Logos Bible Study

Joel 2:28–32

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An Outpouring of the Spirit

2:28 (3:1)76 After all of this77

I will pour out my Spirit78 on all kinds of people.79

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

Your elderly will have revelatory dreams;80

your young men will see prophetic visions.

2:29Even on male and female servants

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

2:30I will produce portents both in the sky81 and on the earth—

blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

2:31The sunlight will be turned to darkness

and the moon to the color of blood,82

before the day of the Lord comes—

that great and terrible day!

2:32It will so happen that

everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.83

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem84 there will be those who survive,85

just as the Lord has promised;

the remnant86 will be those whom the Lord will call.87

Read in Logos
Joel 2:28: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”

Footnotes

  1. 76 Beginning with 2:28, the verse numbers through 3:21 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (), with 2:28 = 3:1 , 2:29 = 3:2 , 2:30 = 3:3 , 2:31 = 3:4 , 2:32 = 3:5 , 3:1 = 4:1 , etc., through 3:21 = 4:21 . Thus Joel in the Hebrew Bible has 4 chapters, the 5 verses of ch. 3 being included at the end of ch. 2 in the English Bible.
  2. 77 Heb “Now it will be after this.”
  3. 78 This passage plays a key role in the apostolic explanation of the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2:17–21. Peter introduces his quotation of this passage with “this is that spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16; cf. the similar pesher formula used at Qumran). The New Testament experience at Pentecost is thus seen in some sense as a fulfillment of this Old Testament passage, even though that experience did not exhaustively fulfill Joel’s words. Some portions of Joel’s prophecy have no precise counterpart in that experience. For example, there is nothing in the experience recorded in Acts 2 that exactly corresponds to the earthly and heavenly signs described in Joel 3:3–4. But inasmuch as the messianic age had already begun and the “last days” had already commenced with the coming of the Messiah (cf. Heb 1:1–2), Peter was able to point to Joel 3:1–5 as a text that was relevant to the advent of Jesus and the bestowal of the Spirit. The equative language that Peter employs (“this is that”) stresses an incipient fulfillment of the Joel passage without precluding or minimizing a yet future and more exhaustive fulfillment in events associated with the return of Christ.
  4. 79 Heb “all flesh.” As a term for humanity, “flesh” suggests the weakness and fragility of human beings as opposed to God who is “spirit.” The word “all” refers not to all human beings without exception (cf. , “all mankind”; “all people”), but to all classes of human beings without distinction (cf. ).
  5. 80 Heb “your old men will dream dreams.”
  6. 81 Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
  7. 82 Heb “to blood,” but no doubt this is intended to indicate by metonymy the color of blood rather than the substance itself. The blood red color suggests a visual impression here—something that could be caused by fires, volcanic dust, sandstorms, or other atmospheric phenomena.
  8. 83 While a number of English versions render this as “saved” (e.g., , , ), this can suggest a “spiritual” or “theological” salvation rather than the physical deliverance from the cataclysmic events of the day of the Lord described in the context.
  9. 84 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
  10. 85 Heb “deliverance”; or “escape.” The abstract noun “deliverance” or “escape” probably functions here as an example of antimeria, referring to those who experience deliverance or escape with their lives: “escaped remnant” or “surviving remnant” (Gen 32:8; 45:7; Judg 21:17; 2 Kgs 19:30, 31; Isa 4:2; 10:20; 15:9; 37:31, 32; Ezek 14:22; Obad 1:17; Ezra 9:8, 13–15; Neh 1:2; 1 Chr 4:43; 2 Chr 30:6).
  11. 86 Heb “and among the remnant.”
  12. 87 The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to indicate action in the imminent future.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“And it shall come to pass afterward,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens

and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved;

for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

there will be deliverance,

as the Lord has said,

even among the survivors

whom the Lord calls.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

After this

I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity;

then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

your old men will have dreams,

and your young men will see visions.

I will even pour out my Spirit

on the male and female slaves in those days.

I will display wonders

in the heavens and on the earth:

blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

Then everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved,

for there will be an escape

for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

as the Lord promised,

among the survivors the Lord calls.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

 “Then, after doing all those things,

I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

Your old men will dream dreams,

and your young men will see visions.

In those days I will pour out my Spirit

even on servants—men and women alike.

And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—

blood and fire and columns of smoke.

The sun will become dark,

and the moon will turn blood red

before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.

But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

will be saved,

for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape,

just as the Lord has said.

These will be among the survivors

whom the Lord has called.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And it will happen afterward thus:

I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your elders will dream dreams;

your young men shall see visions.

And also on the male slaves and on the female slaves,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

And I will set wonders in the heavens, and on earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be changed to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. And it will happen—everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be rescued, because on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh said, and among the survivors whom Yahweh is calling.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

And it shall come to pass afterward,

That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;

And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions:

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids

In those days will I pour out my spirit.

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,

Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,

Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered:

For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance,

As the Lord hath said,

And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Public Domain