Joel 3:16
“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The LORD roars from Zion and shakes heaven and earth, yet He is the hope and strength of His own people.
What Does Joel 3:16 Mean?
God's judgment is voiced like a lion's roar: the LORD shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and heaven and earth shake at the sound. It is a picture of awesome, terrifying power before which all creation trembles. Yet the verse pivots on a great but: the same LORD will be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel.
Here is the heart of the chapter's comfort. The voice that shakes the world is, to God's own people, not a threat but a refuge. The God who roars in judgment is the God in whom they shelter. This is the double truth Scripture holds out everywhere: the One who is fearful to His enemies is the safe place for those who trust Him. The roar that scatters the proud gathers the faithful close. For all who are His, the strength of the Almighty is not against them but for them, their hope and their fortress in the day of the Lord.
In the Original Language
The verb sha'ag (שָׁאַג), 'roar,' is the cry of a lion, here picturing the awesome power of God's voice going out from Zion.