Christian Standard Bible
Joel 2:13
13Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.
Joel 2:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
- New International Version (NIV)Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
Context of Joel 2:13
11The Lord makes his voice heard in the presence of his army. His camp is very large; those who carry out his command are powerful. Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful — who can endure it? 12Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster. 14Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him, so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God. 15Blow the ram’s horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly.
Read all of Joel 2Joel 2:13 word by word
וְקִרְע֤וּ לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַל־בִּגְדֵיכֶ֔ם וְשׁ֖וּבוּ אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־חַנּ֤וּן וְרַחוּם֙ ה֔וּא אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And rendקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
- your heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- and not your garmentsבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
- and turnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- graciousחַנּוּןchannûn · graciousH2587
- and mercifulרַחוּםrachûm · compassionateH7349
- slowאָרֵךְ'ârêk · slowH750
- to angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
- and of greatרַבrab · manyH7227
- kindnessחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
- and repentethנָחַםnâcham · to be sorry: relentH5162
- him of the evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
Cross-references for Joel 2:13
- 2 Kings 22:19because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I myself have heard’ — this is the Lord’s declaration.
- Psalms 34:18The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.
- Psalms 51:17The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
- Isaiah 57:15For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.
- Isaiah 66:2My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.
- Ezekiel 9:4“Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the Lord said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
- Matthew 5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
- Genesis 37:29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
- 2 Samuel 1:11Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and all the men with him did the same.
- 1 Kings 21:27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.
- 2 Kings 5:7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize that he is only picking a fight with me.”
- 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
- 2 Kings 22:11When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
- Job 1:20Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
- Isaiah 58:5Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?
- Matthew 6:16“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
Commentaries on Joel 2:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Rend your heart - Let it not be merely a rending of your garments, but let your hearts be truly contrite. Merely external worship and hypocritical pretensions will only increase the evil, and cause God to meet you with heavier judgments. For he is gracious - Good and benevolent in his own nature. Merciful - Pitying and forgiving, as the effect of goodness and benevolence. Slow to anger - He is not easily provoked to punish, because he is gracious and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13And rend your hearts and not your garments - that is, “not your garments only” (see the note at Hosea 6:6). The rending of the clothes was an expression of extraordinary uncontrollable emotion, chiefly of grief, of terror, or of horror. At least, in Holy Scripture it is not mentioned as a part of ordinary mourning, but only upon some sudden overpowering grief, whether public or private. It was not used on occasion of death, unless there were something…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13In the ancient world, people showed grief by tearing their clothes (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 2 Kings 19:1). rend your hearts: In Hebrew culture, the heart represents thought, faith, and will. God wanted people to repent inwardly, not just outwardly. This meant changing their mindset, priorities, and attitudes. They could only do this by returning to the Lord. For He is gracious and compassionate … abounding in loving devotion: The people's only hope…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. Let there be the inward sorrow of heart, and not the mere outward manifestation of it by "rending the garment" (Jos 7:6). the evil--the calamity which He had threatened against the impenitent.Read the comment
Topics related to Joel 2:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joel 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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