Joel 2:10 (YLT)

Passage

At their face trembled hath the earth, Shaken have the heavens, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.

Nearby Context

Joel 2:8 And each his brother they press not, Each in his way they go on, If by the missile they fall, they are not cut off.

Joel 2:9 In the city they run to and fro, On the wall they run, Into houses they go up by the windows, They go in as a thief.

Joel 2:10 At their face trembled hath the earth, Shaken have the heavens, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.

Joel 2:11 And Jehovah hath given forth His voice before His force, For very great <FI>is<Fi> His camp, For mighty <FI>is<Fi> the doer of His word, For great <FI>is<Fi> the day of Jehovah--very fearful, And who doth bear it?

Joel 2:12 And also now--an affirmation of Jehovah, Turn ye back unto Me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, And with lamentation.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "face", "trembled", "hath", "earth", "shaken", "heavens", "moon", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "face" and "trembled", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "In the city they run to and..." into verse 11's "And Jehovah hath given forth His voice...", so "face" and "trembled" 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 "face" and "trembled" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.