Joel 3:19 (YLT)

Passage

Egypt a desolation becometh, And Edom a desolation, a wilderness, becometh, For violence <FI>to<Fi> sons of Judah, Whose innocent blood they shed in their land.

Nearby Context

Joel 3:17 And ye have known that I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain, And Jerusalem hath been holy, And strangers do not pass over into it again.

Joel 3:18 And it hath come to pass, in that day, Drop down do the mountains juice, And the hills do flow <FI>with<Fi> milk, And all streams of Judah do go <FI>with<Fi> water, And a fountain from the house of Jehovah goeth forth, And hath watered the valley of Shittim.

Joel 3:19 Egypt a desolation becometh, And Edom a desolation, a wilderness, becometh, For violence <FI>to<Fi> sons of Judah, Whose innocent blood they shed in their land.

Joel 3:20 And Judah to the age doth dwell, And Jerusalem to generation and generation.

Joel 3:21 And I have declared their blood innocent, <FI>That<Fi> I did not declare innocent, And Jehovah is dwelling in Zion!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "egypt", "desolation", "becometh", "edom", "wilderness", and "violence". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "egypt" and "desolation", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And it hath come to pass in..." into verse 20's "And Judah to the age doth dwell...", so "egypt" and "desolation" 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 "desolation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.