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Joel Chapter
Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOEL 3
This
chapter, which some make the fourth, contains a prophecy of God's judgments on
all the antichristian nations at the time of the Jews' conversion, and the
reasons of them, Joel 3:1; a
threatening of Tyre and Zidon, by way of retaliation, for carrying the riches
of the Jews into their temples, and selling their persons to the Greeks, Joel 3:4; an alarm
to prepare for the battle of Armageddon, or the destruction that shall be made
in the valley of Jehoshaphat, Joel 3:9; and after
that an account of the happy state of the church of Christ, their safety and
security, plenty, prosperity, and purity, to the end of the world, Joel 3:16.
Joel 3:1 “For behold, in
those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and
Jerusalem,
YLT 1For lo, in those days, and
in that time, When I turn back [to] the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
For, behold, in those days, and at that time,.... Which
Kimchi refers to the times of the Messiah; and is true of the latter times of
the Messiah, of his spiritual reign yet to come:
when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem: not from the
Edomites, Tyrians, and Philistines, that had carried them captive in the times
of Ahaz; nor from Babylon, where they had been carried captive by
Nebuchadnezzar; for nothing of what is after foretold followed upon the return
of these captivities: but this designs the present captivity of the Jews, and
the restoration of them to their own land; of which see Isaiah 52:8.
Joel 3:2 2 I
will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My
heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also
divided up My land.
YLT 2Then I have gathered all
the nations, And caused them to go down unto the valley of Jehoshaphat, And I
have been judged with them there, Concerning My people and Mine inheritance --
Israel, Whom they scattered among nations, And My land they have apportioned.
I will also gather all nations,.... Or cause or suffer
them to be gathered together against his people; not the Moabites, Ammonites,
and Edomites, in the times of Jehoshaphat, as Aben Ezra; but either the Turks,
prophesied of under the name of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel, Ezekiel 38:1; and a
multitude of other nations with them, who shall be gathered together against
the Jews, to regain the land of Judea from them, they will upon their
conversion inhabit; or else all the antichristian kings and nations, which
shall be gathered to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, Revelation 16:14;
and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat: Kimchi thinks
this was some valley near to Jerusalem, in which Jehoshaphat built or wrought
some works, and so was called by his name: Joseph Ben GorionF24Hist.
Heb. l. 6. c. 27. speaks of a valley, called the valley of Jehoshaphat, which
was near Jerusalem, to the further end of which one Zachariah, a good man, in
the times of the Jewish wars, was rolled and died, being cast down from the top
of a tower upon the wall east of Jerusalem; and which is confirmed by R.
Abraham, as quoted by Lively; and the true Josephus saysF25De Bello
Jud. l. 4. c. 5. sect. 4. , that the valley into which this man was cast lay
directly under Jerusalem; and Benjamin of TudelaF26Massaot, sive
ltinera, p. 44. makes mention of a valley of this name, which he says lies
between Jerusalem and the mount of Olives; where JeromF1De locis
Hebr. fol. 92. C. places it by the name of Caelas; with whom Mr. MaundrellF2Journey
from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 103, 106. Ed. 7. agrees, who says that this valley
lies between Mount Moriah and Mount Olivet, and has its name from the sepulchre
of Jehoshaphat: and, according to Lyra on the place, who is followed by
AdrichomiusF3Theatrum Terrae Sanctae, p. 172. , it is the same with
the valley of Kidron, which was so situated; but, why that should be called the
valley of Jehoshaphat, no reason is given. Aben Ezra and others are of opinion
that this is the same with the valley of Berachah, where Jehoshaphat obtained a
very great victory over many nations, 2 Chronicles 20:1;
but it does not appear to have been called by his name, and, besides, seems to
be at a great distance from Jerusalem; though there may be an allusion to it,
that as many nations were there collected together and destroyed, so shall it
be in the latter day; and I am of opinion that no proper name of a place is
here meant, as going by it in common, but is so called from the judgment of God
here executed upon his and his people's enemies. So Jarchi calls it "the
valley of judgments"; Jehoshaphat signifying "the judgment" of
the Lord: Kimchi says it may be so called because of judgment, the Lord there
pleading with the nations, and judging them: and in the Targum it is rendered,
"the
valley of the division of judgment:'
and
to me it designs no other than Armageddon, the seat of the battle of Almighty
God, Revelation 16:16;
and which may signify the destruction of their troops; See Gill on Revelation 16:16;
and will plead with them there for my people, and for my
heritage Israel; the people of the Jews, who will now be converted, who will have
the "loammi", Hosea 1:9, taken
off of them, and will be called the people of the living God again, and be
reckoned by him as his portion and inheritance; though not them only, but all
the saints; all that have separated from antichrist, his doctrine and worship,
and have suffered by him:
whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land; Kimchi refers
this to the scattering of the Jews by Titus and his army, and the partition of
Judea among them, which is not amiss; in consequence of which they are still a
scattered people, and their land has been parted between Turks and PapistsF4Written
about 1750. Editor. ; sometimes inhabited by the one, and sometimes by the
other, and now by both, on whom God will take vengeance; he will plead the
cause of his people, by the severe judgments he will inflict on his and their
enemies. This may respect the persecuting of the Christians from place to
place, and seizing on their lands and estates, and parting them, as well as the
dispersion of the Jews, and the partition of the land of Canaan.
