“The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
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.
- BSB The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
- 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.
- 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 6:12–13I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.
- Matt 24:29But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, 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 comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes will burn them up,” says Yahweh of Armies, “that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
- Mal 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Joel 3:15The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
- Zeph 1:14–16The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near, and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries there bitterly.
- Joel 2:10The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
- Mark 13:24–25But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light,
- Isa 13:9–10Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.
- Luke 21:25There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves;
- Joel 3:1“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
- Matt 27:45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
- Isa 34:4–5All of the army of the sky will be dissolved. The sky will be rolled up like a scroll, and all its armies will fade away, as a leaf fades from off a vine or a 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.