The cause of gods people is pleaded against their enemies, whom god would in due time reckon with joel 3. Joel and acts say that wonders will occur in the sky, the sun will darken, the moon will turn red. You can find the best commentary on joel for you using the tools on the right side. In the verses below, we highlighted the common portion of. Verses 17 it is a foolish fancy which some of the jews have, that this joel the prophet was the same with that joel who was the son of samuel 1 sa. The superscription of the book names the prophet joel son of pethuel as the author.
This indicates that jewish tradition considered the book of early origin merrill f. Joel was the first to mention this and as we continue through this book well see this theme expanded and elaborated upon. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of joel. This summary of the book of joel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of joel.
Joel 4 cjb for then, at that time, when i bible gateway. This commentary has been through advanced checking. There have been many guesses as to the time of when joel lived. The result is a bible commentary of the quality and originality readers have come to expect of the renowned anchor bible series. Joel was just a messenger, a spiritual currier entrusted with a message from god.
Joels position in the book of the twelve, as the jews call the minor prophets, indicates that jewish tradition considered joel to be an early book. Yhwh is god, the second book in the minor prophets. Joel does not focus on justice, name specific sins, or single out specific people or castes of people for their sins. This theory of an early date of composition was, above all, strongly supported by the fact that no mention is made of. All of this points to a date of approximately 835 bc or soon after, making joel one of the earliest writing prophets, as well as a contemporary of the prophet elisha. The first installment of the ariel commentary series highlights the real life concerns of 1st century jewish believers. These have not occurred yet and neither has the lord jesus returned. Commentary on the book of joel with yair davidiy britam. The really important thing is that joel has a message from god. Book of joel overview insight for living ministries. The book of ezekiel has always been a problem book. Study the bible online using commentary on joel and more. Read joel commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete.
No further details are given about him anywhere in scripture. Joel commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Challenging to scholars and enlightening to laypeople, mark 18 is an invaluable tool for anyone reading the gospel story. The book of joel accounts for justice over evil in a form thats unique to the other old testament prophets. He notices the blessings of the gospel, with the final glorious state of the church.
The book of joel, though it contains some superb hebrew poetry, raises a number of critical issues. The book of joel is the second work in the collection of the minor prophets. Rather, joel bids the people to turn toward god in repentance and worship. The books of joel, obadiah, jonah, and micah the new. Other students think that he wrote it about 330 years later than that. Several midrashim and later commentaries explain that the destruction of. The book is prophetic in that it speaks a word of judgment and grace to a specific audience, evoking amendment of thought and life. Freehof, union of american hebrew congregations, new york, 1978 commentary on sefer yechezkel from the vbm virtual beit midrash reconciling the sacrifices of ezekiel with the torah, jewish bible quarterly, reuven chaim rudolph klein, jbq, 44. The book of joel, though it contains some superb hebrew poetry, raises a number of critical issues which are. Key personalities are joel and the people of judah.
It is a warning to the people about the dangers of turning from god. Douglas stuart hoseajonah word biblical commentary, 1987. The first installment of the ariel commentary series highlights the real life concerns of. Joel tells us his father s name, but he says nothing about himself. The contents of the book may be summarized as follows. The prophecies of the book of joel are divided into two parts, comprising. Joel has grown up to be a godly young man, a man of the book, holding fast to faithful word titus 1. The result is a nuanced interpretation of every passage in luke. Its style fits the earlier classical period better than the postexilic era of haggai, zechariah, and malachi. Joel 1 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. Nothing is known about the prophet joel whose name this book bears.
The genre of joel is narrative and prophetic oracle. Some students think that he wrote his book about 850 years before the birth of jesus. I apologize for all the personal background, but it helps you understand the context for why the book of joel holds such a special place in my heart. 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. On the other hand, neither the interpretation of the imperfects in verse 17 as jussives. In other words, god says, nothing like this has ever happened in your lifetime, or in your fathers lifetime. Commentary for joel 1 from the desolations about to come upon the land of judah, by the ravages of locusts and other insects, the prophet joel exhorts the jews to repentance, fasting, and prayer. Joel commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole bible. The term indicates the short length of the text in relation to longer prophetic texts known as the major prophets. The controversial book of ezekiel nearly didnt make it into the biblical canon, but it has had a lasting impact on both liturgical practice and mystical traditions.
