Joel 2:28

“And it will happen afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

Joel 2:28 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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God promises to pour out his spirit on all flesh: sons, daughters and slavesThe Holy Spirit

With the Hebrew beneath

28

Quotation · Acts 2:17-21

Go to Acts 2:17-21

Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32. He begins with “in the last days” where the Hebrew says “after this,” and ends with “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Formula: τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωήλ “this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις λέγει ὁ θεός ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑμῶν ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται καί γε ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας μου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου καὶ προφητεύσουσιν καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ σημεῖα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν ἡμέραν κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὃς ἐὰν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי עַל כָּל בָּשָׂר וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן בַּחוּרֵיכֶם חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ וְגַם עַל הָעֲבָדִים וְעַל הַשְּׁפָחוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי וְנָתַתִּי מוֹפְתִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימֲרוֹת עָשָׁן הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵהָפֵךְ לְחֹשֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵחַ לְדָם לִפְנֵי בּוֹא יוֹם יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט כִּי בְּהַר צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה וּבַשְּׂרִידִים אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה קֹרֵא

Septuagint (Joel 2:27-32 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐπιγνόσεσθε ὅτι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐγὼ εἰμι, καὶ ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν ἐμοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῶσιν ἔτι ὁ λαός μου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ ἔσται μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑμῶν ἐνύπνια ἐνυπνιασθήσονται, καὶ οἱ νεαυίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται· καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου· καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ· ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἵμα πρὶν ἐλθεῖν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ· καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὅς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σειὼν καὶ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἔσται ἀνασωζόμενος, καθότι εἶπεν Κύριος, καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι οὓς Κύριος προσκέκληται.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 19 consecutive words: “ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Joel 2:28, word by word

And it will happenהָיָהhaya

happen

For something to occur or take place; many stories open with this word.

Where else “haya” appears
that I will pour outאֶשְׁפּוֹךְeshpoch

pour out

To pour out one's heart to God; God pours out his spirit.

Where else “eshpoch” appears
my spiritרוּחִruchi

Spirit of God

The spirit of Elohim or YHWH: his presence and power.

Where else “ruchi” appears
fleshבָּשָׂרbasar

flesh

The body of a person or animal, the soft part covering the bones.

Where else “basar” appears
and your sonsבְּנֵיbene

son

The male born of a father and mother; in the plural, also sons and daughters.

Where else “bene” appears
and your daughtersבְנוֹתֵיvenote

daughter

A girl or woman born of her parents, who belongs to her father's house.

Where else “venote” appears
will prophesyנִבְּאוּnibu

prophesy

To speak what God's spirit gives to say.

Where else “nibu” appears
your old menזִקְנֵיzikne

old

A person of many years.

Where else “zikne” appears
will dreamיַחֲלֹמוּyachalomu

dream

To see images and scenes while asleep.

Where else “yachalomu” appears
dreamsחֲלֹמוֹתchalomot

dream

Dream: what one sees while asleep. In the Bible, God sometimes speaks through dreams.

Where else “chalomot” appears
your young menבַּחוּרֵיbachure

young man

A young man in the fullness of his strength.

Where else “bachure” appears
will seeיִרְאוּyiru

see

To see with one's eyes.

Where else “yiru” appears
visionsחֶזְיֹנוֹתchezyonot

vision

A vision: what God shows or communicates, sometimes at night or in dreams.

Where else “chezyonot” appears

Translation note

In Hebrew, 2:28-32 are 3:1-5. Peter quotes 2:28-32 in Acts 2:17-21, on the day of Pentecost. “My spirit” is lowercase by the Old Testament rule.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Acts 2:17-21

Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32. He begins with “in the last days” where the Hebrew says “after this,” and ends with “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

See them side by side

Joel 2:28

28And it will happen afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Acts 2:17-21

17‘And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out from my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams;

The context

27And you will know that in the midst of Israel am I, and I am YHWH your Elohim, and there is no other; and my people will not be ashamed forever.

28 · This verse (above)

29And even on the male slaves and on the female slaves in those days I will pour out my spirit.

Read all of Joel 2

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