At a Glance
Joel at a Glance
Joel is a short book about one terrible season and one far greater day. A locust plague has stripped the land, and the prophet says it is a warning of the Day of the LORD. The cure he gives is simple: return to God with the whole heart.
- Author. Joel the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1). Nothing else is known of him. His name means the LORD is God.
- Date. Uncertain. We favor an early date, about 835 BC, in the days of the boy-king Joash of Judah. Many place the book after the exile, about 500 BC. See Hard Questions.
- Written To. Judah and Jerusalem, and especially the priests, elders, and farmers.
- Setting. A locust plague and drought have destroyed the harvest. No king is named. Priests and elders lead the people (Joel 1:13–14; Joel 2:16–17).
- Key Verse. rend your heart, and not your garments (Joel 2:13).
- Key Word or Theme. The Day of the LORD, when God steps in to judge and then to bless.
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Further reading
For Deeper Study
- Be AmazedAmazon Warren W. WiersbeA practical Bible-study commentary covering Joel with Hosea, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Malachi.
- The Minor ProphetsAmazon Charles Lee FeinbergA dispensational commentary strong on the Day of the LORD and Israel's future.
- Exploring the Minor ProphetsAmazon John PhillipsA readable expository commentary from a premillennial preacher.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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Hosea
Hosea's own marriage to an unfaithful wife becomes God's message to a drifting nation: judgment is coming, but the LORD's covenant love pursues, buys back, and heals.
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