemies deserve punishment; and “with what measure ye mete it shall be measured unto you.” All they have done will be recompensed to them according to the lex talionis. Behold, I will raise them [“stir them up”] — Better, I am about to stir up. The event is imminent (compare Joel 2:19). Them — The children of Judah and Jerusalem; they will be roused into activity in their place of exile, and will be brought home (verse 1); there under the blessing of Jehovah the Jews will become strong and powerful, and by means of them Jehovah will do unto the Tyrians, Sidonians, and Philistines as they have done unto Judah and Jerusalem — sell them into slavery. Sons and daughters — Not children, but citizens of the countries (Hosea 2:2). Sabeans [“men of Sheba”] — A celebrated commercial nation in southwest Arabia; well known from the descriptions of ancient geographers, and more recently from the inscriptions found in the district itself. They traded not only in the products of their own land, but also in those of India and Ethiopia (Genesis 10:7, 28; 25:3; 1 Kings 10:2, 10). A people [“nation”] far off — The Jews had been sold into the far west (verse 6); their enemies are to be sold to the far southeast. LXX. reads, “into exile”; which presupposes only a slight change in the Hebrew text and is favored by some as the original reading. The prophet assures the nations that the prediction will surely be fulfilled. For Jehovah hath spoken it — A common formula of asseveration in the Old Testament (Isaiah 1:20; 22:25; Obadiah 1:18).

V. 8. And I will sell-Give them up into the hands of the Jews.

Verse 8. I will sell your sons] When Alexander took Tyre, he reduced into slavery all the lower people, and the women. Arrian, lib. ii., says that thirty thousand of them were sold. Artaxerxes Ochus destroyed Sidon, and subdued the other cities of Phœnicia. In all these wars, says Calmet, the Jews, who obeyed the Persians, did not neglect to purchase Phœnician slaves, whom they sold again to the Sabeans, or Arabs.

Verses 7, 8. Behold, I will raise them, &c. — I will restore them, or their posterity, out of their several captivities whither their enemies have dispersed them. Grotius on this place mentions, that Alexander and his successors set at liberty many Jews, who were slaves in Greece. Many also, on occasion of Cyrus’s decree, might return to their country, from such parts of Asia Minor and the Ionian islands as were subject to that monarch. And will return your recompense upon your own head — Will inflict upon you the punishments mentioned in the following verse. I will sell your sons, &c. — This was fulfilled when Alexander took Gaza, Zidon, and Tyre, and made a great multitude of captives, of whom he is said to have sold thirty thousand for slaves. These captives the Jews, who were in favour with him, had the liberty of buying, and probably afterward sold many of them, by way of traffic, to the Arabians, here meant by the Sabeans.

Ver. 3, 8. They have cast lots for my people. In these verses the Lord expresses his abhorrence of slavery, and his determination to retaliate.

7, 8. Indeed, these enemies deserve punishment; and “with what measure ye mete it shall be measured unto you.” All they have done will be recompensed to them according to the lex talionis. Behold, I will raise them [“stir them up”] — Better, I am about to stir up. The event is imminent (compare Joel 2:19). Them — The children of Judah and Jerusalem; they will be roused into activity in their place of exile, and will be brought home (verse 1); there under the blessing of Jehovah the Jews will become strong and powerful, and by means of them Jehovah will do unto the Tyrians, Sidonians, and Philistines as they have done unto Judah and Jerusalem — sell them into slavery. Sons and daughters — Not children, but citizens of the countries (Hosea 2:2). Sabeans [“men of Sheba”] — A celebrated commercial nation in southwest Arabia; well known from the descriptions of ancient geographers, and more recently from the inscriptions found in the district itself. They traded not only in the products of their own land, but also in those of India and Ethiopia (Genesis 10:7, 28; 25:3; 1 Kings 10:2, 10). A people [“nation”] far off — The Jews had been sold into the far west (verse 6); their enemies are to be sold to the far southeast. LXX. reads, “into exile”; which presupposes only a slight change in the Hebrew text and is favored by some as the original reading. The prophet assures the nations that the prediction will surely be fulfilled. For Jehovah hath spoken it — A common formula of asseveration in the Old Testament (Isaiah 1:20; 22:25; Obadiah 1:18).

V. 9. This-These things which I will do to the enemies of God’s people. The Gentiles-The Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Grecians successively. Prepare war-Make ready for wars against the enemies of my people.

Verse 9. Prepare war] Let all the enemies of God and of his people join together; let them even call all the tillers of the ground to their assistance, instead of labouring in the field; let every peasant become a soldier. Let them turn their agricultural implements into offensive weapons, so that the weak, being well armed, may confidently say, I am strong: yet, when thus collected and armed, Jehovah will bring down thy mighty ones; for so the clause in Joel 3:11 should be rendered.

Verses 9, 10. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles — “God having foretold these judgments against Tyre and Sidon, the Philistines, and the neighbouring nations, who had used the Jews with injustice and cruelty, proceeds here to confirm his people in the belief of the certainty of their destruction; which he tells them should be as sure as though they themselves had gathered them together by proclamation for it: for so are these words, Proclaim ye, &c., to be understood. Not as commanding what they were actually to do, but in order to excite their attention, and to let them know that God was as certainly preparing to bring this vengeance on their enemies, as though he had actually sent messengers from the Jews to proclaim it among them:” see Chandler. Prepare war, wake up the mighty men — Rouse and bring forward into the field your strong and valiant men. In these words the prophet, in an ironical manner, encourages them to make their utmost effort to oppose the designs of Providence; but signifies that it should be all in vain. For, should they strengthen themselves by all the means in their power, yet they should be overcome and punished. Beat your plough-shares into swords, &c. — That is, make all the provision and preparation for war, or for your own defence, that you possibly can. For a people to beat their very plough-shares into swords, &c., signifies a general arming of themselves, much beyond what had been usual.

9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in verse 3. The nations are urged to equip themselves for the conflict, to gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat; but when they gather at the command of Jehovah they are annihilated, while his own people remain secure. 9. Proclaim ye — Not the pious Jews (Wuensche), but those whose duty it is to make such proclamation, the heralds, who are at the command of Jehovah (Amos 3:9, 13). This — The message which follows. Gentiles — Better, R.V., “nations.” Prepare war — Literally, sanctify. Bring the sacrifices, perform the religious rites customary before the opening of a war; by these means the campaign is brought under the divine sanction and favor (1 Samuel 7:8, 9; Jeremiah 6:4). Wake up — Or, stir up. In a transitive sense, arouse the heroes, for this is no time for slumber. The verbs now change to the third person, a very common transition in vivid poetic or prophetic style. Draw near — To battle. Come up — Against the enemy (Joel 1:6). Both are technical terms. In Hebrew two short words, which could be uttered very rapidly and thus add force and vividness to the appeal. 10. The agricultural implements are to be beaten into weapons of war. Plowshares — Heb, ittim, a rare word (Isaiah 2:4); in 1 Samuel 13:20, the same word is employed alongside of one meaning plowshare; for that reason many, following Symmachus, prefer the translation “hoe,” “mattock.” Spears — Not the same word as in the parallel passages, Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, but a word otherwise used only in writings from the northern kingdom or from the later period of Hebrew literature. Even the weak is to arouse himself into activity, into heroism, “as it happens frequently when warlike enthusiasm seizes a whole nation.” Compare Schiller: “But war brings strength to light; it raises all above the common, even in the coward it begets courage.” The injunction here is the very opposite of the promise in Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.

