Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joel 3:9
Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
9. Proclaim ye ] The words are addressed to those whose duty it would be to make such a proclamation (comp. on Amo 3:9), i.e. the heralds, whom the prophet pictures as ready to carry Jehovah’s command to the nations.
this ] i.e. the following command.
Gentiles ] nations, as Joe 3:2 (twice).
sanctify (or consecrate) war ] i.e. begin war; the phrase having reference to the custom of opening a campaign by means of sacrifices. So Mic 3:5, Jer 6:4; also Isa 13:3, Jer 22:7; Jer 51:27-28, where the warriors are spoken of similarly as “sanctified.”
stir up the mighty men] i.e. arouse the warriors (Joe 2:7) from the inactivity of peace.
let, &c.] with a dramatic change of person, such as the Hebrew poets love (e.g. Isa 34:1; Isa 41:1). In the Heb., let draw near, let them come up, consists of two short words only, the second following rapidly upon the first: the concise and forcible style can be better represented in Greek or Latin ( accedant, ascendant), than in English.
come up ] the expression used of an attacking or invading army (Joe 1:6).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
9 17. After the digression on the Phoenicians and Philistines ( Joe 3:4-8), the thought of Joe 3:1-3 is resumed; and the description of the judgement on the nations, announced in Joe 3:2, is continued. The heathen are invited to arm themselves, and advance for the great contest with Israel in the valley of Jehoshaphat, Joe 3:9-12; but once arrived there, they are annihilated, amid celestial portents, by the agents of Jehovah’s will, whom He commissions to engage with them, while His own people look on securely.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles – God having before said that He would gather all nations, now, by a solemn irony, bids them prepare, if, by any means, they can fight against Him. So in Isaiah; Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us (Isa 8:9-10; see also Ezek. 38:7-23).
Prepare – Literally, hallow, war. To hallow war was to make it holy, either in appearance or in truth, as the prophet bade them, sanctify a fast, i. e., keep it holily. So God calls the Medes, whom He employed against Babylon, My sanctified ones Isa. 13, and bids, sanctify the nations against her Jer 51:27; and the enemies of Judah encourage themselves, sanctify ye war against her Jer 6:4; and Micah says, that whosover bribed not the false prophets, they sanctify war against him Mic 3:5, i. e., proclaim war against him in the Name of God. The enemies of God, of His people, of His truth, declare war against all, in the Name of God. The Jews would have stoned our Lord for blasphemy, and, at the last, they condemned Him as guilty of it. He hath spoken blasphemy. What further need have we of witttesses? behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy Mat 26:65. And He foretold to His disciples, Whosoever killeth you, will think he doeth God service Joh 16:2.
Stephen was persecuted for speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God, this holy place and the law Act 6:11, Act 6:13. Paul was persecuted for persuading people to worship God contrary to the law and polluting this holy place Act 18:13; Act 21:28; Act 24:6. Antichrist shall set himself up as God, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God 2Th 2:4. Heretics and unbelievers declaim against the Gospel, as though it, and not themselves, were opposed to the holiness and Majesty and love of God. The Gnostics of old spake against the Creator in the Name of God. Arians affected reverence for the glory of God , being, on their own mis-belief, idolaters or polytheists . The Apollinarians charged the Church with ascribing to our Lord a sinful soul, as though the soul must needs be such , find themselves held the Godhead to have been united to a soulless, and so a brute, nature.
Manichaeans accused her of making God the author of evil, and themselves, as do Pantheists now, invented a god who sinned . Novatians and Donatists accused the Church of laxity. Pelagians charged her with denying the perfectibility of mans nature, themselves denying the grace whereby it is perfected. Muhammed arrayed the truth of the Unity of God against His Being in Three Persons, and fought against the truth as idolatry. Some now array Theism, i. e., truths as to God which they have stolen from Holy Scripture, against the belief in God as He has revealed Himself. Indeed, no imposture ever long held its ground against truth, unless it masked itself under some truth of God which it perverted, and so hallowed its war against God in the Name of God.
Wake up the mighty men – Arouse them, as if their former state had been a state of sleep; arouse all their dormant powers, all within them, that they may put forth all their strength, if so be they may prevail against God.
Let all the men of war draw near – , as if to contend, and close, as it were, with God and His people (see 1Sa 17:41. 2Sa 10:13), as, on the other hand, God says, I will come near to you to judgment (Mal 3:5; see Isa 41:1; Isa 50:8). Let them come up into His very presence. Even while calling them to fulfill this their vain purpose of striving with God, the prophet keeps in mind, into whose presence they are summoned, and so calls them to come up, as to a place of dignity.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joe 3:9-17
Prepare war, wake up the mighty men.
The final battle between good and evil
I. In this battle evil will gather all its available energies. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the up. mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come This is sublime irony. The wicked will collect all their agencies for this last struggle. The prophet intimates that all this shall only render their destruction more complete. Great armies are arrayed against God. They are bold in atheism. They are cunning in sin. They are malicious in temper. But let them come up, and they shall be consumed by the breath of the Lord. Evil has many agencies. It has many mighty men on its side. They are united in their purpose. Their dormant energies will be awakened. But they cannot be finally victorious.
II. In this battle evil will turn many useful agencies into destructive instruments. Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. When Isaiah and Micah prophesied of the kingdom of Christ, they said, Beat your swords into pruning-hooks, and your spears into ploughshares (Isa 2:1-22.; Mic 4:1-13.). This sentence is now inverted by Joel. The words of Isaiah show the condition of the world under the rule of goodness. The words of Joel show the condition of men under the tyranny of evil. Sin converts the instruments of peace into the implements of war. And in the last great battle between good and evil, many useful principles and institutions will be converted into the means of attack upon truth. The peaceful life and words of Christ have been turned into swords; and eminently will this be the case in the last great conflict with evil.
III. In this battle evil will present itself as naturally ready for destruction. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. There are here two metaphors, one taken from the harvest, the other from the vintage,–.indicating that sin shall reach its limit. This gives us insight into the method of the Divine government. Sin is not always destroyed in its earliest stage. It remains as a discipline to the world. It tests the patience and moral resistance of the good. The time of its harvest is not yet.
IV. In this battle the natural and helpful agencies of the universe shall aid the defeat of moral evil. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. When the wicked gather for the great battle they will find the ordinary agencies of the universe against them.
V. In this battle the good shall enjoy the divine protection. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, etc. Lessons:–
1. That evil often leads the Church of God into captivity.
2. That moral evil is advancing to its perilous destiny.
3. That the good will finally triumph over the combined forces of evil. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
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 Joe 3:11 should be rendered.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Proclaim; publish, or make known, as by sound of trumpet: some say it is an irony; I rather think it is a declaration of what is to come to pass through some ages before the coming of the Messiah, as will appear probable from what followeth.
This; or these things, which I am purposed to do in retaliating to the enemies of my people; proclaim wars which may make captives for sale under the hand of my people.
Among the Gentiles; the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Babylonians, and Grecians successively. Prepare war; make ready for wars against the enemies of my people, who shall by these be corrected, but their enemies at last shall be destroyed.
Wake up the mighty men; the valiant men, who dare attempt any thing, and are of great strength to execute what they attempt.
Let all the men of war draw near; all the captains, and experienced soldiers, let them appear at the rendezvous.
Let them come up; when marshalled, let them march up on their design, toward the seat of the war, which will now for many ages be in or about the valley of vision, the church, the valley of judgment from the Lord.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. The nations hostile to Israelare summoned by Jehovah to “come up” (this phrase is usedbecause Jerusalem was on a hill) against Jerusalem, not thatthey may destroy it, but to be destroyed by the Lord (Eze 38:7-23;Zec 12:2-9; Zec 14:2;Zec 14:3).
