Joel 3:15 (LSB)

Passage

The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.

Nearby Context

Joel 3:13 Send in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Yahweh is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 3:15 The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.

Joel 3:16 And Yahweh roars from Zion And gives forth His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth quake. But Yahweh is a refuge for His people And a strong defense to the sons of Israel.

Joel 3:17 Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "moon", "grow", "dark", "stars", "lose", and "brightness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "moon" and "grow", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision..." into verse 16's "And Yahweh roars from Zion And gives...", so "moon" and "grow" 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 "moon" and "grow" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.