יואל, פרק ד׳, פסוק ח׳

Divine justice often operates on the principle of measure for measure, turning the cruelty of oppressors back upon their own heads. The enemies who once sold and exiled the people of Judah will face an identical, yet even harsher, fate. Rather than a commercial transaction, God's act of selling is a direct transfer of power, handing these oppressors over to the very people they once abused [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד"ק]. This complete reversal adds to the severity of the punishment, ensuring the decree spares no one. It even includes their daughters, who typically have no part in warfare [אבן עזרא]. Historically, the fulfillment of this prophecy is tied to the Second Temple period, a time when the returning exiles of Judah would rise up and overpower their historical adversaries [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד].

Once the enemies are delivered into the hands of the people of Judah, they will be sold into captivity to the Sabeans, a people from the kingdom of Sheba. Located far to the south and east—likely near the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula or across the sea in East Africa—this destination is chosen with exact precision [רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The kingdom of Sheba is significantly further away than Greece, the foreign land where the people of Judah were originally sold [רד"ק]. The sheer distance of this new exile serves a permanent purpose: to guarantee that these captives will never be able to return to their homeland [מצודת דוד].

The absolute certainty of this punishment rests on the fact that God Himself has decreed it. Once He makes a decision and sets a judgment into motion, no power can reverse His word [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. This final declaration is not a sudden shift, but rather the fulfillment of a promise rooted deep in the past. It echoes the ancient curse placed upon Canaan in the book of Genesis, which firmly established that he would ultimately become the lowest of slaves to his brothers [רש"י].