Joel 2:17

"Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber."

Key Reflection

In Joel 2:17, God is issuing a call to communal response, likely in anticipation of a significant event or judgment. The instruction spans all social and age groups—ranging from the elders to children and even those newly married. By gathering everyone, including the most vulnerable like nursing mothers, and involving the community leaders and newlyweds, Joel highlights the urgency and inclusivity required during such times, emphasizing that every member of society has a part to play in facing whatever crisis is at hand.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar -The porch in this, Solomon’s temple, was in fact a tower, in front of the holy of holies, of the same breadth with the temple, namely, 20 cubits, and its depth half its breadth, namely, 10 cubits1 Kings 6:3, and its height 120 cubits, the whole “overlaid within with pure gold”2 Chronicles 3:4. The brass altar for burnt-offerings stood in front of it2 Chronicles 8:12. The altar was of brass, twenty cubits square; and so, equal in breadth to the temple itself, and ten cubits high2 Chronicles 4:1.

More from Joel 2

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