Joel 3:3 3 They
have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And
sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
YLT 3And for My people they do
cast a lot, And they give the young man for an harlot, And the young woman have
sold for wine, That they may drink.
And they have cast lots for my people,.... Not only
parted their land, but cast lots for their persons, Or played at dice for them,
how many captives each soldier should have, and which should be their share and
property: ninety seven thousand Jews, JosephusF4De Bello Jud. l. 6.
c. 9. sect. 3. says, were carried captive by the Romans, who, very probably,
cast lots for them, as was usual in such cases; see Nahum 3:10;
and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that
they might drink; either they gave a boy to be prostituted to natural lusts, in
lieu of a whore; and a girl to be debauched for a bottle of wine: or they gave
a boy for the price of a whore, as the Targum and Kimchi interpret it; that is,
they gave a boy, instead of money, to a whore, to lie with her, as the eunuch
was given to Thais; and they gave a girl to the wine merchant for as much wine
as they could drink at one sitting. These phrases both express their
uncleanness and intemperance, and also the low price and value they set upon
their captives; and is applicable enough to the Papists, notorious for the same
abominable lusts.
Joel 3:4 4 “Indeed,
what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and
speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
YLT 4And also, what [are] ye to
Me, O Tyre and Zidon, And all circuits of Philistia? Recompence are ye
rendering unto Me? And if ye are giving recompence to Me, Swiftly, hastily, I
turn back your recompence on your head.
Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all
the coasts of Palestine?.... The Tyrians, Zidonians, and Philistines, were near
neighbours of the Jews, and implacable enemies to them; and are here put for
the enemies of the true church of Christ, the Papists and Turks, and in whose
possession those places now are: these are addressed by the Lord, inquiring or
demanding the reason of their ill usage of him and his people: "what have
ye to do with me?" to be called by my name, or accounted my people? I know
you not, nor will I have any fellowship with you: or what have ye to do with my
people, to disturb and distress them? what wrong have I or they done you, that
you thus use them?
will ye render me a recompence? for turning you out of
your land, and putting my people into it? do you think to retaliate this?
and if ye recompense me; by doing an injury to my
people:
swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon
your own head; bring swift and sudden destruction upon you.
Joel 3:5 5 Because
you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My
prized possessions.
YLT 5In that My silver and My
gold ye took, And My desirable things that are good, Ye have brought in to your
temples.
Because ye have taken my silver and my gold,.... Which is
all the Lord's, Haggai 2:8; or
which he had bestowed upon his people, and they had taken from them:
and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things; either the
rich furniture of the houses of his people, which they carried into their own houses,
or "palaces"F5להיכליכם "in
palatia vestra", Montanus, Drusius, Burkius. , as it may be rendered;
having either taken them away themselves, or bought them of others that had
taken them: or else the rich vessels of the temple; as these were carried away
by the Chaldeans, and put into their idol temples, Daniel 1:2; so
afterward they were taken by the Romans, and put into the temples of their
gods: whether any of these came into the hands of the Tyrians, &c. by any
means, and were put into their idol temples, as the temple of Hercules, is not
certain; however, it is notorious that the Papists, the Tyrians are an emblem
of, not only build stately temples, and dedicate them to angels and saints, but
most profusely adorn them with gold and silver, and all goodly and desirable
things; which is putting them to an idolatrous use they were not designed for.
Joel 3:6 6 Also
the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That
you may remove them far from their borders.
YLT 6And sons of Judah, and sons
of Jerusalem, Ye have sold to the sons of Javan, To put them far off from their
border.
The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem,.... Not
children in age literally, as Kimchi, kidnapped or bought by the Tyrians; but
the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem:
have ye sold unto the Grecians; or sons of Javan; it was
one part of the merchandise of Tyre to trade in the persons of men; and Javan,
or the Greeks, with others, were their merchants for them, Ezekiel 27:13; and
the souls of men are a part of the trade of the merchants of Rome, typified by
the Tyrians, Revelation 18:13;
that ye might remove them far from their border; from their
own land, or place of dwelling, that so they might not be easily redeemed, and
return to it any more. Rome, the antichristian Tyre, trading with the souls of
men, is to their eternal damnation, as much as in them lies. Cocceius
interprets this of the children of the church being trained up in the doctrine of
Aristotle, in the times of the schoolmen.
Joel 3:7 7 “Behold,
I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return
your retaliation upon your own head.
YLT 7Lo, I am stirring them up
out of the place Whither ye have sold them, And I have turned back your
recompence on your head,
Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold
them,.... That is, bring them back to their own land, from their
places whither they have been carried captive, and where they have dwelt in
obscurity, and as if theft had been buried in graves, but now should be raised
up and restored; and this their restoration will be as life from the dead. So
the Targum,
"behold,
I will bring them publicly from the place whither ye have sold them;'
this
is to be understood, not of the same persons, but of their posterity, they
being the same natural body. Kimchi interprets it of them and their children;
them at the resurrection of the dead, their children at the time of salvation.
