Book of Joel Chapter 3 Vs. 18

 The Glorious Future of Judah

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Joel 3:18

And it shall... At that time (in that day, when Messiah will reign over His people in the Millennium) the land will be a virtual paradise, enabling the Lord’s people to enjoy His agricultural blessings to the fullest.

הָיָה

hāyāh

A verb meaning to exist, to be, to become, to happen, to come to pass, to be done. It is used over 3,500 times in the Old Testament. In the simple stem, the verb often means to become, to take place, to happen. It indicates that something has occurred or come about, such as events that have turned out a certain way (1Sam. 4:16); something has happened to someone, such as Moses (Exo. 32:1, 32:23; 2Kgs. 7:20); or something has occurred just as God said it would (Gen. 1:7, 1:9). Often a special Hebrew construction using the imperfect form of the verb asserts that something came to pass (cf. Gen. 1:7, 1:9). Less often, the construction is used with the perfect form of the verb to refer to something coming to pass in the future (Isa. 7:18, 7:21; Hos. 2:16).

The verb is used to describe something that comes into being or arises. For instance, a great cry arose in Egypt when the firstborn were killed in the tenth plague (Exo. 12:30; cf. Gen. 9:16; Mic. 7:4); and when God commanded light to appear, and it did (Gen. 1:3). It is used to join the subject and verb as in Gen. 1:2 where the earth was desolate and void, or to say Adam and Eve were naked (Gen. 2:25). With certain prepositions, it can mean to follow or to be in favor of someone (Psm. 124:1-2). The verb is used with a variety of other words, normally prepositions, to express subtle differences in meaning, such as to be located somewhere (Exo. 1:5); to serve or function as something (e.g., gods Exo. 20:3); to become something or as something, as when a person becomes a living being (Gen. 2:7); to be with or by someone (Deut. 22:2); to be or come on someone or something (e.g., the fear of humans on the beasts Gen. 9:2); to express the idea of better than or a comparison (Eze. 15:2), as in the idea of too small (Exo. 12:4).

in that...

הִיא

hiy’, הוּא

hû’

A pronoun appearing in masculine and feminine forms, he, she, it. Its major uses are as follows: as the third person independent pronoun meaning he, she, it, they (Gen. 3:15, 3:20; 13:1; 37:2; Jdg. 11:1); as a demonstrative pronoun meaning that is, there is (Gen. 2:11-13; Lev. 10:3; Deut. 30:20); as an emphatic word to emphasize a subject (Gen. 2:14). Placed in front of a noun, it gives precision (Exo. 12:42); used with a pronoun, it indicates identity, ’^anî hû, it is I (Isa. 52:6). Used after a noun in agreement with the noun, it is a demonstrative adjective meaning that, e.g., that man (Job 1:1). It serves to tie two things together as the verb is, are (Lam. 1:18). It is combined with other words to form names, such as ’^elîyhû’, He is my God.

day...

יוֹם

yôm

A masculine noun meaning day, time, year. This word stands as the most basic conception of time in the Old Testament. It designates such wide-ranging elements as the daylight hours from sunrise to sunset (Gen. 1:5; 1Kgs. 19:4); a literal twenty-four-hour cycle (Deut. 16:8; 2Kgs. 25:30); a generic span of time (Gen. 26:8; Num. 20:15); a given point in time (Gen. 2:17; 47:29; Eze. 33:12). In the plural, the word may also mean the span of life (Psm. 102:3,4) or a year (Lev. 25:29; 1Sam. 27:7). The prophets often infuse the word with end-times meanings or connotations, using it in connection with a future period of consequential events, such as the day of the LORD (Jer. 46:10; Zec. 14:1) or simply, that day (Isa. 19:23; Zec. 14:20-21).

that the mountains... The grape harvest will be so bountiful that wine will seemingly drip from the mountains. Milk will be just as plentiful. It too was a sign of prosperity; Canaan was described as a land flowing with milk and honey (see Exo. 3:8; cf. 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; also Isa. 55:1).

הַר

har

A masculine noun indicating a hill, hill country, mountain, mountain range. With a following modifying word, it may mean a mountain range, such as the mountains or hill country of Gilead (Gen. 31:21; cf. Deut. 1:7; Jos. 17:15; Jdg. 12:15) or denote individual mountains or Mount Ebal (Deut. 11:29). It indicates a particular mountain from the context without naming it (Gen. 22:2). Combined with the word for God, ’^elohı̄ym, preceding, it points out the mountain of God (Exo. 4:27; 18:5; 24:13; Psm. 68:15,16) or mountain of the Lord used with yhwh (Num. 10:33). These mountains and hills were sacred places for the gods of the pagan peoples of Canaan (Deut. 12:2), also called gods of the mountains (1Kgs. 20:23). It refers to the har-mō’ēḏ or the mountain of assembly, a dwelling place of the gods (Isa. 14:13). The word is used in a figurative sense often: the Lord weighs the mountains in His hand (Isa. 40:12) and can lay them waste as a sign of His judgments (Isa. 42:15). God causes His people to thresh the mountains as a sign of their defeating their foes (Isa. 41:15). God calls the mountains as His witnesses (Mic. 6:2) and speaks to them (Eze. 36:1, 36:4, 36:8). They are expected to praise the Lord (Psm. 148:9), and they leap in praise (Psm. 114:4, 114:6). The mountains symbolize strength (Isa. 2:14); great age, antiquity, and stability (Prov. 8:25), yet the Lord's love is even more enduring (Isa. 54:10).

shall drop down...

נָטַף

nāṭap̱

A verb meaning to drip, to drop, to flow. It is used to describe rain (Jdg. 5:4; Psm. 68:8,9); and words which are like rain (Job 29:22). Lips may drip with honey (Prov. 5:3); and hands may drip with myrrh (Song 5:5). This word can also be taken figuratively, meaning to prophesy (Eze. 21:2, 7; Amos 7:16). It is sometimes used to refer to false prophets (Mic. 2:6).

new wine...

