The Book of Joel is collected as one of the

twelve minor prophets The Minor Prophets or Twelve Prophets ( he, שנים עשר, ''Shneim Asar''; arc, תרי עשר, ''Trei Asar'', "Twelve") ( grc, δωδεκαπρόφητον, "the Twelve Prophets"), occasionally Book of the Twelve, is a collection of propheti ...

of the

Nevi'im Nevi'im (; he, נְבִיאִים ''Nəvīʾīm'', Tiberian: ''Năḇīʾīm,'' "Prophets", literally "spokespersons") is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the '' Tanakh''), lying between the Torah (instruction) and Ketuvim ( ...

("Prophets") in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Old Testament.

Content

After a superscription ascribing the prophecy to

Joel Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

(son of Pethuel), the book may be broken down into the following sections: * Lament over a great

locust Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstanc ...

plague and a severe drought (1:1–2:17). ** The effects of these events on agriculture, farmers, and on the supply of agricultural offerings for the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

, interspersed with a call to national lament (1:1–20). ** A more apocalyptic passage comparing the locusts to an army, and revealing that they are God's army (2:1–11). ** A call to national repentance in the face of God's judgment (2:12–17). * Promise of future blessings (2:18–32 or 2:18–3:5). ** Banishment of the locusts and restoration of agricultural productivity as a divine response to national penitence (2:18–27). ** Future prophetic gifts to all God's people, and the safety of God's people in the face of cosmic cataclysm (2:28–32 or 3:1–5). * Coming judgment on the

Kingdom of Judah The Kingdom of Judah ( he, , ''Yəhūdā''; akk, 𒅀𒌑𒁕𒀀𒀀 ''Ya'údâ'' 'ia-ú-da-a-a'' arc, 𐤁𐤉𐤕𐤃𐤅𐤃 ''Bēyt Dāwīḏ'', " House of David") was an Israelite kingdom of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. C ...

's enemies: the

Philistines The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, whe ...

, the

Kingdom of Edom Edom (; Edomite: ; he, אֱדוֹם , lit.: "red"; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom in Transjordan, located between Moab to the northeast, the Arabah to the west, and the Arabian Desert to the south and east. ...

, and the

Kingdom of Egypt The Kingdom of Egypt ( ar, المملكة المصرية, Al-Mamlaka Al-Miṣreyya, The Egyptian Kingdom) was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recog ...

(3:1–21 or 4:1–21).

Chapters

The Book of Joel's division into chapters and verses differs widely between editions of the Bible; some editions have three chapters, others four. Translations with four chapters include: the Jewish Publication Society's version of the Hebrew Bible (1917),

Jerusalem Bible ''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonica ...

(1966), New American Bible (Revised Edition, 1970),

Complete Jewish Bible Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities. They are not the same as Jewish English Bible tra ...

(1998),

Tree of Life Version The Tree of Life Version of the Holy Scriptures (TLV), first published in 2014, is a Messianic Judaism, Messianic Jewish translation of the Hebrew Bible (or TA-NA-KH) and the New Testament (or New Covenant) sponsored by the Messianic Jewish Family B ...

(2015) In the 1611 King James Bible, the Book of Joel is formed by three chapters: the second one has 32 verses, and it is equivalent to the union of the chapter 2 (with 26 verses) and chapter 3 (with 5 verses) of other editions of the Bible. The differences of the divisions are as follows:

Historical context

As there are no explicit references in the book to datable persons or events, scholars have assigned a wide range of dates to the book. The main positions are: * Ninth century BC, particularly in the reign of Joash – a position especially popular among nineteenth-century scholars (making Joel one of the earliest writing prophets). The enemies mentioned – Philistines, Phoenicians, Egypt and Edom – are consistent with this date. The lack of mention of the Assyrians or Babylonians, who were the main enemies of Judah during the eighth, seventh and sixth centuries, leads many conservative scholars to suggest the choice is between this date, and a fourth century date.''Joel'',

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...

Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revising Editor

Moises Silva Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses. ;Places * Doctor Moisés Bertoni, a village in the Caazapá department of Paraguay * Moises Padilla ...

, 2011 * Early eighth century BC, during the reign of

Uzziah Uzziah (; he, עֻזִּיָּהוּ ''‘Uzzīyyāhū'', meaning "my strength is Yah"; el, Ὀζίας; la, Ozias), also known as Azariah (; he, עֲזַרְיָה ''‘Azaryā''; el, Αζαρίας; la, Azarias), was the tenth king of t ...

(contemporary with

Hosea In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea ( or ; he, הוֹשֵׁעַ – ''Hōšēaʿ'', 'Salvation'; gr, Ὡσηέ – ''Hōsēé''), son of Beeri, was an 8th-century BCE prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is t ...

