Joel 2:10
New International Version
Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.

New Living Translation
The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.

English Standard Version
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Berean Standard Bible
Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.

King James Bible
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

New King James Version
The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.

New American Standard Bible
Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon become dark, And the stars lose their brightness.

NASB 1995
Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

NASB 1977
Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.

Legacy Standard Bible
Before them the earth trembles; The heavens quake; The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.

Amplified Bible
The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

Christian Standard Bible
The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.

American Standard Version
The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Contemporary English Version
They make the earth tremble and the heavens shake; the sun and moon turn dark, and stars stop shining.

English Revised Version
The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble: the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The earth quakes in their presence, and the sky shakes. The sun and the moon turn dark, and the stars no longer shine.

Good News Translation
The earth shakes as they advance; the sky trembles. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.

International Standard Version
"The land quivers in their presence; even the heavens shake. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will stop shining.

Majority Standard Bible
Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.

NET Bible
The earth quakes before them; the sky reverberates. The sun and the moon grow dark; the stars refuse to shine.

New Heart English Bible
The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Webster's Bible Translation
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

World English Bible
The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
At their face the earth has trembled, "" The heavens have shaken, "" Sun and moon have been black, "" And stars have gathered up their shining.

Young's Literal Translation
At their face trembled hath the earth, Shaken have the heavens, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.

Smith's Literal Translation
The earth was moved before his face; the heavens trembled: the sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars took away their shining:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
At their presence the earth hath trembled, the heavens are moved: the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Before their face, the earth has trembled, the heavens have been moved. The sun and moon have been obscured, and the stars have retracted their splendor.

New American Bible
Before them the earth trembles; the heavens shake; Sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withhold their brightness.

New Revised Standard Version
The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The Earth was agitated before him and the Heavens shook; the sun and the moon were darkened and the light of the stars passed away
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Before them the earth quaketh, The heavens tremble; The sun and the moon are become black, And the stars withdraw their shining.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Before them the earth shall be confounded, and the sky shall be shaken: the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their light.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Army of Locusts
9They storm the city; they run along the wall; they climb into houses, entering through windows like thieves. 10Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness. 11The LORD raises His voice in the presence of His army. Indeed, His camp is very large, for mighty are those who obey His command. For the Day of the LORD is great and very dreadful. Who can endure it?…

Cross References
Revelation 6:12-14
And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, / and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. / The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Isaiah 13:10
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

Matthew 24:29
Immediately 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.’

Ezekiel 32:7-8
When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. / All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you, and I will bring darkness upon your land,’ declares the Lord GOD.

Amos 8:9
And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the daytime.

Luke 21:25-26
There 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. / Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Isaiah 24:23
The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.

Revelation 8:12
Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

Mark 13:24-25
But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘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.’

Jeremiah 4:23-28
I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light. / I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. / I looked, and no man was left; all the birds of the air had fled. ...

Acts 2:19-20
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. / The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord.

Isaiah 34:4
All 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.

Revelation 16:10
And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish

Zephaniah 1:15
That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,

Isaiah 5:30
In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.


Treasury of Scripture

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

earth.

Psalm 18:7
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

Psalm 114:7
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

Nahum 1:5
The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

the sun.

Joel 2:2,31
A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations…

Joel 3:15
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

Isaiah 13:10
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Jump to Previous
Black Brightness Dark Darkened Earth Face Gathered Grow Heavens Lose Moon Quake Quakes Quaketh Shaken Shakes Shaking Shine Shining Sky Stars Sun Tremble Trembled Trembles Troubled Withdraw
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Black Brightness Dark Darkened Earth Face Gathered Grow Heavens Lose Moon Quake Quakes Quaketh Shaken Shakes Shaking Shine Shining Sky Stars Sun Tremble Trembled Trembles Troubled Withdraw
Joel 2
1. He shows unto Zion the terribleness of God's judgment.
12. He exhorts to repentance;
15. prescribes a fast;
18. promises a blessing thereon.
21. He comforts Zion with present,
28. and future blessings.














