約珥書 2:14

14 或 者 他 轉 意 後 悔 ， 留 下 餘 福 ， 就 是 留 下 獻 給 耶 和 華 ─ 你 們 　 神 的 素 祭 和 奠 祭 ， 也 未 可 知 。

約珥書 2:14 Meaning and Commentary

Joel 2:14

Who knoweth [if] he will return and repent
Which some understand of man, and of his returning and repentance; either thus whosoever he be that knows the ways of repentance, he will return, and God will repent of this evil: which sense is mentioned by Kimchi and Ben Melech: or he that knoweth that iniquity is on him will return and repent; so Jarchi, with which agrees the Targum,

``he that knows that sins are in him will return from them, and he shall obtain mercy; and whoever repents, his sins shall be forgiven him;''

but rather they are to be understood of God, as some in Kimchi, and paraphrase it, who knows? perhaps God may return; and this is the sense of Aben Ezra, and seems to be most correct; and to be interpreted, either as carrying some doubt in it; not as if it was questionable whether God will give pardon to repenting sinners, but whether he will at once remove the present affliction and chastisement; which may be thus expressed to check the presumption and awaken the security of the people, and rouse them from their sluggishness and stupidity: or rather as expressive of hope that God would return and change the dispensation of his providence, and repent of the evil he had threatened, or brought upon them; which might be justly grounded upon the character before given of him, and that from the revelation of himself, and the proclamation of his own perfections; see ( Jonah 3:9 ) ; and leave a blessing behind him;
meaning not behind God himself, as if he was departed, or about to depart, for which there was no great concern, provided he left a temporal blessing with them; but behind the army of the locust, after that had made all the devastation it did: or rather "cause to leave"; stop the locust in its progress, and not suffer it to make a total desolation, but cause it to leave some of the fruits of the earth behind it. So Aben Ezra gives the sense of the words,

``perhaps God will return, and cause the locust to leave a blessing;''

and to the same purpose Jarchi, of which they make a meat offering and a drink offering, as follows: [even] a meat offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God;
at least leave so much of the wheat, that a meat offering might be made of it; and so many of the vines, as that so much wine might be produced by them as would furnish out a drink offering to be offered to the Lord, agreeably to the laws given about these; for which the greatest concern is expressed, this being cut off and withheld from the house of the Lord, by reason of the present scarcity, ( Joel 1:9 Joel 1:13 ) ; which shows a truly pious and religious mind, having more at heart the worship of God than themselves and families.

約珥書 2:14 In-Context

12 耶 和 華 說 ： 雖 然 如 此 ， 你 們 應 當 禁 食 、 哭 泣 、 悲 哀 ， 一 心 歸 向 我 。

13 你 們 要 撕 裂 心 腸 ， 不 撕 裂 衣 服 。 歸 向 耶 和 華 ─ 你 們 的 　 神 ； 因 為 他 有 恩 典 ， 有 憐 憫 ， 不 輕 易 發 怒 ， 有 豐 盛 的 慈 愛 ， 並 且 後 悔 不 降 所 說 的 災 。

14 或 者 他 轉 意 後 悔 ， 留 下 餘 福 ， 就 是 留 下 獻 給 耶 和 華 ─ 你 們 　 神 的 素 祭 和 奠 祭 ， 也 未 可 知 。

15 你 們 要 在 錫 安 吹 角 ， 分 定 禁 食 的 日 子 ， 宣 告 嚴 肅 會 。

16 聚 集 眾 民 ， 使 會 眾 自 潔 ： 招 聚 老 者 ， 聚 集 孩 童 和 吃 奶 的 ； 使 新 郎 出 離 洞 房 ， 新 婦 出 離 內 室 。