Joel

About Joel

Joel begins with a devastating locust plague that strips the land bare, and he reads it as a wake-up call: the day of the LORD is near. He calls the people to tear their hearts, not just their clothes, and return to a God who is gracious and slow to anger. Then he looks further ahead, to a day when God pours out His Spirit on all people. In the Bible's story, that promise explodes into life at Pentecost.

Written by

The book gives us only the prophet's name, Joel son of Pethuel; nothing else is known about him.

When

Joel mentions no kings or datable events, so scholars honestly disagree on its date, with proposals ranging from the 800s BC to after the exile, and many favoring the later period.

Themes

• The day of the LORD
• Return with all your heart
• God's grace after loss
• The Spirit poured out on everyone
• Restoration of what was lost

Key verses

• Joel 2:13So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
• Joel 2:28-29And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
• Joel 2:32And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.