Some think this had its accomplishment in Alexander and his successors, by whom
the Jews, who had been detained captives in other countries, were set free;
particularly by Demetrius, as JosephusF6Antiqu. l. 13. c. 5.
relates: though it may be applied to the future restoration of the Jews, out of
all countries, unto their own land; or rather to the gathering together the
spiritual Israel, or people of God, who have been persecuted from place to
place by their antichristian enemies;
and will return your recompence upon your own head; do to them as
they have done to others; pay them in their own coin; retaliate the wrongs done
to his people; see Revelation 13:10.
Joel 3:8 8 I
will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And
they will sell them to the Sabeans,[a] To a
people far off; For the Lord
has spoken.”
YLT 8And have sold your sons and
your daughters Into the hand of the sons of Judah, And they have sold them to
Shabeans, Unto a nation far off, for Jehovah hath spoken.
And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the
children of Judah,.... That is, deliver them into their hands, to dispose of them;
this is thought to have been literally fulfilled in the Tyrians, when thirty
thousandF7Arriam. de Exped. Alexand. l. 2. c. 24. of them were sold
for slaves, upon the taking of their city by Alexander, who put some of them
into the hands of the Jews, they being in friendship with him: it mystically
designs the power that the Jewish church, converted, and in union with Gentile
Christians, will have over the antichristian states:
and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off; the
inhabitants of Sheba, a country by the Jews reckoned the uttermost parts of the
earth; see Matthew 12:42.
These are not the same with the Sabeans, the inhabitants of Arabia Deserts,
that took away Job's oxen and asses; but rather those who were the inhabitants
of Arabia Felix, which lay at a greater distance. So StraboF8Geograph.
l. 16. p. 536. says, the Sabeans inhabited Arabia Felix; and Diodorus SiculusF9Bibliothec.
l. 3. p. 179, 180. reckons the Sabeans as very populous, and one of the Arabian
nations, who inhabited that Arabia which is called Felix, the metropolis of
which is Saba; and he, as well as Strabo, observes, that this country produces
many odoriferous plants, as cassia, cinnamon, frankincense, and calamus, or the
sweet cane; hence incense is said to come "from Sheba, and the sweet cane
from a far country", Jeremiah 6:20; and
since the Jews traded with these people for those spices, it is easy to
conceive how they sold their captives to them: now these lived at a great
distance, in the extreme parts of Arabia, both towards the Indian sea and the
Arabian gulf. And Diodorus SiculusF11Ibid. p. 181. observes, that δια τον εκτοπισμος, because of
the distance of their situation, they never came into the power or under the
dominion of any, or were never subdued. These seem to be the descendants of
Cush, the son, of Ham; and if they were the descendants of Joktan, the son of
Shem, as some think, these are placed by VitringaF12Comment. in
Jessiam, c. 43. 3. in Carmania; and where PlinyF13Nat. Hist. l. 6.
c. 23. makes mention of a city called Sabe, and of the river Sabis; and it is
worthy of notice that the ancient Greek fathersF14In Catena Graec.
Patr. apud Spanhem. Hist. Jobi, c. 3. p. 47. , with one consent, interpret the
Sabeans of the Saracens: and whether they may not design the Turks, in whose
possession this country now is, and into whose hands the antichristian powers
may be delivered by means of the Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, may be
considered;
for the Lord hath spoken it; and therefore it shall
be accomplished. The Targum is,
"for
by the word of the Lord it is so decreed;'
whose
counsels and decrees can never be frustrated. This, in an ancient book of the
Jews called Mechilta, is referred to the prophecy of Noah concerning Canaan,
whose sons inhabited Tyre, "a servant of servants shall he be to his
brethren", Genesis 9:25, as
Jarchi observes.
Joel 3:9 9 Proclaim
this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the
men of war draw near, Let them come up.
YLT 9Proclaim ye this among
nations, Sanctify a war, stir up the mighty ones, Come nigh, come up, let all
the men of war.
Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles,.... This decree of God,
concerning the deliverance of his church; and the destruction of their enemies;
which is to be proclaimed among them, to the terror of them, and the comfort of
God's people, encouraging them to the battle, since they might be sure of
victory; for the prophet here returns to give an account of the armies to be
gathered together, and to be destroyed in the valley of Jehoshaphat, as appears
from Joel 3:12; and to
this end heralds are here ordered to make proclamation of war throughout the
nations, and to gather them to the battle of Almighty God; whether seriously,
or ironically, may be considered; what follows seems to be spoken in the latter
way, to the enemies of the church; though they may be interpreted as spoken
seriously to the people of God themselves:
prepare war; get all things ready for it, men and arms:
wake up the mighty men; generals, captains, and
other officers, men of strength and courage; let them arouse from the sleep and
lethargy in which they are, and get themselves in a readiness for war, and put
themselves at the head of their troops:
let all the men of war draw near, let them come up; to the land
of Judea, and to Jerusalem; that is, either the Christian powers with their
armies, to defend Jerusalem against the Turks, and deliver it out of their
hands; let them appear on the behalf of the Jews: or else let the enemies of
Christ's church and people come up against them, even the most powerful of
them; let them muster up all their forces, and do the most they can, they shall
not prevail.
Joel 3:10 10 Beat
your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak
say, ‘I am strong.’”
