Book of Joel (original) (raw)

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Book of the Bible

The Book of Joel is a Jewish prophetic text containing a series of "divine announcements". The first line attributes authorship to "Joel the son of Pethuel".[1] It forms part of the Book of the twelve minor prophets or the Nevi'im ("Prophets") in the Hebrew Bible, and is a book in its own right in the Christian Old Testament. In the New Testament, his prophecy of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon all people was notably quoted by Saint Peter in his Pentecost sermon.

Surviving early manuscripts

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(This section uses English/Greek chapter numbering.)

Leningrad Codex (1008 CE) contains the complete copy of Book of Joel in Hebrew.

The original text was written in Hebrew language.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this book in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895 CE), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).[2] Fragments containing parts of this book in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q78 (4QXIIc; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 1:10–20, 2:1, 2:8–23, and 3:6–21;[3][4][5][6] and 4Q82 (4QXIIg; 25 BCE) with extant verses 1:12–14, 2:2–13, 3:4–9, 3:11–14, 3:17, 3:19–2;[3][4][7][8] Schøyen MS 4612/1 (DSS F.117; DSS F.Joel1; 50–68 CE) with extant verses 3:1–4);[4][9] and Wadi Murabba'at Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75–100 CE) with extant verses 2:20, 2:26–27, 2:28–32, and 3:1–16.[4][10]

Ancient manuscripts in Koine Greek containing this book are mainly of the Septuagint version, including Codex Vaticanus (B; G {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}} {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: G {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}} {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; G {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}} {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; G {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}} {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}Q; 6th century).[11]

After the initial attribution, the book may be broken down into the following sections:

Book of Joel in Latin translation in a French manuscript of the 13th century

The Book of Joel's division into chapters and verses differs widely between editions of the Bible; some editions have three chapters, others four.[13] Translations with four chapters include the Jewish Publication Society's version of the Hebrew Bible (1917),[14] the Jerusalem Bible (1966), New American Bible (Revised Edition, 1970), Complete Jewish Bible (1998), and Tree of Life Version (2015).[15]

In the 1611 King James Bible, the Book of Joel is formed by three chapters: the second one has 32 verses, and it is equivalent to the union of the chapter 2 (with 26 verses) and chapter 3 (with 5 verses) of other editions of the Bible.[16]

The differences of the divisions are as follows:[17]

English/Greek Hebrew
Joel 1 Joel 1
Joel 2:1–27 Joel 2
Joel 2:28–32 Joel 3
Joel 3 Joel 4

As there are no explicit references in the book to datable persons or events, scholars have assigned a wide range of dates to the book. The main positions are:

Evidence produced for these positions includes allusions in the book to the wider world, similarities with other prophets, and linguistic details. Some commentators, such as John Calvin, attach no great importance to the precise dating.

History of interpretation

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Joel (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

The Masoretic text places Joel between Hosea and Amos (the order inherited by the Tanakh and Old Testament), while the Septuagint order is Hosea–Amos–Micah–Joel–Obadiah–Jonah. The Hebrew text of Joel seems to have suffered little from scribal transmission, but is at a few points supplemented by the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate versions, or by conjectural emendation.[21] While the book purports to describe a plague of locusts, some ancient Jewish opinion saw the locusts as allegorical interpretations of Israel's enemies.[22] This allegorical interpretation was applied to the church by many church fathers. Calvin took a literal interpretation of chapter 1, but allegorical view of chapter 2, a position echoed by some modern interpreters. Most modern interpreters, however, see Joel speaking of a literal locust plague given a prophetic or apocalyptic interpretation.[23]

The traditional ascription of the whole book to the prophet Joel was challenged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by a theory of a three-stage process of composition: 1:1–2:27 were from the hand of Joel, and dealt with a contemporary issue; 2:28–3:21/3:1–4:21 were ascribed to a continuator with an apocalyptic outlook. Mentions in the first half of the book to the day of the Lord were also ascribed to this continuator. 3:4–8/4:4–8 could be seen as even later. Details of exact ascriptions differed between scholars.

