Isaiah 5:30

5:30 At that time ¹  they will growl over their prey, ² 

it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. ³ 

One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,

clouds will turn the light into darkness. ⁴ 

Isaiah 13:10

13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations

no longer give out their light; ⁵ 

the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,

and the moon does not shine. ⁶ 

Ezekiel 32:7-8

32:7 When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky;

I will darken its stars.

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon will not shine. ⁷ 

32:8 I will darken all the lights in the sky over you,

and I will darken your land,

declares the sovereign Lord.

Joel 2:10

2:10 The earth quakes ⁸  before them; ⁹ 

the sky reverberates. ¹⁰ 

The sun and the moon grow dark;

the stars refuse to shine. ¹¹ 

Joel 2:30-31

2:30 I will produce portents both in the sky ¹²  and on the earth –

blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

2:31 The sunlight will be turned to darkness

and the moon to the color of blood, ¹³ 

before the day of the Lord comes –

that great and terrible day!

Joel 3:15-16

3:15 The sun and moon are darkened;

the stars withhold ¹⁴  their brightness.

3:16 The Lord roars from Zion;

from Jerusalem ¹⁵  his voice bellows out. ¹⁶ 

The heavens ¹⁷  and the earth shake.

But the Lord is a refuge for his people;

he is a stronghold for the citizens ¹⁸  of Israel.

Amos 8:9

8:9 In that day,” says the sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun set at noon,

and make the earth dark in the middle of the day. ¹⁹ 

Matthew 24:29

The Arrival of the Son of Man

24:29 “Immediately ²⁰  after the suffering ²¹  of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. ²² 

Matthew 24:35

24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ²³ 

Mark 13:24-25

The Arrival of the Son of Man

13:24 “But in those days, after that suffering, ²⁴  the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; 13:25 the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁵ 

Luke 21:25-26

The Arrival of the Son of Man

21:25 “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, ²⁶  and on the earth nations will be in distress, ²⁷  anxious ²⁸  over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. 21:26 People will be fainting from fear ²⁹  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ 

Acts 2:19-20

2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky ³¹  above

and miraculous signs ³²  on the earth below,

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

2:20 The sun will be changed to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and glorious ³³  day of the Lord comes.

[5:30]  ¹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[5:30]  ² tn Heb “over it”; the referent (the prey) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:30]  ³ tn Heb “like the growling of the sea.”

[5:30]  ⁴ tn Heb “and one will gaze toward the land, and look, darkness of distress, and light will grow dark by its [the land’s?] clouds.”

[13:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”

[13:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”

[32:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “will not shine its light.” For similar features of cosmic eschatology, see Joel 2:10; 4:15; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph 1:5.

[2:10]  ⁸ sn Witnesses of locust invasions have described the visual effect of large numbers of these creatures crawling over one another on the ground. At such times the ground is said to appear to be in motion, creating a dizzying effect on some observers. The reference in v. 10 to the darkening of the sun and moon probably has to do with the obscuring of visibility due to large numbers of locusts swarming in the sky.

[2:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “before it.”

[2:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “trembles.”

[2:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “gather their brightness.”

[2:30]  ¹² tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[2:31]  ¹³ tn 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.

[3:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “gather in.”

[3:16]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he sounds forth his voice.”

[3:16]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the sky.” See the note on “sky” in 2:30.

[3:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “sons.”

[8:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “in a day of light.”

[24:29]  ²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:29]  ²¹ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[24:29]  ²² sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[24:35]  ²³ sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.

[13:24]  ²⁴ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[13:25]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[21:25]  ²⁶ sn Signs in the sun and moon and stars are cosmic signs that turn our attention to the end and the Son of Man’s return for the righteous. OT imagery is present: See Isa 13:9-10; 24:18-20; 34:4; Ezek 32:7-8; Joel 2:1, 30-31; 3:15.

[21:25]  ²⁷ tn Grk “distress of nations.”

[21:25]  ²⁸ tn Or “in consternation” (L&N 32.9).

[21:26]  ²⁹ tn According to L&N 23.184 this could be mainly a psychological experience rather than actual loss of consciousness. It could also refer to complete discouragement because of fear, leading people to give up hope (L&N 25.293).

[21:26]  ³⁰ sn An allusion to Isa 34:4. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[2:19]  ³¹ tn Or “in the heaven.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context. Here, in contrast to “the earth below,” a reference to the sky is more likely.

[2:19]  ³² tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned; this is made explicit in the translation.

[2:20]  ³³ tn Or “and wonderful.”