comp. remarks on Joel iii. 5, Vol. 1, p. 338.

All which now remains is to examine those explanations of this verse
which differ from the Messianic interpretation. 1. Following the
interpretation of _Grotius_ and others, _Gesenius_, in his Commentary,
understands by the Sprout of the Lord the new growth of the people
after their various defeats. His explanation is: "Then the sprout of
Jehovah will be splendid and glorious, and the fruit of the land
excellent and beautiful for the escaped of Israel." _Fruit of the land_
he takes in its literal sense, and understands it to mean the product
of the land. The same view is held by _Knobel_: "_He becomes for beauty
and glory_, _i.e._, the people, having reformed, prosper and form a
splendid, glorious state." And _Maurer_ in his Dictionary says: "The
Sprout of Jehovah seems to be the morally improved remnant, the new,
sanctified increase of the people." But in opposition to such a view
there is, _first_, the circumstance, that according to it the [Hebrew:
l] before [Hebrew: lcbi] and [Hebrew: lkbvr] must be understood
differently from what it is in [Hebrew: lgavN], and [Hebrew: ltpart]
which immediately follow and exactly correspond with them. There are,
_secondly_, the parallel passages chap. xxviii. 5, xxiv. 16, according
to which [Hebrew: cbi] "beauty" is conferred upon the escaped, but they
themselves do not become beauty. _Finally_--It is always most natural
to suppose that [Hebrew: cmH ihvh] and [Hebrew: pri harC] correspond
with one another, and denote the same subject which is here described
after his various aspects only. For in the same manner as [Hebrew: cmH]
and [Hebrew: pri] go hand in hand, both being taken from the territory
of botany, so [Hebrew: ihvh] and [Hebrew: harC] also stand in a
contrast which is not to be mistaken. 2. _Hitzig_, _Ewald_, _Meier_,
and others not only refer "the fruit of the land," but also the "Sprout
of Jehovah" to that which Jehovah makes to sprout forth.[2] It is true
that, in the prophetic [Pg 18] announcements, among the blessings of
the future the rich produce of the land is also mentioned (comp. chap.
xxx. 23-25), and the same is very expressly done in the Law also; but
in not a single one of these passages does the strange expression
occur, that this fruitfulness should serve to the escaped for beauty
and glory, for exaltation and ornament, or any other that bears the
slightest resemblance to it. Against this explanation there is,