The word of the LORD: Word does not refer to a single vocabulary item but to an entire “message” (Good News Translation). In Hebrew society, when a person spoke, his “word” was given full respect. The phrase word of the LORD became a technical expression for the message of a prophet. Not only was it given full respect, but it was regarded as carrying its own power to fulfill itself and to accomplish what it said, whether for blessing or for punishment (see Isa 55.10-11). This expression meant that it was to be treated with awe and respect as a prophetic message from God. At the same time Joel reacted to the message he received, both when he told the message to the people and when he responded to God in prayer, as in verse 19. Yet the words Joel himself spoke are also included in what is called the word of the LORD.
In some languages word or “message” may be translated “words.” The possessive phrase of the LORD shows that the LORD is the source of the prophecy. You may translate this idea by using the preposition “from” instead of the ambiguous of.
Wherever the word LORD appears in capital letters in Revised Standard Version and other English translations, the term represents the personal name of God. In Hebrew consonants the divine name is written as YHWH. After the return from exile in Babylonia, a Jewish custom developed that people should avoid pronouncing the divine name, lest they pronounce that name “in vain” (Exo 20.7). So people reading the Hebrew Scriptures aloud would instead pronounce the word for “my Lord,” which is ʾadonay. In the sixteenth century A.D. some scholars began the custom of combining the consonants YHWH with the vowels for ʾadonay, which resulted in the new term YAHOWAH, usually written “Jehovah”; although “Jehovah” has become a popular term among many communities, it is of course not the true name of Israel’s God. Most scholars agree that the pronunciation of the divine name was most likely Yahweh, and some modern translations have transliterated that name where the proper name of God occurs (for example, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and La Bible de Jérusalem). Most modern translations have followed the practice of the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, and have translated YHWH as “Lord,” “Master,” or “Sir.” Moffatt and the French version by Louis Segond use “the Eternal.” This choice is based on the interpretation that the form of the name is associated with the Hebrew root hyh, which means “to be, to exist.” The God of Israel is the God who is present and can be trusted (as explained in Exo 3.1).
Revised Standard Version, King James Version, and others use small capital letters to indicate that the word “LORD” represents the divine name. However, those who hear the Bible read to them cannot recognize this printed feature. Translators will have to determine how to best express the personal name of God in their own language. They will have to consider not only the problem of indicating that this is the personal name for God, but also any established traditions in areas where the God of the Bible has been known, as well as positive or negative connotations in areas where people customarily have personal names for their gods. Translators have the option of (a) transliterating YHWH according to the standard practice of handling proper names, or (b) looking for a praise name such as “Lord,” “Master,” “Eternal God,” or “The God who is present [or, trustworthy].” In many languages the term for “Lord” has weakened to the extent that it is normally used only to address human beings, like the word “sir” in common English, and no longer seems adequate in reference to God. A special issue of the journal The Bible Translator (Volume 43, Number 4) was devoted to the issue of how to translate the names of God.
In this Handbook the word “LORD” in all capital letters will occur only when quoted or when useful to indicate where the divine name occurs. Elsewhere “Yahweh” will be used as an indication that the LORD is being referred to by his personal name. Translators may do with it whatever they find appropriate in their own language.
That came to Joel: Since the message in this book is from Yahweh, he himself caused Joel to receive it in some unexplained way. After he gave the message to Joel, he expected him to pass it on to the people of Judah. This action of receiving a message from God and then telling it to the people is the unique function of a prophet and indicates what prophecy is all about. The name Joel means “Yahweh is God!” so it expresses a confession of faith. Normally it is not wise to translate the name, but its meaning can be given in a footnote.
The son of Pethuel is simply “son of Pethuel” in Hebrew, indicating that Pethuel may have had other sons. The Septuagint has “Bathuel,” but the Hebrew text clearly has “Pethuel.”
New Jerusalem Bible retains the form of this verse as a title: “The word of Yahweh that was addressed to Joel son of Pethuel.” However, it may be restructured as a sentence, as in Good News Translation, or as follows: “These are the words Yahweh spoke to Joel, son of Pethuel.” If it will sound more natural in the receptor language to introduce some kind of temporal setting, translators may want to introduce the text by saying “One day….” However, in doing this they have to be careful not to suggest that we are dealing here with a story without historical basis, like a fable. The German common language version (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) translates “In this book is written what the LORD had Joel, the son of Pethuel, proclaim.” The Dutch common language version (Bijbel in Gewone Taal) says “Here follows the message of the Lord to Joel, the son of Pethuel,” while the more literary new Dutch translation, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling has “These are the words the LORD addressed to Joel, the son of Pethuel.”
Quoted with permission from de Blois, Kees & Dorn, Louis. A Handbook on Joel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .