Nothing is known about Joel’s life, and even the time of his prophecy is open to debate. Joel restricts himself to addressing the Kingdom of Judah alone, suggesting that he was himself a Judean, and may have lived after the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Some scholars note Joel’s references to the Temple in Jerusalem as the sole place of worship, suggesting that he lived after the building of the second Temple (515 B.C.E) but before the Persian conquest (348 B.C.E.). Others, noting that Joel makes no reference to a king of Judah, argue that he must have lived after the fall of Judah to the Persians. The essence of Joel’s message is to warn the people of the coming Day of the Lord, a day of judgment marked by a plague of locusts. He calls upon the people to repent, to pray, fast, and mourn, and promises the repentant — both Jew and Gentile alike — that God will deliver them from disaster.
