Joel — Editorial Guide

This reading edition follows the Saints-priority English text. Source chapter and verse labels are retained, including textual additions and numbered gaps. Square or double brackets signal textual or translation qualifications retained from the companion edition. This is a V1 working translation awaiting specialist review.

Companion translation and editorial notes: Saints Translation: Joel 1–4 [V1]

Final source and reception review

Reviewed Sep 11, 2026. All 73 units of Joel were checked against the declared Hebrew and Greek running texts. This reading follows Rahlfs–Hanhart (2006); the companion independently preserves BHS (1997). Both use four chapters with 20, 27, 5 and 21 verses. Source 3:1–5 corresponds to common English 2:28–32; source chapter 4 corresponds to common English chapter 3. The final Greek Zion sentence is included once in 4:21.

Textual decisions. The Greek future verbs in 2:4–5, 7–9 are now rendered prospectively in both documents. Source-specific locust/blight terms, Shaddai/suffering (1:15), teacher/food (2:23), survivors/bearers of good news (3:5), acacias/rushes (4:18) and cleanse/avenge/acquit (4:21) remain distinct. Difficult readings and the Hebrew teacher/early-rain alternative remain provisional in the companion. No critical apparatus or manuscript collation was consulted.

Apostolic reception: Joel 3:1–5 and Acts 2:16–21. Peter identifies Joel explicitly. Acts uses the last days, reverses the elders/young men order, adds My to the slaves and a further prophecy clause, and expands the cosmic signs. Its quotation ends with Joel 3:5’s opening salvation promise. Joel retains its own order and the remaining Zion and good-news clauses.

Patristic reception: Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 17.19, interprets Joel’s outpouring through Pentecost as abundant divine giving independent of social rank. His quotation includes Acts-like wording; it does not establish Joel’s base text. This is a passage-level discussion of 3:1–2, not separate exposition of all five verses.

Sources: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, BHS and Rahlfs–Hanhart Joel 1–4; NA28 Acts 2:16–21; Cyril, Lecture 17.19, translated E. H. Gifford, NPNF second series, vol. 7 (1894). The companion records Rashi on 2:23 separately as rabbinic reception. These checks do not constitute an exhaustive reception survey or independent specialist approval.