Joel 2:13

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Tear open your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and he relents from sending calamity.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְקִרְע֤וּ לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַל־בִּגְדֵיכֶ֔ם וְשׁ֖וּבוּ אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־חַנּ֤וּן וְרַחוּם֙ ה֔וּא אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה׃

Transliteration

And-qirʿû lebabkhem and-not-bigdêkhem and-shûbû to-YHWH ʾĕlōhêkhem because-ḥannûn and-raḥûm hûʾ ʾerekh ʾappayim and-rab-ḥesed and-niḥām upon-the-hārāʿâ.

Grammar Details

• *qirʿû*: qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural - tear/rend
• *lebabkhem*: masculine singular noun with 2nd person masculine plural suffix - your heart
• *bigdêkhem*: masculine plural noun with 2nd person masculine plural suffix - your garments
• *shûbû*: qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural - return/turn
• *YHWH*: proper noun - divine name
• *ʾĕlōhêkhem*: masculine plural noun with 2nd person masculine plural suffix - your God
• *ḥannûn*: masculine singular adjective - gracious
• *raḥûm*: masculine singular adjective - compassionate
• *hûʾ*: 3rd person masculine singular pronoun - he
• *ʾerekh*: masculine singular construct - long of
• *ʾappayim*: masculine dual noun - nostrils/anger
• *rab*: masculine singular construct - abundant of
• *ḥesed*: masculine singular noun - lovingkindness/steadfast love
• *niḥām*: niphal participle, masculine singular - relenting/compassionate
• *hārāʿâ*: feminine singular noun with definite article - the evil/calamity

Word Meanings

• *qirʿû*: tear/rend/split
• *ḥannûn*: gracious/merciful/favorable
• *raḥûm*: compassionate/merciful
• *ʾerekh* *ʾappayim*: slow to anger/patient/longsuffering
• *rab*-*ḥesed*: abundant in lovingkindness/great in steadfast love
• *niḥām*: relenting/compassionate/repenting
• *hārāʿâ*: the evil/calamity/disaster/harm

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and he repents of the evil.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  and rend{H7167} your heart,{H3824} and not your garments,{H899} and turn{H7725} unto Jehovah{H3068} your God;{H430} for he is gracious{H2587} and merciful,{H7349} slow{H750} to anger,{H639} and abundant{H7227} in lovingkindness,{H2617} and repenteth{H5162} him of the evil.{H7451}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And rend{H7167}{(H8798)} your heart{H3824}, and not your garments{H899}, and turn{H7725}{(H8798)} unto the LORD{H3068} your God{H430}: for he is gracious{H2587} and merciful{H7349}, slow{H750} to anger{H639}, and of great{H7227} kindness{H2617}, and repenteth{H5162}{(H8737)} him of the evil{H7451}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  rente youre hertes, & not youre clothes. Turne you vnto the LORDE youre God, for he is gracious & mercifull, longe sufferynge & of greate compassion: & redy to pardone wickednes.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And rent your heart, & not your clothes: and turne vnto the Lord your God, for he is gratious, and mercifull, slowe to anger, and of great kindnes, and repenteth him of the euill.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And rent your heartes and not your garmentes, & turne you vnto the Lorde your God, for he is gratious & mercifull, slowe to anger, and of great goodnesse, and he wyll repent him of the euyll.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Tear your heart, and not your garments, And turn to Yahweh, your God; For he is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, And relents from sending calamity.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn back unto Jehovah your God, For gracious and merciful `is' He, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And He hath repented concerning the evil.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Let your hearts be broken, and not your clothing, and come back to the Lord your God: for he is full of grace and pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, ready to be turned from his purpose of punishment.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to Yahweh, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Tear your hearts, not just your garments!” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and boundless in loyal love– often relenting from calamitous punishment.

Referenced Verses

• Ps 34:18 : 18 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.
• Jonah 4:2 : 2 And he prayed to the LORD, saying, 'O LORD, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own land? That is why I tried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from sending calamity.
• Isa 57:15 : 15 For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I dwell in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'
• Ps 86:5 : 5 For You, Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You.
• Ps 86:15 : 15 But You, O Lord, are a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
• Ps 51:17 : 17 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
• 2 Kgs 22:19 : 19 Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and its inhabitants—that they would become a desolation and a curse—and because you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.
• Gen 37:29 : 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
• Gen 37:34 : 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days.
• Exod 34:6-7 : 6 The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 7 Maintaining steadfast love to thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, but not leaving the guilty unpunished. He punishes the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."
• 2 Sam 1:11 : 11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same.
• 1 Kgs 21:27 : 27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went about meekly.
• Jer 18:7-8 : 7 At any moment I might speak concerning a nation or a kingdom, to uproot it, tear it down, or destroy it. 8 But if that nation I have warned repents of its evil, then I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to bring upon it.
• Rom 5:20-21 : 20 Now the law was brought in so that the trespass might increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more. 21 So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Job 1:20 : 20 At this, Job got up, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground in worship.
• Eph 2:4 : 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us,
• 1 Tim 4:8 : 8 For bodily training is of some value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
• Jas 1:19-20 : 19 My beloved brothers and sisters, let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. 20 For human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
• Ezek 9:4 : 4 The LORD said to him, 'Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a sign on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable things being done within it.'
• Amos 7:2-6 : 2 When they had finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, 'Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!' 3 So the Lord relented concerning this: 'It will not happen,' said the Lord. 4 This is what the Lord God showed me: The Lord was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I said, 'Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!' 6 So the Lord relented concerning this: 'This will not happen either,' said the Lord God.
• Isa 58:5 : 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
• Isa 66:2 : 2 My hand made all these things, and so all these came into being,' declares the Lord. 'But I will look to this one: to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.
• Mic 7:18 : 18 Who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love.
• Nah 1:3 : 3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; he will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
• Matt 5:3-4 : 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• Matt 6:16-18 : 16 When you fast, do not look somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting will not be obvious to others, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
• Rom 2:4 : 4 Or do you disrespect the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
• 2 Kgs 5:7 : 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, 'Am I God, able to kill and bring to life, that this man sends someone to me to cure him of his leprosy? See for yourselves that he is seeking a quarrel with me!'
• 2 Kgs 6:30 : 30 When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his clothes. As he was walking on the wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath, next to his skin.
• 2 Kgs 22:11 : 11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
• Num 14:18 : 18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abundant in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion; yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' iniquity upon the children to the third and fourth generation.'
• Neh 9:17 : 17 They refused to listen and did not remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in faithful love, and You did not abandon them.
• Ps 103:8 : 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
• Ps 106:45 : 45 He remembered His covenant with them and relented according to the abundance of His lovingkindness.
• Ps 145:7-9 : 7 They will proclaim the memory of your abundant goodness and sing joyfully of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in steadfast love. 9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all he has made.