Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joel 3:7
Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompense upon your own head:
7. Behold, I am stirring them up ] i.e. arousing them into activity (Isa 13:17; Jer 50:9, R.V.: Isa 41:2; Isa 41:25; Isa 45:13, A.V., R.V. render badly raise up), and enabling them to leave the land of their servitude.
and will return your deed upon your own head ] repeated from Joe 3:4 b.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 8. The punishment, awarded according to the Lex talionis.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold I will raise them – If this promise relates to the same individuals who had been sold, it must have been fulfilled silently; as indeed the return of captives to their own land, unless brought about by some historical event, belongs not to history, but to private life. The prophet, however, is probably predicting Gods dealings with the nations, not with those individuals. The enslaving of these Hebrews in the time of Joram was but one instance out of a whole system of covetous misdeeds. The Philistines carried away captives from them again in the time of Ahaz 2Ch 28:18, and yet again subsequently Eze 16:27, Eze 16:57; and still more at the capture of Jerusalem Eze 25:15.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. I will raise them] I shall find means to bring them back from the place whither ye have sold them, and they shall retaliate upon you the injuries they have sustained. It is said that Alexander and his successors set at liberty many Jews that had been sold into Greece. And it is likely that many returned from different lands, on the publication of the edict of Cyrus. – Newcome.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Behold; observe it well, for as it will be strange when done, so it shall certainly be done, to your joy, O my people, and to the astonishment of your enemies.
I will raise them; awaken and raise them; though they lay sleeping, or as dead men, I will stir up some who shall befriend them. Out of the place whither ye have sold them; fulfilled when Alexander the Great and his successors, as Josephus, lib. 13. cap. 5, reports, dismissed all Jews that were slaves in Greece, and gave them leave to return to their own country.
And will return your recompence upon your own head; and more than this, I will pay you in your own coin, you shall read and know your sin in your punishment.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. raise themthat is, I willrouse them. Neither sea nor distance will prevent My bringingthem back. Alexander, and his successors, restored to liberty manyJews in bondage in Greece [JOSEPHUS,Antiquities, 13.5; Wars of the Jews, 3.9,2].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them,…. That is, bring them back to their own land, from their places whither they have been carried captive, and where they have dwelt in obscurity, and as if theft had been buried in graves, but now should be raised up and restored; and this their restoration will be as life from the dead. So the Targum,
“behold, I will bring them publicly from the place whither ye have sold them;”
this is to be understood, not of the same persons, but of their posterity, they being the same natural body. Kimchi interprets it of them and their children; them at the resurrection of the dead, their children at the time of salvation. Some think this had its accomplishment in Alexander and his successors, by whom the Jews, who had been detained captives in other countries, were set free; particularly by Demetrius, as Josephus f relates: though it may be applied to the future restoration of the Jews, out of all countries, unto their own land; or rather to the gathering together the spiritual Israel, or people of God, who have been persecuted from place to place by their antichristian enemies;
and will return your recompence upon your own head; do to them as they have done to others; pay them in their own coin; retaliate the wrongs done to his people; see Re 13:10.
f Antiqu. l. 13. c. 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet declares here more fully and expressly, that God had not so deserted the Jews, but that he intended, in course of time, to stretch forth his hand to them again. It was indeed a temporary desertion: but it behaved the faithful in the meantime to rely on this assurance, — that God purposed again to restore his people: and of this the Prophet now speaks, Behold, he says, I will raise them from the place unto which ye have sold them; as though he said “ Neither distance of place, nor the intervening sea, will hinder me from restoring my people. ” As then the Syrians and Sidonians thought that the Jews were precluded a return to their country, because they were taken away into distant parts of the world, God says that this would be no obstacle in his way to collect again his Church.
But it may he asked, When has this prediction been fulfilled? as we indeed know that the Jews have never returned to their own country: for shortly after their return from exile, they were in various ways diminished; and at length the most grievous calamities followed, which consumed the greatest part of the people. Since this then has been the condition of that nation, we ought to inquire whether Christ has collected the Jews, who had been far dispersed. We indeed know that they were then especially scattered; for the land of Judea never ceased to be distressed by continual wars until Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people were almost wholly consumed. Since then it has been so, when can we say that this prediction has been fulfilled? Many explain the words allegorically, and say, that the Prophet speaks of apostles and martyrs, who, through various persecutions, were driven into different parts; but this is a strained view. I therefore do not doubt, but that here he refers to a spiritual gathering: and it is certain that God, since the appearance of Christ, has joined together his Church by the bond of faith; for not only that people have united together in one, but also the Gentiles, who were before alienated from the Church, and had no intercourse with it, have been collected into one body. We hence see, that what the Prophet says has been spiritually fulfilled; even the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have been redeemed by the Lord, and restored again, not on foot or by sea; for Jerusalem has been built everywhere as it is said in Zechariah.
I will therefore gather them, he says; and he adds, I will return recompense on your head He again confirms what he said before, — that though the ungodly should exult, while ruling over the children of God, their cruelty would not be unpunished; for they shall find that the Church is never neglected by God; though he may subject it to various troubles, and exercise its patience, and even chastise it, he will yet be ever its defender. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
7, 8. Indeed, these enemies deserve punishment; and “with what measure ye mete it shall be measured unto you.” All they have done will be recompensed to them according to the lex talionis. Behold, I will raise them [“stir them up”] Better, I am about to stir up. The event is imminent (compare Joe 2:19).
Them The children of Judah and Jerusalem; they will be roused into activity in their place of exile, and will be brought home (Joe 3:1); there under the blessing of Jehovah the Jews will become strong and powerful, and by means of them Jehovah will do unto the Tyrians, Sidonians, and Philistines as they have done unto Judah and Jerusalem sell them into slavery.
Sons and daughters Not children, but citizens of the countries (Hos 2:2). Sabeans [“men of Sheba”] A celebrated commercial nation in southwest Arabia; well known from the descriptions of ancient geographers, and more recently from the inscriptions found in the district itself. They traded not only in the products of their own land, but also in those of India and Ethiopia (Gen 10:7; Gen 10:28; Gen 25:3 ; 1Ki 10:2; 1Ki 10:10).
A people [“nation”] far off The Jews had been sold into the far west (Joe 3:6); their enemies are to be sold to the far southeast. LXX. reads, “into exile”; which presupposes only a slight change in the Hebrew text and is favored by some as the original reading. The prophet assures the nations that the prediction will surely be fulfilled.
For Jehovah hath spoken it A common formula of asseveration in the Old Testament (Isa 1:20; Isa 22:25; Oba 1:18).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Behold, I will stir them up out of the place where you have sold them,
And will return your recompense on your own head,
And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah,
And they will sell them to the men of Sheba,
To a nation far off,
For YHWH has spoken it.’
But YHWH would not leave His people in the places where they had been sold. One day He would stir them up out of their place and restore them to Himself. And He would also recompense Himself on those who had stolen from Him. He would do it by Himself selling their children to Judah who in turn would sell them in the east, to the Sabeans (the opposite direction to the Greeks). If carried out at all this specific judgment would have been carried out in later centuries and is not to be seen as something that will happen in the future. YHWH’s judgments extend over a long period before they are finally summed up in the final judgment. But there is good reason for seeing this as simply an example of retribution not to be taken literally. (It is quite clear that YHWH Himself would certainly not ‘sell slaves’ to anyone).
‘To a nation far off.’ Just as the Judean slaves had been carried over the seas, so would the Tyrian and Philistine slaves be carried afar off, for the Sabeans would sell them on to many places in Africa. And all this would happen because YHWH had purposed it. It would result from the powerful word of YHWH which always accomplished its purpose (Isa 55:10-13).
