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Book 29 of 66 · Prophets · The Twelve

Joel

A plague of locusts strips the land bare. The prophet calls everyone, from old people to nursing babies, to stop and turn back to God. God promises to restore “the years that the locust hath eaten,” and to pour out his Spirit on everyone.

The big idea

In short: when disaster hits, turn around from the inside. “Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful” (2:13). And God can give back lost years: “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten” (2:25).

Joel also promises God’s Spirit on “all flesh”: sons and daughters, old and young, even servants (2:28–29).

The rule underneath: Law 12 · Repair

Confess, make restitution, forgive, start again.

Keep it: Relationships heal, and you get a fresh start.
Break it: Hidden wrongs grow and spread.

Shows up in: Leviticus, 2 Samuel, Psalms, Luke, 1 John

Other rules in this book: Image, not tool, God first

Live it: Playbook 10 · How to repair

12Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.Joel 2:12-13 · KJV

At a glance

What it is
A short book of prophecy. 3 chapters in English Bibles (4 in Hebrew Bibles).
Who wrote it
Joel son of Pethuel (1:1). Nothing else is known about him.
When
Unknown. No king is named. Suggestions range from the 800s BC to about 400 BC. debated
Why it matters
Peter quotes 2:28–32 at Pentecost, the day the church began (Acts 2:16–21). Paul quotes 2:32: “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
In which Bibles
All of them.
Read it in
About 15 minutes.

What it says

1 · The locusts. Wave after wave of locusts eats everything: “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten” (1:4). Vines and fig trees are stripped. There is no grain for offerings. Joel calls the priests to fast and pray.

2:1–17 · The day of the LORD. The locusts look like an invading army. Joel calls it “the day of the LORD,” a day when God acts in judgment. But it is not too late: “turn ye even to me with all your heart” (2:12). Everyone must come, even brides and grooms and nursing babies (2:16). “Rend your heart, and not your garments” (2:13).

2:18–32 · Restoration and the Spirit. God has pity. He sends rain and grain again. “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten” (2:25). Then, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (2:28). Even servants, men and women, will receive the Spirit (2:29).

3 · The nations judged. God gathers the nations to judge them for scattering his people and selling children as slaves (3:2–3). The nations are told, “Beat your plowshares into swords” (3:10), the reverse of Isaiah 2:4. In the end, Judah will be safe and fruitful (3:18–20).

28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.Joel 2:28-29 · KJV
Go deeper
  • Original words. The four insect names in 1:4 (gazam, arbeh, yeleq, hasil) may be different kinds of locusts or stages of one locust’s life. “Rend,” qirʿu, means tear. Tearing your clothes was a sign of grief; Joel asks for the grief to be real.
  • Structure. Disaster and a call to turn (1:1–2:17), then God’s answer (2:18–3:21). The turning point is one line: “Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people” (2:18).
  • How the laws interlock. Law 12 is the center: turn, and God restores (2:13, 25). Law 3 is in the Spirit poured on everyone, with no rank of age, sex, or class (2:28–29). Law 1 frames it: God is the one who gives and restores.

Hard parts

Did God send the locusts?

What it says God calls the locusts “my great army which I sent among you” (2:25).

The rule underneath God first. The book reads disaster as a call to turn back.

What people added Some readers take this as a rule: disasters are always God’s punishment. Others point to Job and to Jesus (Luke 13:1–5), who reject reading every disaster as a sign of someone’s sin. Readers differ.

“Plowshares into swords”

What it says Joel tells the nations to turn farm tools into weapons (3:10). Isaiah and Micah say the opposite (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3).

The rule underneath Power serves. Joel is speaking to nations gathering for judgment, not giving a rule for God’s people.

What people added Most readers see Joel deliberately reversing the famous line: a call to a battle the nations will lose. debated

Translation notes that change meaning

  • 2:28 “all flesh.” In Joel it may mean all of God’s people. Acts 2 applies it more widely, and the rest of Acts extends it to non-Jews.
  • Chapter numbers. English 2:28–32 is chapter 3 in Hebrew Bibles, and English 3 is Hebrew 4.

Where it leads

One thing to do

This week

Restore one lost year

Think of something the “locusts” ate: a friendship, a habit, a skill, money wasted. Pick one. Take one small step this week to start rebuilding it. Write in your journal what you lost, and what your first step was.

How to read it. Read it in one sitting, out loud. Then read Acts 2 to see how Peter used it.