Place Written: Judah

Writing Completed: c. 820 B.C.E. (?)

Joel’s firsthand familiarity with Jerusalem, its temple, and the details of temple service may indicate that he wrote his book in Jerusalem or Judah.​—Joel 1:1, 9, 13, 14; 2:1, 15, 16, 32.

3. For what reasons is a date of about 820 B.C.E. suggested for Joel’s prophecy?

³ When was the book of Joel written? This cannot be stated with certainty. Scholars variously assign dates ranging from before 800 B.C.E. to about 400 B.C.E. The description of Jehovah’s judgment of the nations in the plain of Jehoshaphat suggests that Joel wrote his prophecy sometime after Jehovah’s great victory on behalf of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and hence after Jehoshaphat became king in 936 B.C.E. (Joel 3:2, 12; 2 Chron. 20:22-26) The prophet Amos may have quoted from the text of Joel. This, then, would mean that Joel’s prophecy was written before that of Amos, who began prophesying sometime between 829 and 804 B.C.E. (Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2) An early date may also be indicated by the book’s position in the Hebrew canon between Hosea and Amos. Hence a date of approximately 820 B.C.E. is suggested for Joel’s prophecy.