Joel 3

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" ( Joel 3:9 ). 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 obscure to one was revealed to the other; what is briefly described by one is more fully so by another. Daniel calls Antichrist a king, and dwells on his worldly conquests; John looks more to his spiritual tyranny, for which reason he adds a second beast, wearing the semblance of spirituality. Antichrist himself is described by Daniel. Isaiah ( Isaiah 29:1-24 ), Joel ( Joel 3:1-21 ) describe his army of heathen followers coming up against Jerusalem, but not Antichrist himself.

12. See Joel 3:2 .
judge all the heathen round about--that is, all the nations from all parts of the earth which have maltreated Israel; not merely, as HENDERSON supposes, the nations round about Jerusalem (compare Psalms 110:6 , Isaiah 2:4 , Micah 4:3 Micah 4:11-13 , Zephaniah 3:15-19 , Zechariah 12:9 , 14:3-11 , Malachi 4:1-3 ).

13. Direction to the ministers of vengeance to execute God's wrath, as the enemy's wickedness is come to its full maturity. God does not cut off the wicked at once, but waits till their guilt is at its full (so as to the Amorites iniquity, Genesis 15:16 ), to show forth His own long-suffering, and the justice of their doom who have so long abused it ( Matthew 13:27-30 Matthew 13:38 Matthew 13:40 , Revelation 14:15-19 ). For the image of a harvest to be threshed, compare Jeremiah 51:33 ; and a wine-press, Isaiah 63:3 and Lamentations 1:15 .

14. The prophet in vision seeing the immense array of nations congregating, exclaims, "Multitudes, multitudes!" a Hebraism for immense multitudes.
valley of decision--that is, the valley in which they are to meet their "determined doom." The same as "the valley of Jehoshaphat," that is, "the valley of judgment" Joel 3:12 , "there will I sit to judge,." which confirms English Version rather than Margin, "threshing." The repetition of "valley of decision" heightens the effect and pronounces the awful certainty of their doom.

16. (Compare Ezekiel 38:18-22 ). The victories of the Jews over their cruel foe Antiochus, under the Maccabees, may be a reference of this prophecy; but the ultimate reference is to the last Antichrist, of whom Antiochus was the type. Jerusalem being the central seat of the theocracy ( Psalms 132:13 ), it is from thence that Jehovah discomfits the foe.
roar--as a lion ( Jeremiah 25:30 , Amos 1:2 , 3:8 ). Compare as to Jehovah's voice thundering, Psalms 18:13 , Habakkuk 3:10 Habakkuk 3:11 .
Lord . . . the hope of his people--or, "their refuge" ( Psalms 46:1 ).

17. shall ye know--experimentally by the proofs of favors which I shall vouchsafe to you. So "know" ( Isaiah 60:16 , Hosea 2:20 ).
dwelling in Zion--as peculiarly your God.
holy . . . no strangers pass through--to attack, or to defile, the holy city ( Isaiah 35:8 , 52:1 , Zechariah 14:21 ). Strangers, or Gentiles, shall come to Jerusalem, but it shall be in order to worship Jehovah there ( Zechariah 14:16 ).

18. mountains . . . drop . . . wine--figurative for abundance of vines, which were cultivated in terraces of earth between the rocks on the sides of the hills of Palestine ( Amos 9:13 ).
hills . . . flow with milk--that is, they shall abound in flocks and herds yielding milk plentifully, through the richness of the pastures.
waters--the great desideratum for fertility in the parched East ( Isaiah 30:25 ).
fountain . . . of . . . house of . . . Lord . . . water . . . valley of Shittim--The blessings, temporal and spiritual, issuing from Jehovah's house at Jerusalem, shall extend even to Shittim, on the border between Moab and Israel, beyond Jordan ( Numbers 25:1 , 33:49 , Joshua 2:1 , Micah 6:5 ). "Shittim" means "acacias," which grow only in arid regions: implying that even the arid desert shall be fertilized by the blessing from Jerusalem. So Ezekiel 47:1-12 describes the waters issuing from the threshold of the house as flowing into the Dead Sea, and purifying it. Also in Zechariah 14:8 the waters flow on one side into the Mediterranean, on the other side into the Dead Sea, near which latter Shittim was situated (compare Psalms 46:4 , Revelation 22:1 ).

19. Edom--It was subjugated by David, but revolted under Jehoram ( 2 Chronicles 21:8-10 ); and at every subsequent opportunity tried to injure Judah. Egypt under Shishak spoiled Jerusalem under Rehoboam of the treasures of the temple and the king's house; subsequently to the captivity, it inflicted under the Ptolemies various injuries on Judea. Antiochus spoiled Egypt ( Daniel 11:40-43 ). Edom was made "desolate" under the Maccabees [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 12.11,12]. The low condition of the two countries for centuries proves the truth of the prediction (compare Isaiah 19:1 , &c. Jeremiah 49:17 , Obadiah 1:10 ). So shall fare all the foes of Israel, typified by these two ( Isaiah 63:1 , &c.).

20. dwell for ever--( Amos 9:15 ), that is, be established as a flourishing state.

21. cleanse . . . blood . . . not cleansed--I will purge away from Judah the extreme guilt (represented by "blood," the shedding of which was the climax of her sin, Isaiah 1:15 ) which was for long not purged away, but visited with judgments ( Isaiah 4:4 ). Messiah saves from guilt, in order to save from punishment ( Matthew 1:21 ).