The first part of verse 11 is better translated, with R.V., “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Assemble yourselves [“Haste ye”] — The matter is to be settled speedily, no delay can be permitted. All ye heathen [“nations”]… round about — Not merely the immediate neighbors, but all nations outside of Israel. In the latter part of verse 11 Joel utters a prayer that Jehovah may send down his heavenly warriors to the assistance of his chosen people. Thither — Where the nations have gathered. Thy mighty ones — Not the heroes, the mighty ones of Judah, but heavenly powers, angels, who execute the commands of God (Psalm 68:17; 103:20; Zechariah 14:5). In all periods of their history the Israelites believed that Jehovah was fighting their battles; so in this last great conflict he will be the one supreme moving power; he will use his own hosts to bring victory to his people. To this brief petition Jehovah replies, though not directly, in verses 12, 13. He will look after the interests of his people. Let them come; I will be there to meet them. Sit to judge — Not to listen to further pleas, but to pronounce sentence. On Jehoshaphat compare verse 2; another play upon words in Hebrew. All the heathen [“nations”] round about — As in verse 11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in verse 13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of verse 11. They are to discharge their judicial office. The judgment itself is represented under a twofold figure, the reaping of grain and the treading out of grapes (Revelation 14:15f., 19f.); the latter is a common picture of terrible judgment. Harvest — Not “vintage” (Hitzig, R.V. margin). Is ripe — They are so sinful that they are ready for judgment (Amos 8:1). Press — R.V., “wine-press.” Is full — Another picture of extreme sinfulness, parallel to the preceding and to the following. Fats — Better, vats. The receptacles for the juice after the grapes are pressed out (Joel 2:24). The grapes of sin are so numerous and ripe that even before they are artificially crushed the juice is pressed out by their own weight. The same thought is expressed in the last clause of the verse without metaphor.

In the next few verses we have a picture of the judgment. First (verse 14), the tumult made by the nations as they are assembling; the prophet hears them coming. Multitudes — The word is repeated for the sake of emphasis: great multitudes; literally, tumults, which refers rather to the noise made by the great multitudes than to the numbers. Valley of decision — Defines the term used in Joel 3:12; the judgment will be decisive, the chaff will be separated from the wheat; the doom of the former is certain. Decision — Margin, “threshing”; so the great Jewish commentator Kimchi and a few moderns. The judgment is so severe that it may be likened to the threshing of grain (Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.

V. 10. I am strong-Put on strength and valour; let none be absent from this war.

Verses 9, 10. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles — “God having foretold these judgments against Tyre and Sidon, the Philistines, and the neighbouring nations, who had used the Jews with injustice and cruelty, proceeds here to confirm his people in the belief of the certainty of their destruction; which he tells them should be as sure as though they themselves had gathered them together by proclamation for it: for so are these words, Proclaim ye, &c., to be understood. Not as commanding what they were actually to do, but in order to excite their attention, and to let them know that God was as certainly preparing to bring this vengeance on their enemies, as though he had actually sent messengers from the Jews to proclaim it among them:” see Chandler. Prepare war, wake up the mighty men — Rouse and bring forward into the field your strong and valiant men. In these words the prophet, in an ironical manner, encourages them to make their utmost effort to oppose the designs of Providence; but signifies that it should be all in vain. For, should they strengthen themselves by all the means in their power, yet they should be overcome and punished. Beat your plough-shares into swords, &c. — That is, make all the provision and preparation for war, or for your own defence, that you possibly can. For a people to beat their very plough-shares into swords, &c., signifies a general arming of themselves, much beyond what had been usual.

Ver. 10. Beat your plowshares into swords. These are words of contempt and defiance, to the last enemies of the church. Virgil uses a similar phrase. — Non ullus aratro

Dignus honos, squalent abductis arva colonis, Et curvæ rigidum falces constantur in ensem. Dishonoured lies the plow; the banished swains Are hurried from the uncultivated plains; The sickles into barbarous swords are beat. Georg. 1. ver. 506.—WARTON.

9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in verse 3. The nations are urged to equip themselves for the conflict, to gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat; but when they gather at the command of Jehovah they are annihilated, while his own people remain secure. 9. Proclaim ye — Not the pious Jews (Wuensche), but those whose duty it is to make such proclamation, the heralds, who are at the command of Jehovah (Amos 3:9, 13). This — The message which follows. Gentiles — Better, R.V., “nations.” Prepare war — Literally, sanctify. Bring the sacrifices, perform the religious rites customary before the opening of a war; by these means the campaign is brought under the divine sanction and favor (1 Samuel 7:8, 9; Jeremiah 6:4). Wake up — Or, stir up. In a transitive sense, arouse the heroes, for this is no time for slumber. The verbs now change to the third person, a very common transition in vivid poetic or prophetic style. Draw near — To battle. Come up — Against the enemy (Joel 1:6). Both are technical terms. In Hebrew two short words, which could be uttered very rapidly and thus add force and vividness to the appeal. 10. The agricultural implements are to be beaten into weapons of war. Plowshares — Heb, ittim, a rare word (Isaiah 2:4); in 1 Samuel 13:20, the same word is employed alongside of one meaning plowshare; for that reason many, following Symmachus, prefer the translation “hoe,” “mattock.” Spears — Not the same word as in the parallel passages, Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, but a word otherwise used only in writings from the northern kingdom or from the later period of Hebrew literature. Even the weak is to arouse himself into activity, into heroism, “as it happens frequently when warlike enthusiasm seizes a whole nation.” Compare Schiller: “But war brings strength to light; it raises all above the common, even in the coward it begets courage.” The injunction here is the very opposite of the promise in Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.

The first part of verse 11 is better translated, with R.V., “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Assemble yourselves [“Haste ye”] — The matter is to be settled speedily, no delay can be permitted. All ye heathen [“nations”]… round about — Not merely the immediate neighbors, but all nations outside of Israel. In the latter part of verse 11 Joel utters a prayer that Jehovah may send down his heavenly warriors to the assistance of his chosen people. Thither — Where the nations have gathered. Thy mighty ones — Not the heroes, the mighty ones of Judah, but heavenly powers, angels, who execute the commands of God (Psalm 68:17; 103:20; Zechariah 14:5). In all periods of their history the Israelites believed that Jehovah was fighting their battles; so in this last great conflict he will be the one supreme moving power; he will use his own hosts to bring victory to his people. To this brief petition Jehovah replies, though not directly, in verses 12, 13. He will look after the interests of his people. Let them come; I will be there to meet them. Sit to judge — Not to listen to further pleas, but to pronounce sentence. On Jehoshaphat compare verse 2; another play upon words in Hebrew. All the heathen [“nations”] round about — As in verse 11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in verse 13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of verse 11. They are to discharge their judicial office. The judgment itself is represented under a twofold figure, the reaping of grain and the treading out of grapes (Revelation 14:15f., 19f.); the latter is a common picture of terrible judgment. Harvest — Not “vintage” (Hitzig, R.V. margin). Is ripe — They are so sinful that they are ready for judgment (Amos 8:1). Press — R.V., “wine-press.” Is full — Another picture of extreme sinfulness, parallel to the preceding and to the following. Fats — Better, vats. The receptacles for the juice after the grapes are pressed out (Joel 2:24). The grapes of sin are so numerous and ripe that even before they are artificially crushed the juice is pressed out by their own weight. The same thought is expressed in the last clause of the verse without metaphor.