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Amos Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles, California, in 1968 * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * ''Amos' ...

, and

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' Ben (Hebrew), son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria ...

) * c. 630–587 BC, in the last decades of the kingdom of Judah (contemporary with

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

, Ezekiel,

Habakkuk Habakkuk, who was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Almost a ...

) * c. 520–500 BC, contemporary with the return of the exiles and the careers of Zechariah and

Haggai Haggai (; he, חַגַּי – ''Ḥaggay''; Koine Greek: Ἀγγαῖος; la, Aggaeus) was a Hebrew prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the author of ...

. * The decades around 400 BC, during the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

period (making him one of the latest writing prophets), or around 350 BC. This is supported by the apparent mention of the 587 BC destruction of Jerusalem as a past event in 3:1 and 3:17, and the mention of

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

in 3:6. Evidence produced for these positions includes allusions in the book to the wider world, similarities with other prophets, and linguistic details. Some commentators, such as John Calvin, attach no great importance to the precise dating. Joel 1 and 2 are preserved in the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...

, in fragmentary manuscripts 4Q78, 4Q82, and the Scroll Wadi Muraba’at.

History of interpretation

The

Masoretic text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

places Joel between

and

(the order inherited by the Tanakh and Old Testament), while the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

order is Hosea–Amos–

Micah Micah (; ) is a given name. Micah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament), and means "Who is like God?" The name is sometimes found with theophoric extensions. Suffix theophory in '' Yah'' and in ''Yahweh'' results in ...

–Joel–

Obadiah Obadiah (; he, עֹבַדְיָה – ''ʿŌḇaḏyā'' or – ''ʿŌḇaḏyāhū''; "servant of Yah", or "Slave of Yah HVH) is a biblical prophet. The authorship of the Book of Obadiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet ...

–

. The Hebrew text of Joel seems to have suffered little from scribal transmission, but is at a few points supplemented by the Septuagint,

Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...

, and

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

versions, or by conjectural emendation. While the book purports to describe a plague of locusts, some ancient Jewish opinion saw the locusts as

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

interpretations of Israel's enemies. This allegorical interpretation was applied to the church by many church fathers. Calvin took a literal interpretation of chapter 1, but allegorical view of chapter 2, a position echoed by some modern interpreters. Most modern interpreters, however, see Joel speaking of a literal locust plague given a prophetic/ apocalyptic interpretation. The traditional ascription of the whole book to the prophet Joel was challenged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by a theory of a three-stage process of composition: 1:1–2:27 were from the hand of Joel, and dealt with a contemporary issue; 2:28–3:21/3:1–4:21 were ascribed to a continuator with an apocalyptic outlook. Mentions in the first half of the book to the

day of the Lord A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two ...

were also ascribed to this continuator. 3:4–8/4:4–8 could be seen as even later. Details of exact ascriptions differed between scholars. This splitting of the book's composition began to be challenged in the mid-twentieth century, with scholars defending the unity of the book, the plausibility of the prophet combining a contemporary and apocalyptic outlook, and later additions by the prophet. The authenticity of 3:4–8 has presented more challenges, although a number of scholars still defend it.

Biblical quotes and allusions

There are many parallels of language between Joel and other Old Testament prophets. They may represent Joel's literary use of other prophets, or vice versa. In the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

, his prophecy of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon all people was notably quoted by

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

in his Pentecost sermon. Joel 3:10 / 4:10 is a variation of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3's prophecy, "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.", instead commanding, "Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears." The table below represents some of the more explicit quotes and allusions between specific passages in Joel and passages from the Old and New Testaments.

Other references

Plange quasi virgo (''Lament like a virgin''), the third responsory for Holy Saturday, is loosely based on verses from the Book of Joel: the title comes from Joel 1:8.

References

as a whole. * Achtemeier, Elizabeth. ''Minor Prophets I''. New International Biblical Commentary. (Hendrickson, 1999) * Ahlström, Gösta W. ''Joel and the Temple Cult of Jerusalem''. Supplements to ''Vetus Testamentum'' 21. (Brill, 1971) * Allen, Leslie C. ''The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah & Micah''. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. (Eerdmans, 1976) * Anders, Max E. & Butler, Trent C. ''Hosea–Micah''. Holman Old Testament Commentary. (B&H Publishing, 2005) * Assis, Elie. Joel: A Prophet Between Calamity and Hope (LHBOTS, 581), New York: Bloomsbury, 2013 * Baker, David W. ''Joel, Obadiah, Malachi''. NIV Application Commentary. (Zondervan, 2006) * Barton, John. ''Joel & Obadiah: a Commentary''. Old Testament Library. (Westminster John Knox, 2001) * Birch, Bruce C. ''Hosea, Joel & Amos''. Westminster Bible Companion. (Westminster John Knox, 1997) * Busenitz, Irvin A. ''Commentary on Joel and Obadiah''. Mentor Commentary. (Mentor, 2003) * Calvin, John. ''Joel, Amos, Obadiah''. Calvin's Bible Commentaries. (Forgotten Books, 2007) * Coggins, Richard. ''Joel and Amos''. New Century Bible Commentary. (Sheffield Academic Press, 2000) * Crenshaw, James L. ''Joel: a New Translation with Introduction and Commentary''. The Anchor Bible. (Yale University Press, 1995) * Finley, Thomas J. ''Joel, Amos, Obadiah: an Exegetical Commentary''. (Biblical Studies Press, 2003) * Gæbelein, Frank E. (ed) ''Daniel and the Minor Prophets''. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 7. (Zondervan, 1985) * Garrett, Duane A. ''Hosea, Joel''. The New American Commentary. (B&H Publishing, 1997) * Hubbard, David Allen. ''Joel and Amos: an Introduction and Commentary''.

