Ita Epiphan. Doroth. Isidor. Hebræi.VII. JOEL, the son of Pethuel, the second of the twelve small Prophets, was, as is said, of the Tribe of Reuben, and city of Bethoron, or rather Betharan, for Bethoron was on this side Jordan in the Tribe of Ephraim, and Betharan was on the other side of the River in the Tribe of Reuben. Joel prophesied in the kingdom of Judah1; and it is our opinion, that he did not appear there till after the removal of the ten Tribes, and the destruction of the kingdom of Israel. We do not know distinctly the year wherein he began to prophesy, nor that wherein he dyed. He speaks of a great famine, and an inundation of locusts which ravaged Judea: but as these are evils not uncommon in that country, and all sorts of events have not been registered in history, we can infer nothing from thence towards fixing the particular period of Joel’s prophecy.
S. Jerome, followed by many others both ancients and moderns, believed Joel to have been contemporary with Hosea, according to this rule laid down by him2, that when there is no certain proof of the time wherein any Prophet lived, we are to be directed in our conjectures by the time of the preceeding Prophet, whose epoch is better known. But this rule is not always certain, and should not hinder us from following another system, if we have good reasons for doing so. The Hebrews maintain, that Joel prophesied under Manasseh, and think the Famine mentioned by him, to be the same as that which is taken notice of in Jerem. viii. 13. But if it be so, as there is probability enough it is, it must be said that Joel prophesied after Manasseh, since in the same place of Jeremiah, the Lord declares, that he is resolved to disperse his people amidst the nations, by reason of the sins committed by Manasseh, which implies that Manasseh was not then in being. We choose therefore rather to place Joel under Josiah King of Judah, in the same time with Jeremiah. Under the idea of an enemy’s army, he represents a cloud of Locusts, which in his time fell upon Judea, and caused great desolation. This together with the Caterpillars and the Drought, brought a terrible Famine upon the land. God being moved with the calamities and prayers of his people, scattered the Locusts, and the wind blew them into the Sea; these misfortunes were succeeded by plenty and fertility. After this the Prophet foretold the day of the Lord, Joel ii. 2, 3, &c.and the vengeance which he was to exercise in the valley of Jezreel. He speaks of the Teacher of Righteousness, whom God was Joel ii. 23.to send; of the Holy Spirit, which was to descend upon all flesh. He says that Joel ii. 28, 29.Jerusalem will eternally be inhabited; that Salvation will come out from thence; that Joel ii. 32.whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. All this relates to the Joel ii. 28, 29.new Covenant and the time of the Messiah.
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Footnotes
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Translators’ note. Sanctus Joel apud Ebræos post Osee ponitur: & sicut ibi sub nomine Ephraim ad decem tribus confertur vaticinium, quæ vel Samaria vel Israel sæpe memorantur: Sic in hunc Prophetam omne quod dicitur ad tribum Juda, & ad Jerusalem, pertinere credendum est, & nullam omnino Israelis, id est decem tribuum, in hoc fieri mentionem. Hi- eron. in Joel i. 1. ↩
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Hieronym. Præfat. in omnes Prophetas. In quibus autem tempus non præfertur in titulo sub illis eos regibus prophetâsse, sub quibus & hi, qui ante eos habent titulos, prophetaverunt. 10 D have ↩