עָסִיס

‛āsiys

A masculine noun referring to sweet wine, new wine; nectar. It refers to grape juice (Isa. 49:26; Amos 9:13); or to the nectar or juice from pomegranates (Song 8:2). It is used of sweet wine (Joel 1:5; 3:18; 4:18). Sweet wine is probably grape juice, fresh and unfermented.

and the hills...

גִּבְעָה

giḇ‛āh

A feminine noun denoting a hill. It often simply refers to a hill, not a mountain (Exo. 17:9-10; 2Sam. 2:25) but often with negative implications that Israel used these natural locations as illicit places of worship of foreign gods (1Kgs. 14:23; 17:10; Jer. 2:20). It often stands poetically in a parallel relationship with Hebrew hār, mountain, and means the same thing (Deut. 33:15; Psm. 72:3; 114:4, 114:6; Isa. 2:2, 2:14; 30:17, 30:25; Joel 3:18; 4:18). It is combined with a following word to designate a specific hill: teacher's hill; hill of Moreh (Jdg. 7:1); hill of foreskins, Gibeath Haaraloth (Jos. 5:3); hill of God (1Sam. 10:5; NIV, Gibeah of God). It designates in general the hills where Jerusalem is located (Zeph. 1:10).

shall flow...

הָלַךּ

hālaḵ

A verb meaning to go, to come, to walk. This common word carries with it the basic idea of movement: the flowing of a river (Gen. 2:14); the descending of floods (Gen. 8:3); the crawling of beasts (Lev. 11:27); the slithering of snakes (Lev. 11:42); the blowing of the wind (Ecc. 1:6); the tossing of the sea (Jon. 1:13). Since it is usually a person who is moving, it is frequently translated walk (Gen. 48:15; 2Sam. 15:30). Like a similar verb dāraḵ, meaning to tread, this word is also used metaphorically to speak of the pathways (i.e., behavior) of one's life. A son could walk in i.e., follow after) the ways of his father (2Chr. 17:3) or not (1Sam. 8:3). Israel was commanded to walk in the ways of the Lord (Deut. 28:9), but they often walked after other gods (2Kgs. 13:11).

with milk...

חָלָב

ḥālāḇ

A masculine noun denoting milk, cheese. It is best known from the phrase describing Canaan as a land flowing with milk and honey (Exo. 3:8, 3:17; 13:5; Num. 13:27; Deut. 6:3; Jos. 5:6; Eze. 20:6, 20:15). The hills will flow with milk in the time of God's blessings (Joel 3:18; 4:18). Milk was a major part of the diet of Israel and her surrounding neighbors. It was served with wine as a special treat (Song 5:1; Isa. 55:1) and pictured the Lord's other blessings as well. Its whiteness served as a ready comparison (Lam. 4:7). It is found three times in the command not to boil a kid in its mother's milk (Exo. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 14:21). The phrase ṭelē’ ḥalāḇ refers to a sucking lamb (1Sam. 7:9).

and all the... The seasonal streams (ravines, or wadis) will no longer run dry. This abundance of wine, milk (implying the existence of extensive herds), and water represents a complete reversal of the effects of the locust plague (cf. Joel 1:5, 1:18, 1:20).

אָפִיק

’āp̱iyq

I. A masculine noun referring to a torrent, a stream channel, ravine; tube. The word is found often in Ezekiel (Eze. 6:3; 31:12; 32:6; 34:13; 35:8; 36:4, 36:6) indicating a stream channel. It refers to channels opened in the deep-sea waters (2Sam. 22:16) but also to the wadis or quickly appearing but swiftly vanishing streams in the desert (Job 6:15; Joel 1:20). It also, however, describes smooth flowing streams of peace (Song 5:12). The strength of Behemoth is described by this word (KJV, Job 40:18).

II. An adjective meaning strong, mighty. The word refers to someone or something that is strong, mighty. The word refers to strong persons of great wealth and influence. It describes the tubes, sinews, of the Behemoth (NIV, NASB, Job 40:18).

of Judah...

יְהוּדָה

y^ehûḏāh

A proper noun designating Judah:

A. The fourth son of Jacob through Leah (Gen. 29:35; 35:23). He married a Canaanite woman and bore two sons by her (Er, Onan). Er died and then Onan his brother died, leaving Tamar, Er's wife, without a child. Judah, heartlessly, refused to allow his third son to have a child by Tamar. Judah then committed an unwitting, but heinous sin with his daughter-in-law by hiring her as a prostitute and unwittingly fathered twins by her (Gen. 38). His lack of compassion is evident in the story. Judah himself bore many other sons (Gen. 46:12). Jacob prophesied of the high-status Judah and his descendants would have among the patriarchs (Gen. 49:8-12). He and they would be above their enemies, their own kinsmen; he was compared to a lion. He would have royal prerogatives scepter, rulership; he would be prosperous and powerful in appearance (cf. also Deut. 33:7). From Judah would come the Star out of Jacob and Israel (Gen. 24:17).

B. The territory of Judah ran north-south from north of Jerusalem and Aijalom and south to Kadesh Barnea. Its eastern border ran from Gath south to the El-Arish River of Egypt. Its eastern border was the Dead Sea and a boundary running from the Brook Zered southwest to Kadesh Barnea. Jerusalem, Hebron, and Bethlehem, all important cities in Israel and the Old Testament, were within its boundaries.

The tribe took its territory in Canaan rather forcefully (Jdg. 1:1-9) but could not totally capture Jerusalem. Judah seems gradually to have become isolated from the northern tribes (Jdg. 4; 5).

