 the book of joel is part of the hebrew bible. joel is part of a group of twelve prophetic books known as the twelve minor prophets. (the term indicates the short length of the text in relation to the longer prophetic texts known as the major prophets). == content == after a superscription ascribing the prophecy to joel (son of pethuel), the book may be broken down into the following sections: * lament over a great locust plague and a severe drought (1:1â2:17) ** the effects of these events on agriculture, farmers, and on the supply of agricultural offerings for the temple in jerusalem, interspersed with a call to national lament. (1:1â20) ** a more apocalyptic passage comparing the locusts to an army, and revealing that they are godâs army. (2:1â11) ** a call to national repentance in the face of god's judgment. (2:12â17) * promise of future blessings (2:18â32) ** banishment of the locusts and restoration of agricultural productivity as a divine response to national penitence. (2:18â27) ** future prophetic gifts to all godâs people, and the safety of godâs people in the face of cosmic cataclysm. (2:28â32) * coming judgment on godâs (israelâs) enemies and the vindication of israel. (3:1â21) == historical context ==  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:outlined by allen (pp. 19â25), who himself favours the third position. * ninth century bc, particularly in the reign of joash â a position especially popular among nineteenth-century scholars (making joel one of the earliest writing prophets) * c. 630â587 bc, in the last decades of the kingdom of judah (contemporary with jeremiah, ezekiel, habakkuk) * c. 520â500 bc, contemporary with the return of the exiles and the careers of zechariah and haggai. * the decades around 400 bc, during the persian period (making him one of the latest writing prophets) evidence produced for these positions are allusions in the book to the wider world, similarities with other prophets, and linguistic details. other commentators, such as john calvin,cited in allen, p.19, although calvin did lean toward a later dating attach no great importance to the precise dating. == history of interpretation == the preservation of the book of joel indicates that it was accorded special status by its contemporaries as âthe word of the lordâ (1:1). its history as part of the jewish and christian canons followed that of the entire scroll of the minor prophets. the masoretic text places joel between [[book of hosea|
1st-millennium_BC_books Minor_Prophets