The third chapter.

We want to let this chapter "remain" with the kingdom of Christ. I consider it to be an explanation of the previous chapter.

At the time of Joel the neighboring nations were eager to destroy this Jewish people 2c. As if he wanted to say: The time will come that the vengeance of the neighbors will cease; I 1) will again avenge my people. Only rage, only rage, 2) act according to your desires; the time will come when everything will be repaid. He describes the rage and malice of the enemies against the people of Israel and postpones vengeance until the future of Christ 2c.

V. 6 [For behold, in those days and at that same time].

It is a Hebrew phrase: "in the days" [and the same as] "at the same time."

When I turn the prison of Judah and Jerusalem.

[This is when I "will save" it from the right captivity by which it is held in sins 2c.

V. 7 I will gather all the nations together and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

This did not happen, and it is not right that it should be postponed to the Last Judgment.

1) Weimarsche: ergo instead of: exo.

2) It seems to us from what the Altenburg manuscript offers here: SM saeviant st advorgentur impias xenttzs 2c. that should be read: turits, turits instead of: "furt, furt" in our original.

refers, according to my opinion 2c. It is known [that it is said, the last judgment of God will be on the Mount of Olives. The inconsistency of this opinion forces that one must understand the valley Josaphat in spiritual meaning. Therefore he speaks of the preaching of the gospel, which brings together all Gentiles and all people 2c. He looks to the time of the sending of the Spirit, when all the Gentiles are gathered together through the preaching of the gospel 2c. Often the prophets, when they want to veil the prophecy, make a generic name (appellativum) out of a proper name. And so the church is the valley of Jehoshaphat, as elsewhere the valley of Achor and above in Hosea Gilead stands for the synagogue. - "In the valley of Jehoshaphat." [Jehoshaphat,] that is, the judging one. [But here it] does not say so, but he understands the church as if to say, "I will" once "also do a calamity and pay well" 2c. It is a delay of the fleshly vengeance on the spiritual 2c. He says of all the Gentiles, although not all the Gentiles persecuted Israel 2c. Therefore one cannot assume 2c. They are present evils, which he reproaches and postpones the vengeance to the future, namely to the preaching of the gospel.

V. 8. and have given the boys for food, and sold the maidens for wine (Et posuerunt).

The Hebrew word is ambiguous. - That is, the Jewish boys made them servants and the girls, the young-

fraueu, "to maids" (zcu shun), and have made the boys into gift-whores, and the girls into gift-whores, that is, that they had to be slaves and sell the wine, that is, they have dealt with my people as they wished, therefore I will avenge this with the gospel. The revenge of the gospel is to turn enemies into friends 1) and masters into servants and maids 2c.

V. 9 And you of Zor and Zidon and all the border of the Philistines, what have you to do with me?

I do not suffer that the Jews draw this text to their dreams, namely to the temporal punishment. "What will you do to me?" Instead of "border" is in Hebrew (Galilea). So "hastening," as soon as the gospel shall have come, that I may make you friends, who are now enemies.

V. 10. My beautiful jewels.

"The pretty, beautiful vessels, dishes" that were in the temple. See the Psalm "By the waters [of Babel] [Ps. 137, 2) 7.): "Clean off", "make it up with the city".

V. 12 3) Behold, I will raise them up out of the place.

This text compels Me to interpret as I have interpreted, "What will I do?" This I will do 2c. The opinion of this chapter seems to be a twofold one: the first of an outward and bodily vengeance against the Gentiles; but here it does not please me; the other of the spiritual vengeance, namely of the Gospel, since all the Gentiles will be brought (vindicabuntur) into the church of God by punishments and will be punished 2c., and this opinion we have accepted.

I want to awaken

Through the gospel, which has gone not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, but first to the Jews. As if he wanted to say: "I also want to take revenge once" 2c.

1) araieos is missing in the Weimar edition.

2) Weimarsche: "^136, v. 7^" and likewise in the margin.

3) The Weimar edition has placed the number of this verse only before the following keyword.

V. 13. [And will sell your sons and your daughters again by (in manibus) the children of Judah).

In stands for per, in German: "through". - In manibus, that is, "through the children of Judah," it will be they who will sell you. 4)

They should sell them to them in Imperial Arabia.