Under David, Judah became powerful. David was crowned king in Judah at Hebron and then captured Jerusalem to consolidate Judah and to attract the other tribes to Jerusalem as the central capital and worship center of the nation (2Sam. 5:1-16). Solomon attempted to consolidate the nation further, but through poor politics, poor economics, oppressive taxation, and megalomaniac building projects, he forced those outsides of Judah into a subordinate, almost slave-like position toward Judah and Jerusalem (2Sam. 8-12). As a result, Israel split off from Judah after Solomon's death in 930 B.C. The nation of Israel went into exile in 722 B.C., while the nation of Judah, with the Davidic covenant and royal line intact, lingered on with a few good kings (Asa, Jehosophat, Joash, Hezekiah, Josiah) until she too was destroyed because of her religious and moral corruption (2Kgs. 25).

Within Judah, God had chosen a king and established an eternal covenant (2Sam. 7). The tribe of Judah went into exile in 586 B.C., as predicted by Jeremiah, but likewise returned in 538 B.C. according to the prophet's word, still bearing the promised royal seed. The tribe was a mere shadow of itself from then until the end of the Old Testament. The high priest became dominant, for no kings were permitted in Judah, now a province of Persia, then Egypt, Syria, and Rome.

A Levite who had intermarried with the foreign people of the land in Ezra's day (Ezra 10:23).

A district or sectional director in Jerusalem over its newly returned residents from exile or the surrounding region (Neh. 11:9).

A leading Levite who returned from exile from Babylon under Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:8).

A priest who took part in the procession celebrating the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:34).

shall flow... same as above...

with waters...

מַיִם

mayim

A masculine dual or plural noun meaning water. It indicates water in its various functions: as a basic element of the earth (Gen. 1:2); as water descending as rain (2Sam. 21:10); gathered water, as seas, wells, springs, etc. (Num. 20:17; Amos 5:8; Isa. 22:9). Urine is designated as mēymēy raglayim (2Kgs. 18:27). It is used in various metaphors: as a picture of justice running down like abundant waters (Amos 5:24); powers of the underworld (Psm. 18:16,17); frailty or weakness (Jos. 7:5); distress (Isa. 43:2); sudden violence (Job 27:20; Isa. 28:2, 28:17; Hos. 2:5, 7); the ephemeral character of things or persons (Job 11:16); God's wrath (Hos. 5:10). Num. 5:17 speaks of holy water. Running water is living water (Lev. 14:5-6, 14:50-52; Num. 19:17).

and a fountain... This refers to the source of the great river of. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house, the Jerusalem temple. Similar imagery is employed in Eze. 47:1-12 and Zec. 14:8. This fountain (and the river it produces) will be a tangible reminder that the Lord is the Source of the land’s fertility (cf. Eze. 47:8-10, 47:12).

מַעְיָן

ma‛yān

A masculine noun depicting a fountain, a spring. It refers to an underground source of water coming to the surface: (Gen. 7:11; 8:2; Lev. 11:36; 1Kgs. 18:5). It is used figuratively as a symbol of sexual pleasure (Prov. 5:16); as a vibrant carrier of God's salvation (Isa. 12:3); as a source of joy and gladness (Psm. 84:6,7; Hos. 13:15). It describes a spring that will flow from the house of God in a restored Israel or world (Joel 3:18; 4:18).

shall come forth...

יוֹצֵאת

yôṣē’ṯ, יָצָא

yāṣā’

I. A feminine noun meaning captivity. It is used of going forth from one's homeland into exile (Psm. 144:14). God's blessing on His people could prevent this from happening.

II. A verb meaning basically to go out or to come in. It is used in many settings and contexts and is nuanced by those settings. It is used of the rising or coming forth of the sun or stars (Gen. 19:23; Neh. 4:21,15); of the birth and coming out of a child (Gen. 25:26); of the springing up of plants (1Kg. 4:33; 5:13). It indicates general motion or movement, stepping forth for various purposes (1Sam. 17:4; 2Sam. 16:5); to set out (Exo. 17:9); to set out in a military sense (Deut. 20:1; 1Sam. 8:20; 1Chr. 5:18; Prov. 30:27). Of birds it is used with šûḇ, to return, to mean to fly back and forth or here and there (Gen. 8:7).

It has many figurative uses: to come out from yāṣā’+ min means to be descended from (Gen. 10:14); to die is described as one's soul, life, going out, away (Gen. 35:18; Eze. 26:18); to lack courage, to fail occurs when one's heart goes out (Gen. 42:28). The beginning of the year is described as the (old) year going out (Exo. 23:16); it is used of the effects of something wearing off (1Sam. 25:37). It is used of manna coming out of one's nose, meaning becoming sick over excessive eating of a food (Num. 11:20). It describes the removal of dross from a metal (Prov. 25:4), purifying it.

It has several nuanced meanings in different settings: to escape free (1Sam. 14:41); to leave, to go away (Dan. 10:20). The removal of a scoffer causes a quarrel to cease, to go away (Prov. 22:10). It indicates the freeing of a slave (Lev. 25:25). The context in all its uses affects its meaning and translations. In its use as a causal stem verb, it takes on the idea of causing to go out, to go forth (Gen. 15:5; Jos. 2:3); to take away (Gen. 48:12); to lead an army (2Sam. 5:2). Or it indicates bringing forth, producing plants from the ground (Gen. 1:12); a weapon by an iron worker or smith (Isa. 54:16). Or it may, in the personal sphere, indicate bringing forth one's spirit or breath, indicating that a person makes his or her feelings known (Prov. 29:11), as is characteristic of a fool. It is used with the word justice to mean to bring forth or execute justice (Isa. 42:1, 42:3). In its passive uses, it indicates that someone or something is led forth (Gen. 38:25; Eze. 14:22; cf. 38:22).

of the house...