YLT 10Beat your ploughshares to
swords, And your pruning-hooks to javelins, Let the weak say, `I [am] mighty.'
Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into
spears,.... Let not only soldiers, and such as have been trained up in
military discipline, appear in the field on this occasion; but let husbandmen
and vinedressers leave their fields and vineyards, and turn their instruments
of husbandry and vinedressing into weapons of war; let them not plead want of
armour, but convert these to such uses: on the contrary, when this battle will
be over, swords shall be beaten into ploughshares, and spears into pruning
hooks, Isaiah 2:4;
let the weak say, I am strong; such as are
weak, through sickness, or old age, let them not plead their weakness to excuse
them from engaging in this war; but let them make the best of themselves, and
say they are strong and healthy, and fit for it, and enter in it with all
courage and bravery: this is said either ironically to the enemies of God's
people, suggesting that all hands would be wanted, and should be employed, weak
and strong, and all little enough; when they had made the utmost effort they
could, it would be in vain: or else they are seriously spoken to the people of
God, that none of them should excuse themselves, or be discouraged because of
their weakness from engaging in this last and more battle; but take heart, and
be of good courage, and quit themselves like men, and be strong, since they
might be sure of victory beforehand. The Apostle Paul refers to this text in 2 Corinthians 12:10;
and applies it to spiritual weakness and strength; and indeed the weakest
believer, that is so in faith and knowledge, may say he is strong, in
comparison of what he once was, and others are; strong, not in himself, but in
Christ, and the power of his might, and in the grace that is in him; nor should
he excuse himself from fighting the Lord's battles, against sin, Satan, and the
world, and false teachers; or from doing the Lord's work, any service he calls
him to; or from bearing the cross he lays on him on account of his weakness; nor
should he: be discouraged by it from those things; but let him strengthen
himself, as Aben Ezra interprets it, take heart, and be of good courage.
Joel 3:11 11 Assemble
and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty
ones to go down there, O Lord.
YLT 11Haste, and come in, all ye
nations round, And be gathered together, Thither cause to come down, O Jehovah,
Thy mighty ones.
Assemble yourselves,.... From divers parts
into one place: "be ye gathered"; or "gather yourselves together",
as the Targum and Kimchi; get together in a body, muster up all the forces you
can collect together, Jarchi, from Menachem, by the change of a letter, renders
it, "make ye haste"; lose time in preparing for this battle; get men,
and arms for them, as fast as you can; be as expeditious as possible:
and come, all ye Heathen; antichristian nations,
Mahometan or Papal; which latter, especially, are sometimes called Heathen and
Gentiles, because of the Heathenish rites introduced into their worship, Psalm 10:16;
and gather yourselves round about: from all parts, to the
valley of Jehoshaphat or Armageddon, Revelation 16:14;
this is spoken ironically to them, to use their utmost endeavours to get most
powerful armies against the people of God, which would be of no avail, but
issue in their own destruction; or it may signify what should be done by the
providence of God, bringing such large numbers of them together to their own
ruin:
thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord; which is a
prayer of the prophet, or of the church, to God, that he would send down his
mighty ones, the angels that excel in strength, and destroy this great army
thus gathered together, as an angel in one night destroyed the army of
Sennacherib. So Kimchi and Aben Ezra interpret if of angels, and many other
interpreters; but perhaps it may be better to understand it of Christian
princes and their forces, those armies clothed in white, and riding on white
horses, in token of victory; with Christ at the head of them, Revelation 19:14;
who may be said to be caused to "come down"; because, being assembled
shall go down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, where their enemies are gathered
together, and discomfit them, The Targum is,
"there
the Lord shall, break the strength of their strong ones.'
Joel 3:12 12 “Let
the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I
will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
YLT 12Wake and come up let the
nations unto the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I sit to judge all the
nations around.
Let the Heathen be awakened, and come to the valley of Jehoshaphat,.... That is,
let the enemies of Christ and his church be aroused from that state of security
in which they are, and prepare for their own defence; for in such a state the
antichristian powers will be before their destruction; see Revelation 18:7;
let them bestir themselves, and exert all the rigour and strength they have;
let them come in high spirits against the people of God; let them invade the
holy land, and come even to the valley of Jehoshaphat; and, when come thither,
let them, descend into the place appointed for their ruin: the land of Judea
being said to be higher than other countries, going to it is generally
expressed by going up to it; otherwise it is more usual to say that men go down
a valley than come up to it; and, mention being made again of this valley,
shows that the same thing is referred to here as in Joel 3:2; these
words are said in answer to the petition in Joel 3:11; for they
are spoken by the Lord, as appears by what follows:
for there will I sit to judge all the Heathen round about; thither
gathered together from all parts: the allusion is to a judge upon the bench,
sitting to hear and try causes, and pass a definitive sentence; and here it
signifies the execution of that sentence; such a pleading the cause of his
people, as to take vengeance and inflict just punishment upon their enemies;
see Psalm 9:4.
Joel 3:13 13 Put
in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is
full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.”
YLT 13Send ye forth a sickle, For
ripened hath harvest, Come in, come down, for filled hath been the press,
Overflowed hath wine-presses, For great [is] their wickedness.
Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe,.... This is
said to the mighty ones sent, the Christian princes, the executioners of God's
vengeance on antichrist; the angels that will pour out the vials of his wrath
on the antichristian states, compared to reapers, with a sharp sickle in their
hands, to cut them down, as grain is cut when reaped; as the same states are compared
to a harvest ripe, the measure of their sins being filled up, and the time of
their destruction appointed for them come; see Revelation 14:15;
come, get ye down; to the valley: or "go tread ye"F15רדו πατειτε,
"calcate", Sept. so Syr. Ar. ; for another simile is made use of: the
reference here is to the treading of clusters of grapes in the winepress, as
appears by what follows: and so the Targum renders it,
"descend,
tread their mighty men;'
in
like manner Jarchi interprets it; and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic
versions, render it: and Dr. Pocock observes, that the word in the Arabic
language signifies to tread, as men tread grapes in a press: the reasons
follow,
for the press is full; of clusters of the vine;
or the valley is full of wicked men, compared unto them, destined to
destruction:
the fats overflow; with the juice of grapes squeezed out,
denoting the great effusion of blood that will be made; see Revelation 14:18;
for their wickedness is great; is come to
its height, reaches even to heaven, and calls aloud for vengeance; an end is
come to it, and to the authors of it, Revelation 18:5.
The Targum of the whole is,
"draw
out the sword against them, for the time of their end is come; descend, tread
their mighty men slain, as anything is trodden in a winepress; pour out their
blood, for their wickedness is multiplied.'
Joel 3:14 14 Multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
YLT 14Multitudes, multitudes
[are] in the valley of decision, For near [is] the day of Jehovah in the valley
of decision.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision,.... The same
with the valley of Jehoshaphat before mentioned; which shows that not any
valley of that name is intended, but a certain place so called from the
judgments of God in it; and here named "the valley of decision",
because here their judgment will be determined, as Kimchi and Jarchi; and at
this time the controversy between God, and his people's enemies, will be
decided, and at an end: or "the valley of concision", as the Vulgate
Latin version; because in this place, and at this time, the nations gathered
together in it will be cut to pieces: or, as others, "the valley of
threshing"F16בעמק החרוץ
"in valle triturationis", Piscatsr. ; because, as, in Jehoshaphat's
time, the Moabites and Ammonites were threshed by the Jews in the valley of
Berachah, to which the allusion is; so at this time the antichristian kings and
their armies will be threshed and beaten, and destroyed by the men of Judah,
God's professing people; see Micah 4:13; these
seem to be the words of the prophet, breaking out into this pathetic
exclamation, upon a sight of the vast multitudes gathered together in this
valley, and slain in it; and the doubling of the word serves to express the
prodigious number of them: and this shows that this prophecy refers either to
the vast army of the Turks, under the name of Gog, and the great slaughter that
will be made of them; and that this valley may be the same with the valley of
Hamongog, that is, the valley of the multitude of Gog, where their multitude of
slain shall be buried, Ezekiel 39:11; or
to that vast carnage of the antichristian kings and their armies at Armageddon,
Revelation 16:14;
the Targum is,
"armies,
armies, in the valley of the division of judgment:'
for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision; that is, the
great and terrible day of the Lord, to take vengeance on all the antichristian
powers, both eastern and western, is nigh at hand, which will be done in this
valley.
Joel 3:15 15 The
sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
YLT 15Sun and moon have been
black, And stars have gathered up their shining.
The sun and moon shall be darkened,.... Both the politic and
ecclesiastic state of antichrist shall be ruined and destroyed; it shall
"fare" with Rome Papal as it did with Rome Pagan, at the time of its
dissolution; see Revelation 6:12;
and the stars shall withdraw their shining: antichristian
princes and nobles in the civil state, and the clergy of all ranks in the
church state, shall lose their glory.
Joel 3:16 16 The
Lord also will roar
from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will
shake; But the Lord
will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
YLT 16And Jehovah from Zion doth
roar, And from Jerusalem giveth forth His voice, And shaken have the heavens
and earth, And Jehovah [is] a refuge to his people, And a stronghold to sons of
Israel.
The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from
Jerusalem,.... Christ, the Lamb, shall now appear as the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, and utter his voice in his providence and judgments on the behalf of
his church and people, signified by Zion and Jerusalem; and therefore said to
roar, and utter his voice from thence; he will be heard far and near, and
strike terror in the hearts of his enemies; see Jeremiah 25:30;
and the heavens and the earth shall shake; great
revolutions will be made in the world, both in church and state, among the
antichristian powers; and such as will also make them shake and tremble, as
well as alter the form and frame of things among them; see Revelation 16:18;
changes in government, civil and ecclesiastic, are sometimes signified by such
phrases, Haggai 2:6;
but the Lord will be the hope of his people; the object,
author, ground, and foundation of their hope of salvation here and hereafter;
in whom they may hope for and expect safety and security in the worst of times;
since he will be their "refuge", or their "harbour"F17מחסה "refugium", Tigurine version, Burkius;
"receptus", Tarnovius. as it may be rendered; to whom they may have
recourse, to shelter and screen them from the rage and wrath of their enemies,
and where they will be safe, till the indignation of God be over and past; and
while calamities and judgments are upon the unchristian and ungodly world, they
will have nothing to fear amidst these storms, being in a good harbour:
and the strength of the children of Israel; of the
spiritual Israel; of all such who are Israelites indeed, the Lord's chosen,
redeemed, and called people, both Jews and Gentiles; the author and giver of
their spiritual strength, the strength of their lives and of their hearts, of
their graces and of their salvation; by whom they are furnished with strength
to do the duties of religion; to exercise grace; to wrestle with God in prayer;
to withstand spiritual enemies; to bear afflictions patiently, and to persevere
to the end: or he is their "fortress"F18מעון "prsesidium", Tarnovius; "arx",
Cocceius. ; their strong hold and place of defence, where they are safe from
every enemy, free from all distresses, enjoy solid peace and comfort, and have
plenty of provisions, Isaiah 33:16.
