Joel 2:31 · Bible study
Joel 2:31 Commentary: Signs Before the Day of the Lord
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of sun turning to darkness and moon to blood in Joel 2:31. Literal portent or metaphor? Analysis of the great and terrible Day of the Lord.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Cosmic portents, the sun darkened, the moon red as blood, announce the coming Day of the Lord, a time of judgment and deliverance.
- Key words: “Turned into darkness” (sun), “into blood” (moon), language that prophets used to depict total upheaval, whether natural, political, or eschatological.
- Main debate: Are these literal astronomical events (Barnes, final judgment) or symbolic descriptions of national catastrophe (Clarke, Gill, Calvin)?
- Theological theme: The Day of the Lord is both fearful for the unrepentant and salvific for those who call on Yahweh; judgment and grace belong together.
- Best use: Preaching on repentance and hope; showing that God’s judgment is never his final word for those who seek him.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
KJV King James Version 1769
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The sun is turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, Before the coming of the day of Jehovah, The great and the fearful.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The sun shall be changed to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood: before the great and dreadful day of the Lord doth come.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El sol se tornará en tinieblas, y la luna en sangre, antes que venga el día grande y espantoso de Jehová.
O sol se tornará em trevas, e a lua em sangue, antes que venha o grande e temível dia do SENHOR.
Le soleil se changera en ténèbres,
[3:4] die Sonne soll in Finsternis und der Mond in Blut verwandelt werden, ehe denn der große und schreckliche Tag des HERRN kommt.
De zon zal veranderd worden in duisternis, en de maan in bloed, eer dat die grote en vreselijke dag des HEEREN komt.
Il sole sarà mutato in tenebre, e la luna in sangue prima che venga il grande e terribile giorno dell’Eterno.
Słońce obróci się w ciemność, a miesiąc w krew, pierwej niż dzień Pański wielki a straszny przyjdzie.
Солнце превратится во тьму и луна - в кровь, прежде нежели наступит день Господень, великий и страшный.
日頭 要變 為黑暗，月亮 要變為血，這都在耶和華 大 而可畏的 日子 未到 以前。
The sun will be made dark and the moon turned to blood, before the great day of the Lord comes, a day to be feared.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Joel 2:31 announces cosmic signs preceding the Day of the Lord, but they diverge on whether these are literal events or metaphorical descriptions of national catastrophe. Clarke and Gill read the sun and moon imagery as figures for the collapse of Jewish political and religious institutions, fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Wesley similarly ties the verse to Jerusalem’s fall, calling it a type of the final judgment. Calvin insists the language is metaphorical, depicting a world so disordered that even the heavens appear hostile. Barnes takes the portents literally as precursors to the last judgment. The Cambridge Bible notes that natural phenomena like sandstorms or volcanic ash could produce such darkness and reddening. All agree that the verse emphasizes divine judgment, saving only those who call on Yahweh’s name (v. 32).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal cosmic portents (final judgment): Barnes and later apocalyptic interpreters read the sun and moon changes as physical events preceding Christ’s return, citing parallels in Revelation 6:12.
- Metaphor for national/political collapse: Clarke, Gill, and Calvin see the imagery as figurative language for the fall of Jerusalem or other historical judgments, pointing to the Old Testament use of cosmic collapse to describe the end of kingdoms (Isaiah 13, Ezekiel 32).
- Natural phenomena (eclipse, dust storm): The Cambridge Bible suggests atmospheric disturbances may have inspired the description; the signs are neither purely literal nor purely symbolic but grounded in observable events.
What is clear: The verse announces the arrival of God’s day of judgment, which is both terrible and salvific, and it calls on all people to respond by calling on the name of the Lord for deliverance.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal vs metaphorical reading of the cosmic signs | The language signals a major divine intervention, a world-altering judgment. | Some (Barnes) read it as literal future events; others (Calvin, Gill) see it as symbolic of political and social collapse. Both appeal to Old Testament prophetic usage. |
| Timing of fulfillment | The day of the Lord is a real future event, possibly with historical foretastes. | Clarke and Wesley identify it with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70). Barnes and much later tradition see the final judgment. Keil & Delitzsch allow both layers. |
| Relation to Pentecost (Acts 2) | Peter cites Joel 2:28-32 as having begun fulfillment on Pentecost. | Some see the sun/moon signs as spiritually realized in the church age; others insist they await literal cosmic fulfillment. The text itself does not resolve which. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Joel prophesied in Judah during a time of devastating locust plagues and drought, which he interpreted as a foretaste of the “day of Yahweh.” This day was already a known concept in Israel, a time when God would intervene decisively to judge enemies and vindicate his people. Joel 2:28-32 links the outpouring of the Spirit with cosmic upheavals, echoing earlier prophetic traditions. Isaiah 13:10 describes the sun darkened and stars withdrawing before Babylon’s fall. Amos 8:9 speaks of the sun going down at noon as a sign of national ruin. These Old Testament precedents use the language of cosmic collapse to announce not the end of the physical universe but the end of a particular world-order, a kingdom, a city, a covenant community.
The immediate literary context in Joel is crucial. The outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh (vv. 28-29) is followed by “wonders in the heavens and on the earth” (v. 30). The sun and moon are transformed before the coming of the “great and terrible day of Yahweh.” Verse 32 then pivots to salvation: everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be rescued. This pattern, judgment on the world, deliverance for the faithful, is what Peter later invokes at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21). The historical setting for Joel’s audience was one of agricultural crisis and foreign threat; the prophecy looks beyond those immediate troubles to a more comprehensive divine intervention.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary excerpts do not mention any textual variants for Joel 2:31. The verse is consistent across manuscript traditions, with only minor translational differences (e.g., “is turned” vs “will be turned”). No significant textual issue affects interpretation.
