He was born on December 25, 1917, in Syria. He married the writer and poet Maha Berqdar and has two sons: Ward and Youssef.
During his Bachelor of Science studies, Dr. Charles Malik taught him philosophy.
He founded House of Writers in Beirut, which published the magazine “Voice of a Woman”. He was the head of administration as well as the editor until 1948.
In 1948, he traveled to the United States of America to work for the United Nations Secretariat in the press and journalism department.
He wanted to return to Lebanon in 1950, but instead, the UN sent him on a mission to prepare Lybia for independence. He was able to come back to Lebanon in 1955.
He founded the quarterly magazine “Sha’ar”, meaning poem, which was operating during the years 1957 and 1964. It went off the market for a while and then resumed in 1967. It played a large role in modern poetry and was a platform for a number of elite poets.
In 1967, Dar Al-Nahar publishing house was founded, and Youssef Al Khal assigned its editor-in-chief.
One of his most noteworthy achievements is his contribution to the Good News Arabic translation of the Bible; it was published the year 2012 which is considered the “Year of the Bible” in Lebanon. This translation is significant because has been approved of by all the local churches.
He passed away the year 1987 after a battling illness for some time.
The Bible Society honored him in 2012 on the 25th anniversary of his death as it regards him as one of the prominent figures that brought the Bible Society in Lebanon to what it is today. His son, Youssef Youssef Al Khal, received the honorary badge on behalf of the family.