Joe 1:1
1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

  The Argument - The Prophet Joel first rebukes those of Judah,
    that being now punished with a great plague of famine, still
    remain obstinate.  Secondly, he threatens greater plagues,
    because they grow daily to a more hardness of heart and
    rebellion against God in spite of his punishments.  Thirdly,
    he exhorts them to repentance, showing that it must be
    earnest, and proceed from the heart, because they had
    grievously offended God.  And in doing this, Joel promises
    that God will be merciful, and not forget his covenant that
    he made with their fathers, but will send his Christ, who
    will gather the scattered sheep, and restore them to life
    and liberty, even though they seem to be dead.

Joe 1:2
1:2 Hear this, ye {a} old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants
    of the land. Hath {b} this been in your days, or even in the
    days of your fathers?

    (a) Signifying the princes, the priests, and the governors.
    (b) He calls the Jews to the consideration of God's
        judgments, who had now plagued the fruits of the ground
        for the space of four years, which was because of their
        sins, and to call them to repentance.

Joe 1:5
1:5 Awake, ye {c} drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers
    of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from
    your mouth.

    (c) Meaning, that the reason for their excess and
        drunkenness was taken away.

Joe 1:6
1:6 For {d} a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and
    without number, whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and
    he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

    (d) This was another plague with which God had punished them
        when he stirred up the Assyrians against them.

Joe 1:8
1:8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the {e}
    husband of her youth.

    (e) Mourn grievously as a woman who has lost her husband, to
        whom she has been married in her youth.

Joe 1:9
1:9 The meat offering and the drink offering is {f} cut off from
    the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers,
    mourn.

    (f) The signs of God's wrath appeared in his temple, in so
        much that God's service was discontinued.

Joe 1:10
1:10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is
     wasted: {g} the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

     (g) All comfort and substance for nourishment is taken
         away.

Joe 1:13
1:13 {h} Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye
     ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth,
     ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink
     offering is withholden from the house of your God.

     (h) He shows that the only means to avoid God's wrath, and
         to have all things restored, is true repentance.

Joe 1:15
1:15 Alas for the day! for the {i} day of the LORD [is] at hand,
     and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

     (i) We see by these great plagues that utter destruction is
         at hand.

Joe 1:20
1:20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers
     of waters are dried up, and the {k} fire hath devoured the
     pastures of the wilderness.

     (k) That is, drought.



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