מִן

min, מִנִּי

minniy, מִנֵּי

minnēy

A preposition used to indicate from, out of, away from; more than: after, since; immediately; because of, since, so that; without; direction as southward, etc.). Its spelling varies according to its location and usage. Its basic meaning is from, away from, out of. Its basic meanings only can be noted here, but its exact meaning is easily discerned from its context: (1) With verbs, it expresses separation spatially or figuratively (Exo. 19:14; Deut. 22:8; Jos. 10:7). It can be used with a verb not indicating separation, e.g., to stay away from strife (Prov. 20:3; Isa. 14:19). (2) With the basic sense of out of, from (Gen. 3:22-24; 4:10; 34:26; Exo. 2:10; 8:9,5; Jdg. 15:7; Psm. 40:2,3), it often indicates what something is made of or formed from (Gen. 2:19; Hos. 13:2). With a pronominal suffix meaning from it, it means of one piece with it (Exo. 25:19, 25:31). It indicates a cause for something, on account of, because (Exo. 2:23; 6:9; 1Kgs. 14:4; Prov. 20:4; Isa. 53:5). (3) It is used to mean something is a part of something else, a part or share of it (Gen. 6:19; 7:8; 39:11; Num. 16:2). It indicates some of in an indefinite sense (Exo. 16:27; Lev. 25:49; Psm. 137:3). When repeated it means some . . . others or its equivalent expression (1Chr. 9:28-29). (4) It is used to mark time: from, since (Deut. 9:24), from a certain day or time (Lev. 22:27; Num. 15:23; 1Sam. 18:9). It is used in phrases to mean from ancient times, antiquity (Hab. 1:12); from of old (Isa. 42:14). It indicates right after a certain time (Gen. 38:24; Jos. 23:1; Eze. 38:8). (5) Paired with ‛aḏ it usually means from . . . even to, as far as (Gen. 10:19; 15:18; Exo. 11:7; Jer. 51:62). In a figurative sense, this same construction can mean e.g., from young . . . to old, both inclusive (Gen. 19:4; 1Sam. 5:9; Jer. 6:13). (6) It may further indicate than, in comparisons (Lev. 21:10; Jdg. 14:18). (7) Prefixed to an infinitive, it is often translated as from (Gen. 16:2); a few times as on account of or because (Deut. 7:7-8); or temporally as since or after (Num. 24:23; Isa. 44:7). (8) It is often attached to other words in compounds and is sometimes used in front of infinitives of verbs: e.g., with ‛āḇaḏ meaning from serving (Exo 14:5); with bāla‛ meaning from destroying (Lam. 2:8). (9) It is used in front of a verb form once as a conjunction indicating a negative purpose, "that . . . not" (Deut. 33:11). Other uses almost always fall under one of the above categories.

בַּיִת

bayiṯ

A noun meaning house, dwelling, family, temple, palace. It is used basically to denote a building in which a family lives (Deut. 20:5) but can also refer to the family or household itself (Gen. 15:2; Jos. 7:14; 24:15). It often is used of a clan such as house of Aaron (Psm. 115:10, 115:12; 118:3). Sometimes it means palace or dynasty when employed in the Hebrew phrase house of the king (Gen. 12:15; 1Kgs. 4:6; Jer. 39:8). When the Old Testament speaks of the house of the Lord, it obviously refers to the Temple or Tabernacle (Exo. 23:19; Dan. 1:2). The word is also found in place names: Bethel, meaning house of God (Gen. 12:8); Beth-shemesh, meaning house of the sun (Jos. 15:10); and Bethlehem, meaning house of bread (Gen. 35:19).

of the Lord...

יְהוָֹה

y^ehōwāh

A noun meaning God. The word refers to the proper name of the God of Israel, particularly the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses (Exo. 6:2-3). The divine name has traditionally not been pronounced, primarily out of respect for its sacredness (cf. Exo. 20:7; Deut. 28:58). Until the Renaissance, it was written without vowels in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, being rendered as YHWH. However, since that time, the vowels of another word, ’^aḏōnāy, have been supplied in hopes of reconstructing the pronunciation. Although the exact derivation of the name is uncertain, most scholars agree that its primary meaning should be understood in the context of God's existence, namely, that He is the "I AM THAT I AM" (Exo. 3:14), the One who was, who is, and who always will be (cf. Rev. 11:17). Older translations of the Bible and many newer ones employ the practice of rendering the divine name in capital letters, so as to distinguish it from other Hebrew words. It is most often rendered as LORD (Gen. 4:1; Deut. 6:18; Psm. 18:31,32; Jer. 33:2; Jon. 1:9) but also as GOD (Gen. 6:5; 2Sam. 12:22) or JEHOVAH (Psm. 83:18,19; Isa. 26:4). The frequent appearance of this name in relation to God's redemptive work underscores its tremendous importance (Lev. 26:45; Psm. 19:14,15). Also, it is sometimes compounded with another word to describe the character of the Lord in greater detail (see Gen. 22:14; Exo. 17:15; Jdg. 6:24).

and shall water... The valley of acacias (Shittim) is probably that portion of the Kidron Valley which runs through the arid wilderness to the Dead Sea (cf. Eze. 47:8).

שָׁקָה

šāqāh

A verb meaning to give water; to cause one to drink. It is used often of watering camels and other animals and of giving water or other liquids to persons to drink (Gen. 19:32-35; 21:19; 24:14, 24:18-19; Exo. 2:16-17, 2:19). This was done sometimes as a polite social gesture, sometimes forcefully (Exo. 32:20). It is used in an impersonal sense of watering the land (Gen. 2:6, 2:10; Joel 3:18; 4:18). In reference to humans bones, it means to be damp, moist, wet (Job 21:24), meaning to be healthy.

the valley...

נַחֲלָה

naḥ^alāh, נַחַל

naḥal

I. A feminine noun meaning wadi. It refers to a seasonal or semi-permanent small river, often termed the River of Egypt El-Arish?. It served as a boundary of the land of Israel in Ezekiel's vision (Eze. 47:19; 48:28).

2. A masculine noun indicating a wadi, a stream, a torrent. A stream-bed or wadi with water in it permanently(a spring or only during the rainy season (Gen. 26:19; Deut. 8:7; 1Sam. 17:40). When it is full, it flows violently (Deut. 9:21; Jdg. 5:21). It usually describes specific small streams, rivers, and brooks such as the Jabbok or Arnon (Gen. 32:23,24; Lev. 11:9-10; Num. 21:14; Jos. 12:2). It is used of hollows or pits dug for graves, ravines, mining, etc. (Neh. 2:15; Job 28:4). It is used figuratively of streams, veins of oil (Mic. 6:7); wadis of death (2Sam. 22:5; Psm. 18:4,5); a torrent of asphalt gop̱rît describing Topheth, a stream of tears (Lam. 2:18); or a brook of wisdom (Prov. 18:4). Water breaking out from a rock is described by this term (Psm. 78:20).

   of Shittim...

