Little is known about joel, a prophet from judah perhaps jerusalem. The book of zechariah is filled with prophesies about jesus. I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that scroll. Yahweh and joel urge the people to come together and call upon their gracious lord so that he will relent and the nations will not mock. Home faq books of the bible joel questions about joel. Now, while the prophecy of hosea reveals the heart of god, the prophecy of joel reveals the hand of god, the hand that controls destiny, the hand that moves. Watch our overview video on the book of joel, which breaks down the. Book of joel simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. So i ate it, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Judah, the setting for the book, is devastated by a vast horde of locusts. The lack of any reference to judahs king has prompted some scholars to suggest that it was written during the time when joash, the boy king, ruled judah 835739 b. The book of joel describes the day of the lord through locust swarms, war scenes, and powerful imagery in order for readers to comprehend its magnitude. The book states that it was written by the prophet joel, although nothing is said about himself except that he was the son of pethuel. We know little of the prophet joel beyond a few personal details contained in the book itself.
Introduction united states conference of catholic bishops. The book of joel states that its author was the prophet joel joel 1. Oct 29, 2014 one of the most anticipated rock bios of the year, billy joel comes with a backstory almost as complicated as the 65yearold hitmakers life. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly scripture encouragement to share with family and friends. The book of joel in the bible predicts a time of destruction and punishment.
In the last few verses of the book, god says that he will avenge his people while all of this is going on he will protect his people from any harm. In the two speeches that make up this book, joel uses an agricultural crisis to measure his audiences knowledge of its god, warn them of a worse disaster if they ignore his preaching, and express his conviction that all faithful judahites would someday enjoy a secure future. Joel goes on to say that in those days darkness will cover the sun. This commentary has been through advanced checking. Book of joel, second of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets.
The little book of joel is only three chapters long, and we should all read it. In the two speeches that make up this book, joel uses an agricultural crisis to measure his audiences knowledge of its god, warn them of. Joel calls the inhabitants of judah and jerusalem to lament and return to the lord during a time of national disaster. He said to me, eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of israel. Joel 1 future events, beginning with 1 the lord leading an army of locusts that will cause plague and famine 2 restoration after the plague 3 the coming of the holy spirit. Joel osteens most popular book is your best life now. The hebrew book of the prophet joel in the bible is apocalyptic in nature. It is a warning to the people about the dangers of turning from god. What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. Joel describes a plague of locusts in palestine it is hard to know when the book joel was written since the events told about may have happened many times. The book of joel is in the old testament part of the bible. A locust invasion precipitated the vision of the next book in our yearlong study of the old testament writing prophets. In the christmas spirit, his first holiday book, joel osteen offers uplifting and inspiring stories of family and friends celebrating christmas traditions that will help readers return to the essence of the holiday by practicing the principles taught by our savior, jesus christ, whose birth we celebrate that day.
Joel may be reckoned among the classics of hebrew literature. Jan 02, 2020 the overriding theme of the book of joel is the day of the lord, a day of gods wrath and judgment. This summary of the book of joel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the. Yuil was a prophet of ancient israel, the second of the twelve minor prophets and according to the book itself the author of the book of joel. Watch our overview video on the book of joel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of joels importance to the canon of scripture stems from its being the first to develop an oftmentioned biblical idea. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of joel. Book of joel read, study bible verses online bible study tools. Let everyone tremble in fearbecause the day of the lord is upon us. Key personalities are joel and the people of judah. The book of the twelve follows the writings of the four major prophets, isaiah. This is the day in which god reveals his attributes of wrath, power and holiness, and it is a terrifying day to his enemies. The book of joel was likely written between 835 and 800 b.
Book of joel bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. The book of joel is part of the hebrew bible, one of twelve prophetic books known as the twelve minor prophets. The music of billy joel is part of the soul of our existence here, as elemental as the beaches and the bagel stores, the east end and the south shore, the five towns and the gold coast. Jul 27, 2017 alan delivers the book of joel, where we look at the invasion of locusts. While the date of the book is debated, its message is valid for all times and is important to us today. Joel was probably one of the earliest of the minor prophets. Joel is referred to only once in the new testament acts 2. Joel and the locust invasion reformed bible studies. The land laid waste hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. The jewish canon lumps all together as the twelve and divides joel into four chapters.
The book relates nothing about joel except his name and that of his father. The book of joel is without the customary dating formula used by the prophets hos. Joel also figures large in the new testament, with some 28 references. His father, pethuel, is mentioned nowhere else in the bible.
That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers. The book of joel opens with the telling of an impending locust swarm and its consequences. He identified himself as the son of pethuel, preached to the people of judah, and expressed a great deal of interest in jerusalem. The genre of joel is narrative and prophetic oracle. Book of joel overview insight for living ministries. Joel is the special prophet of the day of the lord. Joel 1 the word of the lord that came to joel son of pethuel.
However, this little book is like an atom bombit is not very big, but it sure is potent and powerful. Gcbi is a one year bible program designed to give students the tools and knowledge required to understand the bible and form a biblical worldview, with the goal of. The book of joel accounts for justice over evil in a form thats unique to the other old testament prophets. This summary of the book of joel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of joel. In the book bearing his name, joel says so little about matters other than his message that even the time of his prophecy can only be estimated about 820 b. It is believed that he did not live far from jerusalem. All he tells about himself is that he is joel the son of pethuel.
We refer to the book of joel, which describes a plague of locusts under the old covenant as a type of the day of the lord joel 1. Privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia. Joel 1 niv bible the word of the lord that came to joel. Joel has also been called the prophet of pentecost because of his most famous and wellknown passage 2.
