Joel
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” — Joel 2:28 (KJV)
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Author: Joel son of Pethuel — no further biographical details are given in the text
- Date Written: Disputed — two main positions: ~835 BC (early, during Joash’s reign — fits the absence of Assyria/Babylon references and the prominence of Judah’s priests) or ~400 BC (post-exilic — fits the diaspora reference in 3:2 and the absence of a king); the early date has stronger internal support
- Key Themes: The Day of the LORD as both judgment and salvation, the locust plague as divine warning, genuine repentance, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh, the final judgment of the nations
- Chapters: 3
Summary
Joel is one of the most quoted books in the NT despite being one of the shortest in the OT. Its three chapters move through a tight theological arc — from local disaster, to national crisis, to eschatological hope — and the movement is deliberate: the locust plague that devastates Judah’s crops becomes the vehicle for one of the most sweeping prophetic promises in Scripture.
Chapter 1 opens with a catastrophe without historical parallel: a four-stage locust invasion has stripped the land bare. Joel calls every segment of society — drunkards, farmers, priests, elders — to lament and fast. The disaster is not merely agricultural; it is covenantal. The absence of grain and wine means the temple offerings have ceased (1:9, 13) — the relationship between God and his people has been interrupted. The locust plague sounds the alarm for something greater: “the day of the LORD is at hand” (1:15).
Chapter 2 amplifies the locust imagery into an eschatological army — vast, disciplined, unstoppable — advancing like a military force before which the earth quakes and the heavens tremble (2:1–11). But the pivot of the entire book comes at 2:12–17: “Yet even now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments.” The call to heart-rending rather than garment-rending is one of the OT’s most memorable articulations of the essence of repentance. God’s response to genuine repentance is the restoration of grain, wine, oil, and years — “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten” (2:25). Then the promise expands beyond agriculture: the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh (2:28–29), cosmic signs (2:30–31), and salvation for all who call on the name of the LORD (2:32).
Chapter 3 shifts to the nations. The Valley of Jehoshaphat becomes the site of God’s reckoning with all who have scattered Israel and profaned the land. The imagery is harvest — “put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe” (3:13). Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia are singled out for trading Judah’s children as slaves. The chapter ends with Judah dwelling securely and the LORD dwelling in Zion.
Joel’s enduring significance lies primarily in Acts 2: Peter’s sermon at Pentecost opens with “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16) — the outpouring of the Spirit on 120 gathered believers is the fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32. This makes Joel the prophetic foundation for the entire Pentecost narrative and, by extension, for the Spirit-empowered mission of the church.
Key Characters
| Character | Role | Key Passages |
|---|---|---|
| Joel | The prophet; son of Pethuel; calls nation to lament and return | 1:1 |
| The Priests and Elders | Called to lead the national lament and fast | 1:2, 13–14; 2:16–17 |
| The LORD (Yahweh) | Speaker and actor throughout; judge and restorer | 2:11–32; 3:16–21 |
Key Events
| Event | Reference | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Locust Plague and Lament | 1:1–20 | Four-stage locust devastation; call to lament; offerings cease; “day of the LORD is at hand” |
| Outpouring of the Spirit | 2:28–32 | On all flesh; sons and daughters prophesy; cosmic signs; “call on the LORD”; fulfilled Acts 2 |
| Valley of Decision | 3:1–16 | Valley of Jehoshaphat; nations judged for scattering Israel; “multitudes in the valley of decision” |
| Call to genuine repentance | 2:12–17 | ”Rend your heart, not your garments”; assemble the congregation |
| God’s restoration promise | 2:18–27 | Restores grain/wine/oil; “I will restore the years the locust hath eaten” |
| Zion’s final security | 3:17–21 | LORD dwells in Zion; Egypt and Edom desolate; Judah inhabited forever |
Chapter Outline
| Chapter | Section | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Locust Plague | Catastrophic devastation; call to lament; day of LORD is near |
| 2:1–17 | The Army and the Call | Eschatological army; “yet even now” — return with all your heart |
| 2:18–32 | Restoration and the Spirit | Material and spiritual restoration; Spirit on all flesh; call on the LORD |
| 3 | Judgment of the Nations | Valley of Jehoshaphat; nations judged; Zion secure |
Cross-References
Old Testament:
- Exodus 10:1–20 — The eighth plague; locust invasion as divine judgment
- Deuteronomy 28:38–42 — Locust curse for covenant unfaithfulness
- Amos 5:18–20 — The Day of the LORD is darkness, not light
- Zephaniah 1:14–18 — The great Day of the LORD; description parallels Joel 2
- Isaiah 2:12–21 — Day of the LORD against the proud; cosmic disruption
New Testament:
- Acts 2:16–21 — Peter quotes Joel 2:28–32 at Pentecost; “this is that which was spoken”
- Romans 10:13 — “Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD” (Joel 2:32)
- Revelation 6:12–17 — Cosmic signs of Joel 2:30–31 (sun darkened, moon to blood)
- Revelation 14:14–20 — The harvest and winepress imagery (Joel 3:13)
Key Verses
“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.” — Joel 2:12–13
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” — Joel 2:25
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” — Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said.” — Joel 2:32
Notes & Reflections
- The four locust words in 1:4 (gazam, arbeh, yeleq, chasil) may describe four stages of the locust life cycle (cutting, swarming, hopping, consuming) or four successive locust swarms — the accumulating devastation is the point
- Joel 2:28 — “afterward” (acharei-ken in Hebrew) is the temporal marker; Peter interprets “afterward” as referring to the messianic age that has now arrived at Pentecost — the “last days” have begun
- The phrase “rend your heart, not your garments” (2:13) is Joel’s most famous verse after the Spirit promise — it captures the OT prophetic critique of empty ritual: visible mourning without inward conversion is worthless
- “I will restore the years the locust hath eaten” (2:25) has no precise parallel elsewhere in Scripture — the offer to redeem lost time as well as material loss is remarkable and pastorally significant
- The Valley of Jehoshaphat (3:2, 12) — Jehoshaphat means “the LORD judges” in Hebrew; whether a literal location or a symbolic name for the place of divine judgment is debated; the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem has been associated with this valley since antiquity
Sequential Connections
- Preceded by: Hosea in canonical order — Hosea addresses the northern kingdom’s covenantal unfaithfulness; Joel addresses all Israel through the lens of the locust plague
- Contemporary with: Either the early divided monarchy or post-exilic period; Joel’s precise historical setting is unusually opaque for a writing prophet
- Fulfilled at: Acts 2 — The Pentecost outpouring is the explicit NT fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32
- Followed by: Amos
Tags
OldTestament MinorProphets Joel DayOfTheLORD HolySpirit Pentecost Repentance Restoration Locust Outpouring