Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joel 3:5

Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

5. my silver and my gold ] not necessarily the silver and the gold in the Temple (1Ki 14:26; 2Ki 14:14), but more generally what belonged to Jehovah, or His people, whether in the Temple, or in the public treasuries, or in private houses.

temples ] or palaces (Amo 8:3 al.), the abodes of the wealthy.

pleasant (or desirable) things ] i.e. valuables: see 1Ki 20:6 (cf. Joe 3:7); Lam 1:10-11; Isa 64:11.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ye have taken My silver and My gold – Not the silver and gold of the temple, (as some have thought.) At least, up to the prophets time, they had not done this. For the inroad of the Philistines in the reign of Jehoram was, apparently, a mere marauding expedition, in which they killed and plundered, but are not said to have besieged or taken any city, much less Jerusalem. God calls the silver and gold which He, through His Providence, had bestowed on Judah, My gold and silver; as He said by Hosea Hos 2:8.

She knew not that I multiplied her silver and gold, whereof she made Baal; and by Haggai, The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts Hag 2:8. For they were His people, and what they had, they held of Him; and the Philistines too so accounted it, and dedicated a part of it to their idols, as they had the ark formerly, accounting the victory over Gods people to be the triumph of their idols over God.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

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

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Ye have taken; you Tyrians, Zidonians, and Philistines have received at the hands of those you confederated with, you have taken them either as part of the spoil, or as part of your pay.

My silver and my gold; silver and gold vessels dedicated to my service in the temple, and about the altar.

And have carried into your temples; and in contempt of me, with proud insulting, have presented them in your temples to your idols, as if they were mightier and more glorious than I: so did the Philistines carry the ark into Dagons temple, but it cost Dagon his head, 1Sa 5:4; and Nebuchadnezzar carried away the sacred vessels when he spoiled the temple.

My goodly pleasant things; God speaks of these after the manner of man, and so accounteth of these things.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

5. my silver . . . my goldthatis, the gold and silver of My people. The Philistines and Arabianshad carried off all the treasures of King Jehoram’s house (2Ch 21:16;2Ch 21:17). Compare also 1Ki 15:18;2Ki 12:18; 2Ki 14:14,for the spoiling of the treasures of the temple and the king’s palacein Judah by Syria. It was customary among the heathen to hang up inthe idol temples some of the spoils of war as presents to their gods.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Because ye have taken my silver and my gold,…. Which is all the Lord’s, Hag 2:8; or which he had bestowed upon his people, and they had taken from them:

and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things; either the rich furniture of the houses of his people, which they carried into their own houses, or “palaces” e, as it may be rendered; having either taken them away themselves, or bought them of others that had taken them: or else the rich vessels of the temple; as these were carried away by the Chaldeans, and put into their idol temples, Da 1:2; so afterward they were taken by the Romans, and put into the temples of their gods: whether any of these came into the hands of the Tyrians, c. by any means, and were put into their idol temples, as the temple of Hercules, is not certain however, it is notorious that the Papists, the Tyrians are an emblem of, not only build stately temples, and dedicate them to angels and saints, but most profusely adorn them with gold and silver, and all goodly and desirable things; which is putting them to an idolatrous use they were not designed for.

e “in palatia vestra”, Montanus, Drusius, Burkius.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Let us now proceed: He says that their silver and their gold had been taken away by the Syrians and the Sidonians. All who were the neighbors of that people, no doubt, derived gain from their calamity, as is usually the case. They were at first ill disposed towards them; there was then a new temptation; they gaped after booty: and they showed themselves openly their enemies, when they saw that there was hope of gain. Such was the case with the Syrians and Sidonians. There is no doubt, but that they sedulously courted the favor of the Assyrians, that they helped them with provisions and other things, that they might partake of the spoil. It was, therefore, no wonder that gold and silver was taken away by them, for the carriage of them to Assyria would have been tedious: and, as I have just hinted, it is usually the case, that conquerors gratify those by whom they have been assisted. Many extend this plunder generally to the whole wealth of the people; that is, that the enemies plundered what gold and silver there was in Judea, and that the Sidonians got a portion of it for themselves. But there seems to have been a special complaint, that the sacred vessels of the temple were taken away by the Syrians and Sidonians: I therefore prefer to render the word, temples, rather than palaces. Some say, ‘Ye have carried away my silver and my gold to your palaces.’ Though the word is capable of two meanings, yet the Prophet, I have no doubt, refers here to the temples. The Syrians, then, and the Sidonians profaned the silver and the gold of the temple by dedicating them to their idols; they adorned their idols with spoils taken from the only true God. This was the reason why God was so exceedingly displeased. There was, indeed, a cause why God, as we have said, contended for the whole nation of Israel: but it was a far more heinous wrong to spoil the temple, and to strip it of its ornaments, and then to adorn idols with its sacred vessels; for God was thus treated with scorn; and in contempt of him, the Syrians and Sidonians built, as it were, a trophy of victory in their own dens, where they performed sacrilegious acts in worshipping fictitious gods.

