the Tribe. The length of time makes it impossible for her to have been Levi’s personal child.”

If, on the other hand, the Masoretic text is correct at Exodus 6:20 (backed up as it is by the Samaritan Pentateuch, Vulgate and various manuscripts), and Jochebed was indeed Amram’s aunt and not his cousin, then the knotty problems of chronology that result may be resolved in the following manner:

Leah married Jacob in 1774 B.C.E., and her third child Levi was born about 1771. (Gen. 29:21-23, 32-34) At the time Levi entered Egypt in 1728, he was probably forty-three years old, and had three sons, one of whom was Kohath. (Gen. 46:8, 11) Levi’s wife could have been as young as fifteen at the time. In 1634 Levi died at the age of 137 (Ex. 6:16), and he could have fathered Jochebed perhaps ten or twenty years before his death. If Jochebed was born ten years before her father’s death, or in 1644, she would have been only fifty-one years old when Moses was born in 1593. (At the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, 1513, Moses was eighty years old.—Acts 7:23, 30) But what about Jochebed’s mother? If she was also Kohath’s mother and at least fifteen years old when entering Egypt, then in 1644, the possible year of Jochebed’s birth, she would have been ninety-nine years old, far beyond the age of childbearing. (Sarah had stopped menstruating by the time she was eighty-nine.—Gen. 17:17; 18:11) So, granting the possibility that Jochebed’s father was Levi, her mother must have been someone younger than Kohath’s mother. In this case Jochebed, though only a half sister to Kohath, would have been an aunt to Amram.

JODA

(Joʹda).

Ancestor of Jesus’ mother Mary; listed third in descent from Zerubbabel.—Luke 3:26, 27.

JOED

(Joʹed) [Jehovah is a witness].

A Benjamite whose descendant Sallu was a postexilic resident of Jerusalem.—Neh. 11:4, 7.

JOEL

(Joʹel) [Jehovah is God).

1. A descendant of Issachar and family head in his tribe.—1 Chron. 7:1-4.

2. A descendant of Levi’s son Kohath; “son of Azariah” and forefather of No. 5 below.—1 Chron. 6:36-38.

3. A Reubenite whose descendant Beerah was taken into exile by Assyrian King Tiglath-pilneser (Tiglath-pileser).—1 Chron. 5:3-10.

4. A headman of the Gadites living in Bashan.—1 Chron. 5:11, 12.

5. The firstborn son of the prophet Samuel; a descendant of No. 2 above and father of Heman the Levitical singer. (1 Chron. 6:28, 33, 36; 15:17) Joel and his younger brother Abijah had been appointed by their father to be judges, but their dishonesty in office gave the people an excuse to ask for a human king.—1 Sam. 8:1-5.

At 1 Chronicles 6:28 the Masoretic text (and certain translations) says “Vashni” was ‘Samuel’s firstborn. Scholars, however, generally agree that “Joel” was in the original Hebrew, a reading retained by the Syriac and one edition of the Septuagint. (Compare verse 28 and 1 Samuel 8:2.) Similarity between “Joel” and the ending of a preceding word in the text possibly caused a scribe inadvertently to drop the name “Joel” altogether. Seemingly, he then mistook the following word (Heb., wash·niʹ, meaning “and the second [son]”) for the proper name “Vashni,” and inserted the letter waw (“and”) before the name Abijah.

6. One of David’s mighty men; brother of Nathan.—1 Chron. 11:26, 38.

7. A Gershonite Levite of the house of Ladan; son of Jehiel(i). (1 Chron. 23:7, 8) Joel the chief and 130 of his brothers sanctified themselves and helped bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. (1 Chron. 15:4, 7, 11-14) Joel and his brother Zetham were later appointed as overseers of the sanctuary treasures.—1 Chron. 26:21, 22.

8. A prince, during David’s reign, of that part of Manasseh W of the Jordan; son of Pedaiah.—1 Chron. 27:20-22.

9. A prophet of Jehovah and writer of the Bible book bearing his name. He was the son of Pethuel.—Joel 1:1; see JOEL, BOOK OF.

10. A Kohathite Levite; son of Azariah. In the first year of Hezekiah, Joel helped take the unclean objects removed from the temple by the priests to the Kidron Valley for disposal.—2 Chron. 29:1, 3, 12, 15, 16.

11. One of several Simeonite chieftains who, in Hezekiah’s day, took by force the land of certain Hamites and the Meunim to expand their pasturage.—1 Chron. 4:24, 35, 38-41.

12. One of the sons of Nebo who dismissed their foreign wives and sons in Ezra’s day.—Ezra 10:43, 44.

13. An overseer of those Benjamites living in Jerusalem during Nehemiah’s governorship; son of Zichri.—Neh. 11:4, 7-9.

JOEL, BOOK OF

An inspired book of the Hebrew Scriptures written by “Joel the son of Pethuel.” (Joel 1:1) Virtually nothing is known about this prophet’s life. From his references to Judah, Jerusalem and Jehovah’s house there, it may be inferred that he prophesied in Judah and perhaps resided in Jerusalem. (Joel 1:9, 14; 2:17, 32; 3:1, 2, 16-20) The fact that he mentioned the “low plain of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2, 12) implies that he wrote his book after Jehoshaphat began ruling. But the exact period involved is in question.

TIME OF WRITING

Scholars variously assign the book of Joel dates before 800 B.C.E. or after 500 B.C.E. Regarding their arguments in favor of a late or an early composition for the book, The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Vol. III, p. 1690) observes: “Many of the arguments adduced are of a negative kind, i.e. consideration of what the prophet does not mention or refer to [including the Chaldeans, the Assyrians, a Judean king and the ten-tribe kingdom], and the argument from silence is notoriously precarious.” Similarly, whether Joel quoted other prophets or was quoted by them cannot be established with certainty. A date after the Babylonian exile would be indicated if Joel (2:32) quoted Obadiah (17). On the other hand, not only Obadiah, but even the much earlier prophet Amos (compare Joel 3:16 with Amos 1:2) may have quoted from Joel. This would mean that Joel must have written his book no later than the time of Uzziah (Amos 1:1), perhaps about 820 B.C.E. Though not conclusive, the place occupied by the book of Joel in the Hebrew canon between Hosea and Amos seems to favor the earlier period.

AUTHENTICITY

The Jews did not question the canonicity of the book of Joel but placed it second among the “Minor Prophets.” It also harmonizes completely with the rest of the Scriptures, as evident from the numerous parallels between Joel and other Bible books. (Compare Joel 2:2 with Zephaniah 1:14, 15; Joel 2:4, 5, 10 with Revelation 9:2, 7-9; Joel 2:11 with Malachi 4:5; Joel 2:12 with Jeremiah 4:1; Joel 2:13 with Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, Psalm 86:15, and 106:45; Joel 2:31 with Isaiah 13:9, 10, Matthew 24:29, 30, and Revelation 6:12-17.) The fulfillment of Joel’s prophecies furnishes yet another argument for its authenticity. As foretold, Tyre, Philistia and Edom experienced Jehovah’s judgments. (Joel 3:4, 19; for details, see EDOM, EDOMITE; PHILISTIA, PHILISTINES; TYRE.) On the day of Pentecost in the year 33 C.E. the apostle Peter showed that the outpouring of God’s spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ was a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17-21) Later, the apostle Paul applied the prophetic