The overriding theme of the book of joel is the day of the lord, a day of gods wrath and judgment. Pdf the date and meaning of the book of joel elie assis. The book relates nothing about joel except his name and that of his father. His book of joel is one of the shortest in the bible but his image of the relentless locust swarm is one of the most haunting and recognizable in biblical scriptures joel 1. Book of joel, second of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. Understanding the book of joel chapter one youtube. Joel is bright and flowing, his imagery and language are fine driver, introduction to the literature of the old testament. A locust invasion precipitated the vision of the next book in our yearlong study of the old testament writing prophets. Joel, theology of definition and meaning bible dictionary. It is a warning to the people about the dangers of turning from god.
You, who accustom yourselves to get drunk with wine, awake out of your sleep, and weep night and day. Awake, ye drunkards from the long sleep occasioned by your intoxication. Key personalities are joel and the people of judah. What joel is saying is that you aint seen nothin yet. Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets of the old testament, the author of the book of joel, which describes a plague of locusts.
He is mentioned by name only once in the hebrew bible, in the introduction to that book. 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. For others it might be the buzz after a gym session. Some consider them symbolic of an approaching army while others think they. The book of joel is a prophecy divided into three chapters.
The book of joe stands second in the collection of the twelve prophets in the hebrew canon. The prophet joel is identified only as joel son of pethuel joel 1. Book of joel definition of book of joel by the free. Joel, book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The book of joel states that its author was the prophet joel joel 1. Five of the 19 explicit references to the day of the lord in the old testament are found in this short book 1. What does it mean that god will pour out his spirit on all people joel 2. The term indicates the short length of the text in relation to longer prophetic texts known as the major prophets. 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. Answers vary according to which religion or creed you cleave to. Joel summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of joel for bible study or sunday school lessons.
Particularly important in supporting this later date are joel s apparent. Joel and the locust invasion reformed bible studies. The name joel combines the covenant name of god, yhwh. His name bdb 222 is a combination of two names for god.
Judah, the setting for the book, is devastated by a vast horde of locusts. This attack causes significant damage to the economy and agriculture as this disaster of locusts is accompanied by a severe famine throughout the land. What does it mean to let the weak say i am strong in joel 3. Chapter 2 moves forward however to the end of the age where the day of the lord plays out, leading to the return of jesus christ and the judgment of the nations. 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 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. 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.
This message serves to make people ready for what they will experience before the second coming of jesus. The name joel is among the most popular in the bible, but the most famous one is, of course, the eighth century prophet joel. But for most of us, linguistically speaking, it is an animal. The jewish canon lumps all together as the twelve and divides joel into four chapters. The book of joel is part of the hebrew bible, one of twelve prophetic books known as the twelve minor prophets.
This is the day in which god reveals his attributes of wrath, power and holiness, and it is a terrifying day to his enemies. Joel was the first to mention this and as we continue through this book well see this theme expanded and elaborated upon. In american baby names the meaning of the name joel is. Meaning, origin and history of the name joel behind the name. The theory is interpreted from the book of joel, which says. Vetus testamentum vetus testamentum 61 2011 163183 brill. Book of joel bible study chapter 2 the day of the lord. The day of the lord is a technical expression in scripture which is fraught with meaning.
He is not mentioned outside the books of joel and acts. Book of joel bible study chapter 1 locuts, destruction. The book gives us no other information about the prophet, and he is mentioned nowhere else in scripture. Watch our overview video on the book of joel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. God compares the past to the future in the book of joel. The prophet joel showed up in israel during a time of the most terrible plague of locusts in the nations history. Since the book of joel contains no clear indications as to when it was written, it is exceedingly difficult to date the book. Will the sun really be turned to darkness and the moon to blood joel 2. The author of the prophecy is identified only as joel the son of pethuel. The postexilic composition of the book can least of all be proved from the mention of the elders see especially i. Information and translations of book of joel in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Joel dictionary definition joel defined yourdictionary. This dvd goes into deep understanding of scripture by defining the 2 seeds of genesis 3.
Joel was a prophet of ancient israel, the second of the twelve minor prophets and the author of the book of joel. An inspired book of the hebrew scriptures written by joel the son of pethuel. Bible scholars are divided over the meaning of the locusts in joel. Joel is referred to only once in the new testament acts 2. However, this little book is like an atom bombit is not very big, but it sure is potent and powerful. Any hebrew name that began with j plus a vowel was usually an abbreviation for yhwh. Book of joel, second of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor. Joel 2 definition and meaning bible dictionary bible study tools. The genre of joel is narrative and prophetic oracle. Samuels son could not have been the same as the prophet joel. In the first chapter, the day of the lord is experienced historically by the plague of locusts upon the land.
Evidently joel is a prophet to judah, as he makes several references to the house of the lord see also vv. Joel definition is the traditionally assumed author of the book of joel. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. Joel is part of a group of twelve prophetic books known as the minor prophets or simply as the twelve. The nonbiblical legends about him are unconvincing. A prophecy of a great public calamity then impending over the land, consisting of a want of water and an extraordinary plague of locusts 1. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Overview of the book of joel third millennium ministries. Joel is a narrative and prophetic source of wisdom. The dancers are adorned with bells and often represent characters from folk tales. Joel definition, a minor prophet of the postexilic period. Joel definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The book of joel reminds readers to be mindful of both the past and future judgments of the lord and encourages them to seek gods presence always and live to please him. Any hebrew name that ends in iah is also an abbreviation for yhwh isaiah.
The prophet joel cannot be identified with any of the 12 other figures in the ot who have the same name. The author is one of 14 men in the old testament who shared this name. Joel came and prophesied to the land of judah before the plague came. Summary of the book of joel the story of the bible. The book of joel written around 800bc and begins by describing a disastrous attack of locusts in the country of judah. 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. Book of joel bible study chapter 1 locusts, destruction, near and far book of joel bible study chapter 2 the day of the lord book of joel bible study chapter 3 the judgement of the nations related studies book of habakkuk bible study chapter 1 god is moving and judgment is coming. This months super blood wolf moon has unsurprisingly has sparked several conspiracy theories. The sun will turn into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the lord comes. Blood moon conspiracy theories including celestial jaguar and end of the world.