요엘 3:3의 미드라쉬

All the plagues that the Lord brought against the Egyptians in Egypt, He will bring against Edom (Rome),⁴Contrast Chap. 2, sec. 13 (above). Here, where it is said that Cappadocia will be destroyed, the reference is presumably to a later period, when Jews were persecuted there. as it is said: When the report cometh to Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre (Isa. 23:5). R. Eleazar said: Every time Scripture employs the complete spelling of the word Tyre, it refers to Egypt, but when the word Tyre (i.e., without the vav) is spelled defectively, it refers to Edom, which also oppressed Israel. The punishments visited upon the first nation will also be inflicted upon Edom. In the case of Egypt, He smote it with blood, and with reference to Edom, it is said: I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood (Joel 3:3). In Egypt the voices of frogs were harsh, while in Edom: Hark! an uproar from the city, hark! it cometh from the Temple (Isa. 66:6). Gnats came upon Egypt: And He smote the dust of the earth, and in Edom: And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and dust thereof into brimstone (Isa. 34:9). In Egypt there were swarms, and in Edom: The pelican and the bittern shall possess it, and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein (ibid., v. 11). R. Abba the son of Kahana said: Darkness and thick darkness were used as divine agents in Egypt, but void and waste never were and never will be used. When will they be used? Against a great city in Cappadocia, as it is said: And He shall stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness (ibid.).

Now all the plagues which the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians, he is going to bring upon Edom (i.e., Rome). It is so stated (in Is. 23:5): <AS AT THE REPORT CONCERNING EGYPT, > THEY SHALL TREMBLE AT THE REPORT OF TYRE (TsR).²⁴Although the Buber text reads TsWR, the midrashic interpretation here requires TsR, which is the reading of the Masoretic text. R. Eleazar has said: When Tyre is written with a vowel letter (i.e., TsWR), what is written is speaking about the region of Tyre. But in every place in which it is written as TsR without the W, what is written is speaking about this wicked Roman Empire, because it is oppressing Israel (rt.: TsRR).²⁵Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 2:15; Tanh., Exod. 2:13; 3:4; Exod. R. 9:13; PRK 7:11; PR 17:8. In Egypt he brought the plague of blood upon them. So also shall it be in Edom (i.e., Rome), as stated (in Joel 3:3–4 [2:30–31]): THEN I WILLSET PORTENTS IN THE HEAVENS AND ON THE EARTH: BLOOD, FIRE, <AND PILLARS OF SMOKE; THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS > AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD. In Egypt he brought frogs upon them because their voice (qol) was strong. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Is. 66:6): A SOUND (qol) OF TUMULT FROM THE CITY, <A NOISE (qol) FROM THE TEMPLE! THE THUNDER (qol) OF THE LORD IS REPAYING RETRIBUTION TO HIS ENEMIES>. In Egypt he brought gnats upon them. [So] also shall it be in Edom, [as stated] (in Is. 34:9): ITS²⁶The pronoun refers to Edom. STREAMS SHALL BE TURNED TO PITCH AND ITS DUST TO BRIMSTONE DUST can only mean gnats, just as it says (in Exod. 8:12 [16]): <HOLD OUT YOUR ROD> AND STRIKE THE DUST OF THE EARTH, AND IT SHALL BECOME GNATS < THROUGHOUT THE LAND OF EGYPT > …. In Egypt he brought swarms of flies ('RWB, rt.: 'RB) upon them. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Is. 34:11): BUT THE PELICAN AND THE BITTERN SHALL POSSESS IT (i.e., Edom), [EVEN THE OWL AND THE RAVEN ('WRB, rt.: 'RB) SHALL DWELL IN IT.] In Egypt he brought pestilence upon them. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Ezek. 38:22): I WILL ENTER INTO JUDGMENT AGAINST HIM WITH PESTILENCE. In Egypt he brought boils upon them. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Zech. 14:12): AND THIS SHALL BE THE PLAGUE…: THEIR FLESH SHALL ROT AWAY. In Egypt he brought hail upon them. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Ezek. 38:22): AND I WILL POUR TORRENTIAL RAIN, HAILSTONES <… UPON HIM…>. In Egypt he brought locusts upon them. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Ezek. 39:17): SON OF MAN,[… ] SAY TO EVERY WINGED BIRD < AND TO EVERY LIVING CREATURE OF THE FIELD: ASSEMBLE, COME AND GATHER>…. In Egypt he brought darkness. So also shall it be in Edom (in Is. 34:11, cont.): AND HE SHALL STRETCH OVER IT THE MEASURING LINE OF THE EMPTINESS <AND WEIGHTS OF NOTHINGNESS>.²⁷The Hebrew words for EMPTINESS and NOTHINGNESS echo the VOID AND WITHOUT FORM in Gen. 1:2. In Egypt he smote their first-born. So also shall it be in Edom, as stated (in Ezek. 32:30): THERE ARE ALL THE PRINCES OF THE NORTH <AND THE ALL THE SIDONIANS WHO HAVE GONE DOWN WITH THE SLAIN…>. R. Meir says (citing Is. 34:7, which refers to Edom): AND THE WILD OXEN SHALL COME DOWN WITH THEM….²⁸Cf. Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34 which adds the interpretation that these WILD OXEN (re’emim) are the Romans. Just as in Egypt, when he had exacted retribution from their gods, he afterwards exacted retribution from them; in Edom (rt.: 'DM) also, when he has exacted retribution from their prince, he shall afterwards exact retribution from them. It is so stated (in Is. 24:21): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THAT DAY THAT THE LORD SHALL PUNISH THE HOST OF HEAVEN IN HEAVEN AND THE KINGS OF THE EARTH (rt.: 'DM) {IN} [ON] THE EARTH (rt.: 'DM).