Chapter 3 of Yoel is a short chapter, yet it opens a gateway to the End of Days: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Israel, wonders in heaven and on earth, and deliverance for those who call upon the Name of Hashem. We will examine the verses in order, focusing on the core explanation of the Malbim, along with the words of the Rishonim who debated the fundamental understanding of the chapter.
וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת־רוּחִי עַל־כָּל־בָּשָׂר וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם, זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן, בַּחוּרֵיכֶם חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ׃ - And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
The commentators debate whether the verses here speak of a future prophecy or of Yoel's own era. The Ibn Ezra cites: "Rabbi Yehoshua said, this entire prophecy is for the future." He immediately brings the objection raised by Rabbi Moshe HaKohen: If so, why does it say "And it shall come to pass afterward"? It should have said "And it shall come to pass in the End of Days," as is typical when speaking of future prophecies. From this, Rabbi Moshe HaKohen deduced that the prophet lived in the days of Yehoshaphat - which is why he mentions the Valley of Yehoshaphat - and in that era, prophets and disciples of the prophets were very numerous. We see that the disciples of the prophets went out to speak with Elisha: "Do you know that today Hashem will take your master from over your head?" and many went out to him. And how many were there? Ovadiah alone hid one hundred men in a cave, while Izevel killed all the rest. Thus, there were many prophets. And regarding that era, the prophet says, "I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" - a period in which prophecy proliferated immensely.
However, the straightforward understanding, which is the approach of both the Radak and the Malbim, follows the view of Rabbi Yehoshua cited by Ibn Ezra - that this entire prophecy refers to the future. Radak explains: "afterward" is equivalent to "in the End of Days." And why did it use the phrasing "afterward"? Because previously it was stated, "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel" - meaning, now, after the locusts have been removed and I have brought you rain, sustenance, and abundance, you will know that I am Hashem. Yet this is an awareness that can be followed by forgetfulness, for you will sin again. Even so, "And it shall come to pass afterward" - in the future to come, there will be an absolute awareness, a true knowing and connection, for then I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh and your sons and daughters will prophesy, and at that point your knowledge will be complete.
Radak explains: "all flesh" here refers to all of Israel. We find this phrasing in other places where it does not include animals, but mankind alone: "and all flesh shall bless His holy Name forever and ever," and "all flesh shall come to prostrate" - and the reference is to the Jewish people, who are worthy of having the Holy Spirit poured upon them. Ibn Ezra adds that this specifically means in the Land of Israel, which is the land prepared for prophecy. And if you ask: does "all" perhaps include the nations of the world as well? Radak replies: no. "All" comes to include both the great and the small, as it says, "and they shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them."
Radak further adds: their reality will be that their intellect will be refined, and in some of them, the rational faculty - the spiritual power that is the power of prophecy - will prevail until they prophesy. Notice the precision: it does not say that everyone will prophesy. Pay attention to the wording: "I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh," but regarding prophecy it states, "and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," and not "all your sons and all your daughters." Why? Because this aligns with the words of the Rambam, who wrote that prophecy will not come to a person, even with study and training, unless he possessed the innate predisposition from the time of his formation. That is to say: even if one makes all the necessary preparations for prophecy, and even if one lives in a generation worthy of prophecy - if one was not born with the innate nature of a prophet, one will not become a prophet. Therefore it is said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you... I appointed you a prophet to the nations" - there must be an inherent preparation within him, where from the perspective of his physical matter Heaven prepared him for prophecy. For this reason the verse says, "and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" and not "all," for not everyone possesses that natural predisposition, but only those whose nature the Holy One, Blessed be He, prepared at the time of their formation.
And do not wonder at the fact that sons and daughters prophesy, says the Radak, for we find that individuals prophesied even in their youth - such as Shmuel the prophet, who received prophecy while still a youth and a boy with Eli in the Mishkan. And they see visions and dream dreams, as was the manner of prophecy for most prophets: "in a dream I speak with him."
Here a difficulty arises: how did the prophet leap from one subject to another? Until now, you spoke about the locusts and that the Holy One, Blessed be He, would remove them and bestow abundance, and suddenly you speak about the End of Days and prophecy? Because of this difficulty, it was convenient for Rabbi Moshe HaKohen to interpret everything as referring to that same historical period. But according to our approach, that all of this refers to the End of Days, what is the connection?