Reception History
Early Christian writers, including the apostles themselves (Acts 2:17-21), read Joel’s signs as fulfilled in the events surrounding Christ’s first coming, the Spirit outpoured, wonders in the sky at the crucifixion, and the judgment on Jerusalem in AD 70. The medieval church often interpreted the sun and moon as types of Christ and the church, darkened by persecution. During the Reformation, Calvin and others emphasized the metaphorical meaning, seeing political upheavals as signs of God’s judgment. In modern evangelicalism, the verse is often cited in debates about end-times chronology, with some placing the signs just before the millennium and others seeing them as symbolizing every major divine visitation. Across all traditions, the promise of salvation for those who call on the Lord has remained the central hopeful note.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The portents signal the Day of the Lord. Joel piles up images of cosmic disorder to show that God’s judgment rewrites the normal order of things. No earthly stability can survive his appearing.
- The Day of the Lord comes in stages. The first fulfillment occurred in Jerusalem’s fall (AD 70); a final fulfillment awaits the last judgment. The same pattern, judgment and salvation, recurs throughout history.
- Deliverance is offered to everyone who calls on the Lord. The darkness of judgment is not the final word. Verse 32 immediately follows: “Whoever will call on Yahweh’s name shall be saved.” The promise is both ancient and present.
Five-point outline
- Cosmic language as prophetic shorthand for total upheaval
- The “great and terrible” Day as both historical and eschatological
- Natural calamities and political collapse as tokens of coming judgment
- Peter’s use of Joel at Pentecost: the Spirit poured out, the signs beginning
- Hope beyond the darkness: the remnant who escape by grace
Illustration hooks
- A sudden blackout during a storm: familiar streets become disorienting, threatening. Joel describes a world where even the sun and moon fail.
- Economic collapse: when the systems that provide light and stability go dark, people feel the same helplessness Joel paints.
- A severe weather warning: you prepare differently when you know something terrible is coming. Joel’s warning is meant to drive people to the shelter of God’s name.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Are we supposed to look for literal astronomical signs before Jesus returns?
- How do I know if I’m on the right side of the Day of the Lord, fearing it or hoping for it?
- Why does Peter quote this verse at Pentecost if the sun and moon didn’t literally change then?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in a passage that moves from judgment to salvation. Before studying, remind your group that apocalyptic language, sun turned to darkness, moon to blood, was a familiar Old Testament way of describing any world-shattering event. The question is not whether these signs are literal, but what they reveal about God’s character: he judges evil, and he rescues those who call on him.
Discussion questions
- Read Joel 2:28-32. What pattern do you see: Spirit, signs, salvation? How do the signs connect to the outpouring of the Spirit?
- The sun-darkening and moon-blood appear in several prophetic books (Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, 3:15). What do these repeated images suggest about the “day of the Lord”?
- Calvin took these images as metaphor for social and political chaos. Barnes read them as literal cosmic events. Which reading do you find more persuasive, and why?
- Peter cites this passage at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21). Did the disciples see literal signs? How does that shape your understanding of Joel’s prophecy?
- Verse 32 promises deliverance to everyone who calls on the Lord. How does that promise become more urgent when placed after signs of judgment?
- What comfort does this verse offer to Christians facing personal or national “darkness”? How do you hold together the fear of judgment and the hope of salvation?
- If the Day of the Lord is both a past event (AD 70) and a future one (final judgment), how should that double focus affect the way we live today?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 13:9 | Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it. |
| Isaiah 13:10 | For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. |
| Isaiah 34:4 | All of the army of the sky will be dissolved. The sky will be rolled up like a scroll, and all its armies will fade away, as a leaf fades from off a vine or a fig tree. |
| Isaiah 34:5 | For my sword has drunk its fill in the sky. Behold, it will come down on Edom, and on the people of my curse, for judgment. |
| Joel 2:10 | The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. |
| Joel 3:1 | “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, |
| Joel 3:15 | The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. |
| Zephaniah 1:14 | The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries there bitterly. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes the sun turning dark refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Romans. He sees that day as the greatest act of God’s vengeance shown up to that time.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes contrasts the days when we live as we please with that Day when God will require an account of every deed. It will be great for the faithful but terrible for the unbelieving. He urges readers to let fear of that unendurable judgment bridle their souls from sin.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that Joel describes these events figuratively to show extreme suffering. He believes God will remove all signs of his favor so people will search in vain for any grace.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges links Joel 2:31 to other Old Testament verses that describe blood on the sun and darkness covering the land. It also connects these descriptions to later biblical passages such as Revelation 6 and Malachi 4.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible's note takes these cosmic disturbances as literal events that will physically occur before Christ's final judgment. The sun actually darkening and the moon turning blood-red are real, visible signs announcing the arrival of that terrible day.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets the darkening sun and blood-red moon as symbols of the Jewish king and high priest falling into distress, specifically King Agrippa and the high priest Ananias. He identifies the great and terrible day of the Lord as Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans, not the final judgment.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch stress that "calling on the name of the Lord" means genuine inward worship, not merely outward religion. Mount Zion represents the spiritual center of God's kingdom, so deliverance applies to true believers from every nation. They see Pentecost as the beginning of a fulfillment that continues throughout the Christian era.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the pouring out of the Spirit described in Joel 2 as a sign that God’s great day is near. He believes those who call on the Lord will be saved among the remnant who are called by him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the Spirit will be poured out upon all people (both free and slave) in those days. This gift brings prophecy dreams and visions along with heavenly signs such as blood fire and smoke.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the signs in the sun not as the final judgment itself but as celestial portents announcing Jerusalem's destruction. He calls that event the terrible, unholy day, treating it as a direct type or foreshadowing of the ultimate judgment day to come.