Joel 2:14

“Who knoweth [if] he will return and repent, etc.] Which some understand of man, and of his returning and repentance; either thus whosoever he be that knows the ways of repentance, he will return, and God will repent of this evil: which sense is mentioned by Kimchi and Ben Melech: or he that knoweth that iniquity is on him will return and repent; so Jarchi, with which agrees the Targum, “he that knows that sins are in him will return from them, and he shall obtain mercy; and whoever repents, his sins shall be forgiven him;” but rather they are to be understood of God, as some in Kimchi, and paraphrase it, who knows? perhaps God may return; and this is the sense of Aben Ezra, and seems to be…”

“leave . . . a meat offering and a drink offering--that is, give plentiful harvests, out of the first-fruits of which we may offer the meat and drink offering, now "cut off" through the famine (Joe 1:9, Joe 1:13, Joe 1:16). "Leave behind Him": as God in visiting His people now has left behind Him a curse, so He will, on returning to visit them, leave behind Him a blessing.”

“Who knoweth if He will return - God has promised forgiveness of sins and of eternal punishment to those who turn to Him with their whole heart. Of this, then, there could be no doubt. But He has not promised either to individuals or to Churches, that He will remit the temporal punishment which He had threatened. He forgave David the sin. Nathan says, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin.” But he said at the same time, “the sword shall never depart from thy house 2 Samuel 12:13, 2 Samuel 12:10; and the temporal punishment of his sin pursued him, even on the bed of death. David thought that the temporal punishment of his sin, in the death of the child, might be remitted to him. He used the…”

“He will return - God doth not move from one place to another; but when he withholds his blessings, he is said to withdraw himself. And so when he gives out his blessing, he is said to return. And leave a blessing behind him - Cause the locusts to depart before they have eaten up all that is in the land. Joel 2:16”

“2:14 Who knows? Joel’s simple question acknowledges God’s absolute sovereignty (see also Jon 3:9). God is not obligated to restore us merely because we perform certain rituals. Forgiveness comes only through divine grace, but Joel knew that God was inclined to forgive (Joel 2:13).”

“Who: Exo 32:30; Jos 14:12; Sa1 6:5; Sa2 12:22; Kg2 19:4; Amo 5:15; Jon 1:6; Jon 3:9; Zep 2:3; Ti2 2:25 and leave: Isa 65:8; Hag 2:19; Co2 9:5-11 \*marg. even: Joe 1:9, Joe 1:13, Joe 1:16 Joel 2:15”