Joel 3

Joe 3:1-21.

GOD'S

VENGEANCE ON

ISRAEL'S

FOES IN THE

VALLEY OF

JEHOSHAPHAT.

HIS

BLESSING ON THE

CHURCH.

1. bring again the captivity--that is, reverse it. The Jews restrict

this to the return from Babylon. Christians refer it to the coming of

Christ. But the prophet comprises the whole redemption, beginning from

the return out of Babylon, then continued from the first advent of

Christ down to the last day (His second advent), when God will restore

His Church to perfect felicity [CALVIN].

2. Parallel to

Zec 14:2, 3, 4,

where the "Mount of Olives" answers to the "Valley of Jehoshaphat"

here. The latter is called "the valley of blessing" (Berachah)

(2Ch 20:26).

It lies between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives and has the Kedron

flowing through it. As Jehoshaphat overthrew the confederate foes of

Judah, namely, Ammon, Moab, &c.

(Ps 83:6-8),

in this valley, so God was to overthrow the Tyrians, Zidonians,

Philistines, Edom, and Egypt, with a similar utter overthrow

(Joe 3:4, 19).

This has been long ago fulfilled; but the ultimate event shadowed forth

herein is still future, when God shall specially interpose to destroy

Jerusalem's last foes, of whom Tyre, Zidon, Edom, Egypt, and Philistia

are the types. As "Jehoshaphat" means "the judgment of Jehovah," the

valley of Jehoshaphat may be used as a general term for the

theater of God's final judgments on Israel's foes, with an allusion to

the judgment inflicted on them by Jehoshaphat. The definite mention of

the Mount of Olives in

Zec 14:4,

and the fact that this was the scene of the ascension, makes it likely

the same shall be the scene of Christ's coming again: compare "this

same Jesus . . . shall so come in like manner as ye

have seen Him go into heaven"

(Ac 1:11).

all nations--namely, which have maltreated Judah.

plead with them--

(Isa 66:16;

Eze 38:22).

my heritage Israel--

(De 32:9;

Jer 10:16).

Implying that the source of Judah's redemption is God's free love,

wherewith He chose Israel as His peculiar heritage, and at the

same time assuring them, when desponding because of trials, that He

would plead their cause as His own, and as if He were injured in their

person.

3. cast lots for my people--that is, divided among themselves My

people as their captives by lot. Compare as to the distribution of

captives by lot

(Ob 11;

Na 3:10).

given a boy for . . . harlot--Instead of paying a harlot for her

prostitution in money, they gave her a Jewish captive boy as a slave.

girl for wine--So valueless did they regard a Jewish girl that they

would sell her for a draught of wine.

4. what have ye to do with me--Ye have no connection with Me (that

is, with My people: God identifying Himself with Israel); I

(that is, My people) have given you no cause of quarrel, why then do ye trouble Me

(that is, My people)?

(Compare the same phrase,

Jos 22:24;

Jud 11:12;

2Sa 16:10;

Mt 8:29).

Tyre . . . Zidon . . . Palestine--

(Am 1:6, 9).

if ye recompense me--If ye injure Me (My people), in revenge for fancied wrongs

(Eze 25:15-17),

I will requite you in your own coin swiftly and speedily.

5. my silver . . . my gold--that is, the gold and silver of My people.

The Philistines and Arabians had carried off all the treasures of King

Jehoram's house

(2Ch 21:16, 17).

Compare also

1Ki 15:18;

2Ki 12:18; 14:14,

for the spoiling of the treasures of the temple and the king's palace

in Judah by Syria. It was customary among the heathen to hang up in the

idol temples some of the spoils of war as presents to their gods.

6. Grecians--literally, "Javanites," that is, the Ionians, a Greek

colony on the coast of Asia Minor who were the first Greeks known to the

Jews. The Greeks themselves, however, in their original descent came

from Javan

(Ge 10:2, 4).

Probably the germ of Greek civilization in part came through the Jewish

slaves imported into Greece from Phœnicia by traffickers.

Eze 27:13

mentions Javan and Tyre as trading in the persons of men.

far from their border--far from Judea; so that the captive Jews were

cut off from all hope of return.

