JOEL (HEB. JĀ'EL "YAHWEH IS GOD"; VULG.: IOEL AND IOHEL)

IOEL (Hebr. Jā'el “Jahweh is God”; Vulg.: Ioel and Iohel). — The name of 12 Israelites mentioned in the historical books of the Old Testament.

1. The firstborn son of Samuel (I Sam. 8, 2; I Par. 6, 13 [where it must be restored to the Hebrew text], 18 [Vulg. 6, 28.33]; 15, 17). Appointed with his brother Abia at Bersabea, they alienated hearts through their greed. — 2. Head of an important family of the tribe of Simeon (ibid. 4, 35). — 3. A Reubenite (ibid., 5, 4.8). — 4. One of the chiefs of the tribe of Gad, in Basan (ibid., 5, 12). — 5. A Levite of the lineage of Caath, ancestor of Heman (ibid., 6, 21). — 6. Son of Izrahia of the tribe of Issachar (ibid. 7, 3). — 7. A warrior of David; brother of Nathan (ibid. 11, 38; II Sam. 23, 36, where the Hebr. Jigh'āl [Vulg. Igaal] is corrected to

I. with the Greek)

8. A chief among the Levites, of the lineage of Gerson (ibid. 15, 7.11; 23, 8; 26, 22). — 9. Head of the half-tribe of Manasse, on this side of the Jordan, under David (ibid. 27, 20). — 10. A Levite of the lineage of Caath, in the time of Ezechia (II Par. 29, 12). — 11. A Jew with a foreign wife (Estd. 10, 43). — 12. A Benjaminite among those who settled in Jerusalem (Neh. 11, 9).