In the next few verses we have a picture of the judgment. First (verse 14), the tumult made by the nations as they are assembling; the prophet hears them coming. Multitudes — The word is repeated for the sake of emphasis: great multitudes; literally, tumults, which refers rather to the noise made by the great multitudes than to the numbers. Valley of decision — Defines the term used in Joel 3:12; the judgment will be decisive, the chaff will be separated from the wheat; the doom of the former is certain. Decision — Margin, “threshing”; so the great Jewish commentator Kimchi and a few moderns. The judgment is so severe that it may be likened to the threshing of grain (Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.

V. 11. Round about-All round about Judah. Thither-Toward Jerusalem; the church and heritage of God. Thy mighty ones-All those mighty warriors whom thou wilt make use of successively to punish the oppressors of thy church.

Verses 11, 12. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord — After the prophet has given warning, in the way of irony, to the nations to provide for their defence by all possible means, and to assemble themselves together from all parts, that they might strive with their united force; he, in the conclusion of the verse, calls upon God to cause those to come whom he had appointed to overcome these nations. Some, however, render the clause, the Lord shall cause thy mighty ones to come down, or to be brought low. Let the heathen be awakened — Let their courage be roused up; and come to the valley of Jehoshaphat — To the place of divine judgment.

9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in verse 3. The nations are urged to equip themselves for the conflict, to gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat; but when they gather at the command of Jehovah they are annihilated, while his own people remain secure. 9. Proclaim ye — Not the pious Jews (Wuensche), but those whose duty it is to make such proclamation, the heralds, who are at the command of Jehovah (Amos 3:9, 13). This — The message which follows. Gentiles — Better, R.V., “nations.” Prepare war — Literally, sanctify. Bring the sacrifices, perform the religious rites customary before the opening of a war; by these means the campaign is brought under the divine sanction and favor (1 Samuel 7:8, 9; Jeremiah 6:4). Wake up — Or, stir up. In a transitive sense, arouse the heroes, for this is no time for slumber. The verbs now change to the third person, a very common transition in vivid poetic or prophetic style. Draw near — To battle. Come up — Against the enemy (Joel 1:6). Both are technical terms. In Hebrew two short words, which could be uttered very rapidly and thus add force and vividness to the appeal. 10. The agricultural implements are to be beaten into weapons of war. Plowshares — Heb, ittim, a rare word (Isaiah 2:4); in 1 Samuel 13:20, the same word is employed alongside of one meaning plowshare; for that reason many, following Symmachus, prefer the translation “hoe,” “mattock.” Spears — Not the same word as in the parallel passages, Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, but a word otherwise used only in writings from the northern kingdom or from the later period of Hebrew literature. Even the weak is to arouse himself into activity, into heroism, “as it happens frequently when warlike enthusiasm seizes a whole nation.” Compare Schiller: “But war brings strength to light; it raises all above the common, even in the coward it begets courage.” The injunction here is the very opposite of the promise in Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.

The first part of verse 11 is better translated, with R.V., “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Assemble yourselves [“Haste ye”] — The matter is to be settled speedily, no delay can be permitted. All ye heathen [“nations”]… round about — Not merely the immediate neighbors, but all nations outside of Israel. In the latter part of verse 11 Joel utters a prayer that Jehovah may send down his heavenly warriors to the assistance of his chosen people. Thither — Where the nations have gathered. Thy mighty ones — Not the heroes, the mighty ones of Judah, but heavenly powers, angels, who execute the commands of God (Psalm 68:17; 103:20; Zechariah 14:5). In all periods of their history the Israelites believed that Jehovah was fighting their battles; so in this last great conflict he will be the one supreme moving power; he will use his own hosts to bring victory to his people. To this brief petition Jehovah replies, though not directly, in verses 12, 13. He will look after the interests of his people. Let them come; I will be there to meet them. Sit to judge — Not to listen to further pleas, but to pronounce sentence. On Jehoshaphat compare verse 2; another play upon words in Hebrew. All the heathen [“nations”] round about — As in verse 11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in verse 13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of verse 11. They are to discharge their judicial office. The judgment itself is represented under a twofold figure, the reaping of grain and the treading out of grapes (Revelation 14:15f., 19f.); the latter is a common picture of terrible judgment. Harvest — Not “vintage” (Hitzig, R.V. margin). Is ripe — They are so sinful that they are ready for judgment (Amos 8:1). Press — R.V., “wine-press.” Is full — Another picture of extreme sinfulness, parallel to the preceding and to the following. Fats — Better, vats. The receptacles for the juice after the grapes are pressed out (Joel 2:24). The grapes of sin are so numerous and ripe that even before they are artificially crushed the juice is pressed out by their own weight. The same thought is expressed in the last clause of the verse without metaphor.

In the next few verses we have a picture of the judgment. First (verse 14), the tumult made by the nations as they are assembling; the prophet hears them coming. Multitudes — The word is repeated for the sake of emphasis: great multitudes; literally, tumults, which refers rather to the noise made by the great multitudes than to the numbers. Valley of decision — Defines the term used in Joel 3:12; the judgment will be decisive, the chaff will be separated from the wheat; the doom of the former is certain. Decision — Margin, “threshing”; so the great Jewish commentator Kimchi and a few moderns. The judgment is so severe that it may be likened to the threshing of grain (Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.

V. 12. The heathen-The several nations in their appointed time, perhaps the Assyrians first under Salmaneser, next under Sennacherib, both of whom came up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there-In the midst of my people to plead with, condemn and punish the heathen round about Judea.

Verse 12. Let the heathen be wakened] The heathen shall be wakened. The valley of Jehoshaphat] Any place where God may choose to display his judgments against his enemies.

Verses 11, 12. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord — After the prophet has given warning, in the way of irony, to the nations to provide for their defence by all possible means, and to assemble themselves together from all parts, that they might strive with their united force; he, in the conclusion of the verse, calls upon God to cause those to come whom he had appointed to overcome these nations. Some, however, render the clause, the Lord shall cause thy mighty ones to come down, or to be brought low. Let the heathen be awakened — Let their courage be roused up; and come to the valley of Jehoshaphat — To the place of divine judgment.

Ver. 12. Let the heathen—come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, the judge of the Lord. We need not here play on the king’s name; that is not intended; but many of the heathen may perish there, as will be the case in all the rebellious nations. After the men of that age shall, with all learned arguments and malice of heart, have rejected righteousness and life; what can they expect but death? Other wars have been against men; this is against the Lord, and this shall be a victory once for all.

9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in verse 3. The nations are urged to equip themselves for the conflict, to gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat; but when they gather at the command of Jehovah they are annihilated, while his own people remain secure. 9. Proclaim ye — Not the pious Jews (Wuensche), but those whose duty it is to make such proclamation, the heralds, who are at the command of Jehovah (Amos 3:9, 13). This — The message which follows. Gentiles — Better, R.V., “nations.” Prepare war — Literally, sanctify. Bring the sacrifices, perform the religious rites customary before the opening of a war; by these means the campaign is brought under the divine sanction and favor (1 Samuel 7:8, 9; Jeremiah 6:4). Wake up — Or, stir up. In a transitive sense, arouse the heroes, for this is no time for slumber. The verbs now change to the third person, a very common transition in vivid poetic or prophetic style. Draw near — To battle. Come up — Against the enemy (Joel 1:6). Both are technical terms. In Hebrew two short words, which could be uttered very rapidly and thus add force and vividness to the appeal. 10. The agricultural implements are to be beaten into weapons of war. Plowshares — Heb, ittim, a rare word (Isaiah 2:4); in 1 Samuel 13:20, the same word is employed alongside of one meaning plowshare; for that reason many, following Symmachus, prefer the translation “hoe,” “mattock.” Spears — Not the same word as in the parallel passages, Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, but a word otherwise used only in writings from the northern kingdom or from the later period of Hebrew literature. Even the weak is to arouse himself into activity, into heroism, “as it happens frequently when warlike enthusiasm seizes a whole nation.” Compare Schiller: “But war brings strength to light; it raises all above the common, even in the coward it begets courage.” The injunction here is the very opposite of the promise in Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.

The first part of verse 11 is better translated, with R.V., “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Assemble yourselves [“Haste ye”] — The matter is to be settled speedily, no delay can be permitted. All ye heathen [“nations”]… round about — Not merely the immediate neighbors, but all nations outside of Israel. In the latter part of verse 11 Joel utters a prayer that Jehovah may send down his heavenly warriors to the assistance of his chosen people. Thither — Where the nations have gathered. Thy mighty ones — Not the heroes, the mighty ones of Judah, but heavenly powers, angels, who execute the commands of God (Psalm 68:17; 103:20; Zechariah 14:5). In all periods of their history the Israelites believed that Jehovah was fighting their battles; so in this last great conflict he will be the one supreme moving power; he will use his own hosts to bring victory to his people. To this brief petition Jehovah replies, though not directly, in verses 12, 13. He will look after the interests of his people. Let them come; I will be there to meet them. Sit to judge — Not to listen to further pleas, but to pronounce sentence. On Jehoshaphat compare verse 2; another play upon words in Hebrew. All the heathen [“nations”] round about — As in verse 11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in verse 13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of verse 11. They are to discharge their judicial office. The judgment itself is represented under a twofold figure, the reaping of grain and the treading out of grapes (Revelation 14:15f., 19f.); the latter is a common picture of terrible judgment. Harvest — Not “vintage” (Hitzig, R.V. margin). Is ripe — They are so sinful that they are ready for judgment (Amos 8:1). Press — R.V., “wine-press.” Is full — Another picture of extreme sinfulness, parallel to the preceding and to the following. Fats — Better, vats. The receptacles for the juice after the grapes are pressed out (Joel 2:24). The grapes of sin are so numerous and ripe that even before they are artificially crushed the juice is pressed out by their own weight. The same thought is expressed in the last clause of the verse without metaphor.

In the next few verses we have a picture of the judgment. First (verse 14), the tumult made by the nations as they are assembling; the prophet hears them coming. Multitudes — The word is repeated for the sake of emphasis: great multitudes; literally, tumults, which refers rather to the noise made by the great multitudes than to the numbers. Valley of decision — Defines the term used in Joel 3:12; the judgment will be decisive, the chaff will be separated from the wheat; the doom of the former is certain. Decision — Margin, “threshing”; so the great Jewish commentator Kimchi and a few moderns. The judgment is so severe that it may be likened to the threshing of grain (Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.

V. 13. Put ye-Ye executioners of divine vengeance: begin to reap, cut down sinners ripe for judgment; let Tiglath Pilneser and his soldiers cut down Syria and its king, for their violence against my people. Let Cyaxares and his armies cut down Assyria. Let Nebuchadnezzar cut down Moab, Ammon, mount Seir, Egypt, Tyre, Zidon and the Philistines; after this let Cyrus reap down the ripened Babylonians, and Alexander the Medes and Persians. And let the divided Grecian captains cut down one another, ‘till the Romans cut them down. And when this is done God will have mighty ones still to cut down his enemies, ‘till the final judgment wherein they all shall for ever be destroyed. Get you down-In another metaphor the prophet declares the cutting off the church’s enemies. The press-As the grapes in the press are trod, so the enemies of God’s people, are to be trodden in the wine-press of God’s displeasure. Overflow-The blood of slaughtered men runs as wine prest out, in greater abundance than the vats can hold. Is great-The violence and all manner of sins of these kingdoms is grown exceeding great.

Verse 13. Put ye in the sickle] The destruction of his enemies is represented here under the metaphor of reaping down the harvest; and of gathering the grapes, and treading them in the wine-presses.

Verse 13. Put ye in the sickle — Ye executioners of divine vengeance: begin to reap; cut down sinners ripe for judgment; let the king of Assyria and his soldiers cut down Syria and its king, for their violence against my people. Let Cyaxares and his armies cut down Assyria. Let Nebuchadnezzar cut down Moab, Ammon, mount Seir, Egypt, Tyre, Zidon, and the Philistines. After this, let Cyrus destroy the Babylonians, and Alexander the Medes and Persians. And let the divided Grecian captains cut down one another, till the Romans cut them down. And when this is done, God will have mighty ones still to cut down his enemies till the final judgment, wherein they all shall for ever be destroyed. For the harvest is ripe — That is, they are fit for destruction, as the ripened corn for reaping. Come, get you down — Namely, into the appointed valley; as though they were going into a vineyard to gather grapes. Here the prophet uses another metaphor to express the cutting off the church’s enemies; for the press is full; the fats overflow — That is, as it is immediately explained, their wickedness is great — It is come to its full measure. And as the grapes in the press are trodden, so the enemies of God’s people are to be trodden in the wine-press of his displeasure.

Ver. 13. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. This text is cited in Revelation 14:17, and applied to the excision of antichrist. Lemmon, in his dictionary of technical words, gives the etymon of harvest as a herb-feast; not indeed unlike St. John’s words, in which the angel calls all the fowls to the supper of the great God. Revelation 19:17.

9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in verse 3. The nations are urged to equip themselves for the conflict, to gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat; but when they gather at the command of Jehovah they are annihilated, while his own people remain secure. 9. Proclaim ye — Not the pious Jews (Wuensche), but those whose duty it is to make such proclamation, the heralds, who are at the command of Jehovah (Amos 3:9, 13). This — The message which follows. Gentiles — Better, R.V., “nations.” Prepare war — Literally, sanctify. Bring the sacrifices, perform the religious rites customary before the opening of a war; by these means the campaign is brought under the divine sanction and favor (1 Samuel 7:8, 9; Jeremiah 6:4). Wake up — Or, stir up. In a transitive sense, arouse the heroes, for this is no time for slumber. The verbs now change to the third person, a very common transition in vivid poetic or prophetic style. Draw near — To battle. Come up — Against the enemy (Joel 1:6). Both are technical terms. In Hebrew two short words, which could be uttered very rapidly and thus add force and vividness to the appeal. 10. The agricultural implements are to be beaten into weapons of war. Plowshares — Heb, ittim, a rare word (Isaiah 2:4); in 1 Samuel 13:20, the same word is employed alongside of one meaning plowshare; for that reason many, following Symmachus, prefer the translation “hoe,” “mattock.” Spears — Not the same word as in the parallel passages, Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, but a word otherwise used only in writings from the northern kingdom or from the later period of Hebrew literature. Even the weak is to arouse himself into activity, into heroism, “as it happens frequently when warlike enthusiasm seizes a whole nation.” Compare Schiller: “But war brings strength to light; it raises all above the common, even in the coward it begets courage.” The injunction here is the very opposite of the promise in Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.

