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For more great commentaries on Joel check:
Commentaries on the Minor Prophets, Commentaries on All the Prophets,
Commentaries on the Whole Old Testament
& Whole Bible Commentaries
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Order of Contents
Best 2
Commentaries 6+
Early Church 6
Jewish 1
Chapters 2
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The Best Commentaries on Joel
Beginner, Contemporary
Robertson, O. Palmer – Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: the Message of Joel Buy (1966) 112 pp.
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Intermediate, Puritan
Topsell, Edward – Times Lamentation: or An Exposition on the Prophet Joel, in Sundry Sermons or Meditations (1599)
*** – “Among the old English commentaries Topsell is the writer on Joel. He has the usual force, homeliness, piety, and fullness of the Puritan period.” – Spurgeon
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More Commentaries on Joel
1500’s
Luther, Martin – ‘Lectures on Joel’ in Lectures on the Minor Prophets, vol. 1 in Luther’s Works ed. Hilton C. Oswald (Concordia, 1973), pp. 79-126
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1600’s
Pococke, Edward – A Commentary on the Prophecy of Joel (d. 1691)
Pococke (1604-1691) was a reformed Anglican and Arabic scholar. The level of the work is intermediate to advanced.
** – “Full of antique learning. Holds a high place among the older comments, but will never again be popular.” – Spurgeon
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1700’s
Chandler, Samuel – A Paraphrase & Critical Commentary on Joel Buy Ref (1735)
** – “Chandler makes very few remarks of a spiritual kind, but explains the letter of the word with considerable skill. In writing upon Joel he does not appear to the same advantage as in his ‘Life of David.’ He does not effect much in clearing up the ‘things hard to be understood’ in the prophet, and he is of the old broad school.” – Spurgeon
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Intermediate
Hengstenberg, E.W. – ‘Messianic Predictions in Joel’ (1868) 59 pp. in The Christology of the Old Testament, vol. 1, pp. 291-350 Hengstenberg treats most of Joel.
Rowley, Adam – Joel, a Translation in Metrical Parallelisms according to the Hebrew Method of Punctuation, with Notes and References (1867) 34 pp.
** – “The translation has been carefully executed. The notes are illustrative and literary only; they do not profess to open up the moral and spiritual teaching of the prophet. Could Adam Clarke rise from the dead, he would rejoice to find his grandson following in his footsteps.” – Spurgeon
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Advanced
Hughes, Joseph – The Prophecy of Joel, the Hebrew Text Metrically Arranged, with a New Translation & Critical Notes Ref (S. Bagster, 1869) 34 pp.
* “A purely literary treatise, useful to Hebraists only.” – Spurgeon
Kapelrud, Arvid Schou – Joel Studies Buy (Uppsala, 1948) 220 pp. ToC
‘A scholarly study.’ – Cyril J. Barber
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The Early Church on Joel
Compilation
Ferreiro, Alberto – Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: The Twelve Prophets Pre Buy (IVP Academic, 2003) 370 pp. ToC
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Individuals
Jerome – Commentaries on the 12 Prophets, vol. 1 (Buy), 2 (Pre) in Ancient Christian Texts
Jerome (c. 342–347 – 420)
Theodore of Mopsuestia – ‘Commentary on the Prophet Joel’ in Commentary on the Twelve Prophets trans. Robert C. Hill in Fathers of the Church (Catholic University of America Press, 2004), pp. 103-25
Theodore (c. 350 – 428)
Cyril of Alexandria – ‘Commentary on the Prophet Joel’ in Commentary on the Twelve Prophets, vol. 1 trans. Robert C. Hill in Fathers of the Church (Catholic University of America Press, 2007), pp. 257-317
Cyril (c. 376 – 444)
Julian of Eclanum – Commentaries on Job, Hosea, Joel & Amos in Ancient Christian Texts Pre (2021) ToC Latin
Julian (c. 386 – c. 455) was bishop of Eclanum in Italy and was a leader of the Pelagians.
Theodoret of Cyrus – Commentary on the Twelve Prophets Ref (Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2006) 378 pp.
Theodoret (c. 393 – c. 458/466)
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Jewish Commentary
Rashi – On Joel at Patristic Bible Commentary
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On Chapters in Joel
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Joel 1
Udall, John – The True Remedy Against Famine & Wars, Five Sermons upon the First Chapter of the Prophesy of Joel (1586)
** – “We gave so high a price for this small black letter volume that we should like to make it profitable to our brethren, and therefore we commend to the more starchy of them the following extract, which will also serve to show how the old preachers lashed with vigor the fashions of the times. Udall says:
‘For the feeding of our monstrous humor of vanity, how many thousands of quarters of the finest wheat, which God ordained for the food of man, are yearly converted into that most devilish device of starch. A sin so abominable that it doth cry so loudly in the Lord’s ears for vengeance, as his justice must needs proceed against us for it, without speedy repentance.'” – Spurgeon
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Joel 2
Cooper, Thomas – The Exposition upon the 2nd Chapter of Joel in A Brief Exposition of such Chapters of the Old Testament as Usually are Read in the Church at Common Prayer on the Sundays (d. 1594) English reformer
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