If, now, we endeavour to discover the historical reference of vers. 3-5, we are met by a great variety of opinions. It is referred to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, by _Grotius_, _Cramer_, _Turrettine_ (_de Scrip, s. interpret._ p. 331); among the Socinians, in the _Raccovian Catechism_, p. 22, and by _Oeder_; and among the Arminians, by _Episcopius_ in the _Instit. Theol._ p. 198. Others (as _Jerome_) think of the resurrection of the Lord; others (as _Luther_) of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; others (as _Münster_, _Capell_, _Lightfoot_, _Dresde_, l.c. p. 22) of the destruction by the Romans. It is referred to the judgment upon the enemies of the Covenant-people soon after the return from the Babylonish captivity, by _Ephraem Syrus_; to the impending overthrow of Gog, at the time of the Messiah, by the Jewish interpreters; to the general judgment, by _Tertullian_, _Theodoret_, and _Crusius_, In _Theol. Prophet._ i. p. 621; and to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the general judgment at the same time, by _Chrysostom_ and others.
The great variety of these references has arisen solely from the circumstance, that the prophecy has not been reduced to its fundamental idea. This fundamental idea is:--The manifestation of God's punitive justice upon all which is hostile to His kingdom, which runs parallel with the manifestation of His grace towards the subjects of His kingdom. This idea appears here, in all its generality, without any temporal limitation [Pg 346] whatsoever. Not one of these interpretations, therefore, can be absolutely right. They differ only in this, that some of them are altogether false, inasmuch as they assume a reference to events which do not at all fall under the fundamental idea; while others are only limited and partial views of the truth.
To the first of these classes belong evidently the references to the resurrection, and to the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. It is only by detaching these verses from the following chapter that such a view could arise. These events stand in no relation whatsoever to the animating thought of the passage. There is a certain relation to that thought in the reference to the destruction by the Chaldeans, in so far as this was really a manifestation of divine punitive justice. But the reference to this event would be admissible here, only if the prophet were describing the manifestation of divine punitive justice _in general_. But such is not the case. The comparison of chap. i. and ii. shows that the subject of the prophecy is rather the manifestation of divine justice in reference to those who are enemies to the kingdom of God. The defenders of such a view have altogether misunderstood the structure of the prophecy of Joel; for, otherwise, they would have seen that that event belongs to the threatening of judgment in chap. i. and ii., where the judgment upon the house of God is described; while, here, there is a description of the judgment upon those who are without.