Life and Setting
Joel is identified in his book only as "the son of Pethuel," and the Hebrew Bible names him nowhere else. His origin was in Judah, and a long-standing view holds that he was a prophet connected with temple ritual. Because the book cannot be securely dated, it is uncertain whether this service belonged to the setting of Solomon's Temple or of the Second Temple.
A traditional dating favored by many commentators places Joel in the reign of Uzziah, near 800 BC, making him a contemporary of Amos and Isaiah. Other proposals range widely — the early eighth century, the final decades of the kingdom of Judah (roughly 630–587 BC), the early post-exilic years (about 520–500 BC), or the Persian period (around 400–350 BC). The absence of datable events in the text makes a precise placement impossible.
The Book of Joel
The book opens by identifying its message as coming from the Lord to Joel, son of Pethuel. It falls into three main parts: an account of a locust plague and drought (1:1–2:17) that describes agricultural devastation and calls the nation to lament and repentance; a promise of restoration (2:18–32) assuring recovery and foretelling divine gifts poured out on all people; and a pronouncement of judgment on Judah's enemies (3:1–21), including the Philistines, Edom, and Egypt.
The opening chapter depicts successive waves of destruction — locusts of several kinds together with caterpillar and blight — consuming the crops. Vineyards, fig trees, and grain harvests are ruined, sacrificial offerings cease at the temple, the priests mourn, and the animals suffer from drought and devastated pastures. Interpreters have long debated whether the text pictures a hostile invasion under the image of a locust swarm or a locust swarm under the image of an invasion; most modern scholars read it as a literal plague invested with prophetic significance.
Running through the book is the theme of the "Day of the Lord," which represents both a warning of judgment to the unrepentant and a promise of hope and salvation to the faithful.
The Outpouring of the Spirit and Pentecost
Joel's most influential prophecy is the promise, "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28–32), which foretells prophetic gifts granted to all of God's people through the Savior of the world. In the New Testament the Apostle Peter quotes this passage in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, applying it to the descent of the Holy Spirit described in Acts 2:16–21 and so binding Joel's vision to the birth of the Church.
The Orthodox tradition reads the accompanying imagery symbolically. The hymnographer Anatolius interpreted Joel 2:30 by referring the blood to the Incarnation, the fire to the Divinity, and the pillars of smoke to the Holy Spirit.
Relics and Shrines
A long-standing tradition places Joel's burial at Gush Halav in Israel, where an ancient structure said to contain rock-cut tombs marks the site traditionally identified as his tomb.
Veneration
Joel is venerated as one of the Twelve Minor Prophets. In the Orthodox Church his feast falls on October 19; the Roman Catholic Church commemorates him on July 13, and the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31.
