Commentari biblici

INTRODUCTION

JOEL (meaning "one to whom Jehovah is God," that is, worshipper of Jehovah) seems to have belonged to Judah, as no reference occurs to Israel; whereas he speaks of Jerusalem, the temple, the priests, and the ceremonies, as if he were intimately familiar with them (compare

Joe 1:14; 2:1, 15, 32; 3:1, 2, 6, 16, 17, 20, 21).

His predictions were probably delivered in the early days of Joash 870-865 B.C.; for no reference is made in them to the Babylonian, Assyrian, or even the Syrian invasion; and the only enemies mentioned are the Philistines, Phœnicians, Edomites, and Egyptians

(Joe 3:4, 19).

Had he lived after Joash, he would doubtless have mentioned the Syrians among the enemies whom he enumerates since they took Jerusalem and carried off immense spoil to Damascus

(2Ch 24:23, 24).

No idolatry is mentioned; and the temple services, the priesthood, and other institutions of the theocracy, are represented as flourishing. This all answers to the state of things under the high priesthood of Jehoiada, through whom Joash had been placed on the throne and who lived in the early years of Joash

(2Ki 11:17, 18; 12:2-16; 2Ch 24:4-14).

He was the son of Pethuel.

The first chapter describes the desolation caused by an inroad of locusts--one of the instruments of divine judgment mentioned by Moses

(De 28:38, 39)

and by Solomon

(1Ki 8:37).

The second chapter

(Joe 2:1-11):

the appearance of them, under images of a hostile army suggesting that the locusts were symbols and forerunners of a more terrible scourge, namely, foreign enemies who would consume all before them. (The absence of mention of personal injury to the inhabitants is not a just objection to the figurative interpretation; for the figure is consistent throughout in attributing to the locusts only injury to vegetation, thereby injuring indirectly man and beast).

Joe 2:12-17:

exhortation to repentance, the result of which will be: God will deliver His people, the former and latter rains shall return to fertilize their desolated lands, and these shall be the pledge of the spiritual outpouring of grace beginning with Judah, and thence extending to "all flesh."

Joe 2:18-3:21:

God's judgments on Judah's enemies, whereas Judah shall be established for ever.

Joel's style is pre-eminently pure. It is characterized by smoothness and fluency in the rhythms, roundness in the sentences, and regularity in the parallelisms. With the strength of Micah it combines the tenderness of Jeremiah, the vividness of Nahum, and the sublimity of Isaiah. As a specimen of his style take the second chapter wherein the terrible aspect of the locusts, their rapidity, irresistible progress, noisy din, and instinct-taught power of marshalling their forces for their career of devastation, are painted with graphic reality.

Joe 1:1-20.

THE DESOLATE ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY THROUGH THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS; THE PEOPLE ADMONISHED TO OFFER SOLEMN PRAYERS IN THE TEMPLE; FOR THIS CALAMITY IS THE EARNEST OF A STILL HEAVIER ONE.

1. Joel--meaning, "Jehovah is God."

son of Pethuel--to distinguish Joel the prophet from others of the name. Persons of eminence also were noted by adding the father's name.

2, 3. A spirited introduction calling attention.

old men--the best judges in question concerning the past

(De 32:7; Job 32:7).

Hath this been, &c.--that is, Hath any so grievous a calamity as this ever been before? No such plague of locusts had been since the ones in Egypt.

Ex 10:14

is not at variance with this verse, which refers to Judea, in which Joel says there had been no such devastation before.

3. Tell ye your children--in order that they may be admonished by the severity of the punishment to fear God

(Ps 78:6-8;

compare

Ex 13:8; Jos 4:7).

4. This verse states the subject on which he afterwards expands. Four species or stages of locusts, rather than four different insects, are meant (compare

Le 11:22).

Literally, (1) the gnawing locust; (2) the swarming locust; (3) the licking locust; (4) the consuming locust; forming a climax to the most destructive kind. The last is often three inches long, and the two antennæ, each an inch long. The two hinder of its six feet are larger than the rest, adapting it for leaping. The first "kind" is that of the locust, having just emerged from the egg in spring, and without wings. The second is when at the end of spring, still in their first skin, the locusts put forth little ones without legs or wings. The third, when after their third casting of the old skin, they get small wings, which enable them to leap the better, but not to fly. Being unable to go away till their wings are matured, they devour all before them, grass, shrubs, and bark of trees: translated "rough caterpillars"

(Jer 51:27).

The fourth kind, the matured winged locusts (see on

Na 3:16).

In

Joe 2:25

they are enumerated in the reverse order, where the restoration of the devastations caused by them is promised. The Hebrews make the first species refer to Assyria and Babylon; the second species, to Medo-Persia; the third, to Greco-Macedonia and Antiochus Epiphanes; the fourth, to the Romans. Though the primary reference be to literal locusts, the Holy Spirit doubtless had in view the successive empires which assailed Judea, each worse than its predecessor, Rome being the climax.

5. Awake--out of your ordinary state of drunken stupor, to realize the cutting off from you of your favorite drink. Even the drunkards (from a Hebrew root, "any strong drink") shall be forced to "howl," though usually laughing in the midst of the greatest national calamities, so palpably and universally shall the calamity affect all.

wine . . . new wine--"New" or "fresh wine," in Hebrew, is the unfermented, and therefore unintoxicating, sweet juice extracted by pressure from grapes or other fruit, as pomegranates

(So 8:2).

"Wine" is the produce of the grape alone, and is intoxicating (see on

Joe 1:10).

6. nation--applied to the locusts, rather than "people"

(Pr 30:25, 26),

to mark not only their numbers, but also their savage hostility; and also to prepare the mind of the hearer for the transition to the figurative locusts in the second chapter, namely, the "nation" or Gentile foe coming against Judea (compare

Joe 2:2).

my land--that is, Jehovah's; which never would have been so devastated were I not pleased to inflict punishment

(Joe 2:18; Isa 14:25; Jer 16:18; Eze 36:5; 38:16).

strong--as irresistibly sweeping away before its compact body the fruits of man's industry.

without number--so

Jud 6:5; 7:12,

"like grasshoppers (or "locusts") for multitude"

(Jer 46:23; Na 3:15).

teeth . . . lion--that is, the locusts are as destructive as a lion; there is no vegetation that can resist their bite (compare

Re 9:8).

PLINY says "they gnaw even the doors of houses."

7. barked--BOCHART, with the Septuagint and Syriac, translates, from an Arabic root, "hath broken," namely, the topmost shoots, which locusts most feed on. CALVIN supports English Version.

my vine . . . my fig tree--being in "My land," that is, Jehovah's

(Joe 1:6).

As to the vine-abounding nature of ancient Palestine, see

Nu 13:23, 24.

cast it away--down to the ground.

branches . . . white--both from the bark being stripped off

(Ge 30:37),

and from the branches drying up through the trunk, both bark and wood being eaten up below by the locusts.