This brings us fullcircle back to the army of immortals joel describes as yhvhs army joel 2. This is what was spoken by the prophet joel desiring god. The longawaited, allaccess biography of a music legend in billy joel, acclaimed music journalist fred schruers draws upon more than one hundred hours of exclusive interviews with joel to present an unprecedented look at the life, career, and legacy of the pintsized kid from long island who became a rock icon. This invasion of locusts destroys everythingthe fields of grain, the vineyards, the gardens and the trees. The term indicates the short length of the text in relation to longer prophetic texts known as the major prophets. Since the book of joel contains no clear indications as to when it was written, it is exceedingly difficult to date the book. The prophet joel is identified only as joel son of pethuel joel 1. The prophet begins by describing an event so singularly extreme that it has never happened before, one that demands to be related to succeeding generations, as it will never occur again. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors. Most scholars date the book after the exile to babylon 586 b. God will roar with a loud cry from zion and cause the earth to tremble before him. To learn the history of billys li upbringing, his rise to fame and his frequent brushes with sorrow, this is the book youll want to read. The date of joel the purpose of this paperl is to classify and evaluate some of the discussions of the date of joel since the appearance of kapelruds joel studies in 1948.
Joel told of a locust plague which had struck israel and which, he said, foreshadows the day of the lord. Joel esv the word of the lord that came to joel, bible. The contents of the book may be analyzed further as follows. The date of composition was probably between 400 and 350 bc, although some scholars place it much earlier 9th 7th century bc.
Continuing with our analysis of joel, in chapter two verse 12 of that book, the prophet seems to step back from the day of yhvhs wrath and focus on the time period leading up to this terrible time. The book of joel is often noted for its rich poetic5 imagery. The most popular bible verses from joel found 73 verses joel 2. Twelve other men in the old testament have this name, none of whom can be identified with the author of this book. Patterson for one states that, he wrote with a pure classical yet logical style, distinguished by its clarity, flow of thought, and beauty of expression.
It is possible that joel may have been a contemporary of elisha in israel. Joel is bright and flowing, his imagery and language are fine driver, introduction to the literature of the old testament. Jan 02, 2020 book of joel bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Overview of the book of joel third millennium ministries. Why did god use a locust swarm to punish israel joel 1. Nothing other than his name is known about the prophet. New york megachurch pastor and bestselling author joel osteen spoke with the christian post wednesday about his new book, i declare. Summary of the book of joel the story of the bible. Joel is a narrative and prophetic source of wisdom. Joel originally brought in fred schruers, a respected. Joel king james version kjv 1 the word of the lord that came to joel the son of pethuel. We know little of the prophet joel beyond a few personal details contained in. He is mentioned by name only once in the hebrew bible, in the introduction to that book. Unlike the other books, joel tells us a story about a terrible plague of locusts that seems to traverse across time.
Joel is a seminal book for an understanding of the prophetic message. Joel wasnt the only old testament prophet who longed for the day when god would saturate his people with his spirit. God compares the past to the future in the book of joel. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Indirect references throughout the book have been claimed in support of dates that have differed. In the first chapter, the day of the lord is experienced historically by the plague of locusts upon the land. The locust plague in judah the word of the lord that came to joel the son of pethuel. This was also gods message to his people through the prophet joel.
Highlights from the books of joel and amos watchtower. Joel is the second of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. The word of the lord that came to joel, the son of pethuel. Joel summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of joel for bible study or sunday school lessons. The book of joel is a prophecy divided into three chapters. Joels familiarity with this area and the worship in the temple suggests that he lived in judah, possibly even in the city of jerusalem itself. Joel old testament prophet amazing bible timeline with. The greek septuagint lxx, and latin vulgate versions follow the hebrew masoretic text, titling this book after joel the prophet, the recipient of the message from god 1. By the millions ravenous locusts will swoop over israel, gorging themselves on every plant in sight. Yhwhs call to return to him with all your heart and the day of yhwh, when he judges the nations and blesses his people.
Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers. The book of joel is part of the jewish tanakh, and also the old testament of the christian bible. The prophet joel cannot be identified with any of the 12 other figures in the ot who have the same name. How does god restore the years that the locusts have eaten joel 2. An analysis of the text further indicates that joel lived during the period of the second. Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation. The book of joel introduction to the book of joel in the bible. Yahweh and joel call on the people to return to the lord who is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil 2.
We ought to give ourselves to the reading of gods word, as the apostle paul wrote to timothy and encouraged him to do. So, the people must confess their evil deeds to god. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one book of the 24 books of hebrew scripture. What we use to determine the date, in that case, is internal evidence reference to various nations, events, etc. The book gives us no other information about the prophet, and he is mentioned nowhere else in scripture. Its purpose was to call the southern kingdom to repentance or prepare for the coming judgment. The author281 the name joel means, the lord is god. The book of joel is part of the hebrew bible, one of twelve prophetic books known as the. We know nothing else about him other than the name of his father. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains. The prophet joel s vivid description of the plague, and the style in which this short three chapter book was written has made it a powerful classic of hebrew literature.
It was most likely written between 835 and 800 years before the birth of. Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers. The book of joel, a prophetic book of the old testament of the bible, derives its name from the prophet joel. The postexilic composition of the book can least of all be proved from the mention of the elders see especially i. What are the most commonly asked questions about the book of joel. The book discusses joel himself, and the people of judah. Joel describes them destroying wheat and barley crops, stripping trees down to their bark, ruining grape vines so no wine offerings could be made to the lord. What is the book of joel about and how does it apply to us today. Joel osteen has 319 books on goodreads with 116200 ratings. The book of joel is one of the books of the old testament in the bible. This was made to assess how well you know the book.