There is in fact no record of this selling of slaves to the Sabeans, and it is very possible that this was simply intended to say graphically, ‘what you have sown you will reap’, or in Old Testament terms, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. As already mentioned, it is quite clear that YHWH would not literally sell slaves to Judah. It was simply His way of reminding the nations of what He could do if he wished, and what the future would hold for them in general because of their opposition to Him. It was also a guarantee of the prosperous future of Judah.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joe 3:7. Out of the place whither, &c. It is said in the preceding verse, that the Jews were sold to the Grecians. Therefore this place is to be understood principally of Greece; whence the Jews should hasten to the Maccabees, on hearing of their victory.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joe 3:7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
Ver. 7. Behold, I will raise them out of the place, &c. ] Seem it never so improbable or impossible, I will do it, saith God, and you shall see it. Behold, I will fetch home my banished, though they may seem to be as water spilt on the ground. I will make those dead bones live; and raise myself a name, and a praise, by outbidding their hopes, and marring your design of utter extermination. Ribera understands the words concerning the resurrection of the dead at the last day, because the Hebrew word properly signifieth, to raise one out of sleep. Some think it is meant of the apostles and martyrs, fetched out of banishment; as was John out of Patmos, Athanasius, Chrysostom, who yet in his last banishment, by reason of the barbarous usage of the soldiers that led him along, hired for that purpose, sweetly and blessedly breathed out his last, (Erasm. in Vita Chrysost.), the English exiles in Queen Mary’s time, whereof many returned and did excellent service here. But I doubt not, saith judicious Calvin (in loc.), but God intends here a spiritual gathering together of his people into one body, by the bond of faith; and this was principally fulfilled after the death of Christ, who died for that nation, “And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together into one the children of God that were scattered abroad,” Joh 11:52 ; so that those whom God hath gathered together and caused to return ( non pedibus vel navigio, for that needs not, to Jerusalem, which is above, which is the mother of us all), from the lands of the east, of the west, of the north, and of the south, shall praise the Lord together, as the psalmist hath it, Psa 107:2-3 .
And will return your recompence upon your own head
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I will raise, &c. Compare Isa 43:5, Isa 43:6, with Joe 49:12. Jer 23:8.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will: Isa 11:12, Isa 43:5, Isa 43:6, Isa 49:12, Jer 23:8, Jer 30:10, Jer 30:16, Jer 31:8, Jer 32:37, Eze 34:12, Eze 34:13, Eze 36:24, Eze 38:8, Zec 10:6-10
and will: Joe 3:4, Jdg 1:7, 1Sa 15:33, Est 7:10, Mat 7:2, 2Th 1:6, Jam 2:13, Rev 13:10, Rev 16:6, Rev 19:2
Reciprocal: Isa 66:6 – a voice of the Lord Eze 28:25 – When Oba 1:15 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Joe 3:7. All of Gods people who had been enslaved were promised their freedom. Return your recompense denotes some kind of judgment that would be sent upon these wicked cities for their mistreatment of the Lords people.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joe 3:7-8. Behold, I will raise them, &c. I will restore them, or their posterity, out of their several captivities whither their enemies have dispersed them. Grotius on this place mentions, that Alexander and his successors set at liberty many Jews, who were slaves in Greece. Many also, on occasion of Cyruss decree, might return to their country, from such parts of Asia Minor and the Ionian islands as were subject to that monarch. And will return your recompense upon your own head Will inflict upon you the punishments mentioned in the following verse. I will sell your sons, &c. This was fulfilled when Alexander took Gaza, Zidon, and Tyre, and made a great multitude of captives, of whom he is said to have sold thirty thousand for slaves. These captives the Jews, who were in favour with him, had the liberty of buying, and probably afterward sold many of them, by way of traffic, to the Arabians, here meant by the Sabeans.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
To pay back these nations, the Lord said He would revive the Israelites in the remote places to which they had been sold. The Israelites would grow strong there and would sell the descendants of these Phoenicians and Philistines to the Sabeans (cf. Eze 27:22-23). Thus He would pay them back in kind, which is His customary method of retribution (Gal 6:7). This may have been fulfilled in the fourth century B.C., or the fulfillment may still be future. Allen saw Antiochus III’s enslavement of the people of Sidon in 345 B.C. and Alexander the Great’s enslavement of the citizens of Tyre and Gaza in 332 B.C. as a partial fulfillment, assuming Jews were involved in these transactions. [Note: Allen, p. 114.] Probably the fulfillment lies in the future, specifically the end of the Tribulation, since this whole section of Joel deals with what God will do in that day of the Lord. Again, Phoenicia and Philistia probably represent all the enemies of Israel (cf. Isa 25:10-12; Obad.) over whom Israel will eventually gain ascendancy.