They drew lots for my people, traded boys for whores, sold girls for wine to. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. The book is a unity, as most recent scholars recognize, though the author uses many earlier motifs and traditions cf. Jewish publication societys version of the hebrew bible 1917. The pulpit commentary relates some information from pseudoepiphanius, who, in his lives of the prophets. Estimates for the dates of the book of joel range from the ninth century to the second century b. Mention must also be made of isaac arama 143094, whose aqedhah, his commentary on the pentateuch homiletical in style, was the standard book for the jewish pulpit for centuries, much esteemed by the christian world, and is still much read by the jews, especially in russia and poland. Joel judgment precedes israels future spiritual revival. The books of joel, obadiah, jonah, and micah the new international commentary on the old testament allen, leslie c.
Joel 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. Its purpose was to call the southern kingdom to repentance or prepare for the coming judgment. A huge plague of locusts connected with a great drought gave the occasion for writing this book. The book of joel is a prophecy divided into three chapters. Unlike the judaica press and soncino commentaries, the jps commentaries are producing a detailed linebyline commentary of every passage, in every book of the bible. God compares the past to the future in the book of joel. The holiest day in the jewish calendar is yom kippur, the day of atonement.
During the flow of the commentary, they engage one another in conversation. The people are hereupon called to repentance, joel 2. No indication of the authors life, time, or place of residence is given, and the name of the prophet is not mentioned again either within the book itself or anywhere else in the bible. Joel reflects on the day of the lord and how true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books. Unlike the other books, joel tells us a story about a terrible plague of locusts that seems to. While baal worship was outwardly defeated during the years when jehoiada lived, the worship of the people was more outward and formal and did not originate from true heart repentance cf. The first verse of this short book names joel jehovah is god the son of pethuel as author. For then, at that time, when i restore the fortunes of yhudah and yerushalayim, i will gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of yhoshafat adonai judges. The hebrew prophet yoel or joel, meaning the lord is god provides some. Top 5 commentaries on the book of joel ligonier ministries. This theory of an early date of composition was, above all, strongly supported by the fact that no mention is made of the assyrians.
Misplaced prophet of the locust plague my jewish learning. Years of meticulous study, writing, and editing have produced this remarkable commentary on the messianic jewish epistles mje covering the books of hebrews, james, i peter, ii peter, and jude. Joel with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. After a superscription ascribing the prophecy to joel son of pethuel, the book may be broken down into the. 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. Some scientists say the book has been written around 400 bc or even later. Book of joel bible study chapter 2 the day of the lord. A jewish man prays at the western wailing wall in jerusalem.
The book of joel also makes ample mention of priests, temple rituals, and nations, such as phoenicia, philistia, egypt, and edom, that were prominent in the late ninth century bc. Obadiah sure retribution must overtake merciless pride. Translations of biblical passages are taken from the new jewish publication. Like all scripture, the book of joel is the word of god. Joel 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Haftarot, and is reprinted with permission from the jewish. Promises are made of the return of mercy upon their repentance joel 2. Wedged between hosea and amos is joel who is concerned with judah. And finally, one may observe that the central horror of the book of joel is a plague of locusts, one type of which is called the gazam cutter joel 1. In the two speeches that make up this book, joel uses an agricultural crisis to measure his audiences knowledge of its god, warn them of a worse disaster if they ignore his preaching, and express his conviction that all faithful judahites would someday enjoy a secure future. I will enter into judgment there for my people, my heritage israel, whom they scattered among the nations. Advertisement for his book the jewish question here is the book the jewish question john gill commentary on joel.
Jewish bible commentaries merrimack valley havurah. The book of joel is part of the hebrew bible, one of twelve prophetic books known as the twelve minor prophets. Besides this very short message we do not know anything about the person and circumstances of joel s life. Jewish tradition placed joel between hosea and amos, though the reason for this. The jewish publication society, known in the jewish community as jps, has initiated a longterm, largescale project to complete a modern jewish commentary on the entire hebrew bible. Free online bible library jewish commentary on the bible. Why the book of joel is second in the order of the 12 minor prophets overall, the sequence of books in the twelve conforms to the historical periods of the prophets, beginning with hosea and amos from the mideighth century b. The prophet joel cannot be identified with any of the 12 other figures in the ot who have the same name.
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