The Pulpit Commentary — Joel — Section 29

south, eo.st, nnd west. In mo.rking the whether temporal or spirituBI. At the eo.me quart.era of the world, the Jews faced the time, their temporal wants would be attended east, so the.t tho west we.a behind them, to, and their land fertilized by the suitable the south on thflir right hand, o.nd the north o.nd suete.ining ehower. The prophet indi- on their left. We ho.ve thus e. most vivid vidnalizes the earth, the beo.ets of the field, pioture of the speedy and tote.I destruction o.nd the sons of Zion. of the locusts. After expulsion, no danger Ver. 21.-:rear not, 0 land; be glad and wns to be o.pprehendod from them, for, blown rejoioe : for the Lord will do great things. into the see. or desert, thoy perished o.t once 'fhe lo.nd had enfl'ered severely from the and for ever. The terms employed o.re very drought connected with the locusts ; but is graphic: thus, me'alekem is much more than now snmmoned to joy o.nd glo.dneSB. The mikkem would be, o.nd imply that a heavy prophet 11.11signs for this an appropriate burden wo.s lifted/rom upon, or up off the reason : the locusts had done gYeat things .fo.ce of e. desolnte lo.ud, o.nd the bee.rt of e. in damaging it; Jehovah now does gTeat •distressed peoplo. And his Btink shall come things in their destruction. When the earth 1 up, and his ill so.vour shall come up, be- clothes itself with verdure, o.nd brings forth oo.use he ho.th done great things ; margin, its fruits o.nd flowers and various products, magnified to do. The st~nch emitted from it is said, by a bold hut beantiful pereonilica- •the putrefying bodies of those locusts would tion, to rejoice and even exnlt. Thus the :be sickening o.nd stifling-sufficient to occa- Lo.tins said in like manner, Rident ar-,,a, sion e. pestilence. Many testimonies from ridet ager. Things are now reversed. In- travellers o.nd others prove the reality of stead of mourning, is exultation; instead of •both circumstances-the ill savour and its mourning a.nd its visible emblem in girding . pestiferous nature. Severa.I expressions in with , so.dness, there is joy and gladness; , this verse e.re o.pplico.ble enough to an instead of the da.y of the Lord, very great o.rmy, o.s in the lo.at clause, where he is said o.nd terrible or fearful, is "Fear not." S•- to do g-,eo.t things, or ·literally, "magnified machi is fem. imper. Qal in po.nse for the to do," that is, magnified himself in his ordinary aiw:hi. doings; it mo.y, however, apply equally well Ver. 22.-:Be not afraid, ye beuta of the to the great destruction by the locust-army. 11.eld. The dumb o.nima.Js bad groaned in There is no doubt the superadded notion of distress for food, but now they too have haughtiness along with that of great doings. ea.nee to rejoice, and a.re here ca.lled on to It really means that, as o.n instrument of do so; and the suitable cause in their case God, they had effected a fearfully violent is also specified. It is as follows : For the desolation, o.nd this is assigned 118 e. reason pll8turea of the wilderneBB do spring, for for the tote.I destruction of those locusts. the tree beo.reth her fruit, the fig tree a.nd Vere. 21-23.-In these verses the lo.nd the vine do yield their strength. He tbns o.nd beasts o.nd men a.re addressed respec- specifies the ground of gladness in their tively. Thus the promise is fully developed. case o.lso, pointing to the fresh green of the In ver. 21 the prophet summons the earth; pastures and the fruit hanging in rich in ver. 22 the beasts of the field ; o.nd in abundance e.nd variety on the trees. The ver. 23 the sons of Zion ; a.ll o.re called to fruits of vines e.nd fig trees are not, it is joy o.nd gladness on account of the great true, the food of the beasts of the fields ; deliverance from destruction which the but the revi vo.l of vegetation in trees, the Lord ho.d wrought for them. They are all higher a.nd larger growths, the chief factor called on to rejoice in the great deliverance; in which is moisture, comprehends the re- the land, personified, is summoned to exult vive.I of the smaller growths of herbs, grasses, and rejoice for the great things God now o.nd ple.nts, the proper sustenance of cattle. promises to do or is doing to it. If the Kimchi's explo.no.tion is that "as the treo locusts had done great things in destruction, bears its fruit in the inhe.bited part of the God will do great things in delivero.noe. world, so in the wilderness the places of The beasts a.re also personified, and forbidden pasture grow green." Aben Ezra, who never to be afro.id; for whereas they had groaned loses e.n opportunity of ilirecting attention a.nd cried for wnnt of herbage when the to contrasts wherever they exist, contrasts pastures were burnt up, those pastures are "Be not afro.id, ye b011Sts of the field," in now beginning to spring, a.nd the fruit trees this verse with "the beasts of the field cry yield their strength. The children of Zion also unto thee" a.t the close of the prececling a.re invited to rejoice, not only in the de- chapter; o.lso "the pastures of the wilderness . livered land, or springing pastures, or fruitful do spring" with "the fire hath devourecl figs, or blooming vines, or other trees how- the pastures of the wilderness;" likewise ever useful or ornamental; but, 118 became "the tree bee.reth her fruit" with "all the them with their superior intelligenoe, in the trees of the field o.re withered." It has Lo11I their God, 118 the 1''ather of mercies been observed that o.11 plants, even shrubs and tho Giver of every goo<l an<l perfect gift, nnd trees, spring up o.t thw first as the (re~h  26 THE BOOK OF JOELI [OB. n. 1--82.