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 to-morrow, and stand in the mountain, before Yahweh. And lo! Yahweh, passing by, and a great and strong wind - rending the mountains, and breaking in pieces the crags, before Yahweh, Not, in the wind, was, Yahweh, - And, after the wind, an, earthquake, Not, in the earthquake, was, Yahweh; And, after the earthquake, a, fire, Not, in the fire, was, Yahweh, - And, after the fire, the voice of a gentle whisper.
Then did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
For this cause, will we not fear, Though the earth showeth change, Or the mountains slip into the heart of the seas:
Who looketh at the earth, and it trembleth, He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, - of which (words) he had vision concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
For there will arise - nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, - and there will be famines and earthquakes, in places.
For there will arise - nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, - and there will be famines and earthquakes, in places.
But, straightway after the tribulation of those days, the sun, will be darkened, and, the moon, will not give her brightness, and, the stars, will fall from heaven, - and, the powers of the heavens, will be shaken;
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent;
And there came to be lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and, a great earthquake, took place, - such as had never taken place since men came to be on the earth, - such a mighty earthquake, so great; and the great city became divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and, Babylon the Great, was brought into remembrance before God, to give unto her 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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O Yahweh! When thou didst come forth out of Seir, When thou didst march along out of the field of Edom, Earth, trembled, Heaven also, poured forth, - Yea, dark clouds, poured forth waters;
And he said - Go forth to-morrow, and stand in the mountain, before Yahweh. And lo! Yahweh, passing by, and a great and strong wind - rending the mountains, and breaking in pieces the crags, before Yahweh, Not, in the wind, was, Yahweh, - And, after the wind, an, earthquake, Not, in the earthquake, was, Yahweh; And, after the earthquake, a, fire, Not, in the fire, was, Yahweh, - And, after the fire, the voice of a gentle whisper.
Then did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
The, voice of thy thunder, was in the whirlwind, Thy lightnings illumined the world, The earth, trembled and quaked;
His lightnings, have illumined, the world, The earth, hath seen, and hath trembled;
Who looketh at the earth, and it trembleth, He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.
For this cause, did the anger of Yahweh kindle upon his own people, And he stretched out his hand against them and smote them - So that the mountains, trembled, And, their dead bodies, served, for fuel in the midst of the streets. For all this, hath his anger, not turned back, But still, is his hand outstretched,
Mountains, have trembled because of him, and, the hills, have melted, - and the earth, hath lifted itself up, at his presence, the world also, and all who dwell therein.
He hath stood and measured the earth, he hath looked, and caused nations to tremble, and, scattered as dust, are the perpetual mountains, and, sunk, are the age-abiding hills, - Forthgoings age-abiding, are his.
Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
Now, the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things coming to pass, were violently affrighted, saying - Truly, God's Son, was, he!
And, suddenly, a great earthquake took place, - so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors were instantlyset open, and the bonds of all 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 Zeboim, and the king of Bela - the same, is Zoar.
But, if, a cremation, Yahweh create, and the ground open wide her mouth and swallow them up, with all that pertain unto them, and so they go down alive unto hades, then shall ye know, that these men have despised Yahweh. And it came to pass as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground which was under them, clave asunder; read more. and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up them, and their households, - and all the human beings who pertained unto Korah, with all their goods:
O Yahweh! When thou didst come forth out of Seir, When thou didst march along out of the field of Edom, Earth, trembled, Heaven also, poured forth, - Yea, dark clouds, poured forth waters;
And he said - Go forth to-morrow, and stand in the mountain, before Yahweh. And lo! Yahweh, passing by, and a great and strong wind - rending the mountains, and breaking in pieces the crags, before Yahweh, Not, in the wind, was, Yahweh, - And, after the wind, an, earthquake, Not, in the earthquake, was, Yahweh;
The, voice of thy thunder, was in the whirlwind, Thy lightnings illumined the world, The earth, trembled and quaked;
Who looketh at the earth, and it trembleth, He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.
The earth staggereth - staggereth like a drunken man, And rocketh to and fro like a night-hut, - So shall be heavy upon her, her transgression, And she shall fall and not again rise.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, - of which (words) he had vision concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Is it not, for this, that the land, shall tremble? and shall mourn every inhabitant therein? Shall it not come up - like the Nile, all of it, and be tossed and subside like the river of Egypt?
The mountains, have seen thee - they tremble, a downpour of waters, hath passed along, - the roaring deep, hath given forth, his voice, on high - his hand, hath he uplifted.
Yea his feet, shall stand, in that day, on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives, shall cleave asunder, from the midst thereof, towards the east and towards the west, an exceeding great valley, - and half of the mountain, shall give way, toward the north, and half of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
For there will arise - nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, - and there will be famines and earthquakes, in places.
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent; and, the tombs, were opened and, many bodies of the holy ones who had fallen asleep, arose, - read more. and, coming forth out of the tombs after his arising, entered into, the holy city, and plainly appeared unto many. Now, the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things coming to pass, were violently affrighted, saying - Truly, God's Son, was, he!
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, smoked, all over, because Yahweh had come down thereon in fire, - and the smoke thereof went up as the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain trembled exceedingly.