Tyndale Old Testament Commentary Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (or TOTC) is a series of commentaries in English on the Old Testament. It is published by the Inter-Varsity Press. Constantly being revised since its first being completed, the series seek to bridge the gap be ...

. (Inter-Varsity Press, 1990) * Limburg, James. ''Hosea–Micah''. Interpretation – a Bible Commentary for Teaching & Preaching. (Westminster John Knox, 1988) * Mason, Rex. ''Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Joel''. Old Testament Guides. (JSOT Press, 1994) * McQueen, Larry R.M. ''Joel and the Spirit: the Cry of a Prophetic Hermeneutic''. (CTP, 2009) * Ogden, Graham S. & Deutsch, Richard R. ''A Promise of Hope – a Call to Obedience: a Commentary on the Books of Joel & Malachi''. International Theological Commentary (Eerdmans/ Hansel, 1987) * Ogilvie, John Lloyd. ''Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah''. Communicator's Commentary 20. (Word, 1990) * Price, Walter K. ''The Prophet Joel and the Day of the Lord''. (Moody, 1976) * Prior, David. ''The Message of Joel, Micah, and Habakkuk: Listening to the Voice of God''. The Bible Speaks Today. (Inter-Varsity Press, 1999) * Pohlig, James N. ''An Exegetical Summary of Joel''. (SIL International, 2003) * Roberts, Matis (ed). ''Trei asar : The Twelve Prophets: a New Translation with a Commentary Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and Rabbinic Sources. Vol. 1: Hosea. Joel. Amos''. Obadiah. (Mesorah, 1995) * Robertson, O. Palmer. ''Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: the Message of Joel''. Welwyn Commentary. (Evangelical Press, 1995) * Simkins, Ronald. ''Yahweh's Activity in History and Nature in the Book of Joel''. Ancient Near Eastern Texts & Studies 10 (

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

: Edwin Mellen Press, 1991) * Simundson, Daniel J. ''Hosea–Micah''. Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries. (Abingdon, 2005) * Stuart, Douglas. ''Hosea–Jonah''.

Word Biblical Commentary The Word Biblical Commentary (WBC) is a series of commentaries in English on the text of the Bible both Old and New Testament. It is currently published by the Zondervan Publishing Company. Initially published under the "Word Books" imprint, t ...

31. (Word, 1987) * Sweeney, Marvin A. ''The Twelve Prophets, Vol. 1: Hosea–Jonah''. Berit Olam – Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry. (Liturgical Press, 2000) * Wolff, Hans Walter. ''A Commentary on the Books of the Prophets Joel & Amos''. Hermeneia – a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. (Augsburg Fortress, 1977)

External links

''Jewish Encyclopedia''
Book of Joel

Joel *

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

translations: *
Yoel – Joel (Judaica Press)
translation ith_Rashi's_commentary.html"_;"title="Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary">Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentaryat_Chabad.org *_ ith_Rashi's_commentary.html"_;"title="Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary">Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentaryat_Chabad.org *_Christianity">Christian_translations: *
''Online_Bible''_at_GospelHall.org
(ESV) *

(New_Revised_Standard_Version) *
Joel_at_BibleGateway
(New_International_Version_and_others) *

(King_James_Version_and_others,_plus_commentaries) *__Various_versions {{DEFAULTSORT:Joel,_Book_Of Book_of_Joel.html" ;"title="Christianity.html" ;"title="Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary.html" ;"title="Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org * Christianity">Christian translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV) *

(New Revised Standard Version) *
Joel at BibleGateway
(New International Version and others) *

(King James Version and others, plus commentaries) * Various versions {{DEFAULTSORT:Joel, Book Of Book of Joel"> 9th-century BC books 8th-century BC books 7th-century BC books 6th-century BC books 5th-century BC books 1st-millennium BC books Twelve Minor Prophets