Prepare warliterally,sanctify war: because the heathen always began war withreligious ceremonies. The very phrase used of Babylon’s preparationsagainst Jerusalem (Jer 6:4) isnow used of the final foes of Jerusalem. As Babylon was then desiredby God to advance against her for her destruction, so now all herfoes, of whom Babylon was the type, are desired to advance againsther for their own destruction.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 Joe 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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Fulfilment of the judgment upon all the heathen predicted in Joe 3:2. Compare the similar prediction of judgment in Zec 14:2. The call is addressed to all nations to equip themselves for battle, and march into the valley of Jehoshaphat to war against the people of God, but in reality to be judged by the Lord through His heavenly heroes, whom He sends down thither. Joe 3:9. “Proclaim ye this among the nations; sanctify a war, awaken the heroes, let all the men of war draw near and come up! Joe 3:10. Forge your coulters into swords, and your vine-sickles into spears: let the weak one say, A hero am I. Joe 3:11. Hasten and come, all ye nations round about, and assemble yourselves! Let thy heroes come down thither, O Jehovah! Joe 3:12. The nations are to rise up, and come into the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there shall I sit to judge all the heathen round about.” The summons to prepare for war (Joe 3:9) is addressed, not to the worshippers of Jehovah or the Israelites scattered among the heathen (Cyr., Calv., Umbreit), but to the heathen nations, though not directly to the heroes and warriors among the heathen, but to heralds, who are to listen to the divine message, and convey it to the heathen nations. This change belongs to the poetical drapery of thought, that at a sign from the Lord the heathen nations are to assemble together for war against Israel. does not mean “to declare war” (Hitzig), but to consecrate a war, i.e., to prepare for war by sacrifices and religious rites of consecration (cf. 1Sa 7:8-9; Jer 6:4). : waken up or arouse (not wake up) the heroes from their peaceful rest to battle. With the address passes over from the second person to the third, which Hitzig accounts for on the ground that the words state what the heralds are to say to the nations or heroes; but the continuance of the imperative kottu in Joe 3:10 does not suit this. This transition is a very frequent one (cf. Isa 41:1; Isa 34:1), and may be very simply explained from the lively nature of the description. is here applied to the advance of hostile armies against a land or city. The nations are to summon up all their resources and all their strength for this war, because it will be a decisive one. They are to forge the tools of peaceful agriculture into weapons of war (compare Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3, where the Messianic times of peace are depicted as the turning of weapons of war into instruments of agriculture). Even the weak one is to rouse himself up to be a hero, “as is generally the case when a whole nation is seized with warlike enthusiasm” (Hitzig). This enthusiasm is expressed still further in the appeal in Joe 3:11 to assemble together as speedily as possible. The . . is related to , to hasten; whereas no support can be found in the language to the meaning “assemble,” adopted by the lxx, Targ., etc. The expression by no means necessitates our taking these words as a summons or challenge on the part of Joel to the heathen, as Hitzig does; for this can be very well interpreted as a summons, with which the nations call one another to battle, as the following requires; and the assumption of Hitzig, Ewald, and others, that this form is the imperative for , cannot be sustained from Isa 43:9 and Jer 50:5. It is not till Joe 3:11 that Joel steps in with a prayer addressed to the Lord, that He will send down His heavenly heroes to the place to which the heathen are flowing together. Hanchath an imper. hiph., with pathach instead of tzere , on account of the guttural, from nachath , to come down. The heroes of Jehovah are heavenly hosts, or angels, who execute His commands as gibbore khoach (Psa 103:20, cf. Psa 78:25). This prayer is answered thus by Jehovah in Joe 3:12: “Let the nations rise up, and come into the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will He hold judgment upon them.” corresponds to in Joe 3:9; and at the close, “all the heathen round about” is deliberately repeated. Still there is no antithesis in this to “all nations” in Joe 3:2, as though here the judgment was simply to come upon the hostile nations in the neighbourhood of Judah, and not upon all the heathen universally (Hitzig). For even in Joe 3:2 are simply all the heathen who have attacked the people of Jehovah – that is to say, all the nations round about Israel. Only these are not merely the neighbouring nations to Judah, but all heathen nations who have come into contact with the kingdom of God, i.e., all the nations of the earth without exception, inasmuch as before the last judgment the gospel of the kingdom is to be preached in all the world for a testimony to all nations (Mat 24:14; Mar 13:10).
It is to the last decisive judgment, in which all the single judgments find their end, that the command of Jehovah to His strong heroes refers. Joe 3:13. “Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe: come, tread, for the win-press is full, the vats overflow: for their wickedness is great.” The judgment is represented under the double figure of the reaping of the fields and the treading out of the grapes in the wine-press. The angels are first of all summoned to reap the ripe corn (Isa 17:5; Rev 14:16), and then commanded to tread the wine-presses that are filled with grapes. The opposite opinion expressed by Hitzig, viz., that the command to tread the wine-presses is preceded by the command to cut off the grapes, is supported partly by the erroneous assertion, that bashal is not applied to the ripening of corn, and partly upon the arbitrary assumption that qatsr , a harvest, stands for batsr , a vintage; and maggal , a sickle (cf. Jer 50:16), for mazmerah , a vine-dresser’s bill. But bashal does not mean “to boil,” either primarily or literally, but to be done, or to be ripe, like the Greek , , to ripen, to make soft, to boil (see at Exo 12:9), and hence in the piel both to boil and roast, and in the hiphil to make ripe of ripen (Gen 40:10), applied both to grapes and corn. It is impossible to infer from the fact that Isaiah (Isa 16:9) uses the word qatsr for the vintage, on account of the alliteration with qayits , that this is also the meaning of the word in Joel. But we have a decisive proof in the resumption of this passage in Rev 14:15 and Rev 14:18, where the two figures (of the corn-harvest and the gathering of the grapes) are kept quite distinct, and the clause is paraphrased and explained thus: “The time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” The ripeness of the corn is a figurative representation of ripeness for judgment. Just as in the harvest – namely, at the threshing and winnowing connected with the harvest – the grains of corn are separated from the husk, the wheat being gathered into the barns, the husk blown away by the wind, and the straw burned; so will the good be separated from the wicked by the judgment, the former being gathered into the kingdom of God for the enjoyment of eternal life, – the latter, on the other hand, being given up to eternal death. The harvest field is the earth ( , Rev 14:16), i.e., the inhabitants of the earth, the human race. The ripening began at the time of the appearance of Christ upon the earth (Joh 4:35; Mat 9:38). With the preaching of the gospel among all nations, the judgment of separation and decision ( , Joh 3:18-21) commenced; with the spread of the kingdom of Christ in the earth it passes over all nations; and it will be completed in the last judgment, on the return of Christ in glory at the end of this world. Joel does not carry out the figure of the harvest any further, but simply presents the judgment under the similar figure of the treading of the grapes that have been gathered. , not from yarad , to descend, but from radah , to trample under foot, tread the press that is filled with grapes. is used in Joe 2:24 to denote the most abundant harvest; here it is figuratively employed to denote the great mass of men who are ripe for the judgment, as the explanatory clause, for “their wicked (deed) is much,” or “their wickedness is great,” which recals Gen 6:5, clearly shows. The treading of the wine-press does not express the idea of wading in blood, or the execution of a great massacre; but in Isa 63:3, as well as in Rev 14:20, it is a figure denoting an annihilating judgment upon the enemies of God and of His kingdom. The wine-press is “the wine-press of the wrath of God,” i.e., “what the wine-press is to ordinary grapes, the wrath of God is to the grapes referred to here” (Hengstenberg on Rev 14:19).
