Before them the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale.
Parallel translations
- WEB At their presence the peoples are in anguish. All faces have grown pale.
- KJV Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
- BSB Nations writhe in horror before them; every face turns pale.
- NKJV Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color.
- NLT Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with terror.
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
At the army's approach the peoples writhe in anguish and their faces go pale. Terror grips all who witness its coming.
Overview
Joel describes the dread that seizes onlookers as the host advances, draining the color from every face. This universal anguish shows the overwhelming fear that God's judgment inspires. The verse reminds readers that no human strength or composure can stand before the day of Yahweh, pressing them to seek refuge in the mercy God still offers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Nah 2:10She is empty, void, and waste. The heart melts, the knees knock together, their bodies and faces have grown pale.
- Isa 13:8They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.
- Jer 30:6Ask now, and see whether a man travails with child. Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned pale?
- Lam 4:8Their appearance is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: Their skin clings to their bones; it is withered, it has become like a stick.
- Ps 119:83For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke. I don’t forget your statutes.
- Jer 8:21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I mourn; dismay has taken hold on me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 2:6 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.