Ye have taken away, he says, my gold and silver, and my desirable good things. God speaks here after the manner of men; for it is certain that even under the law he stood in no need of gold or silver, or of other precious things; he wished the temple to be adorned with vessels and other valuable furniture for the sake of the ignorant ( rudis — rude) people; for the Jews could not have been preserved in pure and right worship, had not God assisted their weak faith by these helps. ( adminiculis — props, aids) But yet, as obedience is acceptable to him, he says that whatever was an ornament in the temple was a desirable thing to him; while, at the same time, by speaking thus, he put on, as I have said, a character not his own, as he has no need of such things, nor is he delighted with them. We ought not, indeed, to imagine God to be like a child, who takes delight in gold and silver and such things; but what is said here was intended for the benefit of the people, that they might know that God approved of that worship, for it was according to his command. He therefore calls every thing that was in the temple desirable, Ye have, he says, carried away into your temples my desirable good things.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(5) My silver.Mine, as being the property of my people, not as being dedicated to the service of the Temple. In the time of Jehoram, the Philistines and others had carried away all the substance that was found in the kings house (2Ch. 21:17).

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Joe 3:5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

Ver. 5. Because ye have taken my silver, &c. ] Sacrilege is a second sin they here stand charged with. Ye have taken, that is, taken away (by which observation, ye shall easily reconcile the Psalmist, Psa 68:19 , with the apostle, Eph 4:8 , saith Tarnovius here), my silver and my gold; vessels consecrated to my use and service; or mine, that is, my people’s, whom ye have robbed; but it shall not thrive with you; it shall prove as the gold of Toulouse (Aurum Tholosanum), fatal to them that had any part of it, or as Achan’s wedge, that cleft his body and soul asunder.

These ye have carried into your temples Or palaces, even my goodly pleasant things ] My desirable goods, either to adorn your houses or your idols, to your own bane, as Belshazzar. It is surely a snare to a man who devoureth dedicated things, Pro 20:25 , that bowseth in the bowls of the sanctuary. And it was a sad complaint of Luther, that even in the reformed Churches, parishes and schools were robbed of their due maintenance; as if they meant to starve us all. The like saith Gualther in his homily upon this text: Non desunt pseudo-evangelici, saith he, There want not such false gospellers among us, who restore not the Church her wealth, pulled out of the Papists’ fingers; but make good that saying of one, Possidebant Papistae, possident Rapistae, Papists had Church livings, and now Rapists have gotten them; like as a good author observeth upon the battle of Montlecherye, that some lost their livings by running away, and they were given to those that ran ten miles farther.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

pleasant things = things of desire, or valuable things. Compare Dan 11:38.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

ye: 2Ki 12:18, 2Ki 16:8, 2Ki 18:15, 2Ki 18:16, 2Ki 24:13, 2Ki 25:13-17, Jer 50:28, Jer 51:11, Dan 5:2, Dan 5:3

into: 1Sa 5:2-5

pleasant: Heb. desirable, Dan 11:38

Reciprocal: 1Ki 20:6 – pleasant Isa 23:3 – she is

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Joe 3:5. It is bad enough to take from another bis personal possessions unlawfully, but it is much worse when it is done with the intention of making an evil use of them. These heathen cities had stolen the precious metals out of the land of Israel and used them in their idolatrous worship.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Joe 3:5. Because ye have taken my silver and my gold Have taken out of my temple the silver and golden vessels dedicated to my service; and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things Hebrew, my desirable goodly things. Gods temple was several times despoiled of its ornaments by the Chaldeans. Once in the reign of Jehoiakim, 2Ch 36:7. Then in the short reign of Jehoiachin, 2Ki 24:13, before the last destruction of it, recorded 2Ki 25:13. Some part of the furniture might probably be sold to the merchants of Tyre and Sidon. The profanation of Gods temple, and the sacrilegious robbing it of its vessels and ornaments, were crimes remarkably punished by God in heathen and infidels: see Jer 50:28; Jer 51:11. So it was in Belshazzar, Dan 5:1; in Antiochus Epiphanes, 1Ma 6:12; and afterward in Pompey and Crassus. And no wonder, for God had given remarkable proofs of his divine presence being in that place; and the heathen themselves might have discovered, by the light of nature, that there was but one true and living God.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Specifically these Gentile nations had robbed God and had sold the children of His chosen people as slaves to the Greeks. These nations had stolen from the Israelites. Amos also referred to the Phoenician and Philistine slave trade (Amo 1:6; Amo 1:9; cf. Eze 27:13; Eze 27:19).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)