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Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Joel


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Joel Joel

The name Joel is among the most popular in the Bible. Besides the famous prophet who wrote the book of Joel, the following Joels are mentioned: Samuel's first born son and brother of Abijah (1 Sam 8:2); Two Kohathite Levites (1 Chr 6:36 and 2 Chr 29:12); A Gersonite Levite chief (1 Chr 15:7); A chief of Simeon (1 Chr 4:35), one of Reuben (1 Chr 5:4), one of Gad (1 Chr 5:12), one of Issachar (1 Chr 7:3), one of Manasseh (1 Chr 27:20); One of David's mighty men (1 Chr 11:38); One who divorced his foreign wife during the purge of Ezra (Ezr 10:43); A Benjaminite overseer (Neh 11:9).

The name Joel is most commonly interpreted to be a combination of two elements. The first element is jah, which is the commonly accepted abbreviated form of YHWH, which is YHWH, the Name of the Lord. This very short abbreviation of YHWH also occurs in the names Joab and Jochebed.

The second element of the name Joel is el (El 93), the common abbreviation of Elohim, the genus God. The name Joel is the name Elijah reversed and means Yah Is El, or Yahweh is Elohim, or The Lord Is God.

However, in cognate languages this name exists as well, but means something else. That something else also exists in Hebrew, namely the verb yaal (ya'al 830-831).
yaal (ya'al 830) means be foolish. yaal (ya'al 831) means show willingness, be pleased, determine, undertake. Past tense forms of these verbs look identical to the name Joel. Hence the name Joel also means He Was Foolish, He Was Willing/Determined.



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