The first part of verse 11 is better translated, with R.V., “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Assemble yourselves [“Haste ye”] — The matter is to be settled speedily, no delay can be permitted. All ye heathen [“nations”]… round about — Not merely the immediate neighbors, but all nations outside of Israel. In the latter part of verse 11 Joel utters a prayer that Jehovah may send down his heavenly warriors to the assistance of his chosen people. Thither — Where the nations have gathered. Thy mighty ones — Not the heroes, the mighty ones of Judah, but heavenly powers, angels, who execute the commands of God (Psalm 68:17; 103:20; Zechariah 14:5). In all periods of their history the Israelites believed that Jehovah was fighting their battles; so in this last great conflict he will be the one supreme moving power; he will use his own hosts to bring victory to his people. To this brief petition Jehovah replies, though not directly, in verses 12, 13. He will look after the interests of his people. Let them come; I will be there to meet them. Sit to judge — Not to listen to further pleas, but to pronounce sentence. On Jehoshaphat compare verse 2; another play upon words in Hebrew. All the heathen [“nations”] round about — As in verse 11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in verse 13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of verse 11. They are to discharge their judicial office. The judgment itself is represented under a twofold figure, the reaping of grain and the treading out of grapes (Revelation 14:15f., 19f.); the latter is a common picture of terrible judgment. Harvest — Not “vintage” (Hitzig, R.V. margin). Is ripe — They are so sinful that they are ready for judgment (Amos 8:1). Press — R.V., “wine-press.” Is full — Another picture of extreme sinfulness, parallel to the preceding and to the following. Fats — Better, vats. The receptacles for the juice after the grapes are pressed out (Joel 2:24). The grapes of sin are so numerous and ripe that even before they are artificially crushed the juice is pressed out by their own weight. The same thought is expressed in the last clause of the verse without metaphor.

In the next few verses we have a picture of the judgment. First (verse 14), the tumult made by the nations as they are assembling; the prophet hears them coming. Multitudes — The word is repeated for the sake of emphasis: great multitudes; literally, tumults, which refers rather to the noise made by the great multitudes than to the numbers. Valley of decision — Defines the term used in Joel 3:12; the judgment will be decisive, the chaff will be separated from the wheat; the doom of the former is certain. Decision — Margin, “threshing”; so the great Jewish commentator Kimchi and a few moderns. The judgment is so severe that it may be likened to the threshing of grain (Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.

V. 14. In the valley of decision-Where God having gathered them, decided their quarrels, and by the conqueror punish the conquered for their sins against God and his people. The day-The day of vengeance.

Verse 14. Multitudes, multitudes] המנים המנים hamonim, hamonim, crowds upon crowds, in the valley of decision, or excision: the same as the valley of Jehoshaphat, the place where God is to execute judgment on his enemies.

Verses 14, 15. Multitudes, &c. — These are Joel’s words, exclaiming, with prophetic warmth and agitation, Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! — As though he had said, See what astonishing numbers are brought together for their destruction! The sentence, thus abrupt and broken, is very strong and emphatical. The place is called the valley of decision, because in it the cause would be decided between God and his enemies, and there he would execute judgment upon them. Houbigant reads, the valley of excision, that is, of cutting off: and Chandler, the appointed valley, namely, where God had appointed to execute his judgments. The sun and the moon shall be darkened — States and kingdoms shall be overthrown; and the stars shall withdraw their shining — Kings and princes shall be cast down from their state of dignity and pre-eminence, and shall be deprived of their power and glory. Or the meaning is, This particular judgment shall be a forerunner of the general one, when the whole frame of nature shall be dissolved.

Ver. 14. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, The superlative degree of the Hebrews is formed by repetition. This is the day of decision in which the wicked shall be consumed, both root and branch. Such is the current language of all the prophets. Isaiah 60:12. Zechariah 14:12.

9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in verse 3. The nations are urged to equip themselves for the conflict, to gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat; but when they gather at the command of Jehovah they are annihilated, while his own people remain secure. 9. Proclaim ye — Not the pious Jews (Wuensche), but those whose duty it is to make such proclamation, the heralds, who are at the command of Jehovah (Amos 3:9, 13). This — The message which follows. Gentiles — Better, R.V., “nations.” Prepare war — Literally, sanctify. Bring the sacrifices, perform the religious rites customary before the opening of a war; by these means the campaign is brought under the divine sanction and favor (1 Samuel 7:8, 9; Jeremiah 6:4). Wake up — Or, stir up. In a transitive sense, arouse the heroes, for this is no time for slumber. The verbs now change to the third person, a very common transition in vivid poetic or prophetic style. Draw near — To battle. Come up — Against the enemy (Joel 1:6). Both are technical terms. In Hebrew two short words, which could be uttered very rapidly and thus add force and vividness to the appeal. 10. The agricultural implements are to be beaten into weapons of war. Plowshares — Heb, ittim, a rare word (Isaiah 2:4); in 1 Samuel 13:20, the same word is employed alongside of one meaning plowshare; for that reason many, following Symmachus, prefer the translation “hoe,” “mattock.” Spears — Not the same word as in the parallel passages, Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, but a word otherwise used only in writings from the northern kingdom or from the later period of Hebrew literature. Even the weak is to arouse himself into activity, into heroism, “as it happens frequently when warlike enthusiasm seizes a whole nation.” Compare Schiller: “But war brings strength to light; it raises all above the common, even in the coward it begets courage.” The injunction here is the very opposite of the promise in Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.

The first part of verse 11 is better translated, with R.V., “Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together.” Assemble yourselves [“Haste ye”] — The matter is to be settled speedily, no delay can be permitted. All ye heathen [“nations”]… round about — Not merely the immediate neighbors, but all nations outside of Israel. In the latter part of verse 11 Joel utters a prayer that Jehovah may send down his heavenly warriors to the assistance of his chosen people. Thither — Where the nations have gathered. Thy mighty ones — Not the heroes, the mighty ones of Judah, but heavenly powers, angels, who execute the commands of God (Psalm 68:17; 103:20; Zechariah 14:5). In all periods of their history the Israelites believed that Jehovah was fighting their battles; so in this last great conflict he will be the one supreme moving power; he will use his own hosts to bring victory to his people. To this brief petition Jehovah replies, though not directly, in verses 12, 13. He will look after the interests of his people. Let them come; I will be there to meet them. Sit to judge — Not to listen to further pleas, but to pronounce sentence. On Jehoshaphat compare verse 2; another play upon words in Hebrew. All the heathen [“nations”] round about — As in verse 11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in verse 13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of verse 11. They are to discharge their judicial office. The judgment itself is represented under a twofold figure, the reaping of grain and the treading out of grapes (Revelation 14:15f., 19f.); the latter is a common picture of terrible judgment. Harvest — Not “vintage” (Hitzig, R.V. margin). Is ripe — They are so sinful that they are ready for judgment (Amos 8:1). Press — R.V., “wine-press.” Is full — Another picture of extreme sinfulness, parallel to the preceding and to the following. Fats — Better, vats. The receptacles for the juice after the grapes are pressed out (Joel 2:24). The grapes of sin are so numerous and ripe that even before they are artificially crushed the juice is pressed out by their own weight. The same thought is expressed in the last clause of the verse without metaphor.

