Joel 2:16
Gather together the people, sanctify the church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride out of her bride chamber.
Open Joel 2:16 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- congregate populum, sanctificate ecclesiam, coadunate senes, congregate parvulos, et sugentes ubera ; egrediatur sponsus de cubili suo, et sponsa de thalamo suo.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- συναγάγετε λαόν, ἁγιάσατε ἐκκλησίαν, ἐκλέξασθε πρεσβυτέρους, συναγάγετε νήπια θηλάζοντα μαστούς, ἐξελθάτω νυμφίος ἐκ τοῦ κοιτῶνος αὐτοῦ καὶ νύμφη ἐκ τοῦ παστοῦ αὐτῆς.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- אִסְפוּ עָ֞ם קַדְּשׁ֤וּ קָהָל֙ קִבְצ֣וּ זְקֵנִ֔ים אִסְפוּ֙ עֽוֹלָלִ֔ים וְיֹנְקֵ֖י שָׁדָ֑יִם יֵצֵ֤א חָתָן֙ מֵֽחֶדְר֔וֹ וְכַלָּ֖ה מֵחֻפָּתָֽהּ
Haydock's commentary
Sanctify. Let all make themselves ready to appear.
Ones. Their cries would make an impression on men, and prevail on God to shew mercy, Judith iv. 9.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Theophilus of Antioch Theophilus to Autolycus, Chapter XII. Of Righteousness
Moreover, concerning the righteousness which the law enjoined, confirmatory utterances are found both with the prophets and in the Gospels, because they all spoke inspired by one Spirit of God. Isaiah accordingly spoke thus: “Put away the evil of your doings from your souls; learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” And again the same prophet said: “Loose every band of wickedness, dissolve every oppressive contract, let the oppressed go free, and tear up every unrighteous bond. Deal out thy bread to the hungry, and bring the houseless poor to thy home. When thou seest the naked, cover him, and hide not thyself from thine own flesh. …
St Cyprian Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews, That Christ is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from which spiritual children were to be born
In Joel: “Blow with the trumpet in Sion; sanctify a fast, and call a healing; assemble the people, sanctify the Church, gather the elders, collect the little ones that suck the breast; let the Bridegroom go forth of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet.” Also in Jeremiah: “And I will take away from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of the joyous, and the voice of the glad; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.” Also in the eighteenth Psalm: “And he is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber; he exulted as a giant to run his course. From the height of heaven is his going forth, and his circuit even to the end of it; and there is nothing which is hid from his heat.” Also in the Apocalypse: “Come, I will show thee the new bride, the Lamb’s wife. …
St Leo the Great Sermons, On the Fast of the Seventh Month, III
Of what avail, dearly-beloved, are religious fasts in winning the mercy of God , and in renewing the fortunes of human frailty, we know from the statements of the holy Prophets, who proclaim that justice of God , Whose vengeance the people of Israel had again and again incurred through their iniquities, cannot be appeased save by fasting. Thus it is that the Prophet Joel warns them, saying, “thus saith the Lord your God , turn ye to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning, and rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn ye to the Lord your God , for He is merciful and patient, and of great kindness, and very merciful,” and again, “sanctify a fast, proclaim a healing, assemble the people, sanctify the church.” And this exhortation must in our days also be obeyed, because these healing remedies must of necessity be proclaimed by us too, in order that in the obser …