Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
There was a great earthquake (seismov megav egeneto). "There came a great earthquake." Jesus spoke of earthquakes in his great eschatological discourse (Mark 13:8). In Matthew 24:29 the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Seismov is from seiw, to shake, and occurs also in Revelation 8:5; Revelation 11:13, Revelation 11:19; Revelation 16:18. The reference is not a local earthquake like those so common in Asia Minor.
As sackcloth of hair (wv sakkov trixinov). Sakkov (Attic sakov), Latin saccus, English sack, originally a bag for holding things (Genesis 42:25, Genesis 42:35), then coarse garment of hair (trixinov, old word from qric, here only in N.T.) clinging to one like a sack, of mourners, suppliants, prophets leading austere lives (Matthew 3:4; Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13). Here the hair is that of the black goat (Isaiah 50:3). Cf. Joel 2:10; Ezekiel 32:7 f.; Isaiah 13:10; Mark 13:24 f. See Ecclesiastes 12:2 for eclipses treated as symbols of old age. Apocalyptic pictures all have celestial phenomena following earthquakes.
As blood (wv aima). In Acts 2:20 we find Peter interpreting the apocalyptic eschatological language of Joel 2:31 about the sun being turned into darkness and the moon into blood as pointing to the events of the day of Pentecost as also "the great day of the Lord." Peter's interpretation of Joel should make us cautious about too literal an exegesis of these grand symbols.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
2 John 1:12
Revelation 5:1
Revelation 6:1
Revelation 11:3
Revelation 11:13
Revelation 11:19
Revelation 16:18
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