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Selected Verse: Joel 2:13 - King James

Verse	Translation	Text
Joe 2:13	King James	And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Let there be the inward sorrow of heart, and not the mere outward manifestation of it by "rending the garment" (Jos 7:6). the evil--the calamity which He had threatened against the impenitent.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Let there be the inward sorrow of heart, and not the mere outward manifestation of it by "rending the garment" (Jos 7:6).

the evil--the calamity which He had threatened against the impenitent.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
And rend your hearts and not your garments - that is, "not your garments only" (see the note at Hos 6:6). The rending of the clothes was an expression of extraordinary uncontrollable emotion, chiefly of grief, of terror, or of horror. At least, in Holy Scripture it is not mentioned as a part of ordinary mourning, but only upon some sudden overpowering grief, whether public or private . It was not used on occasion of death, unless there were something very grievous about its circumstances. At times it was used as an outward expression, one of deep grief, as when the leper was commanded to keep his clothes rent Lev 13:45, or when David, to express his abhorrence at the murder of Abner, commanded "all the people with him, rend your clothes;" Ahab used it, with fasting and haircloth, on God's sentence by Elijah and obtained a mitigation of the temporal punishment of his sin; Jeremiah marvels that neither "the king," Jehoiakim, "nor any of his servants, rent their garments" Jer 36:24, on reading the roll containing the woes which God had by him pronounced against Judah. The holy garments of the priests were on no occasion to be rent Lev 10:6; Lev 21:10; (probably because the wholeness was a symbol of perfection, from where care was to be taken that the ephod should not accidentally be torn Exo 28:32; Exo 39:23) so that the act of Caiaphas was the greater hypocrisy Mat 26:65; Mar 14:63. He used it probably to impress his own blasphemous accusation on the people, as for a good end, the Apostles Paul and Barnabas rent their Act 14:14 clothes, when they heard that, after the cure of the impotent man, the priest of Jupiter with the people would have done sacrifice unto them. Since then apostles used this act, Joel plainly doth not forbid the use of such outward behavior, by which their repentance might be expressed, but only requires that it be done not in outward show only, but accompanied with the inward affections. : "The Jews are bidden then to rend their hearts rather than their garments, and to set the truth of repentance in what is inward, rather than in what is outward." But since the rending of the garments was the outward sign of very vehement grief, it was no commonplace superficial sorrow, which the prophet enjoined, but one which should pierce and rend the inmost soul, and empty it of its sins and its love for sin. : Any very grieving thing is said to cut one's heart, to "cut him to the heart." A truly penitent heart is called a "broken and a contrite heart." Such a penitent rends and "rips up by a narrow search the recesses of the heart, to discover the abominations thereof," and pours out before God "the diseased and perilous stuff" pent up and festering there, "expels the evil thoughts lodged in it, and opens it in all things to the reception of divine grace. This rending is no other than the spiritual circumcision to which Moses exhorts. Whence of the Jews, not thus rent in heart, it is written in Jeremiah, 'All the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart' Jer 9:26. This rending then is the casting out of the sins and passions." And turn unto the Lord your God - God owns Himself as still their God, although they had turned and were gone from Him in sin and were alienated from Him. To Him, the true, Unchangeable God, if they returned, they would find Him still "their God." "Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backsliding," God saith by Jeremiah; "Behold, Israel answers, we come unto Thee, for Thou art the Lord our God" Jer 3:22. For He is very gracious and very merciful - Both these words are intensive. All the words, "very gracious, very merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness," are the same and in the same order as in that revelation to Moses, when, on the renewal of the two tables of the law, "the Lord descended in the cloud and proclaimed the name of the Lord" Exo 34:5-6). The words are frequently repeated, showing how deeply that revelation sunk in the pious minds of Israel. They are, in part, pleaded to God by Moses himself Num 14:18; David, at one time, pleaded them all to God Psa 85:1-13 :15; elsewhere he repeats them of God, as in this place Psa 103:8; Psa 145:8. Nehemiah, in praising God for His forgiving mercies, prefixes the title, "God of pardons" Neh 9:17, and adds, "and Thou forsakedst them not;" as Joel, for the special object here, adds, "and repenteth Him of the evil." A Psalmist, and Hezekiah in his message to Isaiah, and Nehemiah in the course of that same prayer, repeat the two words of intense mercy, "very gracious and very merciful" Psa 111:4; Ch2 30:9; Neh 9:31, which are used of God only, except once by that same Psalmist Psa 112:4, with the express object of showing how the good man conformeth himself to God. The word "very gracious" expresses God's free love, whereby He sheweth Himself good to us; "very merciful" expresses the tender yearning of His love over our miseries (see the note at Hos 2:19); "great kindness," expresses God's tender love, as love. He first says, that God is "slow to anger" or "long-suffering," enduring long the wickedness and rebellion of man, and waiting patiently for the conversion and repentance of sinners. Then he adds, that God is "abundant in kindness," having manifold resources and expedients of His tender love, whereby to win them to repentance. Lastly He is "repentant of the evil." The evil which lie foretells, and at last inflicts, is (so to speak) against His Will, "Who willeth not that any should perish," and, therefore, on the first tokens of repentance "He repenteth Him of the evil," and doeth it not. The words rendered, "of great kindness," are better rendered elsewhere, "abundant, plenteous in goodness, mercy" Exo 34:6; Psa 86:15; Psa 103:8. Although the mercy of God is in itself one and simple, yet it is called abundant on account of its divers effects. For God knoweth how in a thousand ways to succor His own. Whence the Psalmist prays, "According to the multitude of Thy mercies, turn Thou unto me" Psa 25:7, Psa 25:16. "According to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, do away mine offences" Psa 51:1.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

