The Pulpit Commentary — Joel — Section 54

pnHage In Revelation already oited de- tight. of heaven Bra put oat. The pitchy olclea ue in favour of (1), tlie jn<lgment da.rkneu of a night in which neither moon being repreaented flret by the reBpinl( of nor et&ra appear is BUfflciently diamol end rlponod groin, aud then by trea.dinlJ grapea awful; ltill more terrible, if poeirihle, is in the wlne-preee, The verb "7, from dorlmeH in the daytime, when the light of radah, to trample underfoot, and Dot from the mn i• tumed into blaclmees. Tbe ftrst 11n-rad, to del!<',end, !1 more poetic and em- a.ecompa.niment of the storm ie addr0BBPA to phatic than the mmal ,-,, ; though Kimohi the f!Ye, and consists In the extingniahing mll.lntalne the ooutrary, BBying, "De8Cl'Jnd, of the greater light which rulea thii day, e.nd yo into thift vo.lley, for it is os it were the the leaer lightl which rule the ni~ht. The press which ie full of gropoe, when it is flt next acoompe.niment or the coming tempest to tread them ; 80 yo ho118e of Ture.el, trea.d ia a,J,irP,ee..,..J to thP, e,u, and consists in the these notions in thie valley, and throat iu voice of the Lord rolling in tBrriflc peal& among them the sword." The fnlue&1 of alrm,i: thP, heovene-the voice of the Lord the vats, again, reprcseute the maasee of the like the roaring of a lion rea.tly to pounoo sinful ue.tione ripe and ready for destruction ; upon !te prey; the ntteranr,ll of the Divine what the wine-press ie to the grapes, the Yoice whP,n the n-.id of gfory thundereth. wino-press of God's wrath is to the wicked. The third accompaniment ie yet more awe- Ver. 14.-Thie aud the following verses, fuspiring, consieting in e. r,onv-aliri.on that instead of expressly narrating the execution pervade& both ea.rth a.nd sky; the whole of the Divine command, present e. p{ctwre of frame of nature she.Ices; the earthquake's it. In one part the prophet sees in vision shock, 80 frightfal to bird and beast and a.lid shows us pictorially the multitudes of man, hae e. corresponding a.gita.tion in the the ue.tions pouring on in one continuous heavens. stream into the fatnl valley. In another Ver. 16----out or Zion. The preeence or compa.rtment of the picture, Jehovah is ,Jehovah is the immediate occe.eion of these seen in the o.wfuluees of his majesty aud terrors; and hence his voice prD<'..eeds from in the fearfulness of his judgments on the Jeruea.lem, or more particularly from Zion, wickecl, while he is e. Refuge a.nd Strength where the viBJ"ble symbol of his preeence for his people. Multitudes, multitudes in long dwelt. "For there," eaye Kimcbi, the valley of deaision. These multitudes "we.s his dwelling in ,Jerusalem; e.nd as if a.re the tu111ultuo11S me.seer. H111TMn ie from from thence he rnn.rc<l nnd uttererl hie voice the root 11'?v, to be noisy, or tumultuous. ~oinrt t~~-". Thus far the prophet pietares "It is iclentical," says Pusey, "with our m very vn,d, mdeed ~rn"bly vi.-id, colnun. 'hum ; ' then noise, e.nd, e.mong others, the the fria-htful seeoe in the valley of dncision; hum of e. multitude, then e. multitude even then stops short without describing the Bild a.po.rt from that noise. It is used of the catastrophe resulting Crom the actual execu- throng of a large e.rmy." The repetition tion or the j udgment. Thie he omits, either emphasizes the masses as pits, pits, equive.- from revulsion of feelinl? from such mis,,rv. lont to '' nothing but pits; " or ditche,, or the :reader is left to imagine it himself. ditches, equivalent to" full of ditches;" or But the Lord will be the Jlope of hia people, it exp_resses diversity, equiv11lent to "multi- and the StrBDgth of the children or llraeL tudes of tho living e.na multitudes of the He shrinks, e.s we have seen, from describ- dead." Decision is charuta, cut, something ing the actual execution of judgment, e.nd, decided; (1) so sharp, severejudgment, from breaking off with eomewb11,t of abruptness, charats, to cut into, sb11rpen, dig. (2) Others exhibit.a the bright Bide of the picture. With understand it in the sense of e. threshing"IDain, the destruction of his foes is joined, e.s usual, equivalent t.o charuts morag, e. sh11rpened the deliverance of his friends. To his people threshing-instrument. All things being now he stands in the double reltttion of a. Place ready, tho immediate proximity of the jndg- of refuge (mach,eh) and a Place of strength ment is uunounced to be nt band. (ma'oz), thnt is, not only e. place to which Vere. 15-17,-Theee verses picture the they may flee for se.rety, but a place in which, accompaniments of the judgment, yet not e.s a. stronghold, they she.II be kept safe. the judgment itself. Ver. 17.-Jerualem will be a. 118.Dctuary, and 111:nngen will not p111111 through it a.ny Ver. 15.-The 811ll and the m0011 shall be more. In the beginningofthie verse Jcl,ove.h darkened, and the atan 1hall withdraw their ~ to be the ~ of his people; he 1hining, The densely packed mauee a.re pomta to the place of hie abode, and purifies already in the valley of decision, awaiting J cruse.lem by judgment the.t it will be 11 the judgment a.bout to be executed upon true holy pie.ea, untrodden by the foot oC them. But before the judgment e.ctue.lly Gentile stranger or Jewish unbeliever a.ny bursts upon them, and iu prop11ration for it, more. His people woald recognize bia pre- the sky 1s overc11,et; darknc1111, 11s a portent of sence and hie powe?' by the wonderful tho 11,pproaohing storm, euvelope them; the delivera.nce vonchse.fed to them. "J eru-  Tim BOOK OF JOEL. [OR. Ill, 1-21,