Joel

Joel 2:12–13

12“Yet even now,”

declares the LORD,

“return to Me with all your heart,

with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

13So rend your hearts and not your garments,

and return to the LORD your God.

For He is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.b

And He relents from sending disaster.

Footnotes

  • b 2:13 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.

Read all of Joel 2

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Joel 2:12

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Yet evenוְגַם־wə·ḡam-ConjunctionH1571 also, moreover, yea
nowעַתָּה֙‘at·tāhAdverbH6258 now
declaresנְאֻם־nə·’um-Noun - masculine singular constructH5002 utterance
the LORDיְהוָ֔הYah·wehNoun - proper - masculine singularH3068 Yahweh
returnשֻׁ֥בוּšu·ḇūVerb - Qal - Imperative - masculine pluralH7725 turn back, return
to Meעָדַ֖י‘ā·ḏayPreposition; first person common singularH5704 as far as, even to, up to, until, while
with allבְּכָל־bə·ḵālPreposition-b; Noun - masculine singular constructH3605 the whole, all
your heartלְבַבְכֶ֑םlə·ḇaḇ·ḵemNoun - masculine singular construct; second person masculine pluralH3824 inner man, mind, will, heart
with fastingוּבְצ֥וֹםū·ḇə·ṣō·wmConjunctive waw, Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singularH6685 fasting, fast
weepingוּבְבְכִ֖יū·ḇə·ḇə·ḵīConjunctive waw, Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singularH1065 weeping
and mourningוּבְמִסְפֵּֽד׃ū·ḇə·mis·pêḏConjunctive waw, Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singularH4553 wailing

Joel 2:13

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
So rendוְקִרְע֤וּwə·qir·‘ūConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine pluralH7167 tear
your heartsלְבַבְכֶם֙lə·ḇaḇ·ḵemNoun - masculine singular construct; second person masculine pluralH3824 inner man, mind, will, heart
and notוְאַל־wə·’al-Conjunctive waw; AdverbH408 prohibition, do not . . ., let not . . .
your garmentsבִּגְדֵיכֶ֔םbiḡ·ḏê·ḵemNoun - masculine plural construct; second person masculine pluralH899 treachery
and returnוְשׁ֖וּבוּwə·šū·ḇūConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine pluralH7725 turn back, return
toאֶל־’el-PrepositionH413 motion to
the LORDיְהוָ֣הYah·wehNoun - proper - masculine singularH3068 Yahweh
your Godאֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemNoun - masculine plural construct; second person masculine pluralH430 God
Forכִּֽי־kî-ConjunctionH3588 burning, branding
Heה֔וּאhūPronoun - third person masculine singularH1931 he, she
is graciousחַנּ֤וּןḥan·nūnAdjective - masculine singularH2587 gracious
and compassionateוְרַחוּם֙wə·ra·ḥūmConjunctive waw; Adjective - masculine singularH7349 compassionate
slowאֶ֤רֶךְ’e·reḵAdjective - masculine singular constructH750 long
to angerאַפַּ֙יִם֙’ap·pa·yimNoun - mdH639 nostril, nose, face, anger
aboundingוְרַב־wə·raḇ-Conjunctive waw; Adjective - masculine singular constructH7227 much, many, great
in loving devotionחֶ֔סֶדḥe·seḏNoun - masculine singularH2617 goodness, kindness
And He relentsוְנִחָ֖םwə·ni·ḥāmConjunctive waw; Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singularH5162 be sorry, console
fromעַל־‘al-PrepositionH5921 height
sending disasterהָרָעָֽה׃hā·rā·‘āhArticle; Adjective - feminine singularH7451 bad, evil

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Joel 2:12 James 4:8–9 · Isaiah 55:6–7 · 2 Chronicles 7:13–14 · Hosea 12:6 · Jeremiah 29:12–13 · Jeremiah 4:1 · Hosea 6:1 · Deuteronomy 4:29–30 · Acts 26:20 · 1 Samuel 7:6 · Jonah 3:5–8 · Zechariah 1:3–4

Joel 2:13 Psalm 86:15 · Psalm 34:18 · Isaiah 57:15 · Exodus 34:6–7 · Matthew 5:3–4 · Micah 7:18 · Psalm 86:5 · James 1:19–20 · Jeremiah 18:7–8 · Psalm 103:8 · Isaiah 66:2 · Jonah 4:2

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.