Literal Commentary on Joel

The interpretation of the prophecy of Joel the prophet, literally. Again, the interpretation of the prophecy of Joel the prophet, literally, at the time of Isaiah and Hosea, was Joel. And also that prophecy is necessary to remind the people of captivity, and it prophesies concerning the coming of the house of Gog. The first word of the Lord, which was made known through this sign, that at the end his prophecy is hidden, in that he did not speak concerning himself, but concerning Joel. The word is clearly read: "Hear this," because many faithful have shown until now. "Listen and hear those things that are about to come upon you. And be stirred concerning them, your hearts and your sons, your sons' hearts," because these harsh things that at this time come upon you. It is right that you be stirred, your hearts, because through hearing, a true order is established. Something that remains is a scourge for the worm of water. And when it falls upon the earth, it does not destroy all seeds, but eats the fruits and leaves the plants. And in this, the prophet compares Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who quickly took the people captive. The locust is a flying thing. Shalmaneser destroyed more. The caterpillar is called a locust, a creeping thing that has not yet flown, and in this it is compared to Sargon, who destroyed more than those before him. The cankerworm has a sting, and when it strikes the root of a tree, it dries up immediately and walks on the earth, and in this it is compared to Nebuchadnezzar, who completely destroyed the people. Because the people went up like a multitude, as if one person, God spoke through one people; he spoke concerning the Assyrians and Babylonians. "My servants, my branches," the whole people are branches. And the great figs that ripened for the Assyrians, and their branches dried up. Other branches, the ten tribes.

And the house of Judah passed over. It was a sudden passing, not with a sword, nor with a divine punishment of the hour, but it was a passing with a sword and they sanctified a fast, a petition that they might learn what they should do. They sanctified, they separated their souls for the fast that is said before the coming of the Assyrian. Hezekiah sent Levites to the ten tribes before they were destroyed. And they sounded the trumpet in the villages and cities. And men and women gathered and came to the temple of Jerusalem. And they made a sharp petition. Woe to the day that was near! That day was a bad sea, near to coming in the decree of God. Behold, opposite the eyes, now, before that day comes, with eyes, when they see that the locusts have passed from the house of the Lord, because of famine and nakedness. And the good fruits were delayed, like a fire of famine that burns the trees. Fruits for the calves, likewise for the beasts of the field, are called heavenly. The fire was eaten, like a fire by the mouth of all the dark places. The dwellings call to the places where grain, fruits, pasture, and herds are stored. And the sword approached with a divine punishment. Like a garment, the appearance of the garment when it spreads over the earth. And there is no place that is not spread over it. Thus also the people of the Assyrians spread over all your land. The fire preceded, like a fire and a flame to all the firewood. Like a paradise that was before its destruction. The land was dark and desolate of inhabitants and of plants. And when the sword entered it, it was like a desert.

like the vision of horses—not the vision of the worn-out one, but like the horses that are strong. Like horsemen—and not foot soldiers, lowly ones, but horsemen, chosen ones. And like the sound of chariots—the chariots of the mighty ones, and they clash upon the tops of mountains and are not broken. They are accustomed to the sound of trumpets and they clash with one another. And all the faces of Israel. They are darkened with fear like the blackness of a pot. With the weight of their armor, he says that with the weight of their armor it is heavy, and they lie down in their tents, lest they not be able to raise their heads and not succeed, because they do not know what end will reach them. When [] their fall, that they will be scattered and lie down, is theirs. And with the wounds—with the wounds, for the horsemen, a wind enters, a horseman without number, and he destroys everything that he touches. The Lord gives his own voice because the people angered him; he was a great commander and went at the head of the people and the army, and gave his voice and terrified the Assyrians, and a hard deed he did with a hard force; he brought out all his words that he had previously spoken through the prophet, and he turns the evils that if they had sinned, they would turn from their evils. At that very hour, he also turns the evils that were prepared against them. They blew the trumpets—he teaches them in what manner they should perform the petition. They covered the coverings—the people covered, they covered upon the bank that was spoken of, and upon that which is right, that he says instead of "they covered, they covered." They sanctified the church—the whole congregation shall be separate for the petition; go out, seal with what? They turned aside these of the hour with the joy of their drinking and to pain and to the confusion of their haste. The castrum—upon the side of the door of the sanctuary.

of the Lord in his land. For I said that you would be made with prayer. But he knows that you are being brought until you are captured. And when you are pursued until you are captured, you feel pain and are afflicted, and the good God rejoices and turns to you. And in this passage, it is like that which was when God decreed against his people. For those who humble themselves in repentance, the good God is in his land and drives away from it plundering and the sword of enemies. And to the north he drove the Assyrians who had come against you. To the parched and desolate land he drove and destroyed all those who came against you, whether Assyrians or Babylonians. And their cities remained, being desolate, like a ruined and barren land. His face to the sea—the face of God upon the sea. That is, the kingdom of the Assyrians, which was destroyed by the Persians. And through the Persians he made deliverance for his people. Concerning that which was exalted, he showed his high and lofty self by placing a head who came against enemies and the good things he gave to the faithful, to the clergy and to the laity, the first and the last. And they would eat according to the custom of feasts and festivals. They glorify God more. I pour out my spirit—I show you my diligence and I pour out upon you abundantly; in my insignificance I appeared in truth in the high place. For not only the apostles received the Spirit, but Christians in every place. And they are interpreted in your books, that is, Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and the rest. And in your houses, that is, the assemblies of joy on account of deliverance. And in this, it is like that which is interpreted.

