Joel 3:9

3:9-17 Here is a challenge to all the enemies of God's people. There is no escaping God's judgments; hardened sinners, in that day of wrath, shall be cut off from all comfort and joy. Most of the prophets foretell the same final victory of the church of God over all that oppose it. To the wicked it will be a terrible day, but to the righteous it will be a joyful day. What cause have those who possess an interest in Christ, to glory in their Strength and their Redeemer! The acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favour to some, will be a day of remarkable vengeance to others: let every one that is out of Christ awake, and flee from the wrath to come.

This decree of God, concerning the deliverance of his church; and the destruction of their enemies; which is to be proclaimed among them, to the terror of them, and the comfort of God's people, encouraging them to the battle, since they might be sure of victory; for the prophet here returns to give an account of the armies to be gathered together, and to be destroyed in the valley of Jehoshaphat, as appears from Joel 3:12 ; and to this end heralds are here ordered to make proclamation of war throughout the nations, and to gather them to the battle of Almighty God; whether seriously, or ironically, may be considered; what follows seems to be spoken in the latter way, to the enemies of the church; though they may be interpreted as spoken seriously to the people of God themselves: prepare war; get all things ready for it, men and arms: wake up the mighty men; generals, captains, and other officers, men of strength and courage; let them arouse from the sleep and lethargy in which they are, and get themselves in a readiness for war, and put themselves at the head of their troops: let all the men of war draw near, let them come up; to the land of Judea, and to Jerusalem; that is, either the Christian powers with their armies, to defend Jerusalem against the Turks, and deliver it out of their hands; let them appear on the behalf of the Jews: or else let the enemies of Christ's church and people come up against them, even the most powerful of them; let them muster up all their forces

Joel 3:9-10. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles — “God having foretold these judgments against Tyre and Sidon, the Philistines, and the neighbouring nations, who had used the Jews with injustice and cruelty, proceeds here to confirm his people in the belief of the certainty of their destruction; which he tells them should be as sure as though they themselves had gathered them together by proclamation for it: for so are these words, Proclaim ye, &c., to be understood. Not as commanding what they were actually to do, but in order to excite their attention, and to let them know that God was as certainly preparing to bring this vengeance on their enemies, as though he had actually sent messengers from the Jews to proclaim it among them:” see Chandler. Prepare war, wake up the mighty men — Rouse and bring forward into the field your strong and valiant men. In these words the prophet, in an ironical manner, encourages them to make their utmost effort to oppose the designs of Providence; but signifies that it should be all in vain. For, should they strengthen themselves by all the means in their power, yet they should be overcome and punished. Beat your plough-shares into swords, &c. — That is, make all the provision and preparation for war, or for your own defence, that you possibly can. For a people to beat their very plough-shares into swords, &c., signifies a general arming of themselves, much beyond what had been usual.

Proclaim; publish, or make known, as by sound of trumpet: some say it is an irony; I rather think it is a declaration of what is to come to pass through some ages before the coming of the Messiah, as will appear probable from what followeth. This; or these things, which I am purposed to do in retaliating to the enemies of my people; proclaim wars which may make captives for sale under the hand of my people. Among the Gentiles; the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Babylonians, and Grecians successively. Prepare war; make ready for wars against the enemies of my people, who shall by these be corrected, but their enemies at last shall be destroyed. Wake up the mighty men; the valiant men, who dare attempt any thing, and are of great strength to execute what they attempt. Let all the men of war draw near; all the captains, and experienced soldiers, let them appear at the rendezvous. Let them come up; when marshalled, let them march up on their design, toward the seat of the war, which will now for many ages be in or about the valley of vision, the church, the valley of judgment from the Lord.

9. The nations hostile to Israel are summoned by Jehovah to "come up" (this phrase is used because Jerusalem was on a hill) against Jerusalem, not that they may destroy it, but to be destroyed by the Lord (Eze 38:7-23; Zec 12:2-9; 14:2, 3). Prepare war—literally, sanctify war: because the heathen always began war with religious ceremonies. The very phrase used of Babylon's preparations against Jerusalem (Jer 6:4) is now used of the final foes of Jerusalem. As Babylon was then desired by God to advance against her for her destruction, so now all her foes, of whom Babylon was the type, are desired to advance against her for their own destruction.

Verses 9-17. - After a parenthesis of five verses, viz. 4-8, detailing the injurious treatment of the Jews by some of the surrounding nations, and the righteous retribution visited on those nations, the prophet resumes the subject broached at the beginning of the chapter, especially in ver. 2, about the judgment to be visited on the nations in general. The verses now before us describe very graphically the execution of that judgment. Verse 9 pictures the proclamation and other preliminaries of war. Heralds are sent out to make proclamation among the nations. Prepare (margin, sanctify ) war . Certain formalities of a religious nature were customary among the heathen when war was proclaimed and prepared for. Thus also among the Jews supplication was made and sacrifices offered, as we read in 1 Samuel 7:8, 9 , that before the battle with the Philistines at Mizpeh, the people urged Samuel to make earnest supplication and sacrifice for them, when in compliance he "took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel;" and thus a preparation for war was a consecration of war by religious rites. Wake up the mighty men ; or rather, (1) according to Keil, waken up or arouse the mighty men. (2) A preferable rendering, according to Wunsche, is, "Wake up, ye mighty men;" while he understands the whole address as directed to the covenant people.

It is observable theft one manuscript has העיזו , equivalent to "make strong," i.e. the heroes. In either case, the heroes may be conceived as enjoying peaceful repose when they are rudely roused by the declaration of war; and as the word "war" is indefinite through the absence of the article, it implies, "What a war! how great and terrible!" Let all the men of war drew near; let them come up . The terms here used are technical military terms, summoning the warriors to advance and march onward in haste to the place of conflict. Joel 3:9

9 . Proclaim ye ] The words are addressed to those whose duty it would be to make such a proclamation (comp. on Amos 3:9 ), i.e. the heralds, whom the prophet pictures as ready to carry Jehovah’s command to the nations. this ] i.e. the following command. Gentiles ] nations , as Joel 3:2 (twice). sanctify (or consecrate ) war ] i.e. begin war; the phrase having reference to the custom of opening a campaign by means of sacrifices. So Micah 3:5 , Jeremiah 6:4 ; also Isaiah 13:3 , Jeremiah 22:7 ; Jeremiah 51:27-28 , where the warriors are spoken of similarly as “sanctified.” stir up the mighty men] i.e. arouse the warriors ( Joel 2:7 ) from the inactivity of peace. let , &c.] with a dramatic change of person, such as the Hebrew poets love (e.g. Isaiah 34:1 ; Isaiah 41:1 ). In the Heb., let draw near, let them come up , consists of two short words only, the second following rapidly upon the first: the concise and forcible style can be better represented in Greek or Latin ( accedant, ascendant ), than in English. come up ] the expression used of an attacking or invading army ( Joel 1:6 ). 9–17 . After the digression on the Phoenicians and Philistines ( Joel 3:4-8 ), the thought of Joel 3:1-3 is resumed; and the description of the judgement on the nations, announced in Joel 3:2 , is continued.

The heathen are invited to arm themselves, and advance for the great contest with Israel in the valley of Jehoshaphat, Joel 3:9-12 ; but once arrived there, they are annihilated, amid celestial portents, by the agents of Jehovah’s will, whom He commissions to engage with them, while His own people look on securely.