"Imperial Arabia" (Sabaea) is a land farther from Jerusalem than Greece is from the Philistines. There is a threefold Arabia: the stony, the desert and the happy. Through the figure of the synecdoche he says: I will again sell you into distant lands, to those in Imperial Arabia. This has happened through the preaching of Paul and others. The Christians have no certain place on earth; wherever the Lord throws them, there they are. - "The Lord has spoken it", as if he wanted to say: "It must be done"; this says he who has the power to carry it out.

V. 14. 5) Cry this out among the Gentiles.

"Proclaim" what has just been said, that the Philistines will be sold like this; proclaim it through the gospel. As he often uses images, so also here. [Ps. 118:22:) "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," that is, the king of the Christian people. [Isa. 28, 16.:] "Behold, I lay a foundation stone in Zion," 2c. This is to Christ. A word gives light to the images. 6)

Sanctify an argument.

Namely with the sword of the spirit. - "Awaken the strong," the giants, "the great heroes." - "Let all the men of war come and go up," "all that is used in war".

V. 15. Make your plowshares into swords.

That is, prepare for war, seize that which is for war. Isaiah [Cap.

4) In the Weimar edition, these glosses are added to the preceding verse.

5) Here, again, the verse number is missing in the Weimar edition; the same is only placed before the following keyword,

6) This passage is very unclear and incomprehensible here; therefore, see the first relation, Col. 1470 in this volume.

2, 4.] Reverses this 2c. [But here it is said:] The utensils that belong to peace, make them swords 2c. [Christ says, Luc. 22, 36.:] "He that hath two garments, let him sell the one, and buy a sword." It is the highest war and the highest peace in the kingdom of Christ. The stubborn opinions and errors that are in the heart, smite them, that is, seize the word of God. - ["The weak say:] I am strong", "I am a hero". He incites the whole nation to a glorious war. This actually refers to the Christians. [God's] power is mighty in the weak [2 Cor. 12:9.] Our weapons are not carnal [2 Cor. 10, 4.], but are based on GOD. We are naked [1 Cor. 4, 11.] and have no place [Luc. 9, 58.] 2c. "A whimsical war!" [Christians are] weak, that is, powerless people who suffer many things, death 2c., and yet these dying ones will say, "I am strong." They are a sacrifice of feg to the world [1 Cor. 4, 13.]

V. 16. [Redden yourselves, and come hither, all ye Gentiles].

Erumpite, "out!" all the Gentiles around, and gather yourselves together. - "The strong ones," that is, the mighty ones in this assembly. The gospel will stir up the whole world, and yet he speaks only to the Philistines, while he understands all the Gentiles. Most powerfully he kills by the word of his mouth.

V. 17. [The Gentiles will make up and come up].

Consurgant [they are to set out] "do you not hear where you are to go?" I indicate to you the place where all the Gentiles will gather, namely the church, where the Word of God is, which flies over the whole earth like the sun. All shall be gathered under the Word, though not all believe. "There we will strike", there, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, under the shadow of the Word of GOD. Refer everything to the Day of the Gospel, not to the Day of Judgment.

V. 18. Strike the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.

These are exhortations in figurative speeches to drive the word. When the word comes, the world will find it sufficiently prepared, therefore he says: "Strike the sickle" 2c. The winepress, it is said, the "winepress is laid full, everything will be full, 1) what is under it". The whole earth circle he looks at as his threshing floor and winepress 2c. [Isa. 63:3:] "I tread the winepress alone." It is the voice of the gospel; by the word he treads the winepress. This is the power of the Word and the Evangelii; it is a prize of the virtues of the Word of GOD 2c.

For their wickedness is great. 2)

[They] "have done enough". In the Acts of the Apostles it says [Cap. 17, 30.]: God has overlooked the past times. Now another time is dawning in which they must mend their ways. The new light is near, the day of the Evangelii "is not far".

