'Mountains' in the Bible

On the seventeenth day of the seventh month [five months after the rain began], the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat [in Turkey].

When they had brought them outside, one [of the angels] said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, or stop anywhere in the entire valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], or you will be consumed and swept away.”

Please listen, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness (mercy) to me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, because the disaster will overtake me and I will be killed.

God said, “Take now your son, your only son [of promise], whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil [intent] their God brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from Your burning anger and change Your mind about harming Your people.

Balaam took up his [first] discourse (oracle) and said:“Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram (Syria),from the mountains of the east, [saying,]‘Come, curse [the descendants of] Jacob for me;And come, [violently] denounce Israel.’

They moved out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before [Mount] Nebo.

They moved out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho [their last stop on the journey to Canaan].

You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green [leafy] tree.

‘For a fire is kindled by My anger,And it burns to the depths of Sheol (the place of the dead, the nether world),It devours the earth with its yield,And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

“With the best things of the ancient mountains,And with the precious things of the everlasting hills,

“The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord,Yes, this Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

The [powerful] hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens (hideouts) which were in the mountains, and the caves and the [mountain] strongholds.

When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops.” But Zebul said to him, “You are only seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.”

And she said to her father, “Let this one thing be done for me; let me alone for two months, so that I may go to the mountains and weep over my virginity, I and my companions.”

And he said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept over her virginity on the mountains.

Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as when one hunts a [defenseless] partridge in the mountains.”

“O mountains of Gilboa,Let not dew or rain be upon you, nor fields with offerings;For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,The shield of Saul, [dry, cracked] not anointed with oil.

So He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

‘Through your messengers you have taunted and defied the Lord,And have said [boastfully], “With my many chariotsI came up to the heights of the mountains,To the remotest parts of Lebanon;I cut down its tall cedar trees and its choicest cypress trees.I entered its most distant lodging, its densest forest.

Courageous men from the Gadites came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains.

Then Micaiah said,“I saw all [the people of] IsraelScattered on the mountains,As sheep that have no shepherd;And the Lord said,‘These have no master.Let each one return to his house in peace.’”

“It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it,When He overturns them in His anger;

“They are wet from the rain of the mountainsAnd cling to the rock for lack of shelter.

“Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock;He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].

“He explores the mountains as his pastureAnd searches after every green thing.

“Surely the mountains bring him food,And all the wild animals play there.

Then the earth shook and quaked,The foundations of the mountains trembled;They were shaken because He was indignant and angry.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,Your judgments are like the great deep.O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should changeAnd though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas,

Though its waters roar and foam,Though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.

“For every beast of the forest is Mine,And the cattle on a thousand hills.

“I know every bird of the mountains,And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

Who creates the mountains by His strength,Being clothed with power,

Why do you look with envy, mountains with many peaks,At the mountain [of the city of Zion] which God has desired for His dwelling place?Yes, the Lord will dwell there forever.

The mountains will bring peace and prosperity to the people,And the hills, in [the establishment of] righteousness.

There will be an abundance of grain in the soil on the top of the mountains;Its fruit will wave like [the cedars of] Lebanon,And those of the city will flourish like grass of the earth.

You are glorious and resplendent,More majestic than the mountains of prey.

The mountains were covered with its shadow,And its branches were like the cedars of God.

Like fire consumes the forest,And like the flame sets the mountains on fire,

Before the mountains were bornOr before You had given birth to the earth and the world,Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.

You covered it with the deep as with a garment;The waters were standing above the mountains.

The mountains rose, the valleys sank downTo the place which You established for them.

You send springs into the valleys;Their waters flow among the mountains.

He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

The high mountains are for the wild goats;The rocks are a refuge for the shephanim.

He looks at the earth, and it trembles;He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

The mountains leaped like rams,The [little] hills, like lambs.

O mountains, that you leap like rams,O [little] hills, like lambs?

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,So the Lord surrounds His peopleFrom this time forth and forever.

Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.

Who covers the heavens with clouds,Who provides rain for the earth,Who makes grass grow on the mountains.

Mountains and all hills;Fruitful trees and all cedars;

“Before the mountains were settled,Before the hills, I was born;

Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest,So is a faithful messenger to those who send him;For he refreshes the life of his masters.