In the next few verses we have a picture of the judgment. First (verse 14), the tumult made by the nations as they are assembling; the prophet hears them coming. Multitudes — The word is repeated for the sake of emphasis: great multitudes; literally, tumults, which refers rather to the noise made by the great multitudes than to the numbers. Valley of decision — Defines the term used in Joel 3:12; the judgment will be decisive, the chaff will be separated from the wheat; the doom of the former is certain. Decision — Margin, “threshing”; so the great Jewish commentator Kimchi and a few moderns. The judgment is so severe that it may be likened to the threshing of grain (Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.

Verse 15. The sun and the moon shall be darkened] High and mighty states shall be eclipsed, and brought to ruin, and the stars—petty states, princes, and governors-shall withdraw their shining; withhold their influence and tribute from the kingdoms to which they have belonged, and set up themselves as independent governors.

Verses 14, 15. Multitudes, &c. — These are Joel’s words, exclaiming, with prophetic warmth and agitation, Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! — As though he had said, See what astonishing numbers are brought together for their destruction! The sentence, thus abrupt and broken, is very strong and emphatical. The place is called the valley of decision, because in it the cause would be decided between God and his enemies, and there he would execute judgment upon them. Houbigant reads, the valley of excision, that is, of cutting off: and Chandler, the appointed valley, namely, where God had appointed to execute his judgments. The sun and the moon shall be darkened — States and kingdoms shall be overthrown; and the stars shall withdraw their shining — Kings and princes shall be cast down from their state of dignity and pre-eminence, and shall be deprived of their power and glory. Or the meaning is, This particular judgment shall be a forerunner of the general one, when the whole frame of nature shall be dissolved.

15, 16 While the nations are gathering, the supernatural forebodings of the day are seen (compare Joel 2:10, 30, 31). In Joel 2:10, from which passage verse 15 is quoted, these phenomena marked the beginning of the day of judgment upon Judah; here upon the nations. Nothing is said of the execution of the judgment, but the description of the events accompanying it is so vivid that there can be no doubt about the final outcome. Jehovah… shall roar — The figure of an angry lion is in the prophet’s mind. The verb used describes the angry roar with which the lion springs upon the prey (Amos 1:2; Jeremiah 25:30). Jehovah is ready to leap upon the nations. Utter his voice — The appearance of Jehovah is described frequently in the imagery of a thunderstorm; his voice is the thunder (Psalm 18:9-13). Zion,… Jerusalem — The temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem is the earthly abode of Jehovah; from it the manifestations of his power proceed. The very fact that Jehovah has not left the holy city is a favorable sign to the people. The heavens and the earth shall shake — A severe earthquake is to accompany the storm. Thus far the prophet takes us; the sequel imagination must supply. The roaring lion will not allow his prey to escape; in the storm and the earthquake the nations will be annihilated. But it is only to his enemies that Jehovah shows himself terrible. From the awful judgment scene the prophet turns abruptly to describe the fate of the pious people of God. Hope… strength — Better, with R.V., “refuge… stronghold,” or “strong tower.” They may flee to Jehovah for refuge as terrified inhabitants flee to the citadel of a city for protection. These and similar terms are often applied to Jehovah in the Psalms (Psalm 14:6; 18:3), 17. The present crisis, the destruction of the nations, and the deliverance of Israel will teach the latter that Jehovah is their God — They will now recognize him in his supremacy (Joel 2:27; Hosea 2:8; Ezekiel 38:23). Dwelling in Zion — Synonymous with “in the midst of Israel” (Joel 2:27); near enough to respond to any appeal for assistance. Then shall Jerusalem be holy — Set apart for God, and pure in character (compare Joel 2:1). Judgment, in the thought of the prophets, always has a purifying effect (Isaiah 4:4). The destruction of the enemies will prevent future defilement by them (Nahum 1:15). Strangers — Aliens, members of foreign nations, who have no interest in nor love for the things precious to the Jews (Hosea 7:9; Jeremiah 30:8).

V. 16. Shall roar-He will strike the enemy with astonishment as the roaring of the lion astonishes the weaker beasts of the forest.

Verse 16. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion] His temple and worship shall be re-established there, and he will thence denounce his judgments against the nations. “The heavens and the earth shall shake.” There shall be great commotions in powerful empires and their dependencies; but in all these things his own people shall be unmoved, for God shall be their hope and strength.

Verse 16. The Lord shall roar out of Zion — He shall strike the enemies of his people with astonishment, as the roaring of the lion astonishes the weaker beasts of the forest. And the heavens and the earth shall shake — The destruction shall be as certain and dreadful as though God’s enemies were destroyed by thunder and lightning from heaven. But the Lord will be the hope of his people — Though the heaven and the earth pass away, his word and promise, given to his servants, shall not pass away.

15, 16 While the nations are gathering, the supernatural forebodings of the day are seen (compare Joel 2:10, 30, 31). In Joel 2:10, from which passage verse 15 is quoted, these phenomena marked the beginning of the day of judgment upon Judah; here upon the nations. Nothing is said of the execution of the judgment, but the description of the events accompanying it is so vivid that there can be no doubt about the final outcome. Jehovah… shall roar — The figure of an angry lion is in the prophet’s mind. The verb used describes the angry roar with which the lion springs upon the prey (Amos 1:2; Jeremiah 25:30). Jehovah is ready to leap upon the nations. Utter his voice — The appearance of Jehovah is described frequently in the imagery of a thunderstorm; his voice is the thunder (Psalm 18:9-13). Zion,… Jerusalem — The temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem is the earthly abode of Jehovah; from it the manifestations of his power proceed. The very fact that Jehovah has not left the holy city is a favorable sign to the people. The heavens and the earth shall shake — A severe earthquake is to accompany the storm. Thus far the prophet takes us; the sequel imagination must supply. The roaring lion will not allow his prey to escape; in the storm and the earthquake the nations will be annihilated. But it is only to his enemies that Jehovah shows himself terrible. From the awful judgment scene the prophet turns abruptly to describe the fate of the pious people of God. Hope… strength — Better, with R.V., “refuge… stronghold,” or “strong tower.” They may flee to Jehovah for refuge as terrified inhabitants flee to the citadel of a city for protection. These and similar terms are often applied to Jehovah in the Psalms (Psalm 14:6; 18:3), 17. The present crisis, the destruction of the nations, and the deliverance of Israel will teach the latter that Jehovah is their God — They will now recognize him in his supremacy (Joel 2:27; Hosea 2:8; Ezekiel 38:23). Dwelling in Zion — Synonymous with “in the midst of Israel” (Joel 2:27); near enough to respond to any appeal for assistance. Then shall Jerusalem be holy — Set apart for God, and pure in character (compare Joel 2:1). Judgment, in the thought of the prophets, always has a purifying effect (Isaiah 4:4). The destruction of the enemies will prevent future defilement by them (Nahum 1:15). Strangers — Aliens, members of foreign nations, who have no interest in nor love for the things precious to the Jews (Hosea 7:9; Jeremiah 30:8).