Before them the earth quakes
The phrase "Before them the earth quakes" suggests a powerful, divine intervention that causes the very foundations of the earth to tremble. In the Hebrew text, the word for "earth" is "erets," which often signifies not just the physical ground but the entire created order. The quaking of the earth is a common biblical motif indicating God's presence or judgment, as seen in passages like Exodus 19:18, where Mount Sinai quakes at God's presence. This imagery underscores the seriousness of the impending judgment and the might of the divine army described in Joel.

the heavens tremble
The phrase "the heavens tremble" complements the quaking earth, indicating a cosmic disturbance. The Hebrew word for "heavens" is "shamayim," which can refer to the sky, the abode of the stars, or the dwelling place of God. The trembling of the heavens suggests a disruption in the natural order, emphasizing the magnitude of the event. This imagery is reminiscent of prophetic literature, where cosmic signs often accompany divine intervention, as seen in Isaiah 13:13 and Haggai 2:6.

the sun and moon grow dark
The darkening of the "sun and moon" is a vivid apocalyptic image. In Hebrew, "sun" is "shemesh" and "moon" is "yareach." This darkening symbolizes the withdrawal of God's favor and the onset of judgment. It is a recurring theme in prophetic texts, such as Amos 8:9 and Revelation 6:12, where celestial bodies losing their light signify the end of an era or the coming of the Day of the Lord. This imagery serves as a warning to the people to repent and turn back to God.

and the stars lose their brightness
The phrase "and the stars lose their brightness" completes the triad of cosmic disturbances. The Hebrew word for "stars" is "kokhavim," and their dimming signifies a loss of guidance and order, as stars were often seen as symbols of constancy and navigation. This loss of brightness can be interpreted as a metaphor for the spiritual darkness that has enveloped the people, necessitating divine intervention. The imagery calls to mind the ultimate sovereignty of God over creation, as He alone can command the stars to shine or dim.

(10) The earth shall quake before them.--Some commentators call this description "a specimen of the highly-wrought hyperbolical features of Hebrew poetry," but it is the presence and judgment, the voice of the Lord in the thunder, which causes this trepidation. The signs in the heavens will be manifested at the judgment day.

Verses 10, 11. - These verses picture the dreadful consequences of the then present and temporary visitation of the locusts, and of the future and final judgment of which it was a type. The earth shall quake before them;

(1) the locusts. The heavens tremble. The alighting of the locusts on the earth would make it quake, and their flight through the heavens would make it tremulous. As applied to the visitation o! locusts, the language would be hyperbolical, unless we accept Jerome's explanation as follows: "It is not that the strength of the locusts is so great that they can move the heavens and shake the earth, but that to those who suffer from such calamities, from the amount of their own terror the heavens appear to shake and the earth to reel."

(2) Before him; i.e. Jehovah himself amid the storm; and all in accordance with fact. But a greater judgment than that of the locusts is typified by the language of the prophet. Kimchi observes on this (tenth)verse that "all the expressions are parabolical, or figurative, to set forth the greatness of a calamity; for this is the usage of Scripture, as, 'The sun shall be darkened in his going forth,' and the like." So also Abarbauel on this verse: "Which all is a parabolical expression of the calamities of the Jews." Aben Ezra understands it differently: "Men of the earthquake." Rashi: "The heavens quake and tremble because of the punishment that comes upon Israel." The second part of the verse, as also the verse following, appear to us to indicate this. The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army. That a storm succeeded and put an end to the plague of locusts, and that the darkening of the sun and moon and stars signified the obscuration of the heavenly luminaries by the storm-clouds that overspread the heavens and darkened the face of day, would fall short of expressions of such solemn grandeur as are here employed by the prophet, Besides, our Lord applies language of the same import to the last judgment in the Gospels: "The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven." Thunder, no doubt, is the voice of the Lord, which he utters while marching at the head of his army to execute judgment and manifest his wrath against his enemies. For his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Three reasons are here assigned for the preceding sublime description of Jehovah coming to judgment at the head of his hosts. These are the following: the greatness of his army in number and might; the power with which his army executes his word of command; and the terrible character of the day of judgment when the vials of Divine wrath shall be poured forth.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Before them
לְפָנָיו֙ (lə·p̄ā·nāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

the earth
אֶ֔רֶץ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

quakes;
רָ֣גְזָה (rā·ḡə·zāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7264: To be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, perturbed

the heavens
שָׁמָ֑יִם (šā·mā·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

tremble.
רָעֲשׁ֖וּ (rā·‘ă·šū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7493: To undulate, through fear, to spring

The sun
שֶׁ֤מֶשׁ (še·meš)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 8121: The sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement

and moon
וְיָרֵ֙חַ֙ (wə·yā·rê·aḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3394: The moon

grow dark,
קָדָ֔רוּ (qā·ḏā·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6937: To be ashy, darkcolored, to mourn

and the stars
וְכוֹכָבִ֖ים (wə·ḵō·w·ḵā·ḇîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3556: A star, a prince

lose
אָסְפ֥וּ (’ā·sə·p̄ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

their brightness.
נָגְהָֽם׃ (nā·ḡə·hām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5051: Brilliancy


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OT Prophets: Joel 2:10 The earth quakes before them (Jl Joe.)
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