Best Joel Commentaries for Bible Study, Preaching, and Teaching

The best Joel commentaries are listed below. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. The “Top 10” list is based on aggregate reviews.

This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the author’s message in the book of Joel. They are not suggested as a replacement for prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the reader’s own diligent study of Scripture.

It is hoped that these books will aid the Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, student, as well as any Bible reader that wants to understand more about Joel.

May each reader’s aim be to glorify God in Jesus Christ; to strengthen Christ’s bride, the Church; and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.

After browsing the commentaries below, please see Best Bible Commentaries: Top 50. Based on aggregate reviews.

10 Best Joel Commentaries

Please read: The “Top 10” list below is a starting point for learning about Joel commentaries. It is not intended to be the “final word” because of its limitations.

Nevertheless, a list based on aggregate reviews is likely to point many people in the right direction to find the right resource for their purposes.

#1

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah
Word Biblical Commentary
by Douglas Stuart

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Joel commentary Douglas Stuart

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “one of the best recent commentaries on the Minor Prophets… a must-buy for everyone preaching on these books”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “The best commentary on Joel. Evangelical in perspective.”

• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Joel, “his commentary is always worth consulting on these books… very highly recommended”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “WBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.

It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence.

The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.” 

See more about the Word Biblical Commentary series.

Also see the best one-volume bible commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.

#2

Joel
The Minor Prophets:

An Exegetical and Expositional Commentary
by Raymond Bryan Dillard

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Minor Prophets commentary McComiskey

Reviews and Accolades:

• Desiring God: #1 recommended commentary on The Minor Prophets

• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “a thoughtful and profound commentary”

• Keith Mathison: #2 ranked commentary on Joel, “very useful, especially on the details of the Hebrew text”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “With their messages of doom and judgment, the Minor Prophets have not been popular subjects in the history of biblical interpretation.

Here noted evangelical scholars–such as Bruce Waltke, Tremper Longman III, F. F. Bruce, and J. Alec Motyer–remedy this neglect by offering an authoritative, evangelical treatment of the prophets.

In this edition, which now combines three volumes into one, the authors not only provide meticulous exegesis of the Hebrew text but also relate the message of the ancient prophets to contemporary life in practical and meaningful ways.”

#3

The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
by Leslie C. Allen

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Joel commentary Leslie Allen

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “up-to-date, insightful, and careful”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “A good, in-depth analysis.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “All of the NICOT volumes combine superior scholarship, an evangelical view of Scripture as the Word of God, and concern for the life of faith today.

Each volume features an extensive introduction treating the biblical book’s authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology.

The author’s own translation of the original Hebrew and verse-by-verse commentary follow.

The commentary itself carefully balances coverage of technical matters with exposition of the biblical text’s theology and implications.” 

See more about the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series.

#4

Joel and Amos
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by David Allan Hubbard

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Joel commentary Hubbard

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “well written and very useful”

• Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Joel, “written at a much more accessible level”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.

It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”

See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.

#5

Joel, Obadiah, Malachi
NIV Application Commentary
by David W. Baker

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Joel commentary Baker

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “[Baker] writes clearly as he skillfully exposits the meaning and application of these three Minor Prophets”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the General Editor: The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context.

The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance.”

See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.

#6

Hosea, Joel
New American Commentary
by Duane A. Garrett

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Joel commentary Garrett

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “Garrett is a clear writer who reaches his exegetical conclusions in a reasoned manner”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”

This “series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.”

See more about the New American Commentary series.

#7

Joel
Welwyn Commentary Series
by O. Palmer Robertson

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Joel commentary Robertson

Reviews and Accolades:

• Keith Mathison: #4 ranked commentary on Joel, “written at an accessible introductory level”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “The certainty and severity of God’s judgements that are to fall first on God’s own people and then on all the nations of the world, and the prominence of the Day of the Lord in the purposes and plans of God, all display the lordship of God in human history.

Joel reminds the people of the divine summons to heartfelt repentance and the glorious truth of the consummate blessing of the Lord in the renewal of the earth by the outpouring of His spirit on men and women, young and old, Jew and Gentile.”

#8

Joel, Obadiah and Micah
The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary
by Thomas J. Finley

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Joel Amos Obadiah Wycliffe

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “a fully conceived commentary interested in all aspects of the biblical books”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Written especially for the informed layman, student, and scholar, all exegesis and exposition is based on the original languages of the Bible books. Translations used are those of the author.

Textual criticism and word study are included where appropriate.

This in-depth commentary also includes extended excursuses on important topics of theological, historical, and archaeological interest.

The text is interpreted according to a historical, critical, grammatical hermeneutic and propounds a conservative, evangelical theology.

But the reader will not get a narrow view of problem passages. This commentary interacts with a range of major views, both evangelical and non-evangelical.”

See more about The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary series.

