Joel 1:1

"The LORD’s word that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel."

Key Reflection

This opening line indicates that Joel received his prophetic message directly from God, establishing his authority as a divine messenger. The mention of Joel's father, Pethuel, adds a traceable lineage to the prophet's credibility within the context of other prophets and their families in biblical tradition.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

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 atHosea 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 salvation.” But this he declares absolutely, that the Word of God came to him; in order that we may give faith to his prophecy, being well assured that what he predicted, would come to pass.

More from Joel 1

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