Bible Question:
When was the book of Joel written because all the time I was thinking it was written before the exile in 586 BC. The NIV says it was writtten between 835-796 BC. The NKJV says in 805 BC. But now I hear some say it was written in the postexilic period 500-350 BC. I am confused really. Can I get a correct picture on this book of Joel? |
Bible Answer: Dear Mylwa, From the New Unger's Bible Dictionary: Critics commonly date Joel's prophecy anywhere from the division of the kingdom (c. 932 B.C.) to the time of Malachi (c. 400 B.C.) or even later. The safest date seems to be preexilic. The reign of Joash (835-796 B.C.) is most appropriate for the prophecy. Several lines of argument would seem to indicate that Joel's prophecy is early. Its style and general spirit are dissimilar to that of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, postexilic prophets. Its language and style rather belong to the period of Hebrew classical literature. Joel's diction seems reminiscent of Amos, who himself seems to have made use of Joel (cf. JOE 3:16 with AMO 1:2; JOE 3:18 with AMO 9:13). Perhaps most significant is the lack of the mention of a king in the book. Joash was a minor and for a long time under the guardianship of Jehoida the high priest. Then too, Israel's enemies were the Phoenicians and Philistines (JOE 3:4), the Egyptians and Edomites (JOE 3:19), and the Assyrians and the Babylonians who harassed Israel from the time of Amos to the Exile. Cornill, Oesterley and Robinson, Merx, and S. R. Driver agree for a postexilic date but their evidence is inconclusive. JOE 3:2 is supposed to allude to the Exile but this is clearly a predictive passage of the nation's present-day scattering and by no means needs to refer to the Babylonian captivity. The mention of the Javanim or "Ionians" does not necessitate a date after the Exile. These people are alluded to in the Assyrian records of the eighth century B.C. Arguments based on the silence with regard to a king or idolatrous places of worship in the Northern Kingdom are pointless. Such mention is also lacking in Nahum, Jonah, Zephaniah, and Obadiah. In Jesus' name, charis |