#9

Joel and Amos
Hermeneia
by Hans Walter Wolff

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Joel commentary Hermenia

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: scored 5 out 5 stars, “a benchmark study of both books”

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Hermeneia commentary series seeks to offer authoritative interpretation of the earliest texts of the biblical books…

The name Hermeneia, from the Greek, has a rich background in the history of biblical interpretation as a term for the detailed, systematic exposition of a scriptural work. Hermeneia is designed for the serious student of the Bible…

The editors of Hermeneia impose no systematic-theological perspective upon the series (directly, or indirectly by selection of authors).”

See more about the Hermeneia Bible commentary series.

#10

Joel and Obadiah
The Old Testament Library
by John Barton

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Joel commentary Barton

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, Barton is “an engaging writer”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.”

See more about the Old Testament Library commentary series.

More Book Joel Commentaries for Christian Ministry

Please read: Why are the Joel commentaries below not in the “Top 10”? It’s not because they have received poor reviews or because people haven’t found them helpful. The reasons vary:

  • Some are relatively new and haven’t been widely reviewed, read, or used yet.
  • Others haven’t been widely distributed, so it is difficult to get enough information to aggregate.
  • Still others may be outdated in relation to biblical scholarship or out of print and difficult to acquire.

The “Top 10” list is reviewed annually. Readers are encouraged to consider the volumes in this section before making a purchase. These 10 are not in any particular order.


The Message of Joel, Micah and Habakkuk
The Bible Speaks Today
by David Prior

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Joel commentary Prior

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: The “the three distinctives of The Bible Speaks Today series are (1) “BST authors are committed to a serious study of the text in its own integrity,” (2) that “expositors should not be antiquarians, living only in the remote past” but suggest application for living, and (3) “each book is intended to be both readable in style and manageable in size.” 

See more about the Bible Speaks Today commentary series.


Joel
Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised
by Richard D. Patterson

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Joel commentary Expositor's

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Written primarily by expositors for expositors… its stance is that of a scholarly evangelicalism committed to the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible… the chief principle followed in this commentary is the grammatico-historical.”

See more about the Expositor’s Bible Commentary series.


Joel
Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament
by Joel Barker

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Joel commentary Joel Barker

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The idea for this series was refined over time by an editorial board who listened to pastors and teachers express what they wanted to see in a commentary series based on the [original] text…

We arrived at a design that includes seven components for the treatment of each biblical passage: Literary Context, Main Idea, Translation and Graphical Layout, Structure, Exegetical Outline, Explanation of the Text, and Theology in Application.”

See more about Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament series.


The Minor Prophets
by Charles L. Feinberg

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Joel commentary Feinberg

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “A comprehensive commentary on all twelve of the minor prophets free of footnotes and devotional in style.”


Joel
Mentor Bible Commentary
by Irvin A. Busenitz

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Joel commentary

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Mentor books are written at a level suitable for Bible College and seminary students, pastors, and other serious readers.” See more about Mentor commentaries.


Joel
Abingdon Old Testament Commentary
by Daniel J. Simundson

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Joel commentary Simundson

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries series offers compact, critical commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament.

In addition to providing fundamental information on and insights into Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful, critical exegesis so as to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed engagement of the biblical texts themselves.

These commentaries are written with special attention to the needs and interests of theology students, but they will also be useful for students in upper-level college or university settings, as well as for pastors and other church leaders.”

See more about Abingdon commentaries.


Joel
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
by James L. Crenshaw

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Joel commentary Crenshaw

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Anchor Yale Bible Series, previously the Anchor Bible Series, is a renowned publishing program that for more than 50 years has produced books devoted to the latest scholarship on the Bible and biblical topics.”

The series “vigorously pursues the goal of bringing to a wide audience the most important new ideas, the latest research findings, and the clearest possible analysis of the Bible.” See more about the Anchor Bible Commentary series.


Classic Joel Commentaries

Minor Prophets
Ironside Expository Commentaries
by H.A. Ironside

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Minor Prophets commentary Ironside

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: H.A. Ironside (1876-1951) was an internationally acclaimed Bible teacher and preacher, as well as the author of more than sixty books.

His writings include addresses or commentaries on the entire New Testament, all of the Old Testament prophetic books, and a great many volumes on other biblical topics.

For eighteen of his fifty years of ministry, Dr. Ironside was pastor of the historic Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Ill.


Joel
Geneva Series of Commentaries
by John Calvin

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Joel commentary Calvin

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “His great gifts as an interpreter are clearly evident here in his treatment of the oft-neglected Minor Prophets.

In these volumes he opens up their rich contents to our hearts and minds: here is God’s Word concerning false religion, spiritual adultery, injustice, judgment, the remnant, the restoration and sovereign love.”


The Minor Prophets
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
edited by Alberto Ferreiro

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Minor Prophets Ancient Christian commentary

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

See more about the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series.


Also see:

Compare 75 different commentary series on the Bible Commentary Series Comparison Chart

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