约珥书 2:11

11 耶 和 华 在 他 军 旅 前 发 声 ， 他 的 队 伍 甚 大 ； 成 就 他 命 的 是 强 盛 者 。 因 为 耶 和 华 的 日 子 大 而 可 畏 ， 谁 能 当 得 起 呢 ？

约珥书 2:11 Meaning and Commentary

Joel 2:11

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army
Either the army of the locusts, whom Pliny ^F21 calls "pestis deorum", "the plague of the gods"; and the Arabians frequently style them the army of God. It is a tradition of theirs that locusts fell into the hands of Mahomet, with this inscription on their backs and wings,

``we are the army of the most high God;''

and because they were, for that reason Mahomet made a law that none should kill them; (See Gill on Revelation 9:3). These creatures are certainly at his beck and command; he can "command the locust to devour the land", ( 2 Chronicles 7:13 ) ; which may be meant by his uttering his voice here; though Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the Lord's giving notice of this judgment by his prophets before it fame: or this may design the army of the Assyrians or Chaldeans, of which the locusts were all emblem, and which were of the Lord's mustering together, and was at his command; and who is here represented as a General at the head of his army, making a speech to them to animate and encourage them to the battle, and to give them the word of command when to begin the onset: for his camp [is] very great;
or numerous, as both the locusts and Chaldeans were: for [he is] strong that executeth his word;
or "strong is it"; namely, the camp and army of the locusts; which, though feeble in themselves, separately considered; yet being in such large bodies, and the Lord at the head of them, and strengthened by him, were able to fulfil his word; which he can make the least and meanest of his creatures do: or the Assyrian or Chaldean army, which was both numerous and mighty: which the Targum may refer unto, paraphrasing the words,

``for strong are the executors of his word:''

for the day of the Lord [is] great and very terrible, and who can abide
it?
the day appointed by the Lord to take vengeance on the Jews for sin; and this, being the day of his wrath, is very dreadful and intolerable; so any season may be called, in which God remarkably pours down his wrath on men of their sins; see ( Revelation 6:17 ) . Such was the time of Jerusalem's destruction, both by the Chaldeans and Romans.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Ibid. (Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 29.)

约珥书 2:11 In-Context

9 他 们 蹦 上 城 ， 蹿 上 墙 ， 爬 上 房 屋 ， 进 入 窗 户 如 同 盗 贼 。

10 他 们 一 来 ， 地 震 天 动 ， 日 月 昏 暗 ， 星 宿 无 光 。

11 耶 和 华 在 他 军 旅 前 发 声 ， 他 的 队 伍 甚 大 ； 成 就 他 命 的 是 强 盛 者 。 因 为 耶 和 华 的 日 子 大 而 可 畏 ， 谁 能 当 得 起 呢 ？

12 耶 和 华 说 ： 虽 然 如 此 ， 你 们 应 当 禁 食 、 哭 泣 、 悲 哀 ， 一 心 归 向 我 。

13 你 们 要 撕 裂 心 肠 ， 不 撕 裂 衣 服 。 归 向 耶 和 华 ─ 你 们 的 　 神 ； 因 为 他 有 恩 典 ， 有 怜 悯 ， 不 轻 易 发 怒 ， 有 丰 盛 的 慈 爱 ， 并 且 後 悔 不 降 所 说 的 灾 。