The execution of this divine command is not expressly mentioned, but in Joe 3:14. the judgment is simply depicted thus: first of all we have a description of the streaming of the nations into the valley of judgment, and then of the appearance of Jehovah upon Zion in the terrible glory of the Judge of the world, and as the refuge of His people. Joe 3:14. “Tumult, tumult in the valley of decision: for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.” Hamonm are noisy crowds, whom the prophet sees in the Spirit pouring into the valley of Jehoshaphat. The repetition of the word is expressive of the great multitude, as in 2Ki 3:16. not valley of threshing; for though charuts is used in Isa 28:27 and Isa 41:15 for the threshing-sledge, it is not used for the threshing itself, but valley of the deciding judgment, from charats , to decide, to determine irrevocably (Isa 10:22; 1Ki 20:40), so that charuts simply defines the name Jehoshaphat with greater precision. (compare Joe 1:15; Joe 2:1) is used here to denote the immediate proximity of the judgment, which bursts at once, according to Joe 3:15.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Threatenings against Israel’s Enemies. | B. C. 720. |
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
What the psalmist had long before ordered to be said among the heathen (Ps. xcvi. 10) the prophet here will have in like manner to be published to all nations, That the Lord reigns, and that he comes, he comes to judge the earth, as he had long been judging in the earth. The notice here given of God’s judging the nations may have reference to the destruction of Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, and to the Antichrist especially, and all the proud enemies of the Christian church; but some of the best interpreters, ancient and modern (particularly the learned Dr. Polock), think the scope of these verses is to set forth the day of the last judgment under the similitude of God’s making war upon the enemies of his kingdom, and his gathering in the harvest of the earth, both which similitudes we find used in the Revelation, Rev 19:11; Rev 14:18. Here we have,
I. A challenge given to all the enemies of God’s kingdom to do their worst. To signify to them that God is preparing war against them, they are called upon to prepare war against him, v. 9-11. When the hour of God’s judgment shall come effectual methods shall be taken to gather all nations to the battle of that great day of God Almighty,Rev 16:14; Rev 20:8. It seems to be here spoken ironically: “Proclaim you this among the Gentiles; let all the forces of the nations be summoned to join in confederacy against God and his people.” It is like that, Isa. vii. 9, “Associate yourselves, O you people! and gird yourselves, but you shall be broken to pieces. Prepare war; muster up all your strength; wake up the mighty men; call them into your service; excite them to vigilance and resolution; let all the men of war draw near. Let them come and enter the lists with Omnipotence if they dare; let them not complain for want of weapons, but let them beat their ploughshares into swords and their pruning-hooks into spears. Let them resolve, if they will, never to return to their husbandry again, but either to conquer or die; let none plead unfitness to bear arms, but let the weak say, I am strong and will venture into the field of battle.” Thus does a God of almighty power bid defiance to all the opposition of the powers of darkness; let the heathen rage, and the kings of the earth take counsel together, against the Lord and his Christ; let them assemble, and come, and gather themselves together; but he that sits in heaven shall laugh at them, and, while he thus calls them, he has them in derision, Psa 2:1; Psa 2:4. The heathen must be wakened, must be raised from the dead, that they may come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, to receive their doom (v. 12), may come up out of their graves, come up into the air, to meet the Lord there. Jehoshaphat signifies the judgment of the Lord. Let them come to the place of God’s judgment, which perhaps is the chief reason for the using of this name here, but it is put together as a proper name for the sake of allusions to the place so called, which we observed before; let them come thither where God will sit to judge the heathen, to that throne of glory before which shall be gathered all nations (Matt. xxv. 32), for before the judgment-seat of Christ we must all appear. The challenge (v. 9) is turned into a summons, v. 12. It is not only, Come if you dare, but You shall come whether you will or no, for there is no escaping the judgments of God.
II. A charge given to the ministers of God’s justice to appear and act against these daring enemies of his kingdom among men: And therefore cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord! v. 11. When they bring their forces into the field, let God bring his, let the archangel’s trumpet sound a charge, to call together his mighty ones, that is, his angels. Perhaps it is with reference to this that Christ’s coming from heaven at the last day is said to be with his mighty angels, 2 Thess. i. 7. These are the hosts of the Lord, that shall fight his battles when he shall put down all opposing rule, principality, and power when he shall judge among the heathen, Ps. cx. 6. Some think these words (Joe 3:9; Joe 3:10), Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, are not a challenge to the enemies’ hosts, but a charge to God’s hosts; let them draw near, and come up. When God’s cause is to be pleaded, either by the law or by the sword, he has those ready that shall please it effectually, witnesses ready to appear for him in the court of judgment, soldiers ready to appear for him in the field of battle. They shall beat ploughshares into swords, if need be. However, it is plain that to them the charge in given (v. 13), Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; that is, their wickedness is great, the measure of it is full, and they are ripe for ruin. Our Saviour has expounded this, Matt. xiii. 39. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. And they are commanded to thrust in their sickle. their sharp sickle, and gather in both the harvest and the vintage,Rev 14:15; Rev 14:18. Note, The greatness of men’s wickedness makes them ripe for God’s judgment.
III. The vast appearance that shall be in that great and solemn day (v. 14): Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision, the same which before was called the valley of Jehoshaphat, or of the judgment of the Lord, for the day of the Lord is near in that valley. Note, 1. The judgment-day, that day of the Lord, has all along been looked upon, and spoken of, as nigh at hand. Enoch said, Behold, the Lord comes, as if the Judge were then standing before the do or, because it is certain that that day will come and will come according to the appointment, and a thousand years with God are but as one day; things are ripening apace for it; we ought always to be ready for it, because our judgment is at hand. 2. The day of judgment will be the day of decision, when every man’s eternal state will be determined, and the controversy that has been long depending between the kingdom of Christ and that of Satan shall be finally decided, and an end put to the struggle. The valley of the distribution of judgment (so the Chaldee), when every man shall receive according to the things done in the body. The valley of threshing (so the margin), carrying on the metaphor of the harvest, v. 13. The proud enemies of God’s people will then be crushed and broken to pieces, and made as the dust of the summer threshing-floors. 3. Innumerable multitudes will be gathered together to receive their final doom in that day, as in the destruction of Gog we read of the valley of Hamon-Gog, and the city of Hamonah (Eze 39:15; Eze 39:16), both signifying the multitude of the vanquished enemies; it is the word here used, Hamonim, Hamonim, expressed by the way of admiration–O what vast multitudes of sinners will divine justice be glorified in the ruin of at that day! A multitude of living (says one of the rabbin) and a multitude of dead, for Christ shall come to judge both the quick and the dead.
IV. The amazing change that shall then be made in the kingdom of nature (v. 15): The sun and moon shall be darkened, as before, ch. ii. 31. Their glory and lustre shall be eclipsed by the far greater brightness of that glory in which the Judge shall then appear. Nay, they shall themselves be set aside in the dissolution of all things; for the damned sinners in hell shall not be allowed their light, for God himself will be their everlasting light, Isa. lx. 19. Those that fall under the wrath of God in that day of wrath shall be cut off from all comfort and joy, signified by the darkening not only of sun and moon, but of the stars also.
V. The different impressions which that day will make upon the children of this world and the children of God, according as it will be to them. 1. To the wicked it will be a terrible day. The Lord shall then speak from Zion and Jerusalem, from the throne of his glory, from heaven, where he manifests himself in a peculiar manner, as sometimes he has done in the glorious high throne of his sanctuary, which yet was but a faint resemblance of the glory of that day. He shall speak from heaven, from the midst of his saints and angels (so some understand it), the holy society of which may be called Zion and Jerusalem; for, when we come to the heavenly Jerusalem, we come to the innumerable company of angels; see Heb. xii. 22, 25. Now is speaking in that day will be to the wicked as roaring, terrible as the roaring of a lion (for so the word signifies); he long kept silence, but now our God shall come, and shall not keep silence,Psa 50:3; Psa 50:21. Note, The judgment of the great day will make the ears of those to tingle that continue the implacable enemies of God’s kingdom. God’s voice will then shake terribly both heaven and earth (Isa. ii. 21), yet once more,Hag 2:6; Heb 12:26. This denotes that the voice of God will in the great day speak such terror to the wicked as were enough to put even heaven and earth into a consternation. When God comes to pull down and destroy his enemies, and make them all his footstool, though heaven and earth should stand up in defence of them and undertake their protection, it shall be all in vain. Even they shall shake before him and be an insufficient shelter to those whom he comforts forth to contend with. Note, As blessings out of Zion are the sweetest blessings, and enough to make heaven and earth sing, so terrors out of Zion are the sorest terrors, and enough to make heaven and earth shake. 2. To the righteous it will be a joyful day. When the heaven and earth shall tremble, and be dissolved and burnt up, then will the Lord be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel (v. 16), and then shall Jerusalem be holy, v. 17. The saints are the Israel of God; they are his people; the church is his Jerusalem. They are in covenant and communion with him; now in the great day, (1.) Their longings shall be satisfied: The Lord will be the hope of his people. As he always was the founder and foundation of their hopes, so he then will be the crown of their hopes. He will be the harbour of his people (so the word is), their receptacle, refuge, and home. The saints in the great day shall arrive at the desired haven, shall put to shore after a stormy voyage; they shall go to be for ever at home with God, to their Father’s house, the house not made with hands. (2.) Their happiness shall be confirmed. God will be in that day the strength of the children of Israel, enabling them to bid that day welcome and to bear up under the weight of its glories and joys. In this world, when the judgments of God are abroad, and sinners are falling under them, God is and will be the hope and strength of his people, the strength of their heart, and their portion, when other men’s hearts fail them for fear. (3.) Their holiness shall be completed (v. 17): Then shall Jerusalem be holy, the holy city indeed; such shall the heavenly Jerusalem be, such the glorious church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Jerusalem shall be holiness (so the word is); it shall be perfectly holy; there shall be no remainder of sin in it. The gospel-church is a holy society, even in its militant state, but will never be holiness itself till it comes to be triumphant. Then no stranger shall pass through her any more; there shall not enter into the New Jerusalem any thing that defiles or works iniquity; none shall be there but those who have a right to be there, none but its own citizens; for it shall be an unmixed society. (4.) God shall in all this be manifested and magnified: So shall you know that I am the Lord your God. By the sanctifying and glorifying of the church God will be known in his holiness and glory, as the God that dwells in his holy mountain and makes it holy by dwelling in it; and those that are sanctified and glorified are so through the knowledge of him that called them. The knowledge which true believers have of God is, [1.] An appropriating knowledge. They know that he is the Lord their God, yet not theirs only, but theirs in common with the whole church, that he is their God, but dwelling in Zion his holy mountain; for, though faith appropriates, it does not engross or monopolize the privileges of the covenant. [2.] It is an experimental knowledge. They shall find him their hope and strength in the worst of times, and so they shall know that he is the Lord their God. Those know best the goodness of God who have tasted and seen it, and have found him good to them.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The Day Of The Lord, A Retrospect
Verses 9-16:
Verse 9 calls upon the gathered Gentile nations to announce, proclaim, or herald a call for their people to arm to the hilt, prepare to give it their best, from their weakest to strongest men, to enter this Armageddon holocaust, Isa 2:10-22; Amo 5:18-20, v. 9-14 describes the Armageddon, while verse 15, 16 are parallel with Joe 2:30-32. After an interlude Joe 3:1-8, there is a resumption of the subject matter of Joe 2:9-32, all of which revolves around earth’s final great battle that shall witness the coming and conquering of the King of kings and Lord of lords, Rev 19:11-16.
Verse 10 calls Gentile nations, with irony and seeming sarcasm, to “beat their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears,” and cause their weak, anemic ones to say, “I am strong.” Do your best at arousal and motivation, God says to the Gentile war-lords. This is the reverse of later times when the delivered Jews shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, under the golden millennial era of the reign of Jesus Christ over all the earth, Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3.
Verse 11 continues God’s Divine, direct address to the heathen to arouse or hasten themselves, become wide awake, hasten and march up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, the valley of the meeting of all nations, v. 2. Heathen wars began with religious ceremonies, Isa 8:9; Eze 38:7; Jer 6:4; 1Sa 7:8-9. But their gods could not help them because of their lifelessness, Psa 115:5-9. The verse ends with a cry from Israel for Divine help in this battle, which was granted, Rev 19:11-21.
Verse 12 calls once again upon the heathen or Gentiles to wake up and come up to the challenge in the valley of Jehoshaphat as in v. 2; 2Ch 20:26. It is here that the blood of the battle-slain shall come up to the horses’ bridle, just outside Jerusalem. So gory shall be the end of it, Rev 14:20; Rev 16:14; Rev 20:8. The heathen shall then rage and the people imagine a vain thing, Psa 2:4; Psa 110:5-6.
Verse 13 calls for a thrusting in of the sickle for a reap of the harvest of sin’s great judgment upon the heathen nations, for the press is described with overflowing juice and dregs of a bitter harvest of sin and wickedness, Rev 14:15. The wicked are filling up the measure or container of their iniquity. It will hold no more, Gen 15:16. It is sin’s last harvest time on earth, Isa 63:3; Lam 1:15.
Verse 14 describes immense multitudes gathered in the valley of decision, as the “Day of the Lord”, earth’s last pre-millennial battle was at hand, with milling hordes of heathen gathered in battle array, soon to furnish their carcasses and stench, food for the devouring carrion birds of the air, Rev 19:17-19; Rev 19:21. It is to occur at the ancient hill and valley of Megiddo, west of the Jordan, in the plain of Jezreel, a destruction to be completed as the battle seems to move into Moab and Idumaea near 80 miles to the southeast, Zec 14:2; Isa 63:1-6.
Verse 15 describes again the dark day when the planets, sun, moon and stars, shall cease to give light, approaching the day of doom, as in Joe 2:20; Joe 2:31; Luk 21:25; Mat 25:29. Beyond these statements of this dreadful hour, little or nothing seems to be revealed.
Verse 16 declares that the Lord (Jehovah) shall roar out of Zion and Jerusalem, like an aroused lion against an intruder. So ferocious shall be the sound that “the heavens and the earth shall shake,” more furiously than an earthquake under heaven. He came forth against His foe, who has fought His people from Megiddo, some 50 miles north, up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, lying alongside Jerusalem to the east, where blood shall shortly flow to the horses bridle, Rev 14:20. See Jer 25:30; Amo 1:2; Amo 3:8; Psa 18:13; Hab 3:10-11. But the Lord will be the refuge of His saints in that hour, Psa 46:1.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Some think these words were announced lest the people, being terrified by their evils, should become wholly dejected; and they elicit this meaning, — that God placed this dreadful spectacle of evils before their eyes, that the Jews might prepare and strengthen themselves for enduring them; that though nations should everywhere rise up, they might yet abide arm in the hope, that God would be the defender of his own Church. But the Prophet, I doubt not, continues the same discourse, and denounces war on the heathen nations, who had molested the Church with so many troubles; Publish this, he says, among the nations, proclaim war, rouse the strong; let them come, let them ascend: and we know how necessary it was by such means to confirm what he had previously said: for the ungodly are moved by no threats, nay, they laugh to scorn all God’s judgments; while the faithful yielding to their evils, can hardly raise up their minds, even though God promises to be a helper to them. Except, then, the matter had been set forth as painted before their eyes they would not have experienced the power of consolation. Hence the lively representation we see here was intended for this end, — that the people, being led to view the whole event, might entertain hope of their future salvation, while they now saw God collecting his army, and mustering his forces to punish the enemies of his Church. The faithful, then not only hearing by mere words that this would be, but also seeing, as it were, with their eyes what the Lord sets forth by a figure, and a lively representation, were more effectually impressed and felt more assured that God would become at length their deliverer.
We now then see why the Prophet here bids war to be everywhere announced and proclaimed, and also why he bids the strong to assemble, and all warlike men to ascend; as though he said, “The Lord will not disappoint you with empty words, but will come provided with an army to save you. When ye hear, then, that he will be the author of your salvation, think also that all nations are in his power, and that the whole world can in a moment be roused up by his rod, so that all its forces may from all quarters come together, and all the power of the world meet in obedience to him. Know, then, that being provided with his forces, he comes not to you naked, nor feeds you with mere words, as they are wont to do who have no help to give but words only: this is not what God does; for he can even to-day execute what he has denounced; but he stays for the ripened time. In the meanwhile, give him his honor, and know that there is not wanting the means to protect you, if he wished; but he would have you for a time to be subject to the cross and to tribulations that he may at length avenge the wrongs done to you.”
