The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- KJV The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
- NKJV The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
- NASB “The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
- NLT The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The sun will darken and the moon turn to blood before the great and terrible day of Yahweh. Dramatic signs will precede God's final judgment.
Overview
Joel foretells cosmic disturbances signaling the approach of the day of Yahweh. These signs, also cited by Peter (Acts 2:20) and echoed by Jesus (Matthew 24:29), span the gospel age to the final day. The warning of that great and terrible day heightens the urgency of the salvation promise that immediately follows in verse 32.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Rev 6:12–13And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,
- Matt 24:29Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’
- Mal 4:1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
- Mal 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
- Joel 3:15The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.
- Zeph 1:14–16The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
- Joel 2:10Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.
- Mark 13:24–25But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
- Isa 13:9–10Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming—cruel, with fury and burning anger—to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.
- Luke 21:25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.
- Joel 3:1“Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,
- Matt 27:45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
- Isa 34:4–5All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promised outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh and the call to 'everyone who calls on the name of the LORD' are fulfilled at Pentecost in the name of Jesus.
How Joel 2:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.