Joel 3:17 17 “So
you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in
Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever
pass through her again.”
YLT 17And ye have known that I
[am] Jehovah your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain, And Jerusalem hath
been holy, And strangers do not pass over into it again.
So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in
Zion, my holy mountain,.... The church of God, which is his dwelling place; and will
appear more manifestly to be so at this time, when Christ the Lamb will stand
on Mount Zion, with an 144,000, having his Father's name in their foreheads, Revelation 14:1;
and which presence of the Lord will be clearly discerned by his people; by the
destruction of their enemies, and by his protection of them; by his being their
hope and strength, their refuge and their fortress; they will experimentally know
his divine inhabitation among them:
then shall Jerusalem be holy; or "holiness"F19קדש "sanctitas", Munster, Mercerus, Vatablus,
Piscator, Tarnovius. ; not Jerusalem, literally taken, as Kimchi; though, it
being now rebuilt, will be inhabited by holy persons, the converted Jews, and
so all manner of holiness practised in it; but rather the whole church of God
everywhere, consisting of holy persons, made so through the holiness of Christ
imputed to them, and the sanctifying grace of his Spirit wrought in them; not
that they will be perfectly holy in themselves, as the saints will in the New
Jerusalem state, Revelation 21:2;
but they will be greatly so; holiness will be predominant and universal among
men; there will be more real saints, and fewer hypocrites will be in the
churches; see Isaiah 4:3;
and there shall no strangers pass through her any more; to hurt and
annoy the church of God; for there shall be none in these times to molest,
disturb, and hurt, in all the holy mountain of the Lord, Isaiah 11:9; or to
pollute her with false doctrine, superstitious worship, or morality; or her
communion shall not be interrupted and made uncomfortable, or she be pestered
with hypocrites and ungodly persons, strangers to God and godliness, to Christ,
his Spirit, and the power of religion; see Isaiah 52:1.
Joel 3:18 18 And
it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new
wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be
flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the
Valley of Acacias.
YLT 18And it hath come to pass,
in that day, Drop down do the mountains juice, And the hills do flow [with]
milk, And all streams of Judah do go [with] water, And a fountain from the
house of Jehovah goeth forth, And hath watered the valley of Shittim.
And it shall come to pass in that day,.... When
antichrist shall be destroyed; the Jews converted; the power of godliness
revived, and the presence of God among his people enjoyed. Vitringa, in his
Commentary on Isaiah, frequently applies this, and such like prophecies, to the
times of the Maccabees; though, he owns, they were but an emblem of better
times under the Gospel dispensation; nor does he deny the mystical and
spiritual sense of them;
that the mountains
shall drop down new wine; which, and the following expressions, are to be understood not
in a strict literal sense, as LactantiusF20Epitome Divin. Institut.
c. 11. Vid. Institut. l. 7. c. 24. seems to have understood them; who says,
that, in the Millennium, God will cause a rain of blessing to descend morning
and evening; the earth shall bring forth all kind of fruit without the labour
of man; honey shall drop from the rocks, and the fountains of milk and wine
shall overflow: but hyperbolically, just as the land of Canaan is said to flow
with milk and honey; not that it really did, but the phrase is used to denote
the fertility of it, and the abundance of temporal blessings in it. The literal
sense is this, that the mountains shall be covered with vines, on which they
are often planted; these vines shall be full of large clusters of grape; and
these grapes, being pressed, shall yield a large quantity of new wine; and so,
by a metonymy, the mountains are said to drop it downF21"Incultisque
rubens pendebit sentibus uva, Et durae quercus sudabunt roscida mella".
