John Gill Commentary Joel 3:13

"Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe: come, tread ye; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great." — Joel 3:13 (ASV)

Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe
This is said to the mighty ones sent, the Christian princes, the executioners of God's vengeance on antichrist; the angels that will pour out the vials of his wrath on the antichristian states, compared to reapers, with a sharp sickle in their hands, to cut them down, as grain is cut when reaped; as the same states are compared to a harvest ripe, the measure of their sins being filled up, and the time of their destruction appointed for them come; see (Revelation 14:15) ;

come, get you down;
to the valley: or "go tread you" ^F15 ; for another simile is made use of: the reference here is to the treading of clusters of grapes in the winepress, as appears by what follows: and so the Targum renders it,

``descend, tread their mighty men;'' in like manner Jarchi interprets it; and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it: and Dr. Pocock observes, that the word in the Arabic language signifies to tread, as men tread grapes in a press: the reasons follow,

for the press is full ;
of clusters of the vine; or the valley is full of wicked men, compared unto them, destined to destruction: the fats overflow ;
with the juice of grapes squeezed out, denoting the great effusion of blood that will be made; see (Revelation 14:18–20) (Revelation 19:15Revelation 19:18Revelation 19:20) ; for their wickedness [is] great ;
is come to its height, reaches even to heaven, and calls aloud for vengeance; an end is come to it, and to the authors of it, (Revelation 18:5) . The Targum of the whole is, ``draw out the sword against them, for the time of their end is come; descend, tread their mighty men slain, as anything is trodden in a winepress; pour out their blood, for their wickedness is multiplied.''

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FOOTNOTES:

• F15: (wdr) (pateite) , "calcate", Sept. so Syr. Ar.