Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee
That is, God hath set and appointed a time of wrath and vengeance for thee, which is sometimes signified by a harvest, ( Revelation 14:15 ) ; because thou hast been guilty of idolatry also, as well as Ephraim or the ten tribes: or rather it may be rendered, "but, O Judah" F8, he, that is, God, hath set an harvest for thee; appointed a time of joy and gladness, as a time of harvest is: when I returned,
or "return" F9, the captivity of my people;
the people of Judah from the Babylonish captivity; so that here is a prophecy both of their captivity, and of their return from it: and it may be applied unto their return from their spiritual captivity to sin, Satan, and the law, through the Gospel of Christ and his apostles, first published in Judea, by means of which there was a large harvest of souls gathered in, and was an occasion of great joy.