This splitting of the book's composition began to be challenged in the mid-twentieth century, with scholars defending the unity of the book, the plausibility of the prophet combining a contemporary and apocalyptic outlook, and later additions by the prophet. The authenticity of 3:4–8 has presented more challenges, although a number of scholars still defend it.[24]

Biblical quotes and allusions

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Russian icon of the prophet Joel (Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, c. 1700–1725)

There are many parallels of language between Joel and other Old Testament prophets. They may represent Joel's literary use of other prophets, or vice versa.

In the New Testament, his prophecy of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon all people was notably quoted by Saint Peter in his Pentecost sermon.[25]

Joel 3:10 / 4:10 is a variation of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3's prophecy, "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks",[26] instead commanding, "Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears."[27]

The table below represents some of the more explicit quotes and allusions between specific passages in Joel and passages from the Old and New Testaments.

Joel Old Testament New Testament
1:6, 2:2–10 Revelation 9:3, 7–9
1:15 Isaiah 13:6Ezekiel 30:2–3
2:1 Zephaniah 1:14–16
2:1–2 Amos 5:18, 20
2:11 Malachi 3:2
2:14 Jonah 3:9
2:20–21 Psalm 126:2–3
2:27 Isaiah 45:5Ezekiel 36:11
2:28–32/3:1–5 Acts 2:16–21
2:31/3:4 Malachi 3:23/4:5
2:32/3:5 Obadiah 17 Romans 10:13
3:1/4:1 Psalm 126:1
3:10/4:10 Isaiah 2:4Micah 4:3
3:16/4:16 Amos 1:2
3:17/4:17 Obadiah 17
3:18/4:18 Amos 9:13

Plange quasi virgo (Lament like a virgin), the third responsory for Holy Saturday, is loosely based on verses from the Book of Joel: the title comes from Joel 1:8.[28]

  1. ^ Keller, C. A., 28. Joel, in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary Archived 2017-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, p. 578
  2. ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
  3. ^ a b Ulrich 2010, p. 598.
  4. ^ a b c d Dead sea scrolls - Joel
  5. ^ Fitzmyer 2008, p. 38.
  6. ^ 4Q78 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  7. ^ Fitzmyer 2008, p. 39.
  8. ^ 4Q82 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  9. ^ 12 Minor Prophets Dead Sea Scroll MS 4612/1. Schøyen Collection. Accessed February 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Fitzmyer 2008, pp. 140–141.
  11. ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
  12. ^ Pradas, Joseph. "Convertimini ad me". Seu Valentina. Retrieved 26 Jan 2019.
  13. ^ Hayes, Christine (2006). "Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) – Lecture 23 – Visions of the End: Daniel and Apocalyptic Literature". Open Yale Courses. Yale University.
  14. ^ "Joel 4 – JPS Version" – via mechon-mamre.org.
  15. ^ "Joel 4:1". BibleGateway.com. Zondervan Corporation. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  16. ^ "1611 King James Bible. book of Joel". King James Bible Online. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  17. ^ Kee, Howard Clark; Meyers, Eric M.; Rogerson, John; Levine, Amy-Jill; Saldarini, Anthony J. (2008). Chilton, Bruce (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Bible (2, revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0521691406.
  18. ^ a b c Joel, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revising Editor Moises Silva, 2011
  19. ^ Patterson, Richard D. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 7. Zondervan.
  20. ^ “Joel.” Hagedorn, Anselm C. The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets. Edited by Julia M. O'Brien. pp. 411–423. “The book's engagement with earlier texts ( especially those relating to the ‘Day of Yahweh’) attests to its late origin, and its ending reflects late theological thinking about the relationship between Israel and the nations, portraying Yahweh as the ruler of the whole world…These theological debates point to a very late origin of Joel 2:28-3:21 [Heb. chaps. 3-4]. The universal judgment of the nations probably belongs to discourse of the late Persian period (Steck 1996), while the vision of Joel 2:28-32 [Heb. chap. 3] may best be understood during the relative peace of Ptolemaic times.”
  21. ^ Allen 36
  22. ^ Targum at 2:25; also margin of LXX manuscript Q, mid-6th century AD
  23. ^ See Allen 29–31
  24. ^ See Allen 25–29 for details and arguments.
  25. ^ Acts 2
  26. ^ Isaiah 2:4
  27. ^ Joel 3:10
  28. ^ Joel 1:8: Vulgate translation

See also works on the Minor Prophets as a whole.

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