Joël 2:11

11 En de HEERE verheft Zijn stem voor Zijn heir henen; want Zijn leger is zeer groot, want Hij is machtig, doende Zijn woord; want de dag des HEEREN is groot en zeer vreselijk, en wie zal hem verdragen?

Joël 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.)

Joël 2:11 In-Context

9 Zij zullen in de stad omlopen, zij zullen lopen op de muren, zij zullen klimmen in de huizen; zij zullen door de vensteren inkomen als een dief.

10 De aarde is beroerd voor deszelfs aangezicht, de hemel beeft; de zon en maan worden zwart, en de sterren trekken haar glans in.

11 En de HEERE verheft Zijn stem voor Zijn heir henen; want Zijn leger is zeer groot, want Hij is machtig, doende Zijn woord; want de dag des HEEREN is groot en zeer vreselijk, en wie zal hem verdragen?

12 Nu dan ook, spreekt de HEERE, bekeert u tot Mij met uw ganse hart, en dat met vasten en met geween, en met rouwklage.

13 En scheurt uw hart en niet uw klederen, en bekeert u tot den HEERE, uw God; want Hij is genadig en barmhartig, lankmoedig en groot van goedertierenheid, en berouw hebbende over het kwade.