Joel 2:31

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ יֵהָפֵ֣ךְ לְחֹ֔שֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵ֖חַ לְדָ֑ם לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְהוָ֔ה הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃

Transliteration

The-shemesh yēhāfēkh to-ḥōshekh and-the-yārēaḥ to-dām before bôʾ yôm YHWH the-gādôl and-the-nôrāʾ.

Grammar Details

*shemesh*: feminine singular noun with definite article - the sun
*yēhāfēkh*: niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular - will be turned/changed
*ḥōshekh*: masculine singular noun - darkness
*yārēaḥ*: masculine singular noun with definite article - the moon
*dām*: masculine singular noun - blood
*bôʾ*: qal infinitive construct - coming of
*yôm*: masculine singular construct - day of
*YHWH*: proper noun - divine name
*gādôl*: masculine singular adjective with definite article - the great
*nôrāʾ*: niphal participle, masculine singular with definite article - the dreadful/feared

Word Meanings

*yēhāfēkh*: will be turned/changed/transformed
*ḥōshekh*: darkness/obscurity
*dām*: blood/bloodshed
*gādôl*: great/mighty/important
*nôrāʾ*: dreadful/feared/awesome/terrible

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Joel 2:10 : 10 The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Mal 4:5 : 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
Matt 24:29 : 29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days 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:
Rev 6:12-13 : 12 And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and {G2400} there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; 13 and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind.
Joel 3:15 : 15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Zeph 1:14-16 : 14 The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
Mal 4:1 : 1 For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Isa 13:9-9 : 9 Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.
Isa 34:4-5 : 4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all their host shall fade away, as the leaf fadeth from off the vine, and as a fading [leaf] from the fig-tree. 5 For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
Joel 3:1 : 1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Matt 27:45 : 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
Mark 13:24-25 : 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken.
Luke 21:25 : 25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Acts 2:19-21
3 verses
94%
19And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
20The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day].
21And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Joel 2:30
87%
30And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
Joel 2:10-11
2 verses
84%
10The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
11And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for he is strong that executeth his word; for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Joel 3:14-16
3 verses
84%
14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.
15The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
16And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.
Mark 13:24-25
2 verses
79%
24But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken.
Joel 2:32
79%
32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.
Isa 13:9-10
2 verses
79%
9Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.
Joel 2:1-2
2 verses
79%
1Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.
Matt 24:29
76%
29But immediately after the tribulation of those days 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:
Zeph 1:14-15
2 verses
76%
14The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly.
15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
Amos 8:9
76%
9And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.
Isa 24:23
76%
23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory.
Zech 14:6-7
2 verses
75%
6And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves:
7but it shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah; not day, and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light.
Isa 5:30
74%
30And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.
Amos 5:20
74%
20Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Rev 6:12
74%
12And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and {G2400} there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood;
Joel 1:15
73%
15Alas for the day! for the day of Jehovah is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Isa 30:26
73%
26Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
Ezek 32:7-8
2 verses
73%
7And when I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.
8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord Jehovah.
Jer 13:16
73%
16Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Isa 8:22
73%
22and they shall look unto the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and into thick darkness [they shall be] driven away.
Zeph 2:2
72%
2before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you.
Mic 3:6
71%
6Therefore it shall be night unto you, that ye shall have no vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them.
Amos 5:18
71%
18Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.
Luke 21:25
71%
25And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
Jer 31:35
71%
35Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name:
Jer 2:12
71%
12Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Jehovah.
Eccl 12:2-3
2 verses
71%
2before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,
Acts 2:16
71%
16but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel:
Isa 60:2
71%
2For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Mal 4:5
71%
5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
Zeph 1:17
71%
17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.
Isa 2:21
71%
21to go into the caverns of the rocks, and into the clefts of the ragged rocks, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.
Mal 4:1
71%
1For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Isa 13:6
71%
6Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Joel 2:6
70%
6At their presence the peoples are in anguish; all faces are waxed pale.
Isa 26:21
70%
21For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
2 Pet 3:10
70%
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; {G1722} {G3571} in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein {G846} shall be burned up.