SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:13
Y romped vuestro corazón, y no vuestros vestidos; y convertíos al SEÑOR vuestro Dios; porque misericordioso es y clemente, tardo para la ira, y grande en misericordia, y que se arrepiente del castigo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Joel 2:13
Verse 13. Rend your heart] Let it not be merely a rending of your garments, but let your hearts be truly contrite. Merely external worship and hypocritical pretensions will only increase the evil, and cause God to meet you with heavier judgments. For he is gracious] Good and benevolent in his own nature.
Merciful] Pitying and forgiving, as the effect of goodness and benevolence.
Slow to anger] He is not easily provoked to punish, because he is gracious and merciful.
Of great kindness] Exuberant goodness to all them that return to him.
And repenteth him of the evil.] Is ever ready to change his purpose to destroy, when he finds the culprit willing to be saved. See the notes on Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. And rend your heart, and not your garments , etc.] Which latter used to be done in times of distress, either private or public, and as a token of grief and sorrow, ( Genesis 37:34 Esther 4:1); nor was it criminal or unlawful, the apostles themselves used it, ( Acts 14:14); nor is it absolutely forbidden here, only comparatively, that they should rend their hearts rather than their garments; or not their garments only, but their hearts also; in like sense as the words in ( Hosea 6:6); are to be taken as rending garments was only an external token of sorrow and might be done hypocritically. Where no true repentance was, the Lord calls for that, rather than the other; and that they would show contrition of heart and brokenness of spirit under a sense of sin, and in the view of pardoning grace and mercy; which is here held forth, to influence godly sorrow and evangelical repentance; the acts of which, flowing from faith in Christ are much more acceptable to the Lord than any outward expressions of grief; (see Psalm 51:17 Isaiah 57:15 66:2). The Targum is, “remove the wickedness of your heart but not with the rending of your meats;” the rending of the garment goes to the heart some say to the navel F45 : and turn unto the Lord your God ; consider him not as an absolute God, and as an angry one, wrathful and inexorable; but as your covenant God and Father as your God in Christ, ready to receive backsliding sinners and prodigal sons; yea all sinners sensible of sin that flee to him for mercy through Christ: for be [is] gracious and merciful ; he is the God of all grace, and has laid up a fulness of it in Christ; and he gives it freely to them that ask it of him without upbraiding them with their sins; he is rich and plenteous in mercy, and ready to forgive; be delights in showing mercy, and in them that hope in it; and this is no small encouragement to turn to the Lord, and seek mercy of him: and, besides, he is slow to anger ; he is not hasty to stir it up, and show it; he bears with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath; and his longsuffering to his own people issues in their salvation: he waits to be gracious to them; and, though he may seem to be angry, he does not stir up all his wrath their sins deserve nor does he retain anger for ever: and of great kindness ; both in a providential way, and in a way of special grace through Christ; whom he has provided as a Saviour, and sent him into the world as such, and saves sinners by obedience sufferings, and death: these characters of God are taken out of ( Exodus 34:6,7); and are admirably adapted to engage and encourage sensible souls to turn to the Lord by acts of faith in him, and repentance towards him; (see Isaiah 55:7); and it is added, and repenteth him of the evil ; which the sins of men deserve; and he has threatened on account of them; not that he ever changes the counsels of his will, but alters the course of his providence, and the manner of his conduct towards men, according to his unalterable repentance otherwise does not properly belong to God, ( Numbers 23:19); but is ascribed to him after the manner of men; and is used to express his compassion men; how ready he is to receive and forgive returning sinners and not execute the threatened and deserved evil and to bestow all needful good; (see Jon 3:10 4:2). The Targum is, “and he recalls his word from bringing on the evil.”
Matthew Henry Commentary
A plague of locusts. (Joel 1:1-7) All sorts of people are called to lament it. (Joel 1:8-13) They are to look to God. (Joel 1:14-20)
Joel 1:1-7 The most aged could not remember such calamities as wer about to take place. Armies of insects were coming upon the land to ea the fruits of it. It is expressed so as to apply also to the destruction of the country by a foreign enemy, and seems to refer to the devastations of the Chaldeans. God is Lord of hosts, has ever creature at his command, and, when he pleases, can humble and mortify proud, rebellious people, by the weakest and most contemptibl creatures. It is just with God to take away the comforts which ar abused to luxury and excess; and the more men place their happiness in the gratifications of sense, the more severe temporal afflictions ar upon them. The more earthly delights we make needful to satisfy us, the more we expose ourselves to trouble.
Joel 1:8-13 All who labour only for the meat that perishes, will sooner or later, be ashamed of their labour. Those that place their happiness in the delights of sense, when deprived of them, or disturbe in the enjoyment, lose their joy; whereas spiritual joy then flourishe more than ever. See what perishing, uncertain things ou creature-comforts are. See how we need to live in continual dependenc upon God and his providence. See what ruinous work sin makes. As far a poverty occasions the decay of piety, and starves the cause of religio among a people, it is a very sore judgment. But how blessed are the awakening judgments of God, in rousing his people and calling home the heart to Christ, and his salvation!
Joel 1:14-20 The sorrow of the people is turned into repentance an humiliation before God. With all the marks of sorrow and shame, sin must be confessed and bewailed. A day is to be appointed for thi purpose; a day in which people must be kept from their commo employments, that they may more closely attend God's services; an there is to be abstaining from meat and drink. Every one had added to the national guilt, all shared in the national calamity, therefor every one must join in repentance. When joy and gladness are cut of from God's house, when serious godliness decays, and love waxes cold then it is time to cry unto the Lord. The prophet describes ho grievous the calamity. See even the inferior creatures suffering for our transgression. And what better are they than beasts, who never cr to God but for corn and wine, and complain of the want of the delight of sense? Yet their crying to God in those cases, shames the stupidit of those who cry not to God in any case. Whatever may become of the nations and churches that persist in ungodliness, believers will fin the comfort of acceptance with God, when the wicked shall be burned u with his indignation __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וקרעו 7167 לבבכם 3824 ואל 408 בגדיכם 899 ושׁובו 7725 אל 413 יהוה 3068 אלהיכם 430 כי 3588 חנון 2587 ורחום 7349 הוא 1931 ארך 750 אפים 639 ורב 7227 חסד 2617 ונחם 5162 על 5921 הרעה׃ 7451