The Malbim already established this connection at the end of the previous chapter. He explained there: while it is true that you now reach a state of "and praise the Name of Hashem your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you, and My people shall never be ashamed," know that at this time you do not comprehend Hashem in His Essence, but merely a radiance, only the "Name of Hashem." Yet another time will come: "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Hashem your God, and there is none else; and My people shall never be ashamed" - when the Shechinah will permanently dwell among you and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will be revealed, and that will be in the future to come. And since the previous chapter concluded in this way, the prophet now continues and elaborates: today you have a small measure, but in the future to come there will be perfection - and now I will detail for you what level will exist in the End of Days.
The Malbim cites the words of the Abarbanel, who proves from here that the initial prophecy regarding the locusts was not a temporary prophecy about his own generation either, but an allusion to the four kingdoms. Notice what he does: the Abarbanel faces the very same difficulty - how do we suddenly transition to the End of Days? However, while the other commentators linked chapter 3 to the earlier chapters and explained that here, too, the text speaks of his own era, the Abarbanel connects them in reverse, linking the earlier chapters to chapter 3. That is, all the prophecies here speak of the End of Days, and the locust plague is merely an allegory. The four kingdoms are likened to the shearer, the swarmer, the lapper, and the ravager (gazam, yelek, arbeh, and chasil), who devour us voraciously, and in the end the Holy One, blessed be He, will banish them and recompense us for everything they devoured and consumed of us. These are the four known kingdoms: Babylon, Persia and Media, Greece, and Rome - the same kingdoms discussed in Sefer Daniel through the four beasts, and in Sefer Yechezkel through the four faces of the Merkavah. This is also the characteristic of the four species of locusts: they devour us voraciously throughout the period of exile, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will punish them and subsequently repay us with goodness for all the years we suffered.
The Abarbanel adds: according to this, one can also understand why earlier the prophet compared the locusts to a vast people and a mighty nation, with horses and horsemen, chariots and armed hosts, warriors and conquerors - for he was not speaking of literal locusts, but of the forces of the enemies who would come and conquer us. Yet the Malbim, who follows the Abarbanel in many places, dissents here and states: "The straightforward meaning of the entire prophecy indicates contrary to his interpretation." Unless we say that the prophet indeed prophesied literally about the locust plague that occurred in those days, but in the loftiness and depth of his prophecy, there also hovered in his spirit the prophecy of the four kingdoms, which corresponds to it in the number four. In other words, to summarize: the locusts are literal - there was a locust plague, it devoured, and it comprised four species; yet by way of allusion, there are also the four kingdoms here. But to adopt the extreme view that all the verses we have read until now do not refer to locusts at all, but are purely a metaphor - that is difficult for the Malbim to accept.
According to the Malbim's approach, there is no difficulty here at all: the prophet told them that after the locust plague they would merit abundance, but that this abundance would not be complete, whereas in the future to come it will be complete - that is the connection, and with this, the Abarbanel's question is resolved. And concerning this it says, "I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh." What is the spirit of Hashem? It encompasses all the spiritual virtues, and we have an explicit verse regarding this: "And the spirit of Hashem shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem." Any spiritual influx that rests upon a person from Hashem is termed "the spirit of Hashem": whether in strength and might; whether upon the imaginative faculty - through true counsel and discernment; whether upon the intellect - through depth, contemplation, and understanding; or through prophetic influx - through the spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem, which transcends the intellect entirely.
And why specifically "I will pour out" (eshpoch)? Because pouring denotes abundance. One who dispenses a small amount drips; pouring means emptying with full force. There will be tremendous bounty, like someone pouring water, which spreads everywhere and covers everything equally. Even so, says the Malbim, it will not be entirely uniform, but rather according to the readiness and preparation of each recipient. Therefore, the verse specifies: "and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," etc.
The Malbim explains: there are three levels of perception. The highest is full prophecy (nevuah). The intermediate level is vision (chazon) - which is below prophecy, where one sees visions while awake, viewing images in his imagination through the influx of the Divine spirit. And the third is the true dream (chalom), which is below vision and certainly below prophecy, for a dream is one-sixtieth of prophecy and has straw mixed with grain, as Chazal expounded on the verse, "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream... what has the straw to do with the wheat? says Hashem" - meaning that even in true dreams, straw is mixed with grain, and they contain idle matters as well.