It may be now asked who are the nations meant by the Prophet? for he said before, that God would visit all nations with punishment, whereas, there was then no nation in the world friendly to the Jews. But in this there is nothing inconsistent; for God caused all the enemies of the Church to assail one another on every side, and to destroy themselves with mutual slaughters. Hence, when he designed to take vengeance on the Tyrians and Sidonians, he roused up the Persian and Medes; and when he purposed to punish the Persian and Medes, he called the Greeks into Asia; and he had before brought low the Assyrians. Thus he armed all nations, but each in its turn; and one after the other underwent the punishment they deserved. And so the expression of the Prophet must not be taken in a too restricted sense, as though the Lord would at the same time collect an army from the whole world, to punish the enemies of his Church; but that he rouses the whole world, so that some suffer punishment from others; and yet no enemy of the Church remains unpunished. We now perceive the Prophet’s objects in saying, Publish this among the nations; that is, God will move dreadful tumults through the whole world, and will do this for the sake of his Church: for though he exposes his people to many miseries, he will yet have the remnant, as we have before seen, to be saved.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Joe. 3:9.] A call to war (Eze. 38:7). Prepare] Lit. sanctify, for heathen war began with religious ceremonies (Jer. 6:4; 1Sa. 7:8-9). Wake up] Arouse the heroes from sleep; forge tools of peaceful agriculture into weapons, and the weakest must be a hero.
Joe. 3:11. Assemble] Hasten, quickly as possible meet together.
Joe. 3:12. Wakened] Not now to war with God and his people, but to be judged (Isa. 2:4; Psa. 110:6).
HOMILETICS
THE HOLY WAR.Joe. 3:9-12
God is now about to execute the sentence, and all nations are summoned together. At Gods command, yet of their own accord, they assemble in the valley of Jehoshaphat, to receive righteous retribution.
I. The solemn preparation. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles. The combatants are mighty, and the results will be decisive. Every preparation is needful for this moral warfare.
1. This warfare is moral. Prepare, i.e. sanctify, war. It is a holy war, a crusade between good and evil. Not like those in which the pilgrims of Europe sought to rescue the holy sepulchre from the hands of infidel Turks. Gods people and Gods enemies are in battle-array. Moral powers and evil principles are engaged in mortal contest; the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light are striving for dominion. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
2. This warfare is close. Let all the men of war draw near. The armies are not spectators, nor do they stand afar off, daring and defying one another, like Israel and the Philistines did (1Sa. 17:3), and the Turks and the Christians in the reign of Baldwin II., king of Jerusalem. They come up into close quarters, and fight for life. The enemy is bold, comes up into the very presence of God, and insults his people. We must not hesitate nor fear. Into the ranks of the enemy, cried a general, on the field of battle. Stand still, and you are overcome; fight, and you conquer. Quit yourselves like men, and fight.
3. This warfare is urgent. Assemble yourselves and come. The nations must hasten and come speedily. All round about must gather themselves together, and draw closer and closer in the contest. Christian life is urgent and important. The gospel demands immediate and earnest decision for God. There must be no delay. Judgment delays not. Now is the accepted time.
4. This warfare demands sacrifice. Beat your ploughshares into swords, &c. The tools of peaceful agriculture must be forged into weapons of war, the reverse of the time when instruments of war will be turned into implements of agriculture (Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3). All was unsettled; the means of subsistence and the care of health were to give way to war. In spiritual warfare, ease and pleasure, sin and the world, must be given up. All must be equipped. The aim is not temporary; it requires a weapon and strength to use it. He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. God has provided a complete armour in which he must fight, and by which alone he can triumph. The self-willed, who fight in their own way, and with their own weapons, will never conquer. Put on, therefore, the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand.
II. The mighty hosts. Come, all ye heathen. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision.
1. A universal gathering. All nations. Not simply all the heathens, but all nations of the world are concerned in this warfare, and will stand before the throne of God at last. All the generations of men, innumerable angels will appear before the Great Judge. Our Lord directs our attention to this very thought of Joel. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels, with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations.
2. An imposing gathering. Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near. Heroes, men of valour and experience, will be there, and, like Homers gods, engaged in the conflict. The Great God who calls it, the solemn purpose for which it is called, and the method of dealing with it, will make that assembly most awful. The Judge will be clothed in majesty and terror. Angels and millions of the human race will stand before the great tribunal. The splendour of the great white throne will eclipse the sun.
No sun had eer dawned on
So fearful a day,
No trumpet had marshalled
So dread an array.
3. An enthusiastic gathering. The whole nations are seized with warlike enthusiasm, and rise from slumber at the summons. Even the weak one must say, I am strong. None, however apparently unfit, was to be spared, and none left behind. Inspired with ardour, and drawn by numbers, they gather to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14; Rev. 20:8).
III. The great defeat. Ostensibly the nations assemble to destroy Gods people, but are overcome themselves. God sits upon the throne to judge the heathen round about. The conflict is instigated by the very parties whose doom is settled for ever.
1. Their resistance was in vain. Let the mighty men wake up to gather their resources and strengthen their ranks, all is futile. Men may resolve, and eagerly undertake opposition to God, but they will be disappointed. The heathen rage, but their rage displays their folly. God is omnipotent, and can overcome the mightiest hero. The people imagine a vain thing, for He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
2. Their overthrow was great. There was not mere failure, but terrible disaster. Gods mighty ones came down, the powers of nature robed themselves in opposition, the sentence was passed, and execution followed. The purpose was defeated, and those who mustered for victory were overthrown with disgrace. Popery has hastened its downfall, by trying to break the power of Protestantism. The French were crushed in their efforts to destroy the political influence of Germany. Those who fight against God, despite imperial strength, will be broken in pieces. The ruin of sinners will be eternal if God shall smite them. Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. (Isa. 8:9.)
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 3
Joe. 3:9-12. Here, as in other respects, the predictions and promises are but partially fulfilled in the literal Israel. Their real accomplishment, their awful completion, will be when Zions King comes in glory and majesty, with a rod of iron, to dash in pieces the great antichristian confederacy of kings and peoples, and to take possession of his long-promised and dearly-bought inheritance. The signs of the times seem to indicate that the coming of the Lord draws nigh.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(9) Prepare war . . .Literally, sanctify war. It was to be taken up deliberately, and after due religious rites, according to the customs of the nations. They are thus challenged, or rather summoned, to a trial of strength with Jehovah at a typical Armageddon.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9-16. After this condemnation of the bitterest enemies of the chosen people the prophet returns to the announcement broken off in Joe 3:3. 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 (Amo 3:9; Amo 3:13).
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 (1Sa 7:8-9; Jer 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 (Joe 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 (Isa 2:4); in 1Sa 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, Isa 2:4; Mic 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 Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3, that in the Messianic age the weapons of war will be turned into agricultural implements.
The first part of Joe 3:11 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 Joe 3:11 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 (Psa 68:17; Psa 103:20; Zec 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 Joe 3:12-13. 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 Joe 3:2; another play upon words in Hebrew.
All the heathen [“nations”] round about As in Joe 3:11, all the nations of the earth. The sentence is announced in Joe 3:13 in words addressed to the mighty ones of Joe 3:11. 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 (Rev 14:15 f., 19 f.); 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 (Amo 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 (Joe 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 (Joe 3:14), 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 Joe 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 (Isa 28:27; Amo 1:3); but the first interpretation is preferable. The nations are gathered because the judgment is ready to burst forth.
15, 16 While the nations are gathering, the supernatural forebodings of the day are seen (compare Joe 2:10; Joe 2:30-31). In Joe 2:10, from which passage Joe 3:15 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 (Amo 1:2; Jer 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 (Psa 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 (Psa 14:6; Psa 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 (Joe 2:27; Hos 2:8; Eze 38:23).
Dwelling in Zion Synonymous with “in the midst of Israel” (Joe 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 Joe 2:1). Judgment, in the thought of the prophets, always has a purifying effect (Isa 4:4). The destruction of the enemies will prevent future defilement by them (Nah 1:15).
Strangers Aliens, members of foreign nations, who have no interest in nor love for the things precious to the Jews (Hos 7:9; Jer 30:8).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
YHWH Calls The Nations To Judgment Before Him And His Mighty Ones ( Joe 3:9-14 ).
