John Gill Commentary Joel 3

For, behold, in those days, and at that time
Which Kimchi refers to the times of the Messiah; and is true of the latter times of the Messiah, of his spiritual reign yet to come: when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem :
not from the Edomites, Tyrians, and Philistines, that had carried them captive in the times of Ahaz; nor from Babylon, where they had been carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar; for nothing of what is after foretold followed upon the return of these captivities: but this designs the present captivity of the Jews, and the restoration of them to their own land; of which see (Isaiah 52:8) (Jeremiah 30:3Jeremiah 30:9Jeremiah 30:18–21) .

I will also gather all nations
Or cause or suffer them to be gathered together against his people; not the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, in the times of Jehoshaphat, as Aben Ezra; but either the Turks, prophesied of under the name of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 38:1-39:21), and a multitude of other nations with them, who shall be gathered together against the Jews to regain the land of Judea from them, which they will inhabit upon their conversion. Or else, it refers to all the antichristian kings and nations which shall be gathered to the battle of the great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:14);

and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat :
Kimchi thinks this was some valley near to Jerusalem, in which Jehoshaphat built or wrought some works, and so was called by his name: Joseph Ben Gorion

Joseph Ben Gorion: ``the valley of the division of judgment:'' and to me it designs no other than Armageddon, the seat of the battle of Almighty God (Revelation 16:16); and which may signify the destruction of their troops; (See Gill on Revelation 16:16);

and will plead with them there for my people, and [for] my heritage
Israel ;
the people of the Jews, who will now be converted, who will have the "loammi" (Hosea 1:9), taken off of them, and will be called the people of the living God again, and be reckoned by him as his portion and inheritance;

though not them only, but all the saints; all that have separated from antichrist, his doctrine and worship, and have suffered by him:

whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land ;
Kimchi refers this to the scattering of the Jews by Titus and his army, and the partition of Judea among them, which is not amiss; in consequence of which they are still a scattered people, and their land has been parted between Turks and Papists ^F4 ; sometimes inhabited by the one, and sometimes by the other, and now by both, on whom God will take vengeance; he will plead the cause of his people, by the severe judgments he will inflict on his and their enemies.

This may respect the persecuting of the Christians from place to place, and seizing on their lands and estates, and parting them, as well as the dispersion of the Jews, and the partition of the land of Canaan.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Written about 1750. Editor.
• F24: speaks of a valley, called the valley of Jehoshaphat, which was near Jerusalem, to the further end of which one Zachariah, a good man, in the times of the Jewish wars, was rolled and died, being cast down from the top of a tower upon the wall east of Jerusalem; and which is confirmed by R. Abraham, as quoted by Lively; and the true Josephus says ^F25 , that the valley into which this man was cast lay directly under Jerusalem; and Benjamin of Tudela ^F26 makes mention of a valley of this name, which he says lies between Jerusalem and the mount of Olives; where Jerom ^F1 places it by the name of Caelas; with whom Mr. Maundrell ^F2 agrees, who says that this valley lies between Mount Moriah and Mount Olivet, and has its name from the sepulchre of Jehoshaphat: and, according to Lyra on the place, who is followed by Adrichomius ^F3 , it is the same with the valley of Kidron, which was so situated; but, why that should be called the valley of Jehoshaphat, no reason is given. Aben Ezra and others are of opinion that this is the same with the valley of Berachah, where Jehoshaphat obtained a very great victory over many nations, (2 Chronicles 20:1 2 Chronicles 20:26) ; but it does not appear to have been called by his name, and, besides, seems to be at a great distance from Jerusalem; though there may be an allusion to it, that as many nations were there collected together and destroyed, so shall it be in the latter day; and I am of opinion that no proper name of a place is here meant, as going by it in common, but is so called from the judgment of God here executed upon his and his people's enemies. So Jarchi calls it "the valley of judgments"; Jehoshaphat signifying "the judgment" of the Lord: Kimchi says it may be so called because of judgment, the Lord there pleading with the nations, and judging them: and in the Targum it is rendered, ``the valley of the division of judgment:''
• F25: De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 5. sect. 4.
• F26: Massaot, sive ltinera, p. 44.
• F1: De locis Hebr. fol. 92. C.
• F2: Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 103, 106. Ed. 7.
• F3: Theatrum Terrae Sanctae, p. 172.

And they have cast lots for my people
Not only parted their land, but cast lots for their persons, Or played at dice for them, how many captives each soldier should have, and which should be their share and property: ninety seven thousand Jews, Josephus^F4 says, were carried captive by the Romans, who, very probably, cast lots for them, as was usual in such cases; see (Nahum 3:10) ;

and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they
might drink ;
either they gave a boy to be prostituted to natural lusts, in lieu of a whore; and a girl to be debauched for a bottle of wine: or they gave a boy for the price of a whore, as the Targum and Kimchi interpret it; that is, they gave a boy, instead of money, to a whore, to lie with her, as the eunuch was given to Thais; and they gave a girl to the wine merchant for as much wine as they could drink at one sitting.

These phrases both express their uncleanness and intemperance, and also the low price and value they set upon their captives; and is applicable enough to the Papists, notorious for the same abominable lusts.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 3.

Yea, and what have you to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all
the coasts of Palestine ?
&c.] The Tyrians, Zidonians, and Philistines, were near neighbours of the Jews, and implacable enemies to them; and are here put for the enemies of the true church of Christ, the Papists and Turks, and in whose possession those places now are:

these are addressed by the Lord, inquiring or demanding the reason of their ill usage of him and his people: "what have you to do with me?" to be called by my name, or accounted my people? I know you not, nor will I have any fellowship with you: or what have you to do with my people, to disturb and distress them? what wrong have I or they done you, that you thus use them?

will you render me a recompence ?
for turning you out of your land, and putting my people into it? do you think to retaliate this?

and if you recompense me ;
by doing an injury to my people: swiftly [and] speedily will I return your recompence upon your own
head ;
bring swift and sudden destruction upon you.

Because you have taken my silver and my gold
Which is all the Lord's, (Haggai 2:8); or which he has bestowed upon his people, and they had taken from them: and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things ;
either the rich furniture of the houses of his people, which they carried into their own houses, or "palaces" ^F5 , as it may be rendered; having either taken them away themselves, or bought them of others that had taken them: or else the rich vessels of the temple; as these were carried away by the Chaldeans, and put into their idol temples, (Daniel 1:2); so afterward they were taken by the Romans, and put into the temples of their gods.

Whether any of these came into the hands of the Tyrians by any means, and were put into their idol temples, as the temple of Hercules, is not certain; however, it is notorious that the Papists, the Tyrians are an emblem of, not only build stately temples, and dedicate them to angels and saints, but most profusely adorn them with gold and silver, and all goodly and desirable things; which is putting them to an idolatrous use they were not designed for.

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: (Mkylkyhl) "in palatia vestra", Montanus, Drusius, Burkius.