שִׁטִּים

šiṭṭiym

A proper noun designating Shittim:

A. A location in the plains of Moab (Num. 25:1; Jos. 2:1; 3:1; Mic. 6:5). This is a shortened form of Abel Shittim.

B. A proper noun designating a valley northwest of the Dead Sea (Joel 3:18; 4:18).

At that time (in that day, when Messiah will reign over His people in the Millennium) the land will be a virtual paradise, enabling the Lord’s people to enjoy His agricultural blessings to the fullest. The grape harvest will be so bountiful that wine will seemingly drip from the mountains. Milk will be just as plentiful. It too was a sign of prosperity; Canaan was described as a land flowing with milk and honey (see Exo. 3:8; cf. 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; also note Isa. 55:1). The seasonal streams (ravines, or wadis) will no longer run dry. This abundance of wine, milk (implying the existence of extensive herds), and water represents a complete reversal of the effects of the locust plague (cf. Joel 1:5, 1:18, 1:20).

Book of 1 John Chapter 4 Vs. 7

 God Is Love

1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."

let us love... This phrase in verse 7 is the key to the entire section (see verse 21). The original conveys the idea of making sure that love is a habitual practice. He has already written that those who are truly born again do exhibit the characteristic habit of love (2:10-11; 3:14).

Twenty reasons we should love others:

1. To prove that we are of God (1Jhn. 4:7).

2. It proves sonship (1Jhn. 4:7; 5:1-2).

3. It is proof of knowing God (1Jhn. 4:7-8).

4. Because God is love and we should imitate Him as children of God (1Jhn. 4:8, 4:16).

5. God has imparted love to us (1Jhn. 4:9; Rom. 5:5).

6. God sent His Son to make it possible (1Jhn. 4:9; 1Pet. 2:21).

7. That we might live (1Jhn. 4:9, 4:10, 4:14).

8. Because God first loved us (1Jhn. 4:10, 4:19).

9. We have been loved and forgiven so much (1Jhn. 4:10; John 3:16).

10. It is our duty (1Jhn. 4:11).

11. God loved us when we were unlovable (1Jhn. 4:11; Rom. 5:6-10).

12. God dwells in us (1Jhn. 4:12).

13. God’s love is perfected in us (1Jhn. 4:12).

14. Because of the indwelling Spirit (1Jhn. 4:13).

15. We believe in love (1Jhn. 4:16).

16. We dwell in God (1Jhn. 4:16).

17. We are like Him (1Jhn. 4:17).

18. It proves we love God (1Jhn. 4:20).

19. It is a command (1Jhn. 4:21; 5:2).

20. It is natural as sons of God (1Jhn. 5:1-2).

Of God (ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ)

Flows from God.

every one that... Those who are born again receive God's nature (2Pet. 1:4). Since God's nature exhibits love as a chief characteristic (see also verse 8), God's children will also reflect that love.

Since the importance of love is the subject here, He says beloved. We Christians are the beloved of God. One of the main things that separate the Christians from the world is the great love that we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. God not only loves, but is love itself. When we are born of God, we are born of His love.

To explain the love of God for us would be like trying to explain life itself. The word "loveth" means continues to love. One of the great things I believe about the United States is the fact that we are concerned about the problems of people of every race. When there is famine, we try to help. When there is a devastating earthquake, we try to help.

We are a loving caring nation. That makes me believe there is still hope for our nation to come back to God, and be the Christian nation we started out to be.

Discerning The God of Love

The writer now returned to the subject of love which, like faith in God’s Son (1Jhn. 4:13), is a product of the Spirit. As a confession of the incarnate person of Christ marks one off as being actuated by God (i.e., from God, 1Jhn. 4:4, 4:6) so does love, since love comes from God. Hence, one who loves in the Christian sense of that term has been born of God (cf. 1Jhn. 2:29; 3:9; 5:1, 5:4, 5:18) and he knows God. Love stems from a regenerate nature and also from fellowship with God which issues in knowing Him (see 1Jhn. 2:3-5).

Book of Isaiah Chapter 14 Vs. 2

 Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon

Isa 14:2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

the people shall... The Gentiles will help bring Israel home to their land and will then server Israelites as servants and handmaids. Israelites will take those captives who once took them captive and will rule over their oppressors (Isa. 60:8-12; 66:19-21).

and the people...

עַ ם

‛am, עָ ם

‛ām

A masculine noun meaning a people, peoples, people of the land, citizens. The word is used over nineteen hundred times to indicate groups of people that can be categorized in various ways. The largest group of people is the one comprising the whole earth (see Gen. 11:1); it constituted one people (Gen. 11:6); who shared a common language (Gen. 11:6; Eze. 3:5); a common location (see Gen. 11:2); and a common purpose and goal (see Gen. 11:4). However, the Lord scattered the group and brought about multiple languages, thereby producing many groups who would then develop into new peoples united around common languages, including common ancestors, religious beliefs, traditions, and ongoing blood relationships.

The word is used to describe various groups that developed. The people of the sons of Israel (Exo. 1:9; Ezra 9:1), was a term referring to all Israel. The people of Judah were a subgroup of Israel (2Sam. 19:40,41), as was northern Israel (2Kgs. 9:6). The people of Israel as a whole could be described in religious or moral terms as a holy, special people (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Dan. 8:24); or the Lord's inheritance (Deut. 4:20). Above all, they were to be the Lord's people (Jdg. 5:11; 1Sam. 2:24); and the people of God (2Sam. 14:13). They were the Lord's own people because He had rescued them from slavery to Pharaoh and his gods (Exo. 6:7). But the Lord Himself characterized His people as stiff-necked (Exo. 32:9; 33:3; 34:9; Deut. 9:13). To be a member of the Lord's people was to have the Lord as one's God (Ruth 1:16); if God's people rejected the Lord, they ceased to be His people. Therefore, it is clear that God's presence and ownership of His people gave them their identity (Exo. 33:13, 33:16; Hos. 1:9; cf. Deut. 32:21).

