Joel 3:19 (GNV)

Passage

Egypt shalbe waste, and Edom shall be a desolate wildernesse, for the iniuries of the childre of Iudah, because they haue shed innocent blood in their land.

Nearby Context

Joel 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, mine holy Mountaine: then shall Ierusalem bee holy, and there shall no strangers go thorowe her any more.

Joel 3:18 And in that day shall the mountaines drop downe newe wine, and the hilles shall flowe with milke, and al the riuers of Iudah shall runne with waters, and a fountaine shall come forth of the House of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

Joel 3:19 Egypt shalbe waste, and Edom shall be a desolate wildernesse, for the iniuries of the childre of Iudah, because they haue shed innocent blood in their land.

Joel 3:20 But Iudah shall dwell for euer, and Ierusalem from generation to generation.

Joel 3:21 For I will clense their blood, that I haue not clensed, and the Lord will dwell in Zion.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "egypt", "shalbe", "waste", "edom", "shall", "desolate", "wildernesse", and "iniuries". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "egypt" and "shalbe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And in that day shall the mountaines..." into verse 20's "But Iudah shall dwell for euer and...", so "egypt" and "shalbe" 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 "egypt" and "shalbe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.