The final day of YHWH is set up and the nations are called for judgment. The nations send out the call because they clearly think that they will be able to do battle with YHWH (as they always do) but really it is YHWH Who has called them, and they are reduced to helplessness by YHWH’s Mighty Ones. In the midst of life and expectation of great booty they are suddenly and unexpectedly faced up with YHWH’s judgment. For there in ‘the valley of YHWH is Judge’ the nations are brought to judgment, not by earthly forces but by heavenly ones. And there they are called on to pay the price for their wickedness.
Analysis of Joe 3:9-14 .
a
b Haste yourselves, and come, all you nations round about, and gather yourselves together.
c There cause your mighty ones to come down, O YHWH.
d Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of YHWH is Judge (Jehoshaphat), for there will I sit to judge, all the nations round about (Joe 3:12).
c Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe, come, tread you, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great (Joe 3:13).
b Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! (Joe 3:14 a)
a For the day of YHWH is near in the valley of decision (Joe 3:14 b).
Note that in ‘a’ the call to the nations goes out that they are to prepare themselves to face YHWH, and in the parallel the day of YHWH is near in the valley of decision. In ‘b’ the nations are to make haste to gather themselves together, and in the parallel there are multitudes in the valley of decision. In ‘c’ YHWH will make His mighty ones come down, and in the parallel they put in the sickle and reap. Central in ‘d is the purpose of it all, the nations are to come to the valley of YHWH is Judge in order to be judged by YHWH.
Joe 3:9-10
‘Proclaim you this among the nations,
“Prepare (literally ‘sanctify’) war,
Stir up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
Beat your ploughshares into swords,
And your pruning-hooks into spears,
Let the weak say,
“I am strong.”
The heralds of the nations are commanded by YHWH to call their nations to battle. It is as usual a silent command, and the nations would not be aware that they were responding to YHWH’s call. Their view would be that they were following out their own political decisions. But the call was in fact YHWH’s for the time had come for the nations to be judged.
‘Sanctify war.’ This is a reminder that Judah were not the only nation to call on their deity for assistance in war. Every nation believed that their own gods would give them victory a long as they treated him properly and fulfilled his ritual requirements. And their heralds would therefore call on them to perform those necessary rituals. The difference was that their gods had no roar (see Joe 3:17), and could do nothing when YHWH was calling the nations to judgment..
So just as YHWH had stirred up His own people to return to Him (Joe 3:7), the nations were now to stir themselves up to come to judgment. They were to do so by sanctifying themselves for war, mustering their mighty men, calling up the men of war, turning their farm implements into weapons, and encouraging the waverers to be strong. The turning of their sharp farming instruments into weapons was not just symbolic. Many warriors would have no other weapons. Little would those who were mustered realise that they were simply providing evidence to YHWH when they come before Him for judgment. We have precisely the same idea presented in Rev 19:11-21 where the gathering of the earthly forces was not directly aimed at the figure on the white horse, but at His people on earth. It is only we who are permitted to see the heavenly side of things as YHWH’s great ones come to carry out God’s judgment.
Joe 3:11
‘Haste yourselves, and come, all you nations round about,
And gather yourselves together.’
The call goes out for the nations to hurry themselves up. It is a time for war. They are to gather themselves ready for their attack on God’s people. Little do they realise as they excitedly come together what they are hurrying towards. Their eyes are glistening with the hope of spoils, they do not realise that it is they who will be the spoils.
Joe 3:11
There cause your mighty ones to come down,
O YHWH.’
For unknown to them their Enemy is also mustering His troops, and what troops they are. YHWH is causing His Great Ones to come down from heaven ready for what is to come. He is offering divine protection for His people (the protection that was not called on by Jesus Christ Who trod the way of suffering alone – Mat 26:53).
Joe 3:12
‘Let the nations bestir themselves,
And come up to the valley of YHWH is Judge (Jehoshaphat),
For there will I sit to judge,
All the nations round about.’
Now it is YHWH Who sends out His summons. Let the nations bestir themselves and make haste, for they are coming to the valley of YHWH is Judge, where YHWH is waiting to judge them. As in the case of Revelation 19 there is to be no battle. Who can battle against the Almighty or against the Lamb? Rather they will discover that YHWH is seated there on His judgment seat ready to act as Judge.
Joe 3:13
‘Put you in the sickle,
For the harvest is ripe,
Come, tread you,
For the winepress is full,
The vats overflow,
For their wickedness is great.
And there in that valley of YHWH’s judgment the angels are commanded to ‘put in the sickle and reap’ because the harvest is ripe. The wicked have come to full ripeness and it is the time for the nations to be judged. The angels are to reap the grain, gather the grapes and tread the winepress which will then be full to overflowing, with the result that the winevats will also overflow, because the wickedness of the nations is very great.
This vivid picture is taken up again in Rev 14:14-20 which is another picture of the last judgment, and is also in mind in Mat 13:30; Mat 13:41-43; Mat 13:49-50. All that Joel lacks is awareness of Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords, and King of Kings.
The picture is in some ways deliberately parallels that in Joe 2:24, except that the message is different. But both harvests would benefit His people. It is a reminder that because of their repentance the future of Judah has changed.
Joe 3:14
‘Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of YHWH is near in the valley of decision.’
The passage closes off with ominous words. ‘Multitude, multitudes in the valley of decision, because the day of YHWH is near in the valley of decision.’ The picture is of the massed multitudes of the enemy, gathered in numbers beyond counting (indicated by the repetition of ‘multitudes’), and unaware that the day of YHWH is almost upon them. (What a contrast they are with another multitude which no man could number which was made up of the chosen of YHWH – Rev 7:9 ff.).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jehovah The Hope of the People
v. 9. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles, v. 10. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning-hooks into spears, v. 11. Assemble yourselves and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about, v. 12. Let the heathen be wakened, v. 13. Put ye in the sickle, v. 14. Multitudes, multitudes in the Valley of Decision, v. 15. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
v. 1. . The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, v. 17. So shall ye know that I am the Lord, your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain, v. 18. And it shall come to pass in that day, v. 19. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, v. 20. But Judah shall dwell forever and Jerusalem from generation to generation, v. 21. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Joe 3:9. 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 if 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 stir up their attention, and to let them know that God was as certainly preparing to bring this vengeance on their enemies in the course of his providence, as if he had actually sent messengers from the Jews to proclaim it among them. See chap. Joe 2:1 and Chandler. Instead of, Prepare war, Houbigant reads, Denounce war.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I do not presume to say as much, but I venture to believe, that Joel’s prophecy in this Chapter is looking so far on, as to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The valley of Jehoshaphat is again mentioned. And what violence is there to the term, to suppose it refers to this present world. The valley the Prophet Ezekiel was led by the spirit of the Lord down into, evidently referred to this world; and so it may here. Eze 37:1 , etc. And multitudes, multitudes, will be found in it, in that great day of decision, when the whole events of the gospel will be decided. Then, and not till then, will be the peaceable reign of the Lord Jesus, when swords, and spears, and war will be no more. Moreover the morn will be darkened, and the sun ashamed, from the superior lustre of the glory of Jesus. Isa 24:23 . And Jesus’ voice will be heard, and his presence known and enjoyed as King in Zion. Then in truth, and not in figure, will the mountains drop with wine, and the hills with milk. Jerusalem will truly be cleansed, and made holy in the blood of the Lamb, and the song of redemption be sung by the whole Church upon earth, as it is sung in heaven. Let the Reader look at some of those most blessed and interesting portions of the word of God, and especially the prophecies of scripture which refer to this great event, and let him determine for himself, under the Holy Ghost’s teaching, in what sense such divine declarations are to be received. Isa 4 ; Eze 40 to the end; Zec 14 ; Rev 20 and Rev 21 chapters throughout, with Isa 65:17 to the end.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Ver. 9. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles ] Oratio tota est figurata, saith Pareus: All this following discourse is figurative; Hortatio sarcasmon habens, saith Mercer. It is an ironic challenge to all God’s enemies, to do their worst to Christ and his Church; somewhat like that Jdg 9:29 , “Increase thine army, and come out” (which seems to be the challenge that Gaal sent to Abimelech, by some messenger), or that of Rabshakeh, Isa 36:8 , “I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders on them,” or that, Isa 8:9-10 .
