Joel 2:13 (YLT)

Passage

And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn back unto Jehovah your God, For gracious and merciful <FI>is<Fi> He, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And He hath repented concerning the evil.

Nearby Context

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.

Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn back unto Jehovah your God, For gracious and merciful <FI>is<Fi> He, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And He hath repented concerning the evil.

Joel 2:14 Who knoweth--He doth turn back, Yea--He hath repented, And He hath left behind Him a blessing, A present and libation of Jehovah your God?

Joel 2:15 Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, Sanctify a fast--proclaim a restraint.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rend", "heart", "garments", "turn", "back", "jehovah", "gracious", and "merciful". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rend" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And also now--an affirmation of Jehovah Turn..." into verse 14's "Who knoweth--He doth turn back Yea--He hath...", so "rend" and "heart" 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 "rend" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.