The Pulpit Commentary — Joel — Section 26

unless we ocropt Jorome's e:r.pln.natien as bring the people to repentance. Thus judg- follows : " It is not that ·the strength of the mellt we.a tninglod with mercy, locust• is ao groat tha.t they can mo~ the hesvene ond shake the earth, hut tbe.t to Ver. 12.-Turn JO even '\o me with aJ1 those who suffer from BUoh calamitiee from your heart, and with great' faltlng, and with the amount of their own terror the h~vens WHping, and with mourning.· A, this pcriqd appear to shake and the earth to reel." (2) of sore judgment God, by the prophet, culls :Before liim; i.e. Jehovah himself amid the upon the people to return and repent, to fost h-torm; and oil in aooordance with fa.et. Bo.t and to weep, to grieve inwardly and mourn a greater judgment than that of the locust& outwardly for sin. Ho also instruots thom is typified by the la.ngnage of.. the prophet. h~w to engage in the duty of humi,lie.tion Kirnchi obeorves on this (ronth) von.e that anght and accepto.bly. The humiliatioq "all thC' expressions are pe.rabolica.l, or figu- was t.o be that of the hee.rt---tiorrow of heart rative, to set forth the greatneea of o cala- for the sins by which they had offended mity; for this is the usage of Scripture, &11, God, inward shame on account of those ini- • '.rho sun shall bo darkened in his going quities by which they had wronged tljei, forth,' and the like." So also Abarbonel own souls and marred their owu best ip.. on this verse : " 'Wliich all is o pa.robolical tereets. But while there behoved to be this ei:prossion of the ca.la.mitiee of the Jews." inward contrition, outward expressions of it Aben Ezra understa.nds it differently : were also required. Genuine sorrow and " Jllen of the earthquake." Rashi : " The shame for sin were to be accompanied by heavens <j_Uake aud tremble because of fasting, tears of penitence, and other .indioa~ the puni~hment tbn~ comes upon llil"&el." tions of mourning. With all your heart. '.rhc 1100ond part of the verse, &11 also the Kimchi comments thus: "That your repent- a v,m,e following, appear -to us to indicat.e ance be not with heart and a heart." '. this. The 611ll and the moon lhall be da.rk, Ver. 13.-And rend. your heart, and not and the stars shall withdraw their ahining: your garments; and turn Ullto the Lord your and the Lord shall utter his voioe before his God. Where there is :real contrition of spirit army. That u stonn. succeeded. and put because of sin, outward manifestations are 11.Il end to the plague of locusts, and that both suitable -,and proper, though not by 1.l.u, Wlrkening of the sun and moon and way of display or for sake of ostentation. sui.rs signified the obecurotion of the heavenly But they were reminded, on the other hand. lumina.ries by the storm-clouds that ovez- that mere outward manifestations ave.ii no- spree.d thc hee.vellS and darkened the fe.oe thing unless there also exist the deep inward of day, would fall short of e:qiressions of feelings which are in harmony with· and such solemn gra.ndeur as a.re here employed naturally underlie those ma.nifestations. Out by the prophet. Besides, our Lord applies of ~uch inward feelings those outward ex, language of the same import to the last pressions properly originate ; hence, after judgment in the Gc,spels: "The swi shall the exhortation to f&11ting and weeping and be <linkened, and the moon shall not give mourning, it is added, "Rend- your heart, hw- light, and the stare ahe.ll fall from and not your. garments." To rend.the gar- heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall ments, among the Jews, was a token of great be shaken : and then shall appear the Bign grief, and impoited that the individual who of tl.u, Son of mBD in heaven." Thunder, did so was overwhelmed· with excessive sor.; no doubt, is the voice of the Lord, which row, or had encountered some terrible ce.le.- he utters while marching at the head of mi ty. •Thus we read of Jacob, on receiving his arruy io execute judgment and manifest hie son Joseph's coat of many colours, rend- his wrath a.go.inst his enemies. For his ing his olothee, putting sackcloth on his oomp is very great: for he is strong that loins, -and mourning for his son many de.y:11 exoonteth his word: for the day of the Lord. (comp. also 2 Chron. xx..xiv; 27). In these i.! great and very terrible ; and who ~ instances- the sorrow was deep and genuine abide it 1 Three reasons are here assigned. a.nd bitter. It was possible, however, to for tl,e preceding sublime description -0( exhibit the external signs of grief without JeL.uvah coming to judgment at the head e.µy such corresponding ..inward feeling or of his hosts. Thcse are the following : the sorrow; just as it is still possible for men to greatness of hie army in number and might: draw nell,r t,o God with their lips while the iht power with which hie army executes his heart ill far. from him. To prevent such word of command ; and the terrible character Lypocritice.t pretence they are commanded of th(; day of judgment when the vie.ls of to rend their hearts, and not their ,g1i,rment1 Divilw wr!i.th shall be poured forth. ••• only. There was no impropriety in rending. their gannentij in tokeu of great grief for Vers.1'2--14.-ThejudgmentofthelocusU sin and of great indignation age.inst them-. was typical of the great day of judgment. selves for their folly, but the command im,. ·Tbe ~rs of ihft.t iiav were o~g11ed to :;;,irtll that t)ley vv,~e ::..ot to ·ri,11t,: iu.:_ the OH, ll, 1-32,] THE BOOK OF JOEL, 23