"Little is known of the personal circumstances of the author, Joel ('Yahweh is God'), except that which can be gleaned internally from the book. The son of Pethuel (LXX, Bethuel), Joel lived and prophesied in Judah (though Pseudo-Epiphanius indicates that his original home was in Reuben). Thus he often referred to Judah and Jerusalem (2:32; 3:1, 17-18, 20) and to their citizens (3:6, 8, 19), or to Zion (2:1, 15; 3:17, 21) and its children (2:23). He was thoroughly familiar with the temple and its ministry (1:9; 13:14, 16; 2:14, 17; 3:18). He was intimately acquainted with the geography and history of the land (1:2; 3:2-8, 12, 14, 18).
