The Hebrew name Yo'el (H3100) means 'Yahweh is God' or 'the LORD is El' — a powerful theological declaration compressed into a personal name. It combines Yo (a shortened form of Yahweh) with El (God). Joel was the name of several people in the Old Testament, most significantly the prophet Joel whose book forms part of the Minor Prophets. The name itself is a theological confession: the God of Israel, Yahweh, is the one true God.
The prophet Joel's book begins with an agricultural catastrophe — a locust plague devastating the land — and uses it as a canvas for cosmic theological vision. Joel's prophecy reaches its height in the promise of the Spirit's outpouring: 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people' (Joel 2:28-29). Peter quotes this exact passage at Pentecost to explain what is happening (Acts 2:16-21), identifying the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the fulfillment of Joel's vision. The name Yo'el — 'Yahweh is God' — is thus the keynote of a book that declares Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over nature, history, and the future of His people.