An urgent call sounds for the nation to wake up, unite, and repent before a severe divine judgment is finalized and executed. Time is running out, and the looming danger threatens to wipe away the sinners entirely, yet the gates of repentance and rescue remain wide open.
The impending judgment is understood as a formal decree from God [מצודת ציון, אברבנאל]. The prophet demands action before this decree is born, meaning the people must change their ways before the judgment transitions from a potential threat into a concrete reality [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. This urgent plea builds upon a prior call for the nation to gather and unify before the opportunity is lost [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
To illustrate the stakes, the impending crisis is compared to chaff, the light, disposable waste of harvested grain [מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that this imagery serves as a dire warning: the people must repent before the day arrives when they are scattered and blown among the nations like chaff in the wind [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. If the decree comes to pass, the destruction will be so absolute that no trace or memory of the nation will survive [אברבנאל]. Alternatively, the imagery reflects the rapid, fleeting nature of time itself, which slips away as swiftly as windblown chaff, or like smoke and shadows vanishing in the sun [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A third perspective views the imagery as a promise of hope: if the nation repents early, the day of disaster itself will blow away and disappear from reality like passing chaff [מלבי״ם].
The repeated urgings to act before it is too late are meant to layer warning upon warning [מצודת דוד]. The prophet clarifies that the decree and the day of trouble are synonymous with God's burning anger. The purpose of acting prematurely is entirely preventive, designed to ensure the decree is never born and the day of distress never actually arrives [אברבנאל].
Ultimately, this process of repentance and salvation unfolds in stages. A sincere return to God can successfully hold back His burning anger, ensuring that even if a difficult time comes, it will pass without fury or destruction. However, a complete and perfect repentance achieves an even greater salvation, guaranteeing that the day of God's anger never comes at all [מלבי״ם].