Prepare war
Wake up the mighty men
Let all the men of war draw near
“ Credere nil actum, dum quid superesset agendum ”( Lucan).
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joe 3:9-17
9Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men!
Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!
10Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, I am a mighty man.
11Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones.
12Let the nations be aroused
And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to judge
All the surrounding nations.
13Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15The sun and moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
16The LORD roars from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the LORD is a refuge for His people
And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
17Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,
Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be holy,
And strangers will pass through it no more.
Joe 3:9-13 A final end-time attack of the kingdoms of this world against the kingdom of our God and His Christ is mentioned over and over again in Scripture (cf. Isa 8:9; Isa 8:14; Isa 17:12-14; Ezekiel 38-39; Zechariah 12-14; Rev 16:14-16; Rev 19:17-19).
This call to arms has several commands:
1. proclaim this among the nations, Joe 3:9, BDB 894, KB 1128, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Isa 40:6; Amo 3:6
2. prepare a war (i.e., consecrate, cf. Joe 1:14; Joe 2:15), Joe 3:9, BDB 872, KB 1073, Piel IMPERATIVE, cf. Jos 7:13; Jer 6:4; Jer 22:7; Jer 51:27-28
3. rouse the mighty men. Joe 3:9, BDB 734, KB 802, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, cf. Isa 41:2; Isa 41:25; Jer 50:9; Jer 51:1
4. Let all the soldiers draw near, Joe 3:9, BDB 620, KB 670, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, cf. Jer 46:3
5. Let them come up, Joe 3:9, BDB 748, KB 828, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, cf. Isa 7:6; Isa 36:10; Jer 48:18
6. Beat your plowshares into swords, Joe 3:10, BDB 510, KB 507, Qal IMPERATIVE, usually the opposite, Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3
7. Let the weak say, Joe 3:10, BDB 55, KB 65, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
8. Hasten (i.e., lend aid), Joe 3:11, BDB 736, KB 804, Qal IMPERATIVE, found only here in the OT
9. Come, Joe 3:11, BDB 97, KB 112, Qal IMPERATIVE (used in sense of come and join with)
10. gather yourselves there, the MT has a Niphal PERFECT (BDB 867, KB 1062), but it could also be a Niphal IMPERATIVE, which would match the series of IMPERATIVES in Joe 3:9-13
11. Bring down, Joe 3:11, BDB 639, KB 692, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, the Hiphil is found only here and refers to YHWH’s mighty army, cf. Isa 13:3
12. Let the nations be aroused, Joe 3:12, BDB 734, KB 802, Niphal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, similar to Joe 3:9
13. Come up, Joe 3:12, BDB 748, KB 828, same as Joe 3:9
14. Put in the sickle, Joe 3:13, BDB 1018, KB 1511, Qal IMPERATIVE (i.e., the harvest of judgment is ripe, cf. Jer 51:33)
15. Come, Joe 3:13, BDB 97, KB 112, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Joe 3:11, used of YHWH coming down in judgment (day of the LORD, Joe 3:12-14)
16. tread (i.e., come down), Joe 3:13, BDB 432, KB 434, Qal IMPERATIVE (or possibly from BDB 921, KB 1190 I) used of YHWH coming down in judgment (day of the LORD, Joe 3:12-14)
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears This is exactly the opposite of the eschatological peace which was promised in Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3. Violence precedes peace (cf. Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13).
Let the weak say, ‘I am a mighty man,’ In context this refers to agricultural workers who are now called on to be soldiers (opposite of Deu 20:8). This shows the all-out military effort of the kingdoms of this world. In Zec 12:8 this same metaphor is used, but of the people of God.
Joe 3:11 Bring down, O LORD, Thy mighty ones This may refer to the invisible angelic army of God in 2Ki 6:16-17; Zec 14:5, (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 811-812). Other allusions to God’s army of angels are found in Deu 33:2-3; Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31; Mar 8:38; 2Th 1:7; and Rev 19:14. However, because of Isa 13:3 it may refer to human armies (i.e., Cyrus, cf. Isa 44:28 to Isa 45:7) used by YHWH.
Joe 3:13-14 There are three agricultural metaphors used to describe God’s judgment: (l) the sickle (BDB 618); (2) treading grapes (BDB 432); and (3) to drag over a threshing floor which is the etymological background for the term decision (BDB 358) used in Joe 3:14 (twice). The sickle is mentioned in Isa 63:1-6, while the treading of the grapes is mentioned of judgment in Mic 4:12-13. Both metaphors are mentioned in Rev 14:15; Rev 14:18; Rev 14:20.
Joe 3:13 the vats overflow The parallelism clearly shows this is a metaphor of evil:
1. the wine press is full
2. the vats overflow
3. their wickedness is great
This same VERB (BDB 1003 II, KB 1448, Hiphil PERFECT) is used in Joe 2:24 to describe YHWH’s restoration of covenant blessing (cf. Deuteronomy 28), but here to describe the extent of the evil of the nations! The nations reap judgment, but the covenant people reap blessing (cf. Joe 3:18-21).
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes This large army is described in Isa 34:2-8.
For the day of the LORD is near The time element is the crucial question. It can be explained in light of prophetic literature taking a current event (i.e., locust plague, cf. Joe 1:15) and projecting it into the future (end-time battle between the nations and the nation of God, cf. Joe 2:1; Joe 3:14). For a good discussion, see Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 327-328. See Special Topic: That Day .
the valley of decision This is possibly the valley mentioned in Zec 14:4.
Joe 3:15 The sun and moon grow dark This is apocalyptic language to describe God’s coming to His creation (cf. Joe 2:10; Joe 2:31; Isa 13:10; Jer 4:23; Eze 32:8; Zec 14:6). The permanent creation is permanent no longer. Time is no more!
the stars lose their brightness This VERB (BDB 62, KB 74, Qal PERFECT) is used both here and in Joe 2:10 in a context that demands diminishing, yet the word is not ordinarily used in this sense. It usually refers to gathering at harvest time or YHWH gathering His people back to Palestine.
Here apparently it has the connotation of taking away (i.e., harvesting) the light of the stars to match the darkening of the sun and moon.
Joe 3:16 The LORD roars from Zion Since I hold to a late post-exilic date, I believe that Joel quotes Amos (cf. Amo 1:2; also note Jer 25:31).
NASBthe heavens and the earth tremble
NKJVthe heavens and the earth will shake
NRSVthe heavens and the earth shake
TEV, NJBearth and sky tremble
Heavens and earth are the two inclusive objects of Elohim’s creation in Gen 1:1. Therefore, they are the two oldest and most permanent aspects of creation.
Their trembling is noted in Joe 2:10. It occurs
1. at YHWH coming to Mt. Sinai, Exo 19:18; Psa 68:8
2. at YHWH coming from Seir, Jdg 5:4
3. at YHWH’s anger, 2Sa 22:8-9; Isa 13:13; Jer 51:29
4. at YHWH’s eschatological coming, Joe 2:10; Joe 3:16; Hag 2:6 (also note Hab 3:6)
The trembling (BDB 950, KB 1271, Qal PERFECT) in the NT denotes the New Age, New Kingdom, New People that are not to be shaken (cf. Heb 12:26-28; Isa 54:10).
But the LORD is a refuge for His people This term refuge (BDB 340, KB 337) is used often of the safety to be found in YHWH.
1. the VERB, 2Sa 22:3; Psa 2:12; Psa 5:11; Psa 7:1; Psa 11:1; Psa 16:1; Psa 18:2; Psa 25:20; Psa 31:1; Psa 31:19; Psa 34:8; Psa 34:22; Psa 37:40; Psa 57:1; Psa 64:10; Psa 71:1; Psa 118:8-9; Psa 141:8; Psa 144:2; Isa 57:13
2. the NOUN, Psa 14:6; Psa 46:1; Psa 61:4; Psa 62:7-8; Psa 71:7; Psa 73:28; Psa 91:2; Psa 91:9; Psa 142:5; Pro 14:26; Isa 4:6; Isa 25:4; Isa 32:2; Jer 17:17
For me, Psa 18:1-3; Psa 91:1-4 are the best series of metaphors describing YHWH’s protection and care to those who know Him and trust Him and obey Him!
