Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain:
let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD
cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
A more terrific judgment than that of the locusts, foretold under
imagery drawn from that of the calamity then engrossing the a... [ Continue Reading ]
A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and
a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more
after it, even to the years of many generations.
A DAY OF DARKNESS AND OF GLOOMINESS, A... [ Continue Reading ]
A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the
land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate
wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
A FIRE DEVOURETH BEFORE THEM, AND BEHIND THEM - i:e., on every side
().
FIRE ... FLAME - destruction ... deso... [ Continue Reading ]
The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as
horsemen, so shall they run.
THE APPEARANCE OF THEM IS AS THE APPEARANCE OF HORSES. Not literal,
but figurative locusts. The fifth trumpet, or first woe, in the
parallel passage (Revelation 9:1) cannot be literal; for in it is
said, "T... [ Continue Reading ]
Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap,
like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a
strong people set in battle array.
LIKE THE NOISE OF CHARIOTS - referring to the loud sound caused by
their wings in motion, or else the movement of their hind... [ Continue Reading ]
Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall
gather blackness.
BEFORE THEIR FACE THE PEOPLE SHALL BE MUCH PAINED - namely, with
terror. The Arab proverb is, 'More terrible than the locusts.'
ALL FACES SHALL GATHER BLACKNESS - (Isaiah 13:8, "Their faces shall
be as flames;... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of
war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not
break their ranks:
Depicting the regular military order of their advance, 'One locust not
turning a nail's breadth out of his own place in the march' (Jerome).... [ Continue Reading ]
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun
and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their
shining:
THE EARTH SHALL QUAKE BEFORE THEM - i:e., the inhabitants of the
earth quake with fear of them.
THE HEAVENS SHALL TREMBLE - i:e., "the powers of the hea... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is
very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of
the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
AND THE LORD SHALL UTTER HIS VOICE BEFORE HIS ARMY - so among
Mohammedans, 'Lord of the locusts' is... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your
heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
THEREFORE. With such judgments impending over the Jews, Yahweh
Himself urges them to repentance.
ALSO NOW, SAITH THE LORD - even now, what none could have hoped or... [ Continue Reading ]
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD
your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
AND REND YOUR HEART, AND NOT YOUR GARMENTS - let there be the inward
sorrow of heart, and not the mere outward manife... [ Continue Reading ]
Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind
him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
WHO KNOWETH IF HE WILL RETURN AND REPENT, AND LEAVE A BLESSING BEHIND
HIM, EVEN A MEAT OFFERING AND A DRINK OFFERING - i:e., Who knows but
He will still gi... [ Continue Reading ]
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
BLOW THE TRUMPET - to convene the people (: cf. ). The nation was
guilty, and therefore there must be a national humiliation. Compare
Hezekiah's proceedings in proclaiming a solemn Passover, to which he
invited Israel as well as J... [ Continue Reading ]
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders,
gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the
bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
SANCTIFY THE CONGREGATION - namely, by expiatory rites and
purification of their persons and of th... [ Continue Reading ]
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch
and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give
not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over
them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
LET THE PRIESTS, THE MINIS... [ Continue Reading ]
Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
THEN - when God sees His people penitent
WILL THE LORD BE JEALOUS FOR HIS LAND - as a husband jealous of any
dishonour done to the wife whom he loves, as if done to himself. The
Hebrew [ qaanaa' (H7065)] comes from an Arabic root... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will
send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith:
and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
THE LORD WILL ANSWER ... HIS PEOPLE, BEHOLD, I WILL SEND YOU CORN,
AND WINE, AND OIL - rather, as Heb... [ Continue Reading ]
But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive
him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east
sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall
come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great
things.
I WILL REMOVE F... [ Continue Reading ]
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great
things.
FEAR NOT, O LAND ... BE NOT AFRAID, YE BEASTS OF THE FIELD ... BE
GLAD THEN, YE CHILDREN OF ZION. In an ascending gradation, the land
destroyed by the enemy, the beasts of the field, and the children of
Zion, the land's in... [ Continue Reading ]
And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow
with wine and oil.
AND THE FLOORS SHALL BE FULL OF WHEAT - the effect of the seasonable
rains shall be abundance of all articles of food.... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the
cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army
which I sent among you.
AND I WILL RESTORE TO YOU THE YEARS THAT THE LOCUST HATH EATEN, THE
CANKER-WORM, AND THE CATERPILLAR, AND THE PALMER-WORM. In Joel 1:4
"th... [ Continue Reading ]
And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of
the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people
shall never be ashamed.
AND MY PEOPLE SHALL NEVER BE ASHAMED - shall no longer endure the
"reproach" of the pagan () (Maurer); or rather, 'shall not bear the... [ Continue Reading ]
And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the
LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM IN THE MIDST OF ISRAEL - as in the Old
Testament dispensation God was present by the Shekinah, so in the New
Testament first, for... [ Continue Reading ]
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit
upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
AFTERWARD - "in the last days" () under Messiah, after the punishment
of the Jews by the Gentile... [ Continue Reading ]
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will
I pour out my spirit.
AND ALSO - And even.
UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR
OUT MY SPIRIT. The very slaves, the UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE
HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR OUT MY SPIRIT... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and
fire, and pillars of smoke.
As Messiah's manifestation is full of joy to believers, so it has an
aspect of wrath to unbelievers, which is represented here. Thus when
the Jews received Him not in His coming of grace, He came in ju... [ Continue Reading ]
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of
the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall
be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the
LORD shall call.
WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD - Hebrew, Yahweh
(H3068). App... [ Continue Reading ]