The Pulpit Commentary — Joel — Section 30

yonng juicy green or plants, tt~:;r: then they prophet to speak of both spiritual and develop into j:l~ or i~i,, graee : i.nto herb, material blessings, givbig a fuller expl>w,- :l\!!'.; and into troG, ft, ':I~ ta not tlhe plure.l tion of the latter in vers, 28-27, and 'or tho former in vcrs. 28--32 e.nd in thG lo,st for □•:ii;', but singular, after .the nnalogy of chapter. Tho two considerations thnt seom •z:,c' (Ps. xcvi. 12). NOMJf1'fl, cquivnleut to to have most weig:ht with Kell in inolinlng "lift up, bear," i• more poegcal than cuah him to this oxpos1tion IUG the presenco o( p.,;., equivalent to "makefrnit;" 110in Latin, the article with moreh, and the non-physical 111Lrgunt frWJeB. The expl'888ion, " yield their sense of lita~ali; heuco Ewald's "rain for l<trength," puts the cauac for the effect: the righteousne1111,' i.e. a sign from God of their strength of the tree producas the fruit and boing adopted again into rigbteou,neu. centres in it. But weight-stones and scales havG uedeq at- Ver. 23.-Be glad then, ye ohildren of tached in the J?hysiool RensG of correctnese, Zion, &11cl rejoioe in the Lord your Goel. while ethical r1ghtnees is only an inference They had keenly felt and deeply bewailed or subordinate notion (see Lev. xix. 36( the unparalleled ont&8trophe which had be- Ps. xxiii. S). 'l'he translation (2) of" rain" fallen land and cattle and inhabitants, and is, wo think, justly entitled to the preference, also themselves among the number. The from the context. Among promises of re,; 110ns of Zion are the inhabiu.nts of Joru- pairing the damage done by the loolllite, it ealem, the ea.pita.I, in which was the na.tional would be obviolllily out .of place to iutroduce sanctuary for the wonhip of Jehovah. Not the notion of "o. teacher." Of the Hebrew only a.re the inhabitants of Jel'Wl&lem in- expositors, Aben Ezra and Kimchi both un- cluded, but, as the capital often NOOd for derstand the word in the sense of rain ; the the whcle country, all tbe inhabit.ant.a of former says, '' In my opinion H is the same Judo.hare comprehended Ullder the "children as yoreh;" and the .latter," Hammoreh is the of Zion." The ground of their gladness and same as yoreh." So a4'0 Calvin, Roeenmiiller, joy in God is : :For he hath given you the Hitzig, l\nd WilD~ch~. The etymology also former rain moderately (margin, a teacher of is favourable to this view, fur both yoreh· righ~U8neM, or for right.ecnuneu), ancl he an~ moreh are from"th-i verb yorali, to throw will mnae to oome clown for you the rain, (Hiph., cause. to thr1;1w), throw, down e.e the fomier rain, &Dd the latter rain in the drops, wet, bespri.l)Jde, e.qnivalent to pi1, and first month. Omitting for the present the 118 the Qal and Hiph. .sometimes coincide in disputed word ha.mmoreh, we have the gree.t meaning, we may, safely conclude moreh eyno~ blessing which was 80 much needed. The nywous with yoreh, the meaning of whfoh bleesing bestowed was twofold-negative in is unquestionably "rain," specially ~ •.-b, the destruction of the locusts and deliver- rprl,1µ.os. (a) Re.in in right measure, then, we ance from their ravages: and positive in the take to.. be the true. mee.nw.g.: nob (b) re.in plentiful rainfall, geBhem, the great and according, to righteousness, 11.11 though God,, beneficent fertilizer of the dried-up and in accordance with hie righteoU8Iless, re- desolated land. But this abUilda.nt rain is pent.ed. of the evil he. thought to do u11to more closely particularized as ihe early or them, e,nd,:in consequence. of their forsaking October rain, moreh, which, falling at the their sins, sent the fertilizing re.ins .. Again, seed-time in autumn, promoted too gemrin.a- bari,lwn is rendered by some (a) as if k-ba,- tion and growth of the seed just 80Wll: and ruhon were equivalent to "os in the former as the latter, or March rain, ma/,q_o8h, which, time:" thus the LXX., ,cu.8@s lµrpou8•v: bestowed in the spring seaBOn a thort time Vulgate, Sicuti in principio. But we prefer before harvest, matured the crops. The (b) the rendering, "in the first month;" so the geshem, or shower, may be regarded here as Chal<lee, '' In the month •Nisan, or March." tbe generic name, and of these the two The Hebrew •COllllilentators explain it iu specieti are the moreh and mal,qosh, from like manuer: thns Bashi, "In the first laqatJh, to be ripe or late, just explained. mooth--in Nisan:" Aben Ezra, "And the, The word lwmmoreh in the early part of the meaning of • in the first' is in the first verse is translated ( l) " teacher" in the month ; " Kimchi, " The explanation of the Che.ldee and Vulgate, by Jerome, by Abar- rain that .is ca,lled moreh, ho sends it down banel among the Hebrew commentators, who to yon in it.s season, which ill Mwrcheavan (or refers it to M6811ia.h : among modem com- October), and he causes to descend to you ment.at.ors Ly Hofman, referring it to .Joel in like manner the malqo,h (the latter rain). himself, by Hengstenberg, who Ulldemtands in its season in the first month, which ill it of the ideal teacher or collective body of Niaan." 'fhe blessing of the rain w11,s thus: mcaoengers from God. Keil also render1, greatly enbauccd by being ee11t in the right "the teacher for righteollliness," and applies· meuure and at tl10 suitabla sea..11on. tLe exprt:SSion to the iwitructions of Moses, Veri. 2&-27.-In these verses the pro- tl,e priest.., and the prophets, not excluding phet pictures the blessed elfect11 of the abun- Me'<Biah him&,lf. He alao underetana. the dant re.in on the pe.rchod and barren land.  Olf, IL 1-32,J THE BOOK OF JOEL. 27