Joel

Joel 2:2–3

²a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness.

Like the dawn overspreading the mountains

a great and strong army appears,

such as never was of old,

nor will ever be in ages to come.

³Before them a fire devours,

and behind them a flame scorches.

The land before them is like the Garden of Eden,

but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland —

surely nothing will escape them.

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 2:2

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
a day	י֧וֹם	yō·wm	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3117 day
of darkness	חֹ֣שֶׁךְ	ḥō·šeḵ	Noun - masculine singular	H2822 darkness, obscurity
and gloom	וַאֲפֵלָ֗ה	wa·’ă·p̄ê·lāh	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular	H653 darkness, gloominess, calamity
a day	י֤וֹם	yō·wm	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3117 day
of clouds	עָנָן֙	‘ā·nān	Noun - masculine singular	H6051 cloud-mass, cloud
and blackness	וַעֲרָפֶ֔ל	wa·‘ă·rā·p̄el	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular	H6205 cloud, heavy cloud
Like the dawn	כְּשַׁ֖חַר	kə·ša·ḥar	Preposition-k; Noun - masculine singular	H7837 dawn
overspreading	פָּרֻ֣שׂ	pā·ruś	Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular	H6566 spread out, spread
the mountains	הֶֽהָרִ֑ים	he·hā·rîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H2022 mountain, hill, hill-country
a great	רַ֣ב	raḇ	Adjective - masculine singular	H7227 much, many, great
and strong	וְעָצ֔וּם	wə·‘ā·ṣūm	Conjunctive waw; Adjective - masculine singular	H6099 mighty, numerous
army	עַ֚ם	‘am	Noun - masculine singular	H5971 people
such as	כָּמֹ֗הוּ	kā·mō·hū	Preposition; third person masculine singular	H3644 like, as, when
never	לֹ֤א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
was	נִֽהְיָה֙	nih·yāh	Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
of	מִן־	min-	Preposition	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not
old	הָ֣עוֹלָ֔ם	hā·‘ō·w·lām	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5769 long duration, antiquity, futurity
nor will ever be	לֹ֣א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
in ages to come	שְׁנֵ֖י	šə·nê	Noun - feminine plural construct	H8141 year

Joel 2:3

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Before them	לְפָנָיו֙	lə·p̄ā·nāw	Preposition-l; Noun - common plural construct; third person masculine singular	H6440 face, before
a fire	אֵ֔שׁ	’êš	Noun - common singular	H784 fire
devours	אָ֣כְלָה	’ā·ḵə·lāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H398 eat
and behind them	וְאַחֲרָ֖יו	wə·’a·ḥă·rāw	Conjunctive waw; Preposition; third person masculine singular	H310 behind
a flame	לֶֽהָבָ֑ה	le·hā·ḇāh	Noun - feminine singular	H3852 id.
scorches	תְּלַהֵ֣ט	tə·la·hêṭ	Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person feminine singular	H3857 blaze up, flame
The land	הָאָ֜רֶץ	hā·’ā·reṣ	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H776 earth, land
before them	לְפָנָ֗יו	lə·p̄ā·nāw	Preposition-l; Noun - common plural construct; third person masculine singular	H6440 face, before
is like the Garden	כְּגַן־	kə·ḡan-	Preposition-k; Noun - common singular construct	H1588 enclosure, garden
of Eden	עֵ֨דֶן	‘ê·ḏen	Noun - proper - feminine singular	H5731 Eden
but behind them	וְאַֽחֲרָיו֙	wə·’a·ḥă·rāw	Conjunctive waw; Preposition; third person masculine singular	H310 behind
it is like a desert	מִדְבַּ֣ר	miḏ·bar	Noun - masculine singular construct	H4057 mouth
wasteland	שְׁמָמָ֔ה	šə·mā·māh	Noun - feminine singular	H8077 a devastation, waste
surely	וְגַם־	wə·ḡam-	Conjunction	H1571 also, moreover, yea
nothing	לֹא־	lō-	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
will	הָ֥יְתָה	hā·yə·ṯāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
escape	פְּלֵיטָ֖ה	pə·lê·ṭāh	Noun - feminine singular	H6413 escape
them	לּֽוֹ׃	lōw	Preposition; third person masculine singular

Cross-references

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

Joel 2:2 Joel 1:6 · Zephaniah 1:14–15 · Amos 5:18–20 · Joel 2:10–11 · Joel 2:5 · Joel 2:25 · Joel 3:14–15 · Exodus 10:6 · Daniel 12:1 · Joel 2:31 · Isaiah 5:30 · Isaiah 8:22

Joel 2:3 Isaiah 51:3 · Genesis 2:8 · Joel 1:19–20 · Zechariah 7:14 · Amos 7:4 · Psalm 50:3

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.