The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

JOEL 3:15KJV
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Joel 3:15 (KJV)

What does Joel 3:15 mean?

Joel 3:15 describes a scene where the sun and moon become dark, and the stars stop shining. This verse uses the image of the heavens losing their light to signal a time of great upheaval and judgment.

In the book of Joel, the prophet is speaking to the people of Judah about a coming "day of the Lord," a time when God will judge the nations. The darkening of the sun, moon, and stars is a dramatic way to show that something extraordinary and fearful is happening, marking a turning point in history.

The Hebrew behind Joel 3:15

  • The word for "darkened" (חָשַׁךְ, khashakh) means to become dark or to lose light, emphasizing a sudden or unnatural darkness rather than a normal nightfall.
  • The word for "withdraw" (אָסַף, asaf) means to gather in or take away, so when it says the stars "withdraw their shining," it suggests the stars are actively ceasing to give their light, not just fading passively.
  • The word for "shining" (נֹגַהּ, nogah) refers to brightness or radiance, highlighting that what is being lost is not just light, but a sense of brilliance or glory.

Why Joel 3:15 matters

  • Joel 3:15 helps clarify that the prophet is describing a cosmic event, not just a local disaster, which adds weight to the seriousness of the coming judgment.
  • The verse ties into a recurring biblical theme where signs in the sky mark major acts of God, helping readers connect this prophecy to other passages about the "day of the Lord."
  • Understanding the vivid language and original words shows that this darkness is meant to be unsettling and total, not just a poetic way to say "things will get bad," but a signal that everything familiar is being upended.

Where else these words appear

“darkened” Hebrew H6937 · used in 17 verses

  • 1 Kings 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
  • Psalms 38:6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
  • Jeremiah 14:2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

“shining” Hebrew H5051 · used in 19 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
  • Isaiah 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
  • Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

“moon” Hebrew H3394 · used in 26 verses

  • Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
  • Psalms 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
  • Ecclesiastes 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

“stars” Hebrew H3556 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
  • 1 Chronicles 27:23 But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.
  • Ecclesiastes 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: