Bible Strands
Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples on the Mount of Olives, answering their question about the temple's destruction and the signs of his coming. This verse marks the transition from the tribulation to the parousia.
The words — εὐθὺς (eutheōs), "immediately," binds the cosmic signs directly to the tribulation with no gap. θλῖψις (thlipsis), "tribulation," is a noun of pressure or crushing, not mere difficulty.
The thread — Darkened sun, silent moon, and falling stars are standard "day of the Lord" imagery (Amos 8:9; Joel 3:15; Isaiah 13:10). Jesus borrows this prophetic idiom to describe what follows the great tribulation.
Why it lands — The verse demands that the reader hold the sequence: tribulation, then cosmic upheaval, then the Son of Man's appearance (v. 30). It refuses to let the tribulation stand as the final act.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Cross-references
- Amos 8:9 And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the daytime.
- Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.
- Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
- Isaiah 24:23 The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.
- Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
- Acts 2:19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
- Joel 2:30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
- Revelation 6:12 And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,
- Isaiah 34:4 All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree.
- 2 Peter 3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.