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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joel 2:12-17

We have here an earnest exhortation to repentance, inferred from that desolating judgment described and threatened in the Joel 2:1-11: Therefore now turn you to the Lord. 1. ?Thus you must answer the end and intention of the judgment; for it was sent for this end, to convince you of your sins, to humble you for them, to reduce you to your right minds and to your allegiance.? God brings us into straits, that he may bring us to repentance and so bring us to himself. 2. ?Thus you may stay the... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joel 2:18-27

See how ready God is to succour and relieve his people, how he waits to be gracious; as soon as ever they humble themselves under this hand, and pray, and seek his face, he immediately meets them with his favours. They prayed that God would spare them, and see here with what good words and comfortable words he answered them; for God's promises are real answers to the prayers of faith, because with him saying and doing are not two things. Now observe, I. Whence this mercy promised shall take... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 2:16

Gather the people ,.... The common people, all the inhabitants of the land, Joel 1:14 ; summon them to meet together in the temple, in order to humble themselves before God for their sins, and implore his mercy, and seek his face to remove his judgments, or avert them: sanctify the congregation ; see that they are sanctified and prepared for a fast, as the law directs in such cases; that they may be clean and free from all ceremonial impurities; that their bodies and clothes be washed,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 2:17

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar ,.... Not the altar of incense which stood in the holy place; but the altar of burnt offering, where the priests used to stand and do service; but now having nothing to do of that kind, they are called upon to weep and pray between that and the porch of the temple; where they might be seen and heard by the people in the outward court which the porch led into: this is thought by some to be the same situation with... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 2:18

Then will the Lord be jealous for his land ,.... Or "zealous" for it; for the honour of it, and the good of its inhabitants, and for the glory of his own name, it being the chief place in the world for his worship and service; and his indignation will be moved against those who have brought desolation on it: and pity his people ; as a father his children, who had suffered much, and had been reduced to great distress by the locusts, or by their enemies: this the prophet foretells would be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 2:19

Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people ,.... By his prophets, as Kimchi: or, "the Lord answered and said" F1 ויען "et respondit", Piscator, Drusius, Burkius. ; while they were praying and weeping, or as soon as they cried unto him; or, however, praying to him, they might assure themselves that he heard them, and would answer them both by words and deeds: behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil ; that is, cause the earth to bring forth corn, as wheat and barley,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 2:16

Gather the children - Let all share in the humiliation, for all must feel the judgment, should it come. Let no state nor condition among the people be exempted. The elders, the young persons, the infants, the bridegroom, and the bride; let all leave their houses, and go to the temple of God. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 2:17

Let the priests - weep between the porch and the altar - The altar of burnt-offerings stood before the porch of the temple, 2 Chronicles 8:12 , and between them there was an open space of fifteen or twenty cubits. It was there that the priests prostrated themselves on such occasions. It was into this place that the priests brought the sacrifice or victim of atonement; and where the high priest laid his hands on the head of the victim confessing his sins. Let them say - The following... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 2:19

Yea, the Lord will answer - It is not a peradventure; it will surely be done; if ye seek God as commanded, ye will find him as promised. I will send you corn and wine - He will either prevent the total ravaging of the land, or so bless it with extraordinary vegetable strength, that ye shall have plentiful crops. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 2:16

Verse 16 Proclaim, he says, a meeting עצרה otsare is not properly an assembly, but the deed itself: (6) hence also the word is transferred to festivals. Proclaim, then, a meeting, call the people, sanctify the assembly. The word, sanctify, seems to be taken here in a sense different from what it had been before. The people, in order to engage in holy services, performed those rites, as it is well known, by which they cleansed themselves from their pollutions. No one entered the temple without... read more

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