In the plural form, the word refers to many peoples or nations. Jeru-salem, destroyed and lamenting, called for the people of the world to look on it and its guilt (Lam. 1:18). Israel was chosen from among all the peoples of the earth (Exo. 19:5, 19:7; Deut. 14:2). The Lord is in control of all the plans of the nations and peoples (Psm. 33:10). The word is used in parallel with gôyim. Isaac prayed for Jacob's offspring to become a community of peoples that would include the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 28:3).

The word described people in general that is, nonethnic or national groups. It refers to all the people as individuals in the world (Isa. 42:5). When persons died, they were gathered to their people (Gen. 25:8, 25:17). It also referred to people from a particular city (Ruth 4:9; 2Chr. 32:18); or people from a specific land (e.g., Canaan Zeph. 1:11). Centuries earlier, Pharaoh referred to the Hebrews living in Egypt under slavery as the people of the land (Exo. 5:5). This phrase could refer to the population at large in Solomon's time and later (2Kgs. 11:14, 11:18; 15:5); or to the population of Canaan in Abraham's time (Gen. 23:7).

The term also depicted foreign peoples and nations. The Moabites were the people of the god Chemosh (Num. 21:29). The word designated foreigners in general as strange or alien people (Exo. 21:8); the people of Egypt were considered the people of Pharaoh (Exo. 1:9, Exo. 1:22).

The word is even used to describe a gathering of ants (Prov. 30:25); or rock badgers (Prov. 30:26).

and the house...

בַּיִת

bayiṯ

A noun meaning house, dwelling, family, temple, palace. It is used basically to denote a building in which a family lives (Deut. 20:5) but can also refer to the family or household itself (Gen. 15:2; Jos. 7:14; 24:15). It often is used of a clan such as house of Aaron (Psm. 115:10, 115:12; 118:3). Sometimes it means palace or dynasty when employed in the Hebrew phrase house of the king (Gen. 12:15; 1Kgs. 4:6; Jer. 39:8). When the Old Testament speaks of the house of the Lord, it obviously refers to the Temple or Tabernacle (Exo. 23:19; Dan. 1:2). The word is also found in place names: Bethel, meaning house of God (Gen. 12:8); Beth-shemesh, meaning house of the sun (Jos. 15:10); and Bethlehem, meaning house of bread (Gen. 35:19).

of Israel...

יִשְׂרָאֵל

yiśrā’ēl

A proper noun designating Israel:

A. The name given to Jacob after he successfully wrestled with the messenger of God (Gen. 32:28). The name means he who struggles with God. It was used of the descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt 70 in all but was applied to the nation that developed from those descendants (Exo. 1:1, 1:7). This name is explained again in Gen. 35:10. The name Jacob had been interpreted in context as well (Gen. 25:26), he deceives

B. The persons descended from Jacob who was renamed Israel (Gen. 35:10; see A above). His descendants became known as Israel (Exo. 1:1, 1:7). They were known as the twelve tribes of Israel Jacob (Gen. 49:7, 49:16, 49:28). The Lord became the Rock of Israel (Gen. 49:24).

The land of Israel was ideally the territory first described to Abraham. It stretched from the river of Egypt El-Arish to the great Euphrates River and encompassed the territory of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmo-nites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites (Gen. 15:17-21; cf. also Gen. 10:15-18). The full expanse of this territory was occupied during the reign of David and Solomon and approached during the time of Israel-Judah under the respective contemporary reigns of Jeroboam II in Israel and Azariah Uzziah in Judah. Most often, however, the land of Israel in the Old Testament is designated as the territory from Dan north to Beersheba south. After Israel divided into two kingdoms in 930 B.C., the name refers still to all of Israel but most often to northern Israel. After the return from exile in 538 B.C., the term is used of the whole restored community again regularly.

shall possess...

נָחַל

nāḥal

A verb meaning to receive, to take property as a permanent possession. The verb was formed from the noun naḥ^alāh which refers to a possession or inheritance. It can refer to the actual taking of the Promised Land, whether it was the entire land of Canaan as a gift from God (Exo. 23:30; 32:13); a tribal allotment (Jos. 16:4); or a familial portion (Jos. 17:6). In addition to the taking of Canaan, God declared that Israel's remnant would possess the lands of Moab and Edom (Zeph. 2:9). It can also refer to the division and distribution of the land of Canaan to the tribal units (Jos. 14:1). This verb is further used of God acquiring possession of Israel (Exo. 34:9; Zec. 2:12,16); and the nations as His own private property (Psm. 82:8). In the causative form, the verb denotes the giving of a possession (Deut. 1:38; 3:28); or inheritance (Deut. 21:16). This term is used figuratively to indicate the acquiring of things other than real property, like testimonies (Psm. 119:111); glory (Prov. 3:35); good things (Prov. 28:10); lies (Jer. 16:19); wind (Prov. 11:29); simplicity (Prov. 14:18); blessings (Zec. 8:12).

them in...

