Job 9:5-6
he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble;
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It’s easy to read "they know not" as referring to Job's inability to comprehend God's actions. But the text strongly suggests it means God's actions are so sudden and immense, like earthquakes, that the mountains themselves are removed without any warning or awareness. This highlights God's power to utterly transform the world in an instant, without regard for human perception or anticipation.
Job is desperately trying to grasp why God, who wields such immense and awe-inspiring power over creation, would even bother to contend with him. He's describing God's ability to dramatically alter the physical world, like causing earthquakes that shift mountains in an instant without warning, all in response to His displeasure with humanity. This sets the stage for Job's ongoing struggle to understand God's justice when faced with such overwhelming power.
How can something as massive as a mountain just disappear? Job describes God's power not just as immense, but as swift and unnoticed by us.
Job uses the imagery of mountains being removed and overturned to illustrate God's incredible power. The phrase 'and they know not' emphasizes the suddenness and unexpected nature of God's actions.
Unseen Operations
This isn't about God needing a spotlight. It's about His ability to enact monumental changes seemingly in the blink of an eye, before we even grasp what's happening. Think of massive geological events – earthquakes that reshape landscapes, volcanic eruptions that bury cities. These forces are immense, and often their most destructive moments happen without warning.
A Divine Hebraism
In Hebrew thought, 'they know not' is a way to express that something happens so quickly and unexpectedly that there's no time for awareness or preparation. It highlights the sheer, unfathomable speed and efficacy of God's power, which operates on a scale beyond human comprehension.
Job doesn't just see God's power as neutral; he connects it to divine emotion. What does it mean for God to overturn mountains 'in his anger'?
Job links the dramatic upheaval of mountains directly to God's 'anger.' This isn't about petty human frustration, but about God's righteous and holy opposition to evil and injustice.
The Trembling Earth
When the earth shakes and mountains move, Job sees this not as random chance, but as a deliberate act stemming from God's displeasure. It's a powerful, visceral image of divine judgment and the terrifying reality of encountering God's wrath against sin.
Implications for Us
While we are called to reflect God's love, understanding that God also possesses righteous anger is crucial. It underscores the seriousness of sin and the profound need for His mercy and intervention. This isn't a God who is indifferent to wrongdoing; His power is mobilized against it.
Understand the original words
aph · Hebrew Noun
The divine emotion of displeasure or righteous indignation against sin, ungodliness, or opposition; it is God’s settled, holy reaction against that which violates His nature.
ragaz · Hebrew Verb
An act of God, often manifesting His power in creation or judgment, causing the foundations of the world to move or react to His presence.
ammud · Hebrew Noun
Metaphorical or literal supports of the earth, often representing the stability of the created order, which rests entirely upon the sustaining power of God.
Job's description of God removing mountains isn't just poetic imagery; it draws on a deep cultural memory of terrifying, sudden, and landscape-altering earthquakes, highlighting the incomprehensible power of God in the face of human fragility.
c. 2000 BC
Bronze Age Earthquakes
Significant seismic activity occurred during this period, impacting the landscape and potentially causing events that later generations would interpret as mountains being moved or overturned.
c. 1400 BC
Minoan Eruption's Aftermath
The colossal eruption of Thera (Santorini) caused widespread devastation and tsunamis across the Aegean, radically altering coastlines and landmasses, an event that would have been remembered and discussed for centuries.
c. 1000 BC - 600 BC
Biblical Accounts of Divine Power
Throughout this era, biblical authors documented God's immense power through natural phenomena, including earthquakes and the movement of mountains, in texts like Psalms and Isaiah, shaping the cultural understanding of divine might.
c. 600 BC— this verse
Job's Traditional Setting
While Job's exact historical placement is debated, many scholars place the story's origins in the patriarchal period, with the events and theological discussions reflecting a worldview familiar with cataclysmic natural events.
This passage describes mountains trembling and shaking because of God's presence and power, directly echoing the imagery of God's overwhelming force demonstrated in Job 9:5.
Psalm 114:4-6These verses poetically portray mountains leaping and hills quaking before the Lord, providing a parallel depiction of the natural world responding dramatically to God's might, just as Job describes.
Isaiah 40:12This verse speaks of God measuring the waters and determining the size of mountains, highlighting His sovereign control over the very foundations of the earth, reinforcing the power Job attributes to Him.
Jeremiah 4:24-26This prophecy vividly describes mountains quaking and hills in turmoil as a result of God's judgment, showing how natural upheaval is linked to divine anger, similar to Job's portrayal.
Matthew 17:20Jesus' teaching about faith moving mountains, though metaphorical for overcoming obstacles, connects to the literal power of God over mountains that Job is discussing, showing the scale of divine capability.
clarkeJob 9:5: "Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger."
Removeth the mountains, and they know not - This seems to refer to earthquakes. By those strong convulsions, mountains, valleys, hills, even whole islands, are removed in an instant; and to this latter circumstance the words, they know not, most probably refer. The work is done in the twinkling of an eye; no warning is given; the mountain, that seemed to be as firm as the earth on which it rested, w…
barnesJob 9:5: "Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger."
Which removeth the mountains - In order to show how vain it was to contend with God, Job refers to some exhibitions of his power and greatness. The "removal of the mountains" here denotes the changes which occur in earthquakes and other violent convulsions of nature. This illustration of the power of God is often referred to in the Scriptures; compare Judges 5:5 ; 1 Kings 19:11 ; Psalm 65:6 ; Psalm…
It’s easy to read "they know not" as referring to Job's inability to comprehend God's actions. But the text strongly suggests it means God's actions are so sudden and immense, like earthquakes, that the mountains themselves are removed without any warning or awareness. This highlights God's power to utterly transform the world in an instant, without regard for human perception or anticipation.
Job is desperately trying to grasp why God, who wields such immense and awe-inspiring power over creation, would even bother to contend with him. He's describing God's ability to dramatically alter the physical world, like causing earthquakes that shift mountains in an instant without warning, all in response to His displeasure with humanity. This sets the stage for Job's ongoing struggle to understand God's justice when faced with such overwhelming power.
Job is desperately trying to grasp why God, who wields such immense and awe-inspiring power over creation, would even bother to contend with him. He's describing God's ability to dramatically alter the physical world, like causing earthquakes that shift mountains in an instant without warning, all in response to His displeasure with humanity. This sets the stage for Job's ongoing struggle to understand God's justice when faced with such overwhelming power.
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c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians represented a monumental upheaval for the people of Judah, shaking their understanding of God's covenant and presence, and often described in terms of God's wrath.
"he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble;" — It’s easy to read "they know not" as referring to Job's inability to comprehend God's actions. But the text strongly suggests it means God's actions are so sudden and immense, like earthquakes, that…
