to call out to (i.e. properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
Gentiles
בַּגּוֹיִ֔םba.go.Yim
H1471
a foreign nation · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
Prepare
קַדְּשׁ֖וּka.de.Shu
H6942
to be (causatively · verb, piel imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
war
מִלְחָמָ֑הmil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
up
הָעִ֙ירוּ֙ha.'I.ru
H5782
to wake (literally or figuratively) · verb, hiphil imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
men
הַגִּבּוֹרִ֔יםha.gi.bo.Rim
H1368
powerful · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
men
אַנְשֵׁ֥י'an.Shei
H582
a man in general (singly or collectively) · noun, common masculine plural construct
war
הַמִּלְחָמָֽהha.mil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
near
יִגְּשׁ֣וּyi.ge.Shu
H5066
to be or come (causatively · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
up
יַֽעֲל֔וּya.'a.Lu
H5927
to ascend · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Jeremiah 46:3-4 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
Isaiah 8:9-10 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be…
Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep h…
Ezekiel 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
Psalms 96:10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righ…
Isaiah 34:1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come for…
Jeremiah 50:2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Meroda…
Ezekiel 21:21-22 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consu…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Joel 3:9-17
What the psalmist had long before ordered to be said among the heathen (Psa 96:10) the prophet here will have in like manner to be published to all nations, That the Lord reigns, and that he comes, he comes to judge the earth, as he had long been judging in the earth. The notice here given of God's judging the nations may have reference to the destruction of Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, and to the Antichrist especially, and all the proud enemies of the Christian church; but some of the best interpreters, ancient and modern (particularly the learned Dr. Polock), think the scope of these verses is to set forth the day of the last judgment under the similitude of God's making war upo…
The nations hostile to Israel are summoned by Jehovah to "come up" (this phrase is used because Jerusalem was on a hill) against Jerusalem, not that they may destroy it, but to be destroyed by the Lord (Eze. 38:7-23; Zac 12:2-9; Zac 14:2-3).
Prepare war--literally, sanctify war: because the heathen always began war with religious ceremonies. The very phrase used of Babylon's preparations against Jerusalem (Jer 6:4) is now used of the final foes of Jerusalem. As Babylon was then desired by God to advance against her for her destruction, so now all her foes, of whom Babylon was the type, are desired to advance against her for their own destruction.
John Gill on Joel 3:9
Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles,.... This decree of God, concerning the deliverance of his church; and the destruction of their enemies; which is to be proclaimed among them, to the terror of them, and the comfort of God's people, encouraging them to the battle, since they might be sure of victory; for the prophet here returns to give an account of the armies to be gathered together, and to be destroyed in the valley of Jehoshaphat, as appears from Joel 3:12; and to this end heralds are here ordered to make proclamation of war throughout the nations, and to gather them to the battle of Almighty God; whether seriously, or ironically, may be considered; what follows seems to be spoken in t…
(V. 9 et seq.) Cry out these things ((or: Cry out this)) among the nations: sanctify war, awaken the strong. Let all men of war come near and ascend. Convert your plows into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.' Burst forth and come, all you nations around, and gather together, there the Lord will cause your strong ones ((or: his strong ones)) to fall. LXX: Proclaim these things ((or: Proclaim this)) among the nations: sanctify war, arouse fighters, bring and ascend all men of war. Plough your ploughs into swords, and your sickles into spears. Let the strong say, 'I prevail.' Gather together and come in, all nations round about, and gather yourselves together there, let the warrior be meek. This place is understood in two ways: for some think that these things are said to the holy nations, that they may prepare for war and fight for the people of God, that they may convert all the tools of agriculture into swords and spears, that the weak may say that they are strong, and let them all come from round about and be gathered together in the battle of the Lord, especially since according to the Septuagint it follows: 'Let the warrior be meek and gentle,' and according to what is written in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 5:8): 'And across the Jordan from Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, with all their warlike gear, one hundred and twenty thousand men: all these warriors, prepared for battle with peaceful intent.' They wish to be the imitators of the true David, of whom we read: 'Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness' (Psalm 131:1). And he himself speaks in the Gospel: 'Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart' (Matth. XI, 29), that is, gentle. They also want men to be understood, who, having destroyed the beginnings of infants, have grown in strength to the maturity of age, and have transferred all the zeal with which they previously cultivated the fields of their souls to the necessity of battle. However, it seems to us, who follow the opinion of the Hebrews, that the contrary is true. For this reason, the opposing nations are preparing for battle against Israel, and they exchange their plows and hoes, or sickles, for swords and spears (Isa. II), and the weak says that he is strong, and they burst forth and come from all sides, and they gather against the army of the Lord, so that the Lord may cause…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
War · Preceded by: Great preparation — Preceded by: Great preparation
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Joel 3:9-11
Joel 3:9-11
9. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
9. Publicate hoc in Gentibus, sanctificate proelium, excitate robustos, venient, ascendent omnes viri bellatores.
10. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
10. Concidite vomeres vestros in gladios et falces vestras in lanceas; debilis dicat, Ego sum robustus.
11. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
11. Congregamini et venite omnes gentes, congregamini in circuitu (hoc est, undique…
Fulfilment of the judgment upon all the heathen predicted in Joe 3:2. Compare the similar prediction of judgment in Zac 14:2. The call is addressed to all nations to equip themselves for battle, and march into the valley of Jehoshaphat to war against the people of God, but in reality to be judged by the Lord through His heavenly heroes, whom He sends down thither. Joe 3:9. "Proclaim ye this among the nations; sanctify a war, awaken the heroes, let all the men of war draw near and come up! Joe 3:10. Forge your coulters into swords, and your vine-sickles into spears: let the weak one say, A hero am I. Joe 3:11. Hasten and come, all ye nations round about, and assemble yourselves! Let thy heroe…
