Joel (Prophet)
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Role: Prophet
- Book(s): Joel
- Period: Dates disputed — either ~835 BC (early monarchy, during the reign of Joash of Judah) or ~400 BC (post-exilic); no king is mentioned in the book’s superscription, which is unusual and contributes to the dating difficulty
Profile
Joel son of Pethuel is among the most enigmatic of the writing prophets. The book’s superscription gives no more information than his name and his father’s: “The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel” (1:1). No tribe, hometown, occupation, or reigning monarch is identified — a striking contrast to books like Amos, Isaiah, or Hosea, which situate the prophet precisely in his historical moment. This absence of biographical anchoring has made Joel’s dating one of the most contested questions in OT scholarship, with proposals ranging from the 9th to the 4th century BC.
His name means “The LORD is God” — a compressed theological confession (Yah + El) — and the name fits the content of his prophecy, which is centered on the character and action of Yahweh as judge and restorer. The book suggests a prophet with deep priestly or liturgical familiarity: the destruction of the temple offerings is the immediate theological consequence of the locust plague that Joel laments (1:9, 13), and his calls to “sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly” (1:14; 2:15) presuppose knowledge of and authority within Judah’s worship life. Many scholars believe he served in or near Jerusalem, possibly in close connection with the temple priesthood.
Joel’s lasting significance rests primarily on two passages. The first is the call to genuine repentance — “rend your heart, and not your garments” (2:13) — which captures the OT prophetic tradition’s critique of external religion without inward transformation. The second is the Spirit-outpouring prophecy of 2:28–32, which Peter identifies at Pentecost as the scriptural framework for understanding the events of Acts 2: “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). Joel did not know the name Pentecost; he knew the character of God and the logic of the covenant, and he looked forward to the day when the Spirit’s work would be democratized across all flesh. The NT vindication of this promise makes Joel’s voice one of the most consequential in the Minor Prophets.
Key Events / Passages
- Locust Plague and Lament — Joel interprets the locust invasion as a covenantal crisis calling for national lament
- Outpouring of the Spirit — Joel 2:28–32; the central prophetic promise fulfilled at Pentecost
- Valley of Decision — Joel 3; judgment of all nations gathered before God in Zion
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.” — Joel 2:12–13
“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