Book of Joel - Content

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 (1:1–2:17)
  • The effects of these events on agriculture, farmers, and on the supply of agricultural offerings for the Jerusalem temple, interspersed with a call to national lament. (1:1–20)
  • A more apocalyptic passage comparing the locusts to an army, and revealing that they are God’s army. (2:1–11)
  • A call to national repentance in the face of God’s judgment. (2:12–17)
• Promise of future blessings (2:18–32)
  • Banishment of the locusts and restoration of agricultural productivity as a divine response to national penitence. (2:18–27)
  • Future prophetic gifts to all God’s people, and the safety of God’s people in the face of cosmic cataclysm. (2:28–32)
• Coming judgment on God’s (Israel’s) enemies and the vindication of Israel. (3:1–21)