Joel 1:1-2:32 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joel 1:1-7

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 Sam. 8:2); yet one of their rabbin very gravely undertakes to show why Samuel is here called Pethuel. This Joel was long after that. He here speaks of a sad and sore judgment which was now brought, or to be brought, upon Judah, for their sins. Observe, I. The greatness of the judgment, expressed here in two things:?1. It was such as could not be paralleled in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:1

The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Who this Pethuel was is not known; Jarchi takes him to be the same with Samuel the prophet, who had a son of this name, 1 Samuel 8:2 ; and gives this reason for his being called Pethuel, because in his prayer he persuaded God; but the long span of time will by no means admit of this, nor the character of Samuel's son agree with Joel; and therefore is rightly denied by Aben Ezra, who observes, however, that this man was an... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:1

The word of the Lord that came to Joel - See the introduction for some account of this prophet, whose history is very obscure. Bishop Newcome thinks that he prophesied while the kingdom of Judah subsisted, and refers to Joel 2:1 , Joel 2:15 , (see also Joel 1:14 ; (note), and the note there), but not long before its subversion as his words, Joel 3:1 , seem to imply that its captivity was approaching. See 2 Kings 21:10-15 . He therefore favors the conjecture of Drusius, that this... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:1

Verse 1 The word of Jehovah which came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. He names here his father; it is hence probable that he was a man well known and of some celebrity. But who this Pethuel was, all now are ignorant. And what the Hebrews hold as a general rule, that a prophet is designated, whenever his father’s name is added, appears to me frivolous; and we see how bold they are in devising such comments. When no reason for any thing appears to them, they invent some fable, and allege it as a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1

The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel . The name Joel signifies "Jehovah is God," or "whose God is Jehovah." We read in Scripture of several of the same name, but the prophet is distinguished as "the son of Pethuel," a name signifying "the sincerity of God," or "godly simplicity." We are not certain of the exact period at which Joel prophesied, but he is generally believed to have been the earliest prophetic writer of the southern kingdom, and one of the earliest of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1

The value of the Divine Word. The prophet gives us no intimation of the time when he wrote, nor of the tribe to which he belonged, nor of the family of which he was a member; he merely mentions the name of his father, probably for sake of distinguishing himself from others of the same name. 1 . He is mainly occupied with the solemnity of the message which he had received, and the source whence it came; nor yet does he inform us of the mode in which the message reached him—whether by an... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1

The life-work of an obscure prophet. The literary style of this book deserves the consideration of every student of Scripture. With the exception of Isaiah and (as some think) of Habakkuk, Joel surpasses all his brethren in sublimity. His pictures of the disasters following upon sin are marvellously vivid, and his promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit was still living in the memory of the Jews when Peter, on the day of Pentecost, declared that its fulfilment had come. The first half of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1-4

National calamity. "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this," etc. These verses lead us to look upon some aspects of that terrible national calamity which was the great burden of the prophet's ministry. We learn from the passage— I. THAT THIS CALAMITY WAS DIVINELY REVEALED AT FIRST TO THE HIND OF ONE MAN . "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethueh" No one knew at first what a sad calamity was coming on the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Joel 1:1

The word of the Lord that came to Joel - Joel, like Hosea, mentions the name of his father only, and then is silent about his extraction, his tribe, his family. He leaves even the time when he lived, to be guessed at. He would be known only, as the instrument of God. “The word of the Lord came to” him (see the note at Hosea 1:1), and he willed simply to be the voice which uttered it. He was “content to live under the eyes of God, and, as to people, to be known only in what concerned their... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Joel 1:1-3

Joel 1:1-3. Hear this, ye old men Ye that have seen and remember many things. Hath this been in your days, &c. Give attention; and when you have heard and considered, say whether any thing like the calamities which I am about to denounce hath ever happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers. In this way the prophet shows how great and unparalleled this dearth, which he fore-tels, would be. Tell ye your children Let these prophecies be handed down to distant generations,... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joel 1:1-7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joel 1:1

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:1

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joel 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Joel 1:1-4

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Joel 1:1

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Joel 1:1-3

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