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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.