Virgil. Eclog. 4. l. 29, 30. , that is, abound with it, or produce an abundance
of it: but the spiritual or mystical sense is, that the churches of Christ in
those times, comparable to mountains, and so to hills in the next clause, for
their exalted and visible glorious state in which they now will be; and for the
rich gifts and graces of the Spirit within them; and for the pasture upon them,
and the trees of righteousness that grow thereon; and also for their firmness
and stability, their immovableness and perpetual duration; these shall abound
with fresh and large discoveries of the love of God and Christ, which is better
than wine, Song of Solomon 1:2;
like wine, cheering and refreshing; like new wine, though old as to its
original, yet new in the manifestations of it; and which are usually made in
the church, and the ordinances of it, to the making glad the hearts of the
Lord's people; also they shall abound with the blessings of grace, the fruits
of love, such as pardon, peace, justification, &c. which, like wine, fill
with joy, revive and comfort; and though they are ancient blessings, provided
long ago, they are exhibited under the Gospel dispensation in a new covenant
way; and the application of them is made in the churches, in Zion, where the
Lord commands the blessing, even life for evermore. This may also take in the
Gospel, which brings the good news of these blessings, and so is very reviving
and cheering; and, though ordained and preached of old, is newly revealed under
the present dispensation; and will be more clearly in later times, when all the
mountains or churches will abound with it, and even the whole earth be filled
with the knowledge of it, Isaiah 11:9;
likewise the ordinance of the Lord's supper, that feast of fat things, of wines
on the lees well refined, made in the mountain of the Lord, for all his people
may be included; and both in that, and in the ministry of the word, the Lord is
sometimes pleased, as he may more abundantly hereafter, to give his saints some
foretaste of that new wine, which Christ and they shall partake of in his
Father's kingdom; see Song of Solomon 7:9
Matthew 26:29;
and the hills shall flow with milk: that is, there shall be
much pasturage upon them, and a great number of cattle feeding thereon, which
shall yield large quantities of milk; and so, by the same figure as before, the
hills may be said to flow with itF23"Flumina jam lactis, jam
flumina nectaris ibant, Flavaque de viridi stillabant ibice mella". Ovid.
Metamorph. l. 1. . The spiritual meaning is, that the churches of Christ,
comparable to hills, for the reasons before given, shall abound with the means
of grace, with the sincere milk of the word; to which the Gospel is compared
for its whiteness and purity, for every word of God is pure and purifying; for
assuaging the wrath the law produces; it being easy of digestion, even to
newborn babes; and its salutary nourishing virtue and efficacy; and of this
there will be great abundance in the latter day; see Song of Solomon 4:11
1 Peter 2:2;
and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters; that is, the
channels in which the rivers run; these, in a time of drought, are sometimes
empty, and the bottoms of them to be seen, but now full of water, and flow with
it: grace is often in Scripture compared to "water" because of its
refreshing, cleansing, and fructifying nature; and "rivers" denote,
an abundance of it; and the "channels", through which it is conveyed
to men, out of the fulness of Christ, are the ordinances; see Zechariah 4:12; and
the prophecy suggests, that these should not be dry and empty, but that large
measures of grace shall be communicated by means of them to the souls of men,
to their great comfort and edification, and for the supply of their wants; see Ezekiel 36:25;
and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord; not meaning
baptism, as some; nor Christ, the fountain of grace, life, and salvation; but
the Gospel, the word of the Lord, that fountain full of excellent truths and
doctrines; of the blessings of grace; of exceeding great and precious promises;
and of much spiritual peace, joy, and comfort: this is the law or doctrine of
the Lord, that should come out of Zion, or the church, Isaiah 2:3; the
living waters that shall come out of Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:8; and
the same with the waters in Ezekiel's vision, that came from under the
threshold of the house, Ezekiel 47:1; it
seems to denote the small beginnings of the Gospel, and the great increase and
overflow of it in the world, as it does in all the above passages: this is
referred by the ancient JewsF24Midrash Kohelet, fol. 63. 2. to the
times of the Messiah;
and shall water the valley of Shittim; a plain or
valley near Jordan, upon the borders of Moab, at the farther end of Canaan that
way, Numbers 33:49.
Benjamin of TudelaF25Itineranium, p. 44. says, that from the mount
of Olives may be seen the plain and brook of Shittim, unto or near Mount Nebo,
which was in the land of Moab. This valley or plain, as the Targum, was so
called, either from the "shittah" tree, Isaiah 41:19; of
which was the wood "shittim", so much used for various things in the
tabernacle and temple, that grew there; and which Jerom on this place says was
a kind of tree that grew in the wilderness, like a white thorn in colour and
leaves, though not in size, for otherwise it was a very large tree, out of
which the broadest planks might be cut, and its wood very strong, and of
incredible, smoothness and beauty; and which grew not in cultivated places, nor
in the Roman soil, but in the desert of Arabia; and therefore one would think
did not grow in this plain near Jordan, and so could not be denominated from
hence: but Dr. ShawF26Travels, c. 3. p. 444, 459. Ed. 2. observes,
that the Acacia is by much the largest and the most common tree of these
deserts (that is, of Arabia), as it might likewise have been of the plains of
Shittim, over against Jericho, from whence it took its name; and adds, we have
some reason to conjecture that the shittim wood, whereof the various utensils,
&c. of the tabernacle, &c. Exodus 25:10,
&c. were made, was the wood of the acacia. Or it may be this place had its
name from the rushes which grew on the banks of Jordan, near to which it was;
for so, is the word interpreted by someF1Vid. Relaud. Palestina
Illustrata, l. 1. c. 54, p. 351, 352. : and Saadiah Gaon says, this valley is
Jordan; so called, because Jordan was near to a place called Shittim: however,
be it as it will, this can never be understood in a literal sense, that any
fountain should arise out of the temple, and flow as far as beyond Jordan, and
water any tract of land there; but must be understood spiritually, of the same
waters of the sanctuary as in Ezekiel's vision, Ezekiel 47:1; at
most, the literal sense could only be, that the whole land should be well
watered from one end to the other, and, become very fertile and fruitful, by
the order and direction of the Lord, that dwells in his temple. The mystical
sense is best. Jarchi makes mention of a Midrash, that interprets it of the
expiation of the sins of the Israelites, in the affair of Baalpeor at Shittim, Numbers 25:1; but
the true spiritual sense is, that the Gospel shall be carried to the further
parts of the earth; that the whole world shall be filled and watered with it,
and become fruitful, which before was like a desert; these living waters shall
flow, both toward the former and the hinder seas, the eastern and west: era, as
in Zechariah 14:8; see
Isaiah 11:9. Some
render it, "shall water the valley of cedars"F2את נחל השטים
"vallem cedrorum lectissimorum", Junius & Tremellius, Tarnovius.
