Joel 2:10 (DBY)

Passage

The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Nearby Context

Joel 2:8 Neither doth one press upon another; they march every one in his path; and fall amid weapons, but are not wounded.

Joel 2:9 They spread themselves over the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in by the windows like a thief.

Joel 2:10 The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Joel 2:11 And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for strong is he that executeth his word: for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can bear it?

Joel 2:12 Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "earth", "quaketh", "before", "heavens", "tremble", "moon", "darkened", and "stars". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "earth" and "quaketh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "They spread themselves over the city they..." into verse 11's "And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his...", so "earth" and "quaketh" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "earth" and "quaketh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.