עַל

‛al

A preposition meaning upon, over, against, by, to, for. The various nuances of this preposition are wide-ranging, and the context determines its exact meaning and usage. Here are some basics: on, upon (Gen. 1:11, 1:26; Exo. 20:12; 2Sam. 4:7); in front of (Gen. 18:8; Exo. 27:21); to, unto plus mî, to whom (Jer. 6:10); with zô’ṯ or kēn following, it means because of, therefore with respect to, concerning (Gen. 20:3; Ruth 4:7); as or according to (Psm. 110:4); besides or over against (Exo. 20:3); to come on one's heart, means to come to mind, to think of (Jer. 3:16); to add to, in addition to yāsap̱ ‛al (Gen. 28:9; 31:50; Deut. 19:9); it has the sense of with, met with (Exo. 3:18). Other phrases include: k^e‛al-ḵōl , according to all (Isa. 63:7); from upon, upon, e.g., a camel (Gen. 2:5; 19:24; 24:64); ‛al-b^elî, that . . . not (Gen. 31:20); ‛al-’^ašer, because (Exo. 32:35). It is used to indicate God's provincial care, His hand on ‛al someone (Neh. 2:8); and to indicate a burden on someone (Exo. 5:8; 21:22; Job 7:20; Psm. 42:6; Isa. 1:14). It indicates the thing one speaks about or is concerned with when used with verbs of speaking, hearing (Jdg. 9:3; Jer. 16:3). It has the sense of eminence or exaltation, above (Deut. 26:19; Psm. 57:5,6, 57:11,12). It indicates what one exercises authority over (Isa. 22:15). It is used in the idiom, to fall asleep, sleep falls on someone (Gen. 2:21; 15:12); and of the activity of the mind setting on ‛al something (2Sam. 14:1; Jer. 22:17; Mal.3:13). It is used of an army attacking against ‛al a foe (Gen. 34:25; Deut. 19:11; Amos 7:9).

and they shall rule over...

רָדָה

rāḏāh

A verb meaning to rule, to have dominion, to subjugate. This Hebrew word conveys the notion of exercising domain, whether legitimate or not, over those who are powerless or otherwise under one's control. It is related as the exercise of authority by the priesthood (Jer. 5:31); by slave owners over their slaves (Lev. 25:43); by supervisors over their workers (1Kgs. 9:23); and by a king over his kingdom (1Kgs. 4:24; 5:4). Theologically significant is the use of this word to identify people's God-ordained relationship to the created world around them (Gen. 1:26, 1:28).

their oppressors...

נָגַשׂ

nāg̱aś

A verb meaning to oppress, to require payment. It refers to forcing someone or something to do something. It is used of forcing persons to labor (Isa. 58:3); of forcing or exacting payment of money (2Kgs. 23:35). It refers in its participial forms to taskmasters or workers of animals (Exo. 3:7; 5:6, 5:10, 5:13-14; Job 3:18). It is used figuratively of righteousness being a good foreman or overseer (Isa. 60:17) in a restored Jerusalem. In its passive uses, it refers to those who are oppressed by others (1Sam. 13:6). The Suffering Servant of Isaiah is a person oppressed, ill-treated by his enemies (Isa. 53:7; cf. Isa. 3:5).

Israel’s role will be reversed (Isa. 14:2): rather than Israel being exiled as captives in other nations, other nations will serve Israel. Israel will be prominent.

Book of Isaiah Chapter 14 Vs. 1

 

The Restoration of Jacob

Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

will have mercy... Three acts of God for Israel:

1. He will have mercy on Jacob.

2. He will yet choose Israel.

3. He will set them in their own land.

רָחַם

rāḥam, רֻחָמָה

ruḥāmāh

A verb meaning to have compassion, to have mercy, to find mercy. The word pictures a deep, kindly sympathy and sorrow felt for another who has been struck with affliction or misfortune, accompanied with a desire to relieve the suffering. The word occurs forty-seven times in the Old Testament, with God being by far the most common subject and His afflicted people the object (Deut. 13:17,18; 2Kgs. 13:23; Isa. 14:1; 30:18; 60:10; Jer. 12:15; 31:20; Lam. 3:32). Though the Lord showed compassion, it was not because of any meritorious work the recipient had done; it was solely due to God's sovereign freedom to bestow it on whom He chose (Exo. 33:19; cf. Rom. 9:14-16). Two types of people God has sovereignly chosen to have mercy on include those who fear Him (Psm. 103:13); and those who confess and forsake their sin (Prov. 28:13).

strangers shall be... Many Gentiles will be converted to the God of Israel and will cleave to Israel and serve them.

and the strangers...

גֵּיר

gēyr, גֵּר

gēr

A masculine noun meaning sojourner, alien, stranger. The word indicates in general anyone who is not native to a given land or among a given people (Exo. 12:19). The word is used most often to describe strangers or sojourners in Israel who were not native-born Israelites and were temporary dwellers or newcomers. A person, family, or group might leave their homeland and people to go elsewhere because of war or immediate danger as Moses had done (Exo. 2:22; cf. 2Sam. 4:3); Naomi and her family were forced to travel to Moab to sojourn because of a famine in Israel (Ruth 1:1). God's call to Abraham to leave his own land of Ur of the Chaldees and made him a sojourner and an alien in the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1). Israel's divinely orchestrated descent into Egypt resulted in their becoming an alien people in a foreign land for four hundred years (Gen. 15:13). Abraham considered himself an alien, although he was in the land of Canaan, the land of promise, because he was living among the Hittites at Hebron (Gen. 23:4).

This evidence indicates that strangers or aliens were those living in a strange land among strange people. Their stay was temporary, or they did not identify with the group among whom they were living, no matter how long they stayed. The transitory nature of aliens' status is indicated in passages that describe them as seeking overnight lodging or accommodations (Job 31:32; Jer. 14:8).

Sojourners or strangers in Israel were not to be oppressed but were to receive special consideration for several reasons: Israel knew about being aliens, for they had been aliens in Egypt (Exo. 23:9); aliens had a right to rest and cessation from labor just as the native Israelites did (Exo. 20:10); aliens were to be loved, for God loved them (Deut. 10:18) just as He loved widows and orphans; aliens had a right to food to satisfy their needs just as orphans and widows did (Deut. 14:29). In Ezekiel's vision of a new temple and temple area, the children of aliens and sojourners were given an allotment of land (Eze. 47:22), for they were to be considered as native children of Israel. However, this shows that sojourners had to receive special concessions because they did not have all the rights of native Israelites. Aliens could eat at the Lord's Passover only if they and their entire household submitted to circumcision (Exo. 12:48-49). They were then not allowed to eat anything with yeast in it during the celebration of the Passover, just like native Israelites (Exo. 12:19-20). However, major distinctions did exist between sojourners or aliens and native Israelites. Unclean food could be given to aliens to eat, but the Israelites were prohibited from eating the same food. To have done so would violate their holiness and consecration to the Lord God. Unfortunately, David himself laid forced labor on the shoulders of aliens in Israel to prepare to build the temple (1Chr. 22:2; cf. 2Chr. 8:7-9).

and they shall cleave...