According to this, the verse is interpreted as follows: the young sons and daughters were born in the generation of Mashiach, in a generation prepared for the Divine spirit, and therefore they will attain full prophecy. The elders were born in a generation distant from the generation of Mashiach, and therefore only dreams will be granted to them, which is the lowest level, since they do not truly belong to this final generation. One who is born in the generation of bounty is born into that bounty, while one born in the previous generation was not yet receptive to that same spiritual abundance. And the young men, although born before the coming of Mashiach, are not as distant as the elders; they are closer to Mashiach's coming, and therefore they will merit the intermediate level - "they shall see visions," which is an influx intermediate between prophecy and dreams.
Regarding the elders, it is related in the name of the Chazon Ish that he once said about the generation: in every generation people speak of the "elders of the generation," but in this generation there are no longer elders. They asked him: "Honored Rabbi, are there not elders in our generation?" He replied: "No, all the elders in this generation are from the previous generation - an inheritance from the past." His meaning was: did this generation produce elders? We do not have that. If any exist, they were shaped in the previous generation. Where is Rav Ovadia? Where is Rav Elyashiv? Where is that stature of elders of the generation who were elevated far above the people? We no longer find such levels in recent generations. This is a generation of material plenty, of physical comfort, of attachment to this world. We no longer have a generation where ten children grew up in a single room, living frugally on bread with salt, and studying Torah through extreme hardship. Consequently, we also do not have such giants, for the more one studies through hardship and self-sacrifice, the differently one develops. We are a generation of abundance, and this leaves its mark even on the Torah leaders who emerge from it.
In his clarification of terms (Biur HaMilot), the Malbim elaborates: vision (chazon) is a lower level than prophecy, because the imaginative faculty is more dominant in it, and the person sees visions in his imagination, such that the light is enveloped in many garments. The rule is that the higher the level of the prophet, the greater the clarity and lucidity of his perception, and the less it is cloaked in physical forms and allegories; rather, he sees things as they are. This reaches its peak with Moshe Rabbeinu, who saw no allegories at all: "Mouth to mouth I speak with him" - the message was conveyed directly. The other prophets saw through allegories: "I see a seething pot" - seeing an allegory that expresses a concept. And in a vision, human imagination is also intertwined, and the message is received wrapped in a cloak rather than in absolute clarity.
A dream is lower than a vision, as it is only one-sixtieth of prophecy and contains nonsensical elements, which is not the case with a vision. So we find regarding Yosef, when Yaakov said to him: "What is this dream that you have dreamed?" - after all, Rachel had already died, so how could we come to bow down to you? And we have already noted that the Hebrew letters of "that you have dreamed" (אשר חלמת) can be rearranged to spell "Rachel died" (רחל מתה). What is the explanation? Chazal taught: "There is no dream without idle matters" - this was the idle element within the dream. Even so, this detail can also be resolved, since Bilhah was the one who raised him as a mother. In any event, we learn that a dream contains an added element of flaw and imperfection, unlike a vision, and certainly unlike prophecy. Anyone who wishes to explore this topic further can consult Mishnat HaChalomot, where these matters are explained at greater length.
The Malbim raises a difficulty: regarding Daniel, Scripture states that he had understanding "in all visions and dreams." Now, it is a basic rule of language that when praising someone for two achievements, one mentions the simpler one first and then adds the more advanced one. If one wants to say that someone knows mathematics, one says: "He knows addition, and he also knows fractions and algebra." But one would never say: "He knows fractions and algebra, and he also knows two plus two" - after mentioning fractions, what room is there to mention two plus two? The simpler matter is never mentioned at the end. This is the Malbim's consistent principle throughout: "Israel has sinned, and they have also stolen, and they have also denied, and they have also transgressed My covenant" - building step by step. One cannot say, "they transgressed My covenant, and they have also denied," because once the greater offense has been stated, what place is there to mention the lesser? If someone says that a person is a dangerous felon serving time in prison for murder, and adds that he also parked in a red-and-white zone - that is completely unnatural speech.
