Joel (Heb. Yô’êl, “Yahweh is God”; also appears on an old Heb. seal impression; Gr. Ií‡el). 1. Eldest son of Samuel (1Sa 8:2) and father of Heman, the singer of David’s time (1Ch 6:33; 15:17). Samuel’s firstborn is named Vasni.* The name Joel was probably neglected by some scribe. With the help of the Lucian Greek version and the Syriac, the text can be reconstructed as follows: “And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Joel and the second Abijah.” 2. Prince of Simeon who took rich grazing lands at Gedor (1Ch 4:35-41). 3. Descendant of Reuben (1Ch 5:4, 8). 4. Gadite chief in Bashan (1Ch 5:12). 5. Kohathite Levite, ancestor of Samuel (1Ch 6:36), considered by some to be identical with Saul of v 24. See Saul 4. 6. Chief of the tribe of Issachar (1Ch 7:3). 7. David’s mighty man, Nathan’s brother (1Ch 11:38), considered by some to be identical with Igal 2, or related to him (2Sa 23:36). 8. The Gershonite Levite who with 130 other Levites helped David bring the ark from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem (1Ch 15:7, 11, 12). 9. Gershonite Levite. He and his brother were put in charge of the treasures dedicated to God in David’s time (1Ch 23:8; 26:21, 22). 10. Chief of the western half-tribe of Manasseh at the time of David (1Ch 27:20). 11. A Kohathite Levite who helped cleanse the temple in the time of Hezekiah (2Ch 29:12). 12. Man of the family of Nebo; he had married a foreign woman at the time of Ezra (Ezr 10:43). 13. Benjamite prefect who lived in Jerusalem (Neh 11:9). 14. Prophet, author of the book that bears his name (Jl 1: 1). See Joel, Book of. Joel, Book of. Second of the so-called Minor Prophets. In the Hebrew Bibles, Joel is found, as in the Spanish, between Hosea and Amos, although in the LXX he is found as 4th among the Minor Prophets, and follows Micah, Hosea and Amos. I. Author. Nothing is known of the author, nor of his history, other than that he was the son of Petuel (Jl. 1:1). II. Setting. The work does not contain historical or chronological information that would help define the date of its composition. Conservative Bible scholars attribute the book to the 9th or 7th century BC Those who suggest the 9th century BC point out that neither Assyria nor Babylon are mentioned as enemies of Judah (cf 3:4-6, 19), which would be expected if the book had been written in the 8th century or later. That Joel does not mention any king of the time he prophesied is cited as evidence that it was written during Jehoiada’s regency, while Joash was still very young (2Ki 11:17-12:2), c 825 BC It is also noted from that it does not have any severe denunciation for the sins that are characteristic in the times of the later prophets, in fact, no national sin is mentioned. Advocates that it was written in the 7th century BC assign Joel’s ministry to the early days of Josiah’s reign (c 635 BC), when the power of Assyria was fading and that of Babylon was not yet noticeable. Since Josiah came to the throne as a child, it is conjectured that he must have lived under a regent. Cited in support of this view is the fact that Tire and Sidon (Jl. 3:4-6) do not appear in history as enemies of Judah 650 until the final decades of its history. Presumably, too, the Jews had little contact with the Greeks in the 9th century BC (v 6). III. Literary style. The book is a masterpiece of Hebrew poetic form, marked by systematic organization, skillful use of language, well-balanced syntax, and vivid figures of speech. It is a classic of Hebrew prophetic literature, unsurpassed in the vibrancy of its descriptions and the picturesqueness of its diction. In the sublimity of his style he stands alongside Isaiah and Habakkuk. IV. Theme. The prophet’s message appears in the form of a sermon or series of sermons addressed to all Israel (2:19-21; 3:4, 9, 11, 13). The issue is reform. The message opens with a stark picture of gloom, but closes with a brief glimpse of glory. The prophet explains why a conversion is needed, draws attention to the calamities God sent to remind his people of his need, emphasizes the urgency of reform and stresses that it will take genuine reform, and then focuses his results. V. Outline and Content. The book can be divided into 2 sections: 1. Adversity and the call to repentance (1:1-2:17). 2. The promise of deliverance and restoration (2:18-3:21). First, Joel gives a vivid description of the anguish caused by a severe plague of locusts, which he describes under the symbol of an invading army (1:4-6). The plague is more severe than any other in the last 5 generations (vs 2, 3), and, as a result, the country has been deprived of greenness (vs 6, 7); harvest after harvest has been ruined (vs 11, 12), and there is not enough left even for the offerings of the house of God (vs 9, 10). In view of the crisis facing the nation, Joel calls for a period of fasting and summons the inhabitants of the earth to the temple for a solemn assembly (1:14). Accompanying the plague of locusts is a severe drought (vs 15-20), so severe that the nation is threatened with extinction, and with it, “the day of the Lord”* (1:14, 15; 2:1). The present calamity heralds a time of divine retribution. In 2:2 the prophet repeats what he has already said in 1:2 and 3 regarding the severity of the plague and the unprecedented suffering it has