Assemble yourselves. Compare Joel 3:2 . Hebrew ' ushu = haste ye, as in Septuagint and Vulgate. Occurs only here. heathen = nations. thither. To the valley of Jehoshaphat. Thy mighty ones. Compare Psalms 103:20 . Isaiah 13:3 . read more
"Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.The gathering of the nations in their opposition to God, which is prophesied to come at the general hardening of mankind that is prophesied as preceding the Final Judgment is here represented as an act of God Himself, indicating judicial hardening. Thus, in the case of Judas, Jesus commanded him, "What thou doest, do quickly" (John 13:27)."Thy mighty ones to come down... read more
Joel 3:11. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down— The Lord shall cast down the strong ones: Houbigant. Our translation, however, may be justified. At the ninth verse the proclamation is for the enemies to ascend, Judaea being a high and mountainous situation; and, as God's mighty ones were to meet them, the prophet prays, Thither, namely, to the appointed place, cause thy mighty ones to descend: "Lead thither thy people, thy mighty army, and give them the victory over their cruel enemies."... read more
11. Assemble—"Hasten" [MAURER]. thither—to the valley of Jehoshaphat. thy mighty ones—the warriors who fancy themselves "mighty ones," but who are on that very spot to be overthrown by Jehovah [MAURER]. Compare "the mighty men" ( :-). Rather, Joel speaks of God's really "mighty ones" in contrast to the self-styled "mighty men" (Joel 3:9; Psalms 103:20; Isaiah 13:3; compare Daniel 10:13). AUBERLEN remarks: One prophet supplements the other, for they all prophesied only "in part." What was... read more
B. God’s judgment on Israel’s enemy nations 3:1-17God’s judgment on unbelievers would accompany the spiritual renewal and deliverance of His own in the future day of the Lord. As God promised to wipe out the locusts for despoiling Judah, now He promised to do the same to the nations that had despoiled Judah (cf. Zephaniah 3:8; Ezekiel 38-39; Matthew 25:31-46)."Like a photographer, Joel has used a wide-angle lens for the overall picture in Joel 2:30-32. Then he zooms in for a close look at the... read more
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. Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). The weak should "psych" themselves up in preparation. The nations should... read more
2. The description of judgment 3:9-17This pericope contains a call to the nations to prepare for war (Joel 3:9-11), a statement by the Lord (Joel 3:12-13), and a description of the battle site (Joel 3:14-16). read more
The Judgment of the Heathen and the Glory of IsraelA general judgment of all nations, for their mistreatment of Israel, is announced in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1-4). Tyre, Zidon, and Philistia, immediate neighbours of Israel, are arraigned for robbery and slave trade, and sentenced according to the lex talionis (Joel 3:5-8). All nations are then summoned as though to a tryst of arms before Jehovah (Joel 3:9-13), whose terrible Day is described (Joel 3:14-17), ending with the blessing... read more
(11) Thy mighty ones—i.e., thy, because Jehovah had summoned them to take arms, as champions against Him in the final conflict. read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Joel 3:1-15
3:1-21 FINAL PUNISHMENT AND BLESSINGUp till now Joel has been emphasizing aspects of the day of the Lord that were not so well known, for example, judgment on all sinners, including Israel-Judah, and blessing on all the faithful, regardless of age, sex or status. Now he deals with aspects that were better known, namely, the salvation of God’s people and the judgment of their enemies. However, he wants his readers to understand these matters in the light of what he has already told them about... read more