And it came to pass as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground which was under them, clave asunder;
Then did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
Earth, trembled, Yea, the heavens, dripped at the presence of God, - This Sinai - at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
The, voice of thy thunder, was in the whirlwind, Thy lightnings illumined the world, The earth, trembled and quaked;
Making His messengers, winds, His attendants, a flaming fire;
From Yahweh of hosts, shalt thou be visited, With thunder, and with earthquake and a great noise, hurricane and storm and flame of fire devouring;
The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, - of which (words) he had vision concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
For there will arise - nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, - and there will be famines and earthquakes, in places.
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent;
Now, the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things coming to pass, were violently affrighted, saying - Truly, God's Son, was, he!
And lo! a great commotion occurred, - for, a messenger of the Lord, descending out of heaven, and coming near, had rolled away the stone, and was sitting upon it.
For there will arise - Nation against nation, and, kingdom against kingdom, - there will be earthquakes in places, there will be famines: -
As well great earthquakes, as also, in places, pestilences and famines, will there be, as well objects of terror, as also, from heaven, great signs, will there be.
And, suddenly, a great earthquake took place, - so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors were instantlyset open, and the bonds of all 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 to-morrow, and stand in the mountain, before Yahweh. And lo! Yahweh, passing by, and a great and strong wind - rending the mountains, and breaking in pieces the crags, before Yahweh, Not, in the wind, was, Yahweh, - And, after the wind, an, earthquake, Not, in the earthquake, was, Yahweh; And, after the earthquake, a, fire, Not, in the fire, was, Yahweh, - And, after the fire, the voice of a gentle whisper.
But, when he became strong, uplifted was his heart, unto ruin, for he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God, - and entered into the temple of Yahweh, to burn incense upon the altar of incense. Then entered after him, Azariah the priest, - and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, sons of valour; read more. and they took their stand against Uzziah the king, and said unto him-It is not, for thee, O Uzziah, to burn incense unto Yahweh, but, for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are hallowed, to burn incense. Go forth out of the sanctuary, for thou hast acted unfaithfully, and, not to thee, for an honour, shall it be from Yahweh Elohim. Then was Uzziah wroth, and, in his hand, was a censer, to burn incense, - and, when he was wroth with the priests, a leprosy, shot forth in his forehead, before the priests, in the house of Yahweh, from off the altar of incense. When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned towards him, lo! he, was leprous, in his forehead, so they hastened him from thence, - yea, even he himself, hurried to go out, because Yahweh had smitten him. And it came to pass that, Uzziah the king, was a leper until the day of his death, and dwelt in a house apart - a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh, - and, Jotham his son, was over the house of the king, judging the people of the land.
From Yahweh of hosts, shalt thou be visited, With thunder, and with earthquake and a great noise, hurricane and storm and flame of fire devouring;
The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, - of which (words) he had vision concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
For there will arise - nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, - and there will be famines and earthquakes, in places.
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent;
Now, the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things coming to pass, were violently affrighted, saying - Truly, God's Son, was, he!
And lo! a great commotion occurred, - for, a messenger of the Lord, descending out of heaven, and coming near, had rolled away the stone, and was sitting upon it.
For there will arise - Nation against nation, and, kingdom against kingdom, - there will be earthquakes in places, there will be famines: -
As well great earthquakes, as also, in places, pestilences and famines, will there be, as well objects of terror, as also, from heaven, great signs, will there be.
And, suddenly, a great earthquake took place, - so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors were instantlyset open, and the bonds of all were unfastened.
And I saw, when he opened the sixth seal, that a, great earthquake, took place; and, the sun, became black as sackcloth of hair, and, the full moon, became as blood,
And the messenger at once took the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast unto the earth; and there came to be thunderings, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
And, in that hour, there came to be a great earthquake; and, the tenth of the city, fell, and there were slain, in the earthquake, names of men - seven thousand. And, the rest, became, greatly afraid, and gave glory unto the God of heaven.
And the sanctuary of God which is in heaven, was opened, and the ark of his covenant in his sanctuary, appeared, and there came to be lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
And there came to be lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and, a great earthquake, took place, - such as had never taken place since men came to be on the earth, - such a mighty 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 her mouth, and swallowed up them, and their households, - and all the human beings who pertained unto Korah, with all their goods:
Yea his feet, shall stand, in that day, on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives, shall cleave asunder, from the midst thereof, towards the east and towards the west, an exceeding great valley, - and half of the mountain, shall give way, toward the north, and half of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent;
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent; and, the tombs, were opened and, many bodies of the holy ones who had fallen asleep, arose, - read more. and, coming forth out of the tombs after his arising, entered into, the holy city, and plainly appeared unto many. Now, the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things coming to pass, were violently affrighted, saying - Truly, God's Son, was, he!
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 did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
For this cause, will we not fear, Though the earth showeth change, Or the mountains slip into the heart of the seas:
The mountains, started like rams, The hills like the young of the flock?
The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, - of which (words) he had vision concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Then shall ye flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains, shall reach, very near, Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, - Then, shall arrive, Yahweh my God, All thy holy ones, with thee!
And lo! the veil of the Temple, was rent, from top to bottom, into two; and, the earth, was shaken, and, the rocks, were rent;
And the centurion, beholding that which came to pass, began to glorify God, saying - In very deed, this man, was, righteous.