brought with it. Even then the earth appeared to have been ravaged with fire (2:3). In vs 4-11 the locusts are called Jehovah’s “army”, whose coming no one can bear, unless God intervenes (v 11). Here Joel compares the locusts to a horde of invading horsemen that cover the countryside like a tidal wave. In vs 12-17 the prophet directs his attention to what God’s people must do in view of the crisis they face. Nothing short of wholehearted repentance, in fact and not merely in appearance, will suffice to prevent complete annihilation, and people are admonished to tear out hearts and not garments when they assemble before Jehovah. To emphasize the urgency of reform, the prophet summons the elders, children, and sucklings to join the men and women of Israel in solemn assembly of the nation; even wedding festivities should be postponed (v 16; cf 1:8). From cp 2:18 it is assumed that the people have responded to the summons of the prophet. They have gathered before Jehovah, repented wholeheartedly, and now await God’s gracious response. The first effect of his repentance is the elimination of the plague of locusts. God promises enough grain, wine, and oil to meet everyone’s needs, but he has even greater blessings in store for his people (v 21). He will not only send the expected early and late rains -in the fall and spring respectively-, but the soil will be so productive as to replace the losses caused by the plague of locusts: “You shall eat your fill” (vs 23-26) . God’s blessing will not only be limited to meeting his material needs. Just as he pours out the former and latter rain on the ground, he will pour out his Spirit on people’s hearts (vs 28, 29). Then, extraordinary signs in the natural world will announce the coming of the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” (vs 30, 31), but God’s people need not fear, for everyone who “calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” ( 2:32). Instead of being a day of judgment on Israel (cf. 1:15; 2:1), Yahweh’s day will be a time of judgment on the pagan nations that oppressed God’s people (3:1-17). As it appears repeatedly among the OT prophets (Eze 38:8, 23; Zeph 3:8, 9; Zec 12:2-10; 14:2-13; etc.), God is presented as gathering together the heathen nations in the vicinity of Jerusalem, where he will execute judgments on them. The Phoenicians (Jl. 3:4) and the Greeks (v 6), who will gather in the “valley of Jehoshaphat” with the purpose of taking the city of Jerusalem (v 2), represent here all the oppressors of Israel. Once the assembled pagans are about to capture the city, God calls in the “mighty ones” (v 11). He frees the people from him and annihilates 651 his enemies (vs 1, 16). Never again will the nations oppress Israel, and the land of Judah will be perpetually fertile and beautiful. From generation to generation the Lord will dwell in the midst of his people (vs 20, 21; see CBA 4: 961, 962). For a discussion of such prophecies, see Prophet.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
Hebrew Yô†™el, Yahweh is God. Male proper name. 1. First-born son of the prophet Samuel, whom Samuel, already old, appointed, along with his other son, Abijah, as judge of Israel in Beersheba, 1 S 8, 1-2. The sons of Samuel twisted the law, attracted by profit, which had as a consequence that the elders of Israel asked Samuel to give them a king to rule over them, as in the other nations, 1 S 8, 3-5. 2. Prophet in Jerusalem, post-exilic, the second of the Minor Prophets.
In J.’s book there are no biographical data on the author or on the date of its composition; it only says at the beginning: † œWord of Yahweh that was addressed to J., son of Petuel †, 1, 1. He is considered a cult prophet. The work consists of two parts. The first speaks of a plague of locusts that devastates the crops of Judah, and the prophet asks that a liturgy of mourning and supplication be carried out; he exhorts penitence, fasting and prayer, in the hope that the punishment will go away and divine forgiveness will arrive. Yahweh then responds to the supplications and announces that he will return the abundance. In the second part, in apocalyptic style, the judgment of the nations and the final victory of Yahweh and Israel are discussed. The unity of the two parts is constituted by the “day of Yahweh”, whose premonitory sign is the locusts; the theme of the second part is that day. Some think that the work is from the end of the monarchy, but none of the kings are mentioned in it. Most exegetes are inclined because it is a post-exilic work, fourth century BC. C., since reference is made to the exile, to the rebuilt Temple and there is a relationship with the later prophets, among them, Obadiah 17, cited in 3, 5. In chapter 3, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is spoken of in the eschatological era , whose announcement is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when it descends in the form of a dove on the apostles, for which J. is called the prophet of Pentecost, Acts 2, 16-21.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
(Heb., I†™he, Jehovah is God).
1. The prophet, son of Petuel and author of the second book of the Minor Prophets.
2. The firstborn son of Samuel (1Sa 8:2; 1Ch 6:33).
3. A Simeonite prince (1Ch 4:35).
4. A Reubenite chief (1Ch 5:4, 1Ch 5:8).
5. …