7. raise them--that is, I will rouse them. Neither sea nor distance

will prevent My bringing them back. Alexander, and his successors,

restored to liberty many Jews in bondage in Greece

[JOSEPHUS,

Antiquities, 13.5; Wars of the Jews, 3.9,2].

8. sell them to . . . Sabeans--The Persian Artaxerxes

Mnemon and Darius Ochus, and chiefly the Greek Alexander, reduced the

Phœnician and Philistine powers. Thirty thousand Tyrians after

the capture of Tyre by the last conqueror, and multitudes of

Philistines on the taking of Gaza, were sold as slaves. The Jews are

here said to do that which the God of Judah does in vindication of

their wrong, namely, sell the Phœnicians who sold them, to a

people "far off," as was Greece, whither the Jews had been sold. The

Sabeans at the most remote extremity of Arabia Felix are referred to

(compare

Jer 6:20;

Mt 12:42).

9. The nations hostile to Israel are summoned by Jehovah to "come up"

(this phrase is used because Jerusalem was on a hill) against

Jerusalem, not that they may destroy it, but to be destroyed by the Lord

(Eze 38:7-23;

Zec 12:2-9; 14:2, 3).

Prepare war--literally, sanctify war: because the heathen

always began war with religious ceremonies. The very phrase used of

Babylon's preparations against Jerusalem

(Jer 6:4)

is now used of the final foes of Jerusalem. As Babylon was then desired

of whom Babylon was the type, are desired to advance against her for

their own destruction.

10. Beat your ploughshares into swords--As the foes are desired to

"beat their ploughshares into swords, and

their pruning hooks into spears," that so they may perish in their

unhallowed attack on Judah and Jerusalem, so these latter, and the

nations converted to God by them, after the overthrow of the

antichristian confederacy, shall, on the contrary, "beat their

swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks,"

when under Messiah's coming reign there shall be war no more

(Isa 2:4;

Ho 2:18;

Mic 4:3).

let the weak say, I am strong--So universal shall be the rage of

Israel's foes for invading her, that even the weak among them will

fancy themselves strong enough to join the invading forces. Age and

infirmity were ordinarily made valid excuses for exemption from service,

but so mad shall be the fury of the world against God's people, that

even the feeble will not desire to be exempted (compare

Ps 2:1-3).

11. Assemble--"Hasten" [MAURER].

thither--to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

thy mighty ones--the warriors who fancy themselves "mighty

ones," but who are on that very spot to be overthrown by Jehovah

[MAURER]. Compare "the mighty men"

(Joe 3:9).

Rather, Joel speaks of God's really "mighty ones" in contrast to the

self-styled "mighty men"

(Joe 3:9;

Ps 103:20;

Isa 13:3;

compare

Da 10:13).

AUBERLEN remarks: One prophet supplements the

other, for they all prophesied only "in part." What was obscure to one

was revealed to the other; what is briefly described by one is more

fully so by another. Daniel calls Antichrist a king, and dwells on his

worldly conquests; John looks more to his spiritual tyranny, for which

reason he adds a second beast, wearing the semblance of spirituality.

Antichrist himself is described by Daniel. Isaiah

(Isa 29:1-24),

Joel

(Joe 3:1-21)

and Zechariah

(Zec 12:1-14:21),

describe his army of heathen followers coming up against

Jerusalem, but not Antichrist himself.

12. See

Joe 3:2.

judge all the heathen round about--that is, all the nations from all

parts of the earth which have maltreated Israel; not merely, as

HENDERSON supposes, the nations round about Jerusalem (compare

Ps 110:6;

Isa 2:4;

Mic 4:3, 11-13;

Zep 3:15-19;

Zec 12:9; 14:3-11;

Mal 4:1-3).

13. Direction to the ministers of vengeance to execute God's

wrath, as the enemy's wickedness is come to its full maturity. God does

not cut off the wicked at once, but waits till their guilt is at its

full (so as to the Amorites' iniquity,

Ge 15:16),

to show forth His own long-suffering, and the justice of their doom who

have so long abused it

(Mt 13:27-30, 38, 40;

Re 14:15-19).

