You are strongly recommended to add to your library the excellent revised edition of Harper's Bible Dictionary titled, The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition [book review], edited by Paul J. Achtemeier, with the Society of Biblical Literature (NY: Harper Collins, 1996). It is currently the best one-volume Bible dictionary in English, and it is available at Border's Books, Christian Science Reading Rooms, http://www.borders.com, or http://www.christianbook.com.

Joel, a common name in the Hebrew Bible, meaning ‘Yah[weh] is God,’ the inverse form of the name Elijah. Joel is thus a polemical name, proclaiming that Yahweh, and not another party, is God. It is used of a number of people in the ot. 1 One of the sons of Samuel who became a judge but perverted justice (1 Sam. 8:2). 2 A Simeonite whose name appears in early genealogical records (1 Chron. 4:35). 3 A member of the tribe of Reuben, and the father of Shemaiah (1 Chron. 5:8). 4 The father of Shema (1 Chron. 5:12), he may be the same person mentioned in 3. 5 The father of Heman, a Koathite singer (1 Chron. 6:33). 6 The son of Azariah and the father of Elkanah (1 Chron. 6:36). 7 One of the five sons of Izrahiah, all of them chief men (1 Chron. 7:3). He may be the same person as 6. 8 The brother of Nathan and one of David’s mighty men (1 Chron. 11:38). 9 The chief of 130 Levites, descendants of Gershom, who was included among the Levites appointed by David to accompany the Ark to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:7, 11). 10 The father of one of the Levites, Heman, appointed by David to sing as the Ark was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:17). He may be the same as 5. 11 One of the three sons of the Levite Ladan (1 Chron. 23:8). 12 One of the two sons of Jehieli who were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the Lord (1 Chron. 26:22). 13 The son of Pedaiah; he was one of the officers from the half-tribe of Manasseh in David’s kingdom (1 Chron. 27:20). 14 A Levite in the reign of King Hezekiah (ca. 725-697 b.c.); he helped in the resanctification of the Temple (2 Chron. 29:12). 15 One of seven sons of Nebo; he put aside his foreign wife and his children at the behest of Ezra (Ezra 10:43). 16 A Benjaminite, the son of Zichri, who was a leader among those who lived in Jerusalem at the time of its restoration under Nehemiah (sixth century b.c.; Neh. 11:9). 17 The son of Pethuel and the prophet of the book of Joel (Joel 1:1; cf. Acts 2:16).

Joel, the Book of, an ot book, the second of the Minor Prophets. This book depicts a locust plague that is perceived as the onset of the Day of the Lord, and narrates the future fortunes of Israel and the other nations. The Hebrew text contains four chapters, but its chapters two and three are combined in most English editions, following the Septuagint (lxx) and the Vulgate.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

The Book of Joel

I. National lament in response to a locust plague (1:1-20)

A. Superscription (1:1)

B. Description of the locust plague (1:2-4)

C. Call to lament (1:5-14)

D. A lament (1:15-20)

II. The Day of the Lord as judgment on Judah (2:1-29)

A. The locust plague as harbinger of the day of the Lord (2:1-11)

B. Call to repentance (2:12-17)

C. God’s positive response: promise of deliverance (2:18-29)

III. The Day of the Lord as judgment on Judah’s enemies (2:30-3:21)

A. Signs of the Day of the Lord (2:30-32)

B. Judgment on the nations (3:1-17)

C. Summary: prosperity for Zion and destruction for enemies (3:18-21)

Four issues must be addressed before the book is interpreted: whether the locusts are real or symbolic; the repetitions and inconsistencies in the book; the meaning of the Day of the Lord; and the book’s date. Many medieval exegetes understood the locusts allegorically, usually as representing foreign forces. This interpretation strains 2:7 and 2:18-27 and has been rejected by critical scholarship. Thus, it is now held that an actual locust plague motivated Joel to write this book.

The unity of the book of Joel is often questioned. Some scholars think all of the references to the Day of the Lord in chaps. 1 and 2 are later additions to the text of Joel; others claim that 3:4-8 is a late addition. Joel incorporates several inconsistencies—1:1-18 describes a locust plague while 1:19-20 describes a drought. The book contains several repetitions—there are many calls to lament and several descriptions of the locust plague. These inconsistencies and repetitions however probably reflect the book’s poetic style rather than implying multiple authorship. The phrase ‘You shall know…that I, the Lord, am your God’ (2:27; 3:17) and the depictions of the darkness of the Day of the Lord (2:2, 10, 30-31; 3:15) unify the book.

The Day of the Lord is an important theme in prophetic literature, first appearing in Amos 5:18. It is a ‘great and terrible day’ (Mal. 4:5), a dark day (Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:15), when God manifests himself in war against his enemies (Isa. 13). Joel could thus recognize the locusts’ great destruction as the harbinger of the more destructive Day of the Lord.

Although Joel contains no explicit chronological references, it was composed after a great national tragedy (3:2), but when the Temple was standing (1:14; 2:17). A date in the late sixth or early fifth century b.c. is likely. This is consistent with Joel’s use and adaptation of traditional material (e.g., 2:13; cf. 3:10 and Isa. 2:4 and Mic. 4:3).

Interpretation: In light of these conclusions, the following interpretation of Joel may therefore be suggested. In its first section (1:1-10), Joel describes the locust plague. He opens in general terms (1:2-4) and then calls upon the drunkards (1:5-7), the populace at large (1:8-10; 1:9 foreshadows 1:13-14) and the farmers (1:11-12) to lament. The chapter ends with a call to the priests to lament (1:13-14) and incorporates a lament (1:15-20) that begins with a reference to the Day of the Lord (1:15).

The second section opens and closes with a description of the locust plague as a harbinger of the Day of the Lord (2:1-3, 10-11), emphasizing its darkness and God’s power. These verses frame a poetic description of the locusts (2:4-9).

The third and fourth sections are a call to repentance (2:12-17) and God’s positive response (2:18-29). God’s reversal of the locusts’ damage is a natural motif in this context (2:18-27), but his bestowal of prophetic power ‘on all flesh’ (2:28-29) is unparalleled in prophecy (but cf. Num. 11:24-30).

The fifth section (2:30-3:17) is framed by descriptions of the darkness of the Day of the Lord and references to Zion (2:30-32; 3:15-17). The frame encloses the destruction of Israel’s enemies at the Valley of Jehoshaphat in return for the crimes committed against Israel (3:1-14).

The book concludes with a summary of the fourth and fifth sections. 3:18-21 oscillates between Israel’s prosperity and the demise of its enemies. God’s role in this reversal of fortunes is emphasized—the book ends with ‘For the Lord dwells in Zion.’

Bibliography

Allen, Leslie. The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1976. Driver, S. R. Joel and Amos. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1915. Wolff, Hans Walter. Joel and Amos. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977.