סָפַח

sāp̱aḥ, שָׂפַח

śāp̱aḥ

A verb meaning to join, to be gathered together, to be joined, to cleave, to join oneself, to abide in. The word refers to putting a priest into office, that is, joining him to the office (1Sam. 2:36). It refers to David remaining in Israel's inheritance in spite of death threats from Saul (1Sam. 26:19); similarly, it refers to the Gentiles being joined to Israel (Isa. 14:1). In Job 30:7, it refers to the gathering of foolish poor people for protection under a plant. It appears to refer to the joining of heat (that is, poison) to a drink meant to make someone drunk; but the word here may be a copyist's error for sap̱ (H5592), meaning goblet (Hab. 2:15). In Isa. 3:17, the word means to smite with a scab, but here it is spelled śippaḥ. and may belong to another root of similar spelling.

the house...

ַּיִת

bayiṯ

A noun meaning house, dwelling, family, temple, palace. It is used basically to denote a building in which a family lives (Deut. 20:5) but can also refer to the family or household itself (Gen. 15:2; Jos. 7:14; 24:15). It often is used of a clan such as house of Aaron (Psm. 115:10, 115:12; 118:3). Sometimes it means palace or dynasty when employed in the Hebrew phrase house of the king (Gen. 12:15; 1Kgs. 4:6; Jer. 39:8). When the Old Testament speaks of the house of the Lord, it obviously refers to the Temple or Tabernacle (Exo. 23:19; Dan. 1:2). The word is also found in place names: Bethel, meaning house of God (Gen. 12:8); Beth-shemesh, meaning house of the sun (Jos. 15:10); and Bethlehem, meaning house of bread (Gen. 35:19).

of Jacob...

יַעֲקֹב

ya‛^aqōḇ

A proper noun designating Jacob

A. Son of Isaac. He had an older twin brother, Esau (Edom). Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs from whom the nation of Israel was formed. He moved with his sons to Egypt because of divine providence (Gen. 41; Exo. 1:1-7), probably sometime in the eighteenth century. He lived with his sons in Egypt until his death in Egypt (Gen. 49-50). He was embalmed in Egypt, carried out of Egypt at the Exodus, and buried in Canaan (Gen. 50:1-14) in the cave located in the area of Machpelah. Abraham had purchased this burial property from the Hittites living in the land (Gen. 50:12-14). Jacob produced seventy descendants (seventy-five according to the LXX) who went down to Egypt (Exo. 1:5).

Much of Genesis is occupied with tracing the birth, growth, and development of this father of the patriarchs. His name probably means something like he seized, or he seizes. Jacob took advantage of Esau and obtained the firstborn's birthright from him, thus supplanting him (Gen. 25:29-34). Later, he deceived Isaac into giving him the firstborn's blessing (Gen. 27:1-33).

The Lord confirmed the promises and covenants to Jacob previously made to Abraham (Gen. 28:1-22) and showed His special love for him and his progeny (Mal. 1:2). Jacob himself was deceived by Laban but eventually married Leah and Rachel through whom, with their handmaids, he fathered the ancestors of the twelve tribes (Gen. 29; 30; 35; 46). He was reconciled with Esau on his return to Canaan (Gen. 33:1-20). Israel's God, the Lord, became known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exo. 2:24; 3:15-16), and Canaan became the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 34:4).

Jacob purchased the land in Shechem as a burial place for Joseph's bones (Jos. 24:32). His name was used sometimes to refer to all of Israel (see B below; 1Sam. 12:8). His name was changed to Israel, he has striven wrestled with God, after he encountered the angel of the Lord (Gen. 32:22-30) at the Jabbok River.

B. The name Jacob often stands for all his descendants (Lam. 1:17; 2:3; Eze. 20:5), in fact, for all of Israel in some cases. In other contexts, it refers to northern Israel or Judah (Amos 3:13; 6:8; Mic. 1:5; Mal. 2:12; 3:6). His name, in fact, was changed to Israel (see A above) and his descendants bore that designation and name. The seventy descendants from Jacob's loins became the Israelite nation in Egypt over a period of 400 years (Exo. 1:1-7). In poetry Jacob/Israel are used as parallel pairs (Psm. 14:7; 20:23,24).

God’s compassion on Israel

The fall of Babylon (and of other nations, 14:24-21:17; Isa. 23:1-18) would assure God’s people that He would work on their behalf. In spite of the destruction to come on the nation Israel, God will again have compassion. This contrasts with Isa. 9:17, where Isaiah said God in punishing His nation would not have compassion pity translates the same word as compassion in Isa. 14:1). Once again, He will choose the nation to be His people, as He had done at Mount Sinai. Jacob and Israel here probably refer to all 12 tribes, as they do in Exo. 19:3. God’s choosing of Israel and of Judah, Jerusalem, David, and Solomon is an important Old Testament theme (cf. Deut. 7:6), especially in 1 and 2 Chronicles and the Psalms (1Chr. 16:13; 28:4-5, 28:10; 29:1; 2Chr. 6:6, 6:34, 6:38; 7:12; 12:13; 33:7; Psm. 33:12; 47:4; 78:68, 78:70; 89:3; 105:6, 105:43; 106:5; 132:13; 135:4). The fact that non-Israelites aliens will join Israel is also a recurring theme in Scripture (Isa. 56:6; 60:10; 61:5).