Reference: Earthquake
American
A convulsion of the earth common in volcanic regions, and well known in all parts of the world; probably occasioned by the action of internal heat or fire. Scripture speaks of several earthquakes, Nu 16; 1Ki 19:11-12. One occurred in the twenty-seventh year of Uzziah king of Judah, and is mentioned in Am 1:1; Zec 14:5. A very memorable earthquake was that at our Savior's death, Mt 27:51, which some suppose extended throughout the world. Palestine has been often visited by earthquakes. So late as 1837 one occurred in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee, by which about a third part of Tiberias was destroyed, and thousands of people perished there and in the towns near by. Earthquakes were among the calamities foretold as connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, Mt 24:7; and history proves the truth of the prediction.
The word earthquake is also used figuratively to denote God's power and wrath, as in Ps 18:7; 46:2; 104:32, etc.; and as an emblem of a great civil or national catastrophe, Mt 24:7,29; Re 16:18-19.
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And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before LORD. And, behold, LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before LORD, but LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind a And after the earthquake a fire, but LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice.
Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken because he was angry.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth changes, and though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas,
who looks on the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
But straightaway after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. And the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
And there occurred lightnings, and thunders, and voices. And a great earthquake occurred, such as did not happen from that time men came to be upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, so great. And the great city became in three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And the great Babylon was remembered before God, to give to it the cup of the wine of the wrath of his anger.
Easton
mentioned among the extraordinary phenomena of Palestine (Ps 18:7; comp. Hab 3:6; Na 1:5; Isa 5:25).
The first earthquake in Palestine of which we have any record happened in the reign of Ahab (1Ki 19:11-12). Another took place in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah (Zec 14:5). The most memorable earthquake taking place in New Testament times happened at the crucifixion of our Lord (Mt 27:54). An earthquake at Philippi shook the prison in which Paul and Silas were imprisoned (Ac 16:26).
It is used figuratively as a token of the presence of the Lord (Jg 5:4; 2Sa 22:8; Ps 77:18; 97:4; 104:32).
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LORD, when thou went forth out of Seir, when thou marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped water.
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before LORD. And, behold, LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before LORD, but LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind a And after the earthquake a fire, but LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice.
Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken because he was angry.
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind. The lightnings lightened the world. The earth trembled and shook.
who looks on the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
Therefore the anger of LORD is kindled against his people, and he has stretched forth his hand against them, and has smitten them. And the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all
The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is up heaved at his presence. Yea, the world, and all who dwell therein.
He stood, and measured the earth. He beheld, and drove apart the nations. And the eternal mountains were scattered. The everlasting hills bowed. His goings were [as] of old.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
And suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so as for the foundations of the prison to shake. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bonds of all the men were unfastened.
Fausets
Traces of volcanic agency abound in Palestine. Yet the only recorded earthquake is that in Uzziah's reign (Am 1:1). It must have been a terrible one, since two and a half centuries later it was still being made an epoch in Zec 14:5; his sin in the spiritual world was connected with the convulsion in the natural world. Such physical signs and premonitory upheavals shall accompany the closing conflict between the powers of light and darkness (Isa 24:20; Zec 14:4; Mt 24:7). Also that in 1Ki 19:11. The awe it inspires made it an accompaniment attributed to Jehovah's presence (Jg 5:4; 2Sa 22:8; Ps 77:18; 104:32; Am 8:8; Hab 3:10). The valley of Siddim, S. of the Dead Sea, probably subsided owing to an earthquake. Bela is so-called ("swallowed up") from having been engulfed by an earthquake, as Dathan and Abiram were (Nu 16:30-32; Ge 14:2).
The miraculous darkness and earthquake at our Lord's death (Mt 27:51-54) agree with the natural fact of darkness often accompanying earthquakes. The Jordan Valley, with a lower and a lower valley, the sulphurous and bituminous neighborhood of the Dead Sea, the lava, pumice stones, and hot springs, the crater like depression of the Dead Sea, 1,300 ft. below the Mediterranean level, and 3,500 ft. below Jerusalem, only 20 miles away (the deepest depression on the earth), its basaltic columns, disturbed strata, and numerous crevices, all betoken action of volcanoes and earthquakes. The line of earthquakes extends from Hebron and Jerusalem to Baalbek and Aleppo, from S.W. to N.E., following the central chain of Syria, parallel to the Jordan Valley, and terminating in the volcanic slope of Taurus on the N. and in the mountains of Arabia Petrea on the S.
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that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar).
But if LORD makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that pertains to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then ye shall understand that these men have despised LORD. And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split asunder that was under them, read more. and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that pertained to Korah, and all their goods.
LORD, when thou went forth out of Seir, when thou marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped water.
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before LORD. And, behold, LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before LORD, but LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind a
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind. The lightnings lightened the world. The earth trembled and shook.
who looks on the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock. And the transgression of it shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells therein? Yea, it shall rise up wholly like the River, and it shall be troubled and sink again like the River of Egypt.
The mountains saw thee, and were afraid. The tempest of waters passed by. The deep uttered its voice, and lifted up its hands on high.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the mount of Olives shall be split in the midst of it toward the east and toward the west, a very great valley. And half of t And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split, and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the sanctified who have been asleep arose. read more. And having come forth out of the sepulchers after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Hastings
The whole formation of the country running in a straight line from the Taurus range to the gulf of Akabah, which therefore includes Central Jud
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And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because LORD descended upon it in fire, and the smoke of it ascended as the smoke of a furnace. And the whole mount quaked greatly.