For the image of a harvest to be threshed, compare

Jer 51:33;

and a wine-press,

Isa 63:3

and La 1:15.

14. The prophet in vision seeing the immense array of nations

congregating, exclaims, "Multitudes, multitudes!" a Hebraism for

immense multitudes.

valley of decision--that is, the valley in which they are to meet their

"determined doom." The same as "the valley of Jehoshaphat," that is,

"the valley of judgment"

(see on

Joe 3:2).

Compare

Joe 3:12,

"there will I sit to judge," which confirms English Version

rather than Margin, "threshing." The repetition of "valley of

decision" heightens the effect and pronounces the awful

certainty of their doom.

15. (See on

Joe 2:10;

Joe 2:30).

16. (Compare

Eze 38:18-22).

The victories of the Jews over their cruel foe Antiochus, under the

Maccabees, may be a reference of this prophecy; but the ultimate

reference is to the last Antichrist, of whom Antiochus was the type.

Jerusalem being the central seat of the theocracy

(Ps 132:13),

it is from thence that Jehovah discomfits the foe.

roar--as a lion

(Jer 25:30;

Am 1:2; 3:8).

Compare as to Jehovah's voice thundering,

Ps 18:13;

Hab 3:10, 11.

Lord . . . the hope of his people--or, "their refuge"

(Ps 46:1).

17. shall ye know--experimentally by the proofs of favors which I shall

vouchsafe to you. So "know"

(Isa 60:16;

Ho 2:20).

dwelling in Zion--as peculiarly your God.

holy . . . no strangers pass through--to attack, or to defile, the holy

city

(Isa 35:8; 52:1;

Zec 14:21).

Strangers, or Gentiles, shall come to Jerusalem, but it shall be

in order to worship Jehovah there

(Zec 14:16).

18. mountains . . . drop . . . wine--figurative for

abundance of vines, which were cultivated in terraces of earth between

the rocks on the sides of the hills of Palestine

(Am 9:13).

hills . . . flow with milk--that is, they shall abound in flocks and

herds yielding milk plentifully, through the richness of the pastures.

waters--the great desideratum for fertility in the parched East

(Isa 30:25).

fountain . . . of . . . house of . . . Lord . . . water . . . valley of

Shittim--The blessings, temporal and spiritual, issuing from Jehovah's

house at Jerusalem, shall extend even to Shittim, on the border between

Moab and Israel, beyond Jordan

(Nu 25:1; 33:49;

Jos 2:1;

Mic 6:5).

"Shittim" means "acacias," which grow only in arid regions: implying

that even the arid desert shall be fertilized by the blessing

from Jerusalem. So

Eze 47:1-12

describes the waters issuing from the threshold of the house as flowing

into the Dead Sea, and purifying it. Also in

Zec 14:8

the waters flow on one side into the Mediterranean, on the other side

into the Dead Sea, near which latter Shittim was situated (compare

Ps 46:4;

Re 22:1).

19. Edom--It was subjugated by David, but revolted under Jehoram

(2Ch 21:8-10);

and at every subsequent opportunity tried to injure Judah. Egypt under

Shishak spoiled Jerusalem under Rehoboam of the treasures of the temple

and the king's house; subsequently to the captivity, it inflicted under

the Ptolemies various injuries on Judea. Antiochus spoiled Egypt

(Da 11:40-43).

Edom was made "desolate" under the Maccabees [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 12.11,12]. The low

condition of the two countries for centuries proves the truth of the

prediction (compare

Isa 19:1,

&c.; Jer 49:17;

Ob 10).

So shall fare all the foes of Israel, typified by these two

(Isa 63:1,

&c.).

20. dwell for ever--

(Am 9:15),

that is, be established as a flourishing state.

21. cleanse . . . blood . . . not

cleansed--I will purge away from Judah the extreme guilt

(represented by "blood," the shedding of which was the climax of her

sin,

Isa 1:15)

which was for long not purged away, but visited with judgments

(Isa 4:4).

Messiah saves from guilt, in order to save from punishment

(Mt 1:21).

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