V. 17. Dwelling-Very graciously present with you, and ever watching over you, and delighting to save you. Then-After her enemies are destroyed and the remnant is saved, and the Messiah is come; for to him and his days these things ultimately refer. Jerusalem-The church of Christ. Strangers-No profane or unclean person shall pass through it, or be found in it any more for ever.

Verse 17. So shall ye know ] By the judgments I execute on your enemies, and the support I give to yourselves, that I am the all-conquering Jehovah; and that I have again taken up my residence in Jerusalem. All this may refer, ultimately, to the restoration of the Jews to their own land; when holiness to the Lord shall be their motto; and no strange god, nor impure people, shall be permitted to enter the city, or even pass through it; they shall have neither civil nor religious connections with any who do not worship the true God in spirit and in truth. This, I think, must refer to Gospel times. It is a promise not yet fulfilled.

Verse 17. So shall ye know that I am the Lord dwelling in Zion — Very graciously present with you, and ever watching over you and delighting to save you. Then shall Jerusalem be holy — After the church’s enemies are destroyed, the Messiah is come, and the remnant saved, the people of God shall be holy. There shall no strangers pass through her — No profane or unclean person shall be found in the church of Christ.

V. 18. The mountains-The vines planted upon the mountains. Shall flow-So fruitful shall the hills be, that milk shall abound every where. A fountain-The prophet alludes to those waters which were conveyed from some spring through conduit pipes towards the altar. This no doubt is a shadow of the purifying blood of Christ, and his sanctifying spirit and word. And in that it is said to come from the house of the Lord, it intimates that this saving grace shall be first preached from Jerusalem, and by the church, which is the house of God, shall be published to others. Shittim-Was a place in the plains of Moab. These spiritual waters shall flow down to the dry and thirsty, the barren and fruitless Gentiles, and make them fruitful.

Verse 18. In that day] After their return from their captivities. The mountains shall drop down new wine] A poetic expression for great fertility. Happy times: peace and plenty. The vines shall grow luxuriantly on the sides of the mountains; and the hills shall produce such rich pastures that the flocks shall yield abundance of milk.

And all the rivers of Judah] Far from being generally dry in the summer, shall have their channels always full of water.

And a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord] See the account of the typical waters in Ezekiel, Ezekiel 47:1-23, to which this seems to have a reference; at least the subject is the same, and seems to point out the grace of the Gospel, the waters of salvation, that shall flow from Jerusalem, and water the valley of Shittim. Shittim was in the plains of Moab beyond Jordan; Numbers 33:49; Joshua 3:1; but as no stream of water could flow from the temple, pass across Jordan, or reach this plain, the valley of Shittim must be considered symbolical, as the valley of Jehoshaphat. But as Shittim may signify thorns, it may figuratively represent the most uncultivated and ferocious inhabitants of the earth receiving the Gospel of Christ, and being civilized and saved by it. We know that briers and thorns are emblems of bad men; see Ezekiel 2:6. Thus all the figures in this verse will point out the happy times of the Gospel: the mountains shall drop down new wine; the hills flow with milk; the thorny valleys become fertile, &c. Similar to those almost parallel words of the prince of poets:—

Mistaque ridenti colocasia fundet acantho.—

Ipsæ lacte domum referent destenta capellæ

Ubera: nec magnos metuent armenta leones.—

Molli paullatim flavescet campus arista,

Incultisque rubens pendebit sentibus uva:

Et duræ quercus sudabunt roscida mella.

VIRG Ecl. iv. 20.

Unbidden earth shall wreathing ivy bring,

And fragrant herbs the promises of spring.

The goats with streaming dugs shall homeward speed; And lowing herds, secure from lions, feed.

Unlabour’d harvests shall the fields adorn,

And cluster’d grapes shall grow on every thorn:

The knotted oaks shall showers of honey weep.

DRYDEN.

Verse 18. The mountains shall drop down new wine — Namely, the vines planted upon the mountains. The hills shall flow with milk — So fruitful shall the hills be, that milk shall abound everywhere. And all the rivers, &c. — These expressions are all figurative, and highly poetical, and, according to Calmet, symbolical of the doctrine of the gospel; which, accompanied by the Spirit of grace, was to flow forth from Jerusalem, and to water the Gentile world, which had been as a barren and uncultivated land.

18-21. After the judgment upon the nations, Judah, under the care and protection of Jehovah, will enjoy the fullness of the divine blessing. The seat of the former world powers will become a barren waste, while in Judah there will be fertility and peace. 18. In that day — The day of judgment upon the enemies and of deliverance for the Jews, and so the beginning of the Messianic age. Now follows a hyperbolical description of extreme fertility. Mountains… hills — The territory of Judah was “strewn with limestone rocks. The little soil between yielded only a meager subsistence in return for the most wearisome labor.” But the fertility in the new age will be so great that it will seem as if the mountains and hills themselves were giving forth the wine and milk. New [“sweet”] wine — See on Joel 1:5 (compare Amos 9:13). Milk — Canaan is called a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). The prophet, on the whole adopting the language of Amos, takes the liberty to make the change in accord with the rest of the description. Rivers (Joel 1:20) shall flow with waters — Water was doled out but sparingly in Judah, most of the brooks dried up entirely during the dry season. That will happen no more; water will be plentiful for man and beast. A fountain… of the house of Jehovah — There are two other passages speaking of a fountain that shall come forth from Jerusalem or from the temple of Jehovah (Zechariah 14:8; Ezekiel 47:1-12). All three passages may have been suggested by the fact that there was a spring which came forth from beneath the temple in a perennial stream (Isaiah 8:6; compare Psalm 46:4; John 9:7). “The idea which the three prophets share in common is that these waters should be increased in volume to such an extent as to be capable of fertilizing effectually the barren parts of Judah.” Valley of Shittim — R.V. margin, “That is, the valley of acacias.” Valley — Hebrews nahal. Not the same word as in Joel 3:12, 14; it corresponds to the Arabic wady, a gorge between hills, through which runs a water course which in the rainy season becomes a rushing torrent, while in the dry season it dries up partly or entirely. Shittim — Literally, acacias — The name of the last encampment of the Israelites before their entrance into Canaan (Numbers 25:1; Joshua 3:1); but this does not seem to be the place in the mind of Joel, for “it is hardly likely that the prophet would picture the stream as crossing the Jordan and fertilizing the opposite side.” There is to-day a depression southwest of Jerusalem, Wady-es-Sunt (Sant), probably identical with the vale of Elah (1 Samuel 17:2), through which runs the road to Ashkelon. Sunt, the modern name of this wady, is identical with Shittim, and a few scholars (Wellhausen, Nowack) identify the valley mentioned by Joel with this depression. The great majority of scholars, however, think that the prophet uses the name to designate the Kidron valley, or at least a part of the same, now called Wady-en-Nar. It begins northwest of Jerusalem, runs along the east side of the city, separating it from the Mount of Olives, then continues in a southeasterly direction, and finally reaches the Dead Sea about ten miles from its northern end. Acacias still grow on the west shore of the Dead Sea (Tristram, Land of Israel, 280, 295). That Ezekiel has this depression in mind is beyond doubt. Whether it or the Wady-es-Sunt is referred to here cannot be determined. Wherever located, the term was chosen to designate a barren valley, as the acacia grows in dry soil; even the dry, barren soil will, in the new age, become fertile and productive. That fertility and material prosperity are an essential element of the divine blessing in the Messianic age is frequently taught by the prophets (Hosea 2:21, 22; Amos 9:13; Isaiah 4:2).