The truth of this is that these apostles and Aggaeus who were chosen, and his daughters and Philip of Ma‘ūrā, that in that time the blood of the martyrs was shed because of many persecutions which occurred from the enemies of the Lord. And the divine wrath which burned against them like fire and brimstone. The sun was changed into the hope of those who were cast into the afflictions mentioned. All of which he says. Even that at the hour they were being brought against the house of Gog after the answer, but their truth is completed in the new day of the Lord, which is those before the last day of the resurrection. Chapter 3, verse 1: “I will gather all the peoples.” Now come against those who acted against the house of Gog. This which I gather is not that he gathered them, but instead of that which he left to be gathered, that is the treasure which I gathered into the valley of Jehoshaphat for the army of the Lord. Jehoshaphat of the Lord and the end are interpreted. Concerning that they divided the land, I say that the thought of them, the thought of you, that is the blood which destroyed my people, they divided their land into portions. If only they had trusted in God! How many are considered? You say to me, it is a wonder concerning the peoples of their surroundings who came with the house of Gog. Tyre and Sidon are as if nothing considered by you. If I wished to place before you that they saw the Tyrians and Sidonians and the people of their surroundings who went up with the house of Gog, they went up with them in the battle without being destroyed, and also in the captivity of the Babylonians they acted thus. And now God fights against them. Concerning that you took my silver, for this they were prepared to perform a sign. And not for that which was with them in the captivity of the Assyrians and Babylonians, it is proven that with them they went up and plundered the entrails of gold and silver.

Behold, the people are stirred up, and they go to their land. They proclaim this, speaking concerning the house of Gog. Among the nations, Gog is heard by all the peoples of your people who are gathered. And they sanctify war, and they separate and prepare themselves for battle against my house. They shake their spears, they change and break the weapons of your ploughshares for weapons of war, and they prepare themselves for battle. And when he is strong, he shows himself by means of arms like a man. They send arrows, they reproach, and they draw swords because the day has come when they are cut off like a vine that has ripened and come to the vintage. The sensations of feeling are sensations for them, and a tumult with the sounds of the forces of that one which are felt and fall into this depth of swords. Into the depth of the valleys, to the valley of Jehoshaphat, it is called because of the judgment that occurred there concerning the house of Gog. The valleys are empty, which are emptied and cut off for God, for thus they are. The mountains drip with honey, for when by abundant rain God does to the mountains, all the fruits of the trees that are in them are anointed. And also the bees are stirred up and produce honey. The waters flow because of the abundance of rain. And the spring is with mercy and the teachings of the fear of God, like a flowing spring through the priests and spreads over the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They enter and tread because these Scythians of the house of Gog are rich, and treading is followed by them alone. The end of the commentary on Joel. The revelation of Joel the prophet. Joel laments over the destruction of the fruits of the earth and cries out to God, and over the ascent of the Assyrians.

And the good thing that was in the days of the apostles is sought, and the good thing that was in the days of the apostles is sought, and the destruction of the peoples that was after the ascension of Gog from Babel is sought. The Spirit of the Lord in Joel miraculously to all the forms of the accuser who is troubled among them with humanity until the beginning and until the flood. For the locust of the locusts and the land of their leaves. From the flood until Abraham like a grasshopper he flew to all the sides and cut and severed the paths of their souls. And like a cricket from Abraham until the Law in the form of a wasp in his hand he cut them off when he perceived that God was about to become incarnate and save them. In another time. Grasshopper Tiglath-Pileser. Locust Shalmaneser. Wasp Nebuchadnezzar. Wine is divine joy. Vineyard is humanity. Fig is humility. And raisin is purity. Walnut is the marrow of the soul. Farmers are prophets. The cultivation of the fig tree is fruits, and it did not come in asses and oxen that weep in the yokes that have no wise shepherd. Fishers of water. Teachings and responses. Fire is the heat of passions. Paradise is the heart of man before sin. Desert is the soul that does not produce good things. Stars are senses. Thorns are demons. Earth is the body. Heaven is the soul. Sun is the mind. Moon is the heart. Stars are thoughts. Grain and wine are body and blood. Myrrh and teachings. North wind is the accuser who prevents them from producing fruits. The first sea is the baptism of the two. Death and crucifixion. The Lord was raised on the cross. Fruits are of virtue.

The apostles' feast. The good thing. The mysteries of the upper rooms and the churches that are filled from the peoples. Wine and oil are the gifts of the Spirit. The spiritual fire is in the days of the apostles in the upper room. And afterwards it fell upon the peoples who believed. The blood of the slaughter of sin. The blood of the cross. The burning fire of evils. The error of the wandering of the one who appeared in it, the bride when she ascended from the desert. The earth when it was pressed, the dead came forth. The sun is turned in the time of the cross. The war is that spiritual one against the heresies and the rest of the spiritual ones, for it is. The mountains, the apostles, the sweetness is the commandment, the teaching. The source, baptism, is sealed, that which is placed in the region of the Jordan. Egypt, sin, is abolished. Edom, Sheol, by its power. The fire is that in the upper room. The burning fire of the temple. The crown of error and the darkness of their minds. And the burning of the temple.