And a stronghold to the sons of Israel This is another wonderful metaphor of God’s protection (BDB 731). Refuge and stronghold are both found in Psa 31:2; Psa 31:5; Psa 37:39-40; Isa 25:4; Nah 1:7. It is also found in Psa 27:1; Psa 28:8; Psa 43:2; Psa 52:7; Isa 17:10; Isa 27:5; Jer 16:19. Our strength and protection are in YHWH and in Him alone!
Joe 3:17 Then you will know that I am the LORD your God This emphasizes the personal relationship involved in the Covenant between YHWH and His people (see note at Joe 2:27). This emphasis on personal relationship in the word know (BDB 393, KB 390, Qal PERFECT) can be seen in Gen 4:1 and Jer 1:5.
The term LORD is YHWH (BDB 217); the term translated God is Elohim (BDB 43). These names hold theological significance. See Special Topic: The Names for Deity at Oba 1:1.
Zion My holy mountain
So Jerusalem will be holy Notice the parallelism: (1) Zion = Jerusalem and (2) holy mountain = temple (Mt. Moriah). Jerusalem is holy because of the personal presence of YHWH. His temple (esp. the Ark of the Covenant) is the special place where heaven and earth meet. YHWH symbolically dwelt between the wings of the Cherubim on the lid (mercy seat) of the Ark. Heaven was His dwelling place, but the Ark was His footstool.
And strangers will pass through it no more This is an emphasis on no more military invasions (cf. Isa 52:1; Nah 1:15; Zec 9:8; 1Pe 1:4).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Proclaim, &c. Compare Isa 8:9, Isa 8:10. Jer 46:3, Jer 46:4. Eze 38:7.
Gentiles = nations.
Prepare = Hallow.
men. Hebrew, plural of ‘enosh. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Joe 3:9-21
A Call to War and Identity of Gods People (Joe 3:9-21)
Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy might ones to come down, O Jehovah. Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe: come, tread ye; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great (Joe 3:9-13).
The ungodly of all nations are called to the valley of Jehoshaphat to be judged. Jehovah is depicted as the thrasher of grapes and the ungodly as the grapes awaiting to be smashed into juice. The wine vat is full and the time of their thrashing has come.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more (Joe 3:14-17).
The day of Jehovah is the day that the ungodly are judged for their wicked deeds. A time of desolation for the ungodly has come. God speaks with the voice of a roaring lion that comes from Jerusalem against the ungodly. To those; however, who seek the Lords protection and mercy He will provide refuge. The ones suffering Gods wrath will be distinguished from those who are protected by Jehovah God. All will take note and all will know that Jehovah is God. The new spiritual Zion will house only those who call upon the name of Jehovah God for his mercy. No stranger will have a place in Gods kingdom.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. And I will cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion (Joe 3:18-21).
Joel writes, in that day which connects these thoughts to the thoughts and time table above. The time is during the revelation of Jesus Christ being poured out upon sons, daughters, old and young men, slave and free. The abundance of blessings listed must thereby have to do with the abundance and satisfying word of God that is revealed by revelation through the prophets, apostles, and inspired people of the New Testament age. Egypt and Edom stand in metonymy (see Obadiah study) for all the ungodly that reject the gospel message of salvation from the consequences of sin. Said individuals will always be desolate and places where there is no hope.
The cleansed blood is a representation of the state of all who would reign with God in His Zion kingdom (i.e., the church). The unity of forgiven sinners is realized in the blood of Christ and maintained through the gospel of Jesus Christ (i.e., truth or law of Christ). God dwells in Zion and thereby the true church of Jesus Christ is comprised of those sanctified and holy (cf. Lev 11:44-45).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Prepare war
Joe 3:9-14 refer to Armageddon; Joe 3:15-16 are parallel with Joe 2:30-32. From Joe 3:9-16 we have a resume of Joe 2:9-32.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Proclaim: Psa 96:10, Isa 34:1, Jer 31:10, Jer 50:2
Prepare: Heb. sanctify, Eze 21:21, Eze 21:22
wake: Isa 8:9, Isa 8:10, Jer 46:3, Jer 46:4, Eze 38:7
Reciprocal: Jos 9:2 – gathered 2Sa 3:6 – Abner 1Ki 20:22 – strengthen 2Ch 25:8 – be strong Isa 24:21 – the Lord Isa 34:2 – the indignation Isa 37:22 – hath despised Isa 41:6 – of good courage Isa 45:21 – Tell ye Isa 54:15 – they shall Isa 57:3 – draw Jer 6:4 – Prepare Jer 46:14 – Stand Jer 51:12 – the standard Eze 38:17 – whom Amo 4:4 – Come Mic 4:3 – and rebuke Mic 5:1 – gather Nah 2:1 – keep Nah 3:14 – fortify Zep 3:8 – to gather Hag 2:7 – I will shake Zec 14:3 – General Act 4:26 – kings Rev 11:18 – the nations Rev 16:16 – he Rev 19:19 – I saw
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Joe 3:9. The preceding chapter followed a prediction of the return of fleshly Israel from captivity, by one of the introduction of the Gospel. The present chapter does about the same thing, for the verse of this paragraph begins a highly figurative prophecy of the Gospel Era, and it is the subject through verse 18. Prepare is rendered “sanctify in the margin, and Strong’s lexicon agrees with it. The thought is that a holy war was to be proclaimed, not one to be waged with literal steel weapons.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joe 3:9-10. 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.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Joe 3:9-17. A Challenge to the Nations to Appear in the Valley of Judgment to Meet their Doom.Returning to the idea of Joe 3:2, Joel represents Yahweh as bidding the heralds make proclamation among the nations, challenging them to perform the religious rites used to initiate a campaign, and to advance against Him. Let them put their utmost strength into the battle, converting the implements of peace into weapons of war (contrast Isa 2:4), and playing the hero even to the feeblest man amongst them. Let the warriors haste and present themselves in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where Yahweh will execute judgment upon them. Under two figures the judgment is expressed: the nations are like ripe corn, which the angel reapers are bidden cut, or grapes filling the press, ready for them to tread. Multitudes await their fate in the Valley of Decisionanother name for Valley of Jehoshaphat (cf. Joe 3:2*)in Yahwehs Day of Doom. The heavenly bodies grow murky, while the thunder of Yahwehs voice is heard as the roar of the lion springing upon its prey. Yet amid all these convulsions Yahweh will assure the safety of His people, and thus they shall be convinced that He is their God, dwelling in their midst, for never again shall the heathen oppressor defile the soil of Jerusalem.
Joe 3:9. come up: a technical military term for movements of offence.
Joe 3:10. spears: rather lances.
Joe 3:11. thither cause . . . Lord: a very obscure clause, possibly a gloss on tread ye (Joe 3:13). As the text stands, the mighty ones must be Yahwehs angels.
Joe 3:13. the fats overflow: strictly speaking, the fat or vat is the lower receptacle into which flows the juice trodden out in the press, though it is sometimes used loosely for the press.
Joe 3:14. Multitudes: the Heb. word is mimetic, suggesting the murmur of a thronging crowd.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
2. The description of judgment 3:9-17
This pericope contains a call to the nations to prepare for war (Joe 3:9-11), a statement by the Lord (Joe 3:12-13), and a description of the battle site (Joe 3:14-16).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord issued a call to war. The nations will evidently believe that God is calling them to do battle, but, ironically, it is really to hear His sentence of judgment against them. The nations should prepare for a great battle by beating their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears. At a later time, in the Millennium, they would do the reverse because Messiah will end war (cf. Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3). The weak should "psych" themselves up in preparation. The nations should hurry and assemble (cf. Zec 12:9). Joel also called on Yahweh to bring down His mighty army of angelic warriors to engage the enemy of His people (cf. Deu 33:2-3; 2Ki 6:17; Psa 68:17; Psa 103:19-20; Zec 14:5).
"But, when the nations were assembled in the valley, fully equipped for battle, they would receive a shock; they would find there the Judge of all the nations, and in their hands they would be holding the incriminating evidence of their own history of violence." [Note: Peter C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets, p. 116.]