; the shittim wood being a kind of cedar, of which many things belonging to the
tabernacle, a type of the church, was made, being firm, sound, incorruptible,
and durable; see Exodus 25:10;
saints are compared to cedars for their height in Christ, their strength in
him, and in his grace; their large and spreading leaves, branches, and roots,
or growth in grace; and for their duration and incorruption; see Numbers 24:5; a
valley may signify the low estate of God's people; or be an emblem of lowly,
meek, and humble souls, to whom the Gospel is preached, and who are watered and
revived by it, and to whom more grace is given; see Isaiah 40:4. It is
by Symmachus rendered "the valley of thorns"; and so QuinquarboreusF3Scholia
in Targum in loc. says the word signifies and designs such who are barren in
good works.
Joel 3:19 19 “Egypt
shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against
the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
YLT 19Egypt a desolation
becometh, And Edom a desolation, a wilderness, becometh, For violence [to] sons
of Judah, Whose innocent blood they shed in their land.
Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate
wilderness,.... These two nations having been the implacable enemies of
Israel, are here put for the future adversaries of the church of Christ, Pagan,
Papal, and Mahometan; who will all be destroyed as such, and be no more: Rome
is called, spiritually or mystically, Egypt, Revelation 11:8;
and Edom is a name that well agrees with it, it signifying "red", as
it is with the blood of the saints: and it is common, with the Jewish writers,
by Edom to understand Rome; which though it may not be true of all places they
so interpret, yet is of many, and so here. Kimchi, by Egypt understands the
Ishmaelites, or the Turks; and, by Edom, Rome;
for the violence of the children of Judah, because they
have shed innocent blood is their land; either in the land of
Judah; or rather in their own land, Egypt and Edom. This respects the violences
and outrages committed by the antichristian states upon the true professors of
the Christian religion, the Waldenses and Albigenses, and others, whose
innocent blood, in great quantities, has been spilled by them. Antichrist is
represented as, drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, and in whom will
be found the blood of all the prophets and saints; and for this reason ruin and
destruction will come upon him and his followers, and blood will be given them
to drink, for they are worthy, Revelation 17:6.
Joel 3:20 20 But
Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
YLT 20And Judah to the age doth
dwell, And Jerusalem to generation and generation.
But Judah shall dwell for ever,.... The converted Jews
shall dwell in their own land for ever, to the end of the, world and never more
be carried captive, Ezekiel 37:25; and
the true professing people of God, as Judah signifies, shall continue in a
church state, evermore, and never more be disturbed by any enemies, they shall
dwell safely and peaceably to the end of time:
and Jerusalem from generation to generation; shall dwell
so in like manner, age after age; that is, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, or the
members of the true church of Christ, who shall see and enjoy peace and
prosperity, both temporal and spiritual, as Jerusalem signifies.
Joel 3:21 21 For
I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the
Lord dwells in
Zion.”
YLT 21And I have declared their
blood innocent, [That] I did not declare innocent, And Jehovah is dwelling in
Zion!
For I will cleanse their blood which I have not cleansed,.... Which
some understand, as the Targum, of the Lord's, inflicting further punishments
on the, enemies of his people, for shedding their innocent blood; and that he
will not expiate their sins, nor hold them guiltless, or suffer them to go
unpunished; but rather this is to be interpreted in a way of grace and mercy,
as a benefit bestowed on Judah and Jerusalem, who are the immediate antecedents
to the relative here; and in the words a reason is given why they should dwell
safely and peaceably for ever, because the Lord will justify them from their
sins; forgive their iniquities; cleanse them from all their pollution,
signified by blood; of which grace they will have had no application made to
them till this time; but now all their guilt and faith will be removed; and
particularly God will forgive, and declare to be forgiven their sin of
crucifying Christ; whose blood they had imprecated upon themselves and their
children, and which has remained on them; but now will be removed, with all the
sad effects of it. Though this may also refer to the conversion of the
Gentiles, and the pardon of their sins, and the sanctification of their
persons, in such places and parts of the world, where such blessings of grace
have not been bestowed in times past for many ages, if ever;
for the Lord dwelleth in Zion; and therefore will
diffuse his grace, and spread the blessings of it all around: or "even the
Lord that dwelleth in Zion"F4ויהוה
"even I the Lord", margin of our Bibles. ; he will do what is before
promised; being the Lord, he can do it; and dwelling in Zion his church, it may
be believed he will do it; and this will be for ever, when his Shechinah shall
return thither in the days of the Messiah, as Kimchi observes.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)