Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe,.... This is said to the mighty ones sent, the Christian princes, the executioners of God's vengeance on antichrist; the angels that will pour out the vials of his wrath on the antichristian states, compared to reapers, with a sharp sickle in their hands, to cut them down, as grain is cut when reaped; as the same states are compared to a harvest ripe, the measure of their sins being filled up, and the time of their destruction appointed for them come; see Re 14:15;come, get ye down; to the valley: or "go tread ye" ; for another simile is made use of: the reference here is to the treading of clusters of grapes in the winepress, as appears by what follows: and so the Targum renders it,"descend, tread their mighty men;''in like manner Jarchi interprets it; and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it: and Dr.
Pocock observes, that the wordin the Arabic language signifies to tread, as men tread grapes in a press: the reasons follow,for the press is full; of clusters of the vine; or the valley is full of wicked men, compared unto them, destined to destruction:the fats overflow; with the juice of grapes squeezed out, denoting the great effusion of blood that will be made; see Re 14:18;for their wickedness [is] great; is come to its height, reaches even to heaven, and calls aloud for vengeance; an end is come to it, and to the authors of it, Re 18:5.
The Targum of the whole is,"draw out the sword against them, for the time of their end is come; descend, tread their mighty men slain, as anything is trodden in a winepress; pour out their blood, for their wickedness is multiplied.'
' wdr pateite, "calcate", Sept. so Syr.