And rend your hearts and not your garments - that is, "not your garments only" (see the note at Hos 6:6). The rending of the clothes was an expression of extraordinary uncontrollable emotion, chiefly of grief, of terror, or of horror. At least, in Holy Scripture it is not mentioned as a part of ordinary mourning, but only upon some sudden overpowering grief, whether public or private . It was not used on occasion of death, unless there were something very grievous about its circumstances. At times it was used as an outward expression, one of deep grief, as when the leper was commanded to keep his clothes rent Lev 13:45, or when David, to express his abhorrence at the murder of Abner, commanded "all the people with him, rend your clothes;" Ahab used it, with fasting and haircloth, on God's sentence by Elijah and obtained a mitigation of the temporal punishment of his sin; Jeremiah marvels that neither "the king," Jehoiakim, "nor any of his servants, rent their garments" Jer 36:24, on reading the roll containing the woes which God had by him pronounced against Judah. The holy garments of the priests were on no occasion to be rent Lev 10:6; Lev 21:10; (probably because the wholeness was a symbol of perfection, from where care was to be taken that the ephod should not accidentally be torn Exo 28:32; Exo 39:23) so that the act of Caiaphas was the greater hypocrisy Mat 26:65; Mar 14:63.

He used it probably to impress his own blasphemous accusation on the people, as for a good end, the Apostles Paul and Barnabas rent their Act 14:14 clothes, when they heard that, after the cure of the impotent man, the priest of Jupiter with the people would have done sacrifice unto them. Since then apostles used this act, Joel plainly doth not forbid the use of such outward behavior, by which their repentance might be expressed, but only requires that it be done not in outward show only, but accompanied with the inward affections. : "The Jews are bidden then to rend their hearts rather than their garments, and to set the truth of repentance in what is inward, rather than in what is outward." But since the rending of the garments was the outward sign of very vehement grief, it was no commonplace superficial sorrow, which the prophet enjoined, but one which should pierce and rend the inmost soul, and empty it of its sins and its love for sin. : Any very grieving thing is said to cut one's heart, to "cut him to the heart."