If so, the phrasing concerning Daniel, "in all visions and dreams," would seem to imply that dreams are on a higher level! The Malbim answers: on the contrary. A vision is easier to understand, whereas in a dream, where wheat is intermingled with chaff and there is dross, far greater wisdom is required to sift through the details. That is precisely the point: a vision is a high level, and therefore its message is clear; a dream is a lower level, mixed with dross and extraneous elements, and therefore it specifically demands greater wisdom and discernment to decipher - what is dross, what is essential, and where the true message lies. The Malbim further distinguishes between a dream, which is a "night vision" experienced during sleep, and a vision seen while awake, when one's physical faculties are suspended - "who beholds the vision of the Almighty." Thus, there is a vision seen in a dream, and there is a vision seen while awake.
וְגַם עַל־הָעֲבָדִים וְעַל־הַשְּׁפָחוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת־רוּחִי׃ - And even upon the slaves and upon the maidservants in those days I will pour out My spirit.
Ibn Ezra explains: the male slaves who have returned to the Torah of Hashem, and likewise the female slaves who have returned to the Torah of Hashem. Radak explains that this refers back to the servants about whom it was said, "And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers," and "Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers" - the nations will come here and vie among themselves for the privilege of tending our sheep. Obama will come and wash your floor, Trump will come and wash your car, and Condoleezza Rice will babysit - and they will even fight over it: "Move aside, do not interfere, I was here first!" They will serve the Jewish people once they recognize Israel's true stature. Concerning them, the prophet says that they too will be granted a spirit of knowledge and understanding.
The Malbim notes a precise detail: regarding the male and female servants in those days, it says only "I will pour out My spirit" - it does not say that they will prophesy, nor that they will dream dreams, nor that they will see visions. This means that a spirit of counsel, strength, and fear of Hashem will rest upon them - spiritual character virtues - but they will not attain the pinnacle, the achievement of prophecy and visions, which is reserved for the Jewish people alone.
וְנָתַתִּי מוֹפְתִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן׃ - And I will set wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood and fire and columns of smoke.
הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵהָפֵךְ לְחֹשֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵחַ לְדָם, לִפְנֵי בּוֹא יוֹם יְהֹוָה הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא׃ - The sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Hashem.
Radak explains that at that time there will be portents in heaven and on earth, referring to the era of the war of Gog. The blood on earth refers to the widespread slaughter that will take place. The fire and columns of smoke in the heavens refer to lightning bolts that cause fires when they strike, with the blazes sending up plumes of smoke. This will serve as a portent of the plague striking the nations who march against Jerusalem in the war of Gog and Magog, and these lightning strikes will not fall in an ordinary, natural way.
From here onward, there are two approaches to understanding these verses. The first is that there will be an actual alteration in the laws of nature, according to the plain meaning of the text. Thus Ibn Ezra understands that the darkening of the celestial luminaries is a sign of massive wars: there will be eclipses and darkness, serving as a portent that the war of Gog and Magog is about to erupt. The omens in nature point to the reality that is about to unfold.
Rambam, consistent with his approach, understands these matters metaphorically. It does not mean the sun will literally turn into darkness, but rather, as when someone wants to convey that a terrible distress has occurred, he says "the luminaries have darkened" - a metaphorical expression. Just as Chazal expounded: "'And darkness was upon the face of the deep' - this refers to the kingdom of Greece, which darkened the eyes of Israel." Did they literally blind us? It is a metaphor. Here too: wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke, and the sun turning to darkness - all these are an allegory for the troubles and wars that will take place in the future. It is Rambam's way throughout most of Scripture to interpret and understand them in this manner.
We have already seen this earlier regarding the locusts: "Before it the earth quaked, the heavens trembled, the sun and moon grew dark, and the stars withdrew their shine." Were there really no stars? There, however, there is also a straightforward understanding: the locust swarm blankets the ground like a carpet and obscures the sky, so that the sun truly grows dim, you cannot see the sun or the moon, and darkness sets in.
