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Introduction
to Joel
INTRODUCTION TO JOEL
In
some Hebrew Bibles this prophecy is called "Sepher Joel"
the Book of
Joel; in the Vulgate Latin version
the Prophecy of Joel; and in the Syriac
version
the Prophecy of the Prophet Joel; and the Arabic version
the Prophet
Joel; and so the Apostle Peter quotes him
Acts 2:16. His
name
according to HillerusF1Onomast. Sacr. p. 856.
signifies
"the Lord is God"; but others derive it from lay
which in
"Hiphil" is lyawh
and signifies "he willed
acquiesced
or is
well pleased
so Abarbinei; and hence Schmidt thinks it answers to Desiderius
or Erasmus. According to IsidorusF2De Vita & Mart. Sanct. c. 4.
he was born at Bethoron
in the tribe of Reuben
and died and was buried
there; and so says Pseudo-EpiphaniusF3De Vita Proph. c. 14. . In
what age he lived is not easy to say. Aben Ezra expressly affirms there is no
way to know it; and so R. David GanzF4Tzemach David
par. 1. fol.
14. 2. says
his time we know not; and likewise Abarbinel. Some think he
prophesied about the same time Hoses did
after whom he is next placed; and so
Mr. WhistonF5Chronological Tables
cent. 7. and 8. and
Mr. BedfordF6Scripture
Chronology
B. 6. c. 2. p. 646. make him to prophesy much about the same time
with Isaiah and Hoses
about eight hundred years before Christ; but
in the
Septuagint version
this book is in the fourth order
and not Hoses
but Amos
and Micah
are placed before him; and so the author of JuchasinF7Fol.
12. 1
2. puts the prophets in this order
first Hoses
then Amos
next Isaiah
then Micah
and after him Joel. Some of the Jewish writers
as Jarchi
Kimchi
and Abendana relate
make Joel contemporary with Elisha
and say he prophesied
in the
lays of Jehoram the son of Ahab
when the seven years' famine called
for came upon the land
2 Kings 8:1. Both
in Seder Olam Rabba and ZutaF8P. 55
105. Ed. Meyer. he is placed in
the reign of Manasseh; and so in Hilchot Gedolot
as Jarchi observes. And it seems
indeed as if he prophesied after the ten tribes were carried captive
which was
in the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign
since no mention is made of Israel but
with respect to future times
only of Judah and Jerusalem
But
be it when it
will that he prophesied
there is no doubt to be made of the authenticity of
this book
which is confirmed by the quotations of two apostles out of two:
Peter and Paul
Acts 2:16.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a precursor
and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the online
edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.