V. 19. Egypt-By Egypt we may understand all the enemies of the church who carry it toward the church, as Egypt carried it toward Israel. Edom-Edom was an implacable enemy to Judah in his greatest distress. And all who come under Edom’s character are here threatened under this name. Judah-The people of God.

Verse 19. Egypt shall be a desolation] While peace, plenty, and prosperity of every kind, shall crown my people, all their enemies shall be as a wilderness; and those who have used violence against the saints of God, and shed the blood of innocents (of the holy MARTYRS) in their land, when they had political power; these and all such shall fall under the just judgments of God.

Verses 19, 20. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom, &c. — These two people were remarkable for the spite they bore to the Jews. The Egyptians were their oppressors when they first became a nation, and afterward exercised great cruelties upon them, during the reign of the Egyptian kings who were Alexander’s successors. The Idumeans are often reproved and threatened with judgments by the prophets, for the malice they took all occasions to vent against the Israelites, though nearly related to them: see the margin. These two nations, therefore, are taken, in a general sense, for the enemies of God’s people. But Judah — The redeemed of the Lord, his church, shall dwell, or continue, for ever — Free from the annoyance of enemies. The Christian Church is evidently intended, including probably the conversion and final restoration of the Jews.

19. While Judah is thus prospering, the curse of desolation (Joel 2:3) will fall upon Edom and Egypt on account of the crimes committed against the children of Israel. Egypt — Much had Israel suffered from Egypt from the time of the Exodus to the Exile. The only time when friendly relations existed was for a brief period during the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 3:1; 9:16, etc.). The friendship during the Assyrian period, condemned by the prophet Isaiah, was not sincere. Egypt was well watered by nature and by artificial irrigation, but this will avail nothing when the blow from Jehovah will fall. Edom — Located south and southeast of the Dead Sea. After the destruction of Jerusalem the Edomites occupied territory in southern Judah. They also were long-time enemies of the Israelites, and they are severely condemned for rejoicing over the fall of the holy city (Psalm 137:7). It is quite possible that these two hostile nations are mentioned merely as types of all enemies of Israel and of the God of Israel. Violence — This violence consisted in the shedding of innocent blood. In their land — Not in the land of the Judaeans (Wuensche), but of the Egyptians and Edomites. Shed innocent blood — Not in time of warfare, but in unprovoked massacres of peaceable Jews dwelling in these lands (Exodus 1:16; Amos 1:11; Obadiah 1:10).

V. 20. Judah-The redeemed of the Lord, his church.

Verse 20. But Judah shall dwell for ever] The true Church of Christ shall be supported, while all false and persecuting Churches shall be annihilated. The promise may also belong to the full and final restoration of the Jews, when they shall dwell at Jerusalem as a distinct people professing the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses 19, 20. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom, &c. — These two people were remarkable for the spite they bore to the Jews. The Egyptians were their oppressors when they first became a nation, and afterward exercised great cruelties upon them, during the reign of the Egyptian kings who were Alexander’s successors. The Idumeans are often reproved and threatened with judgments by the prophets, for the malice they took all occasions to vent against the Israelites, though nearly related to them: see the margin. These two nations, therefore, are taken, in a general sense, for the enemies of God’s people. But Judah — The redeemed of the Lord, his church, shall dwell, or continue, for ever — Free from the annoyance of enemies. The Christian Church is evidently intended, including probably the conversion and final restoration of the Jews.

20. While the surrounding nations become desolate, Judah and Jerusalem, the dwelling place of Jehovah and of his saints, shall flourish forever. Dwell — Margin, “abide”; literally, sit. A poetical expression of the idea of continued habitation and prosperity (margin R.V.; Isaiah 13:20; Jeremiah 17:6, 25). Forever — Hebrews ‘olam. An endless period only in so far as the speaker cannot see the end; the actual extent may be long or short, and must be determined by other considerations. Here synonymous with from generation to generation.

V. 21. And I will cleanse-Purge away both by the spirit of sanctification and by free pardon in the blood of the redeemer. Their blood-Their sinfulness, which before I had not taken away.

Verse 21. For I will cleanse their blood] ytyqn nikkeythi, I will avenge the slaughter and martyrdom of my people, which I have not yet avenged. Persecuting nations and persecuting Churches shall all come, sooner or later, under the stroke of vindictive justice.

For the Lord dwelleth in Zion.] He shall be the life, soul, spirit, and defense of his Church for ever.

THIS prophet, who has many things similar to Ezekiel, ends his prophecy nearly in the same way:

Ezekiel says of the glory of the Church, hmv hwhy Yehovah shammah, THE LORD IS THERE.

Joel says, ˆwyxb שכנ יהוה Yehovah shochen betsiyon, THE LORD DWELLETH IN ZION.

Both point out the continued indwelling of Christ among his people.

Verse 21. I will cleanse their blood, &c. — The word blood seems here to signify pollution in general; and the promise implies, that God would perfectly purge away the guilt and defilement of all the sins of his people, by a free pardon and entire sanctification. Calmet, who applies this to the times of the gospel, thus interprets the verse: “Jesus Christ cleanses, by the new law, the blood which remained unclean under the old. We find in the sacrament of the new law that real purity, of which the legal ceremonies and purifications were only a figure.” For the Lord dwelleth in Zion — And his presence shall be a source of purity, as well as of consolation to his people. “It is uncertain,” says Archbishop Newcome, “whether we have the key to this difficult chapter; which may not be fully understood till Jerusalem is rebuilt, and till the prophecies, Ezekiel 39:5, 11; Revelation 20:8, 9, are accomplished.”

Ver. 21. I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed. I will wash and heal all the old ulcers of my church and people. Then shall millennial glory, peace, and affluence fill the earth.

21. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed — The meaning is expressed more clearly in margin of R.V., “And I will hold (or, declare) as innocent their blood, that I have not declared innocent.” For [“And”]-Better, And so, that is, by the execution of judgment upon Edom and Egypt and the showering of abundant blessings upon Judah and Jerusalem. “I will declare as innocent” — The Hebrew is chosen with reference to the expression “innocent blood” in verse 19 (compare Exodus 20:7; Job 9:28). So long as Jehovah permitted the Jews to suffer and their enemies to prosper it might be supposed that the former had deserved all their afflictions; but the judgment sent as punishment upon the oppressors is decisive proof of the latter’s guilt, and so implies the innocence of the Jewish victims. The emendation of Nowack, “and I will avenge their blood, nor will I suffer (the enemies) to go unpunished,” is unnecessary. Jehovah dwelleth in Zion (Joel 2:27; 3:17) — This clause does not state the reason why all the promises will be fulfilled — namely, because Jehovah is in Zion; nor is it a corroboration of the preceding promise: this shall come to pass as truly as Zion is the habitation of Jehovah; rather a reiteration of the greatest of all promises: The judgment executed, Jehovah will establish himself in Zion forever; never again will he forsake his people so that they become a reproach among their enemies.

The prophecy of Joel opens with a picture of utter hopelessness and despair; it closes with the promise that even the highest hopes of the most optimistic Jews shall be realized in all their fullness.