According to the approach that this refers to the future, we must ask: why does it say "before the coming of the day of the Lord"? It should have said "with the coming of the day of the Lord," for when the day of the Lord arrives, all this reality of blood and fire will occur. Radak resolves this by explaining that the prophet meant this distress will affect Israel, and their light will turn to darkness, before the day of Gog's downfall arrives. That is, in the initial stage, it will appear as terrible distress, darkness, the moon turning to blood, and the sun turning to darkness - and only afterward will everything turn around for good. For so we find regarding the War of Gog: many nations will ascend against Jerusalem, "and half of the city will go into exile" - this is the darkness described here; and in the prophecy of Zechariah, "there will be no light, but cold darkness and freezing gloom"; and afterward, at the time of Gog's downfall, that is "the great and terrible day of the Lord." The light arrives in the end, but at first, before the day of the Lord comes, when Gog arrives, everything will appear as terrible darkness.
Malbim explains: after describing that at that time the knowledge of Hashem will be revealed on earth and there will be prophecy and ruach hakodesh, the prophet adds that people will also come to recognize Hashem through the renewal of signs and wonders that transcend the natural order. This will take place in two ways: retribution upon the wicked - "blood and fire and pillars of smoke." The wonder on earth through blood is the sword that will strike the army of Gog and Magog; and the wonder in the heavens through fire is that the Holy One, blessed be He, will rain down upon them fire, brimstone, and hailstones, until smoke rises from the massive conflagration. The natural order of the celestial bodies will be altered to signify slaughter, burning, and destruction, all before the coming of the great day of Hashem, which is the great Day of Judgment.
וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה יִמָּלֵט, כִּי בְּהַר־צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהֹוָה, וּבַשְּׂרִידִים אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה קֹרֵא׃ - "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls in the name of the Lord shall be saved, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord said, and among the survivors whom the Lord calls."
"As the Lord said" - where did He say this? Rashi explains: "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon you." When the name of Hashem is called upon us, we will have deliverance. "And among the survivors whom the Lord calls" - the survivors are the remnant He will leave behind, and Rashi explains "calls" in the sense of those who are invited: the survivors whom the Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, will invite, just as in the expression "for an appointed day (mo'ed)," which denotes an invited gathering.
Radak explains that in the War of Gog and Magog there will be great distress for Israel, an appointed time of trouble, as it is written concerning that period, "Hide for a little moment until the indignation passes." At that time, many among Israel will perish, but the holy ones and those who truly fear God will escape, as Isaiah prophesied: "And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy, everyone written for life in Jerusalem." Those who remain are those who cling to Hashem - "And you who cling to the Lord your God are all alive today." And this is the meaning of "whoever calls in the name of the Lord" - that they call out with sincere truth, as it is said, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." These are the survivors whom Hashem calls.
This is a time of clarification and sorting out. In truth, the time we are living in right now is precisely this time of clarification: the time when an individual must decide where he stands. Are you clinging to those who serve Hashem, or are you with the worshippers of the Ba'al? Where do you stand? This is the hour. Then on Mount Zion there will be deliverance, and the survivors will be holy - those who remain steadfast in clinging to Hashem and serving Him during that period.
Malbim summarizes that two wonders are mentioned here. The first wonder is the disruption of the celestial order, "the sun shall turn to darkness and the moon to blood." The second wonder is the rescue of the righteous: whoever calls in the name of Hashem will escape, and evil will have no hold over him. This happens in two ways: on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, where everyone will be saved - "he who is left in Zion... everyone written for life in Jerusalem"; and even in other places, where not everyone will be saved, there will still be deliverance - these are "the survivors whom the Lord calls," the righteous individuals in those places who will be saved. Everyone who calls upon Hashem and prays to Him will ultimately be saved from all those troubles.
Chapter 3 details the spiritual level that will prevail in the End of Days. Having learned in the previous chapter that our knowledge today is partial and that ultimate perfection is reserved for the future, the prophet now elaborates. "I will pour out My spirit" - a tremendous outpouring of all spiritual perfections, yet meted out according to the readiness of the recipients: the sons and daughters, born into a fully prepared generation, will attain complete prophecy; the young men, closer to the redemption, will see visions; the elders, belonging to the earlier generation, will dream dreams. Even upon male and female servants the spirit of counsel and fear of Hashem will rest, though not full prophetic attainment. Alongside this, wonders will be shown in the heavens and on earth - blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, retribution upon the wicked in the War of Gog - and set against them is the second wonder: the rescue of the righteous. "Whoever calls in the name of the Lord shall be saved" - one who calls in truth is the survivor whom Hashem calls, the one who will withstand the great testing and sorting out, and merit deliverance.