V. 19. There will be heaps of people here and there in the valley of judgment (in valle concisionis).

In Hebrew, XXXX is "a great multitude". In the name Abraham it indicates the multitude of children 2c. That is, "great heaps of people here 3) and there," many hosts or heaps or multitudes, and not in One place 2c. - Concisionis. Isaiah uses this word [XXXX] [Cap. 10, 22. 23.]: a word that controls or abbreviates (abbrevians [Rom. 9, 28.]). Likewise Dan. 7,4 ) 25th, of the Antichrist, it is: "to take in brevity." Come, ye nations, ye peoples, in the Thale appointed beforehand, "a named, appointed Thale." 5) This is the "valley of judgment" (concisionis). It means a circumscribed and limited place, a designated, certain one. In Daniel it actually says: He [the Antichrist] has his certain, determined time; "it must go like this". Thus [Rom. 9, 28. Vulg.] verbum abbreviatum: "it must so go" 2c. Therefore it is not the valley of Jehoshaphat.

1) Weimar edition: "wol"; the Erlangen edition has correctly: "vol".

2) This keyword with its interpretation is in our template only at the end of the following section.

3) In our template: "hyn".

4) In the original vanislik IX. Compare the note to this passage in the first relation, Col. 1474.

5) In our template: "a named bstimpten that".

V. 20. Sun and moon are darkened.

This is quite an actual way in which the prophets speak. In the 5th chapter of the Book of Wisdom it is described that the wicked "make themselves believe" that the whole world "perishes" when they feel the judgment of God. 1) - "Be darkened" by the very fierce strife and many beatings and wrath, as happens in great wars. Here he is talking about a spiritual war. In a physical war, heaven and earth seem to merge 2c. The terror and shudder of death is also added.

V. 21. And the LORD will roar out of Zion.

He will not add sword or iron, but the word alone will be there to do it 2c. He will scare all the nations with the gospel. Isaiah [Cap. 13, 13.], also Haggai [Cap. 2, 7.] says: Once more I will move heaven and earth. [It] "hath stirred" the heavens and the earth, "hath. had to do with the word." - "But the LORD will be a refuge for his people." "There it is clear" that it is a spiritual war through which the HErr will reign in the confidence of his people 2c. He himself will be their hope (spes [in the Vulg.]), better: "the refuge" (fiducia) of his people, their "defiance, comfort, confidence." Therefore, all swords 2c. will cease, 2) it will cease "our fortune", our powers 2c.

V. 22. Then Jerusalem will be holy, and no stranger will walk through her.

This has never been fulfilled except through Christ. The gospel and the word of God began on Mount Zion, and this makes the

1) The preceding reads in the original: -So/ e/ /"-rs Sie proprie loquuvtur propUetae. Sapikutiae V. Impii beuchten totum munäum umbgehen oum 86Ntiuut juäioium äoi.

2) Both the Erlangen and the Weimar editions offer here, contrary to the train of thought: V688udunt vom6068 ßlackim. Therefore, we have assumed according to the Altenburg manuscript: o6ssadnnt OMU68 Zladii.

Place sacred. "Now that is not there." He is not talking about the earthly Jerusalem and Zion, but the church 2c.

V. 23 [At the same time the mountains will be dripping with sweet wine].

Instead of dulcedinem [in the Vulgate], it should rather be must or honey jelly; "of sweet, fine must". You see that this is all figurative speech. In all places where the word of God is filed, the exceedingly sweet doctrine of the gospel will be preached, a sweet milk to the young children 2c. The sweetness of the word is indicated here. - And by all the streams, there shall be no more drought and barrenness 2c.; the fountain, which is Christ, "a spring ("pornquel") shall come on."-"The stream" (torrentem), where there is water when it rains 2c. Instead of "the stream" read: the valley Sittim. What this place is, see in the book of Joshua [Cap. 2, 1] and in the 4th book of Moses [Cap. 25, 1. 33, 49. 5 Mos. 34, 8]. It is a region in the land of Moab beyond Jordan, not far from the Dead Sea toward the east 2c. Out of the land of Edom into the territories of the Gentiles, there [will flow] this spring 2c. This indicates the course of the gospel word through the whole world rc, "as if a brook broke out and" flowed from Jerusalem to Sittim 2c.

V. 24. But Egypt shall become desolate.

This is the conclusion. It briefly repeats the power of war. When it will happen like this, "Egypt will become desolate" from this water and sweetness. The kingdom of Christ is described. They have committed much iniquity against the children of Judah, "I will avenge it," with the sweetness of the gospel word. These figurative speeches force the readers to understand it spiritually.