A truly penitent heart is called a "broken and a contrite heart." Such a penitent rends and "rips up by a narrow search the recesses of the heart, to discover the abominations thereof," and pours out before God "the diseased and perilous stuff" pent up and festering there, "expels the evil thoughts lodged in it, and opens it in all things to the reception of divine grace. This rending is no other than the spiritual circumcision to which Moses exhorts. Whence of the Jews, not thus rent in heart, it is written in Jeremiah, 'All the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart' Jer 9:26. This rending then is the casting out of the sins and passions."

And turn unto the Lord your God - God owns Himself as still their God, although they had turned and were gone from Him in sin and were alienated from Him. To Him, the true, Unchangeable God, if they returned, they would find Him still "their God." "Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backsliding," God saith by Jeremiah; "Behold, Israel answers, we come unto Thee, for Thou art the Lord our God" Jer 3:22.

For He is very gracious and very merciful - Both these words are intensive. All the words, "very gracious, very merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness," are the same and in the same order as in that revelation to Moses, when, on the renewal of the two tables of the law, "the Lord descended in the cloud and proclaimed the name of the Lord" Exo 34:5-6). The words are frequently repeated, showing how deeply that revelation sunk in the pious minds of Israel. They are, in part, pleaded to God by Moses himself Num 14:18; David, at one time, pleaded them all to God Psa 85:1-13 :15; elsewhere he repeats them of God, as in this place Psa 103:8; Psa 145:8. Nehemiah, in praising God for His forgiving mercies, prefixes the title, "God of pardons" Neh 9:17, and adds, "and Thou forsakedst them not;" as Joel, for the special object here, adds, "and repenteth Him of the evil." A Psalmist, and Hezekiah in his message to Isaiah, and Nehemiah in the course of that same prayer, repeat the two words of intense mercy, "very gracious and very merciful" Psa 111:4; Ch2 30:9; Neh 9:31, which are used of God only, except once by that same Psalmist Psa 112:4, with the express object of showing how the good man conformeth himself to God. The word "very gracious" expresses God's free love, whereby He sheweth Himself good to us; "very merciful" expresses the tender yearning of His love over our miseries (see the note at Hos 2:19); "great kindness," expresses God's tender love, as love.

He first says, that God is "slow to anger" or "long-suffering," enduring long the wickedness and rebellion of man, and waiting patiently for the conversion and repentance of sinners. Then he adds, that God is "abundant in kindness," having manifold resources and expedients of His tender love, whereby to win them to repentance. Lastly He is "repentant of the evil." The evil which lie foretells, and at last inflicts, is (so to speak) against His Will, "Who willeth not that any should perish," and, therefore, on the first tokens of repentance "He repenteth Him of the evil," and doeth it not.

The words rendered, "of great kindness," are better rendered elsewhere, "abundant, plenteous in goodness, mercy" Exo 34:6; Psa 86:15; Psa 103:8. Although the mercy of God is in itself one and simple, yet it is called abundant on account of its divers effects. For God knoweth how in a thousand ways to succor His own. Whence the Psalmist prays, "According to the multitude of Thy mercies, turn Thou unto me" Psa 25:7, Psa 25:16. "According to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, do away mine offences" Psa 51:1.

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]
repenteth (See Scofield) - (Zac 8:14).

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
And repenteth him - He turneth from executing the fierceness of his wrath.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
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 Exo 34:6, Exo 34:7.

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⁶ And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

¹ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

¹⁶ Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.

⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

¹⁵ But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

⁶ And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

¹⁹ And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

⁴ Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

³¹ Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

⁹ For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

⁴ He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

¹⁷ And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

⁸ The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

¹ To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
² Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
³ Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
⁴ Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
⁵ Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
⁶ Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
⁷ Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
⁸ I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰ Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹ Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
¹² Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
¹³ Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

¹⁸ The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

⁵ And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
⁶ And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

²² Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

²⁶ Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

¹⁴ Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

⁶³ Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

⁶⁵ Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

²³ And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.

³² And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

¹⁰ And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

⁶ And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

²⁴ Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

⁴⁵ And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

⁶ For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

¹⁴ For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:

⁷ Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

⁶ And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,