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split asunder that was under them,
Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken because he was angry.
the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God, Sinai at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind. The lightnings lightened the world. The earth trembled and shook.
who makes his [heavenly] agents spirits, his ministers a flame of fire,
She shall be visited by LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
And behold, a great earthquake occurred, for an agent of Lord, having descended from heaven, having come, he rolled the stone away from the door and sat upon it.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginnings of travails.
And great earthquakes will be in various places, and famines and plagues. And there will be fearful sights and great signs from the sky.
And suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so as for the foundations of the prison to shake. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bonds of all the men were unfastened.
Morish
The first earthquake mentioned is when Elijah was told to stand before the Lord. There passed by a strong wind that rent the rocks, then an earthquake, and fire; but the Lord was not in the earthquake, nor in the fire; but in a still small voice: a lesson for Elijah when he was thinking much of himself. 1Ki 19:11-12. In the days of Uzziah there was a great earthquake, from which the people fled. Am 1:1; Zec 14:5. Josephus (Ant. ix. 10, 4) states that this happened when the king went into the temple and was struck with leprosy. 2Ch 26:16-21.
There was an earthquake at the death of the Lord, and the rocks were rent, which drew from the centurion the saying, "Truly this was the Son of God." Mt 27:51,54. There was also a great earthquake at the resurrection of the Lord. Mt 28:2. When Paul and Barnabas were in the prison at Philippi there was a great earthquake that shook the prison, which led to the conversion of the jailer. Ac 16:26. Josephus (Ant. xv. 5, 2) relates the particulars of a dreadful earthquake in Palestine about B.C. 31, when as many as 10,000 of the inhabitants lost their lives.
In the future judgements on the earth, earthquakes are often mentioned. Isa 29:6; Mt 24:7; Mr 13:8; Lu 21:11; Re 6:12; 8:5; 11:13,19; 16:18. Symbolically they point to the upheaval of the lower masses of society, overthrowing the social system either partially or entirely.
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And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before LORD. And, behold, LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before LORD, but LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind a And after the earthquake a fire, but LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice.
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against LORD his God. For he went into the temple of LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of LORD, who were valiant men. read more. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, It does not pertain to thee, Uzziah, to burn incense to LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary. For thou have tre Then Uzziah was angry. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of LORD, beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead. And they thrust him out quickly from there. Yea, he himself also hastened to go out, because LORD had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper. For he was cut off from the house of LORD, and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.
She shall be visited by LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
And behold, a great earthquake occurred, for an agent of Lord, having descended from heaven, having come, he rolled the stone away from the door and sat upon it.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginnings of travails.
And great earthquakes will be in various places, and famines and plagues. And there will be fearful sights and great signs from the sky.
And suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so as for the foundations of the prison to shake. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bonds of all the men were unfastened.
And I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred, and the sun became black as hairy sackcloth, and the whole moon became as blood.
And the agent who took the censer, also filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it to the earth. And there occurred thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
And in that day a great earthquake occurred, and the tenth part of the city fell. And seven thousand names of men were killed in the earthquake. And the rest became afraid, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord was seen in his temple. And there occurred lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and great hail.
And there occurred lightnings, and thunders, and voices. And a great earthquake occurred, such as did not happen from that time men came to be upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, so great.
Smith
Earthquake.
Earthquakes, more or less violent, are of frequent occurrence in Palestine. The most remarkable occurred in the reign of Uzziah.
From
we are led to infer that a great convulsion took place at this time in the Mount of Olives, the mountain being split so as to leave a valley between its summit. An earthquake occurred at the time of our Saviour's crucifixion.
Earthquakes are not unfrequently accompanied by fissures of the earth's surface; instances of this are recorded in connection with the destruction of Korah and his company,
and at the time of our Lord's death,
the former may be paralleled by a similar occurrence at Oppido in Calabria A.D. 1783, where the earth opened to the extent of five hundred and a depth of more than two hundred feet.
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and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that pertained to Korah, and all their goods.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the mount of Olives shall be split in the midst of it toward the east and toward the west, a very great valley. And half of t And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split, and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the sanctified who have been asleep arose. read more. And having come forth out of the sepulchers after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Watsons
EARTHQUAKE. The Scripture speaks of several earthquakes. One happened in the twenty-seventh year of Uzziah, king of Judah, in the year of the world 3221. This is mentioned in Am 1:1, and in Zec 14:5. Josephus says that its violence divided a mountain, which lay west of Jerusalem, and drove one part of it four furlongs. A very memorable earthquake is that which happened at our Saviour's death, Mt 27:51. Many have thought that this was perceived throughout the world. Others are of opinion that it was felt only in Judea, or even in the temple at Jerusalem. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, that the rocks upon mount Calvary were shown in his time, which had been rent asunder by this earthquake. Maundrell and Sandys testify the same, and say that they examined the breaches in the rock, and were convinced that they were the effects of an earthquake. It must have been terrible, since the centurion and those with him were so affected by it, as to acknowledge the innocence of our Saviour, Lu 23:47. Phlegon, Adrian's freedman, relates that, together with the eclipse, which happened at noon day, in the fourth year of the two hundred and second Olympiad, or A.D. 33, a very great earthquake was also felt, principally in Bithynia. The effects of God's power, wrath, and vengeance are compared to earthquakes, Ps 18:7; 46:2; 114:4. An earthquake signifies also, in prophetic language, the dissolution of governments and the overthrow of states.
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Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken because he was angry.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth changes, and though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas,
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
And when the centurion saw that which happened, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this man was righteous.