(The Shulammite Bride)“Listen! My beloved!Behold, he comes,Climbing on the mountains,Leaping and running on the hills!

“Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,Return quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelleOr a young stag on the mountains of Bether [which separate us].” Cross references: Song of Solomon 2:6 : Deut 33:27; Matt 28:20 Song of Solomon 2:8 : John 10:27 Song of Solomon 2:16 : Matt 10:32; Acts 4:12 end of crossrefs

“Come away with me from Lebanon, my [promised] bride,May you come with me from Lebanon.Journey down from the top of Amana,From the summit of Senir and Hermon,From the dens of lions,From the mountains of leopards.

(The Shulammite Bride)“Hurry, my beloved and come quickly,Like a gazelle or a young stag [taking me home]On the mountains of spices.”

Now it will come to pass thatIn the last daysThe mountain of the house of the LordWill be [firmly] established as the highest of the mountains,And will be exalted above the hills;And all the nations will stream to it.

Against all the high mountains,Against all the hills that are lifted up,

Therefore the anger of the Lord has burned against His people,And He has stretched out His hand against them and has struck them down.And the mountains trembled, and their dead bodies lay like rubbish in the middle of the streets.In spite of all this God’s anger is not turned away,But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].

A sound of tumult on the mountains,Like that of many people!A sound of the uproar of the kingdoms,Of nations gathered together!The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle.

to break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains I will trample him underfoot. Then the Assyrian’s yoke will be removed from them (the people of Judah) and his burden removed from their shoulder.

The nations roar on like the roaring of many waters,But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away,And be chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind,Or like whirling dust before the storm.

All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth,When a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it!When a trumpet is blown, you will hear it!

They (warriors) will be left together for the mountain birds of prey,And for the beasts of the earth;And the birds of prey will [spend the] summer feeding on them,And all the beasts of the earth will spend harvest time on them.

For the Lord God of hosts has a day of panic and of tumult, of trampling, of confusionIn the Valley of Vision,A [day of] breaking down wallsAnd a crying [for help] to the mountain.

So their slain will be thrown out,And the stench of their corpses will rise,And the mountains will flow with their blood.

“Through your servants you have taunted and defied the Lord,And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,To the remotest parts of Lebanon.I cut down its tallest cedars and its choicest cypress trees;And I will go to its remotest height, its most luxuriant and thickest forest.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand],And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure,And weighed the mountains in a balanceAnd the hills in a pair of scales?

“In fact, I have made of you a new, sharp threshing implement with sharp edges;You will thresh the mountains and crush them,And make the hills like chaff.

Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,The villages where Kedar lives.Let the inhabitants of Sela shout for joy,Let them shout joyfully from the tops of the mountains.

“I will lay waste the mountains and hillsAnd wither all their vegetation;I will turn the rivers into coastlandsAnd dry up the ponds.

Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!Shout in triumph, you depths of the earth;Break forth into jubilant rejoicing, you mountains,O forest, and every tree in it!For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,And He shows His glory in Israel.

“I will go before you and level the mountains;I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

“And I will make all My mountains a roadway,And My highways will be raised.

Shout for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,And break forth into singing, O mountains!For the Lord has comforted His peopleAnd will have compassion on His afflicted.

How beautiful and delightful on the mountainsAre the feet of him who brings good news,Who announces peace,Who brings good news of good [things],Who announces salvation,Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

“For you will go out [from exile] with joyAnd be led forth [by the Lord Himself] with peace;The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down,That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

When You did awesome and amazing things which we did not expect,You came down [at Sinai]; the mountains quaked at Your presence.

Both your own wickedness and the wickedness of your fathers,” says the Lord.“Since they too have made offerings with incense on the mountainsAnd scorned and taunted Me on the hills,I therefore will measure [punishment for] their former work [directly] into their arms.”

“I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,And an heir of My mountains from Judah;Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,And My servants will live there.

“Truly, [the hope of salvation from] the hill [where idols are worshiped] is a deception,A tumult and noisy multitude on the mountains;Truly in the Lord our GodIs the salvation of Israel.

I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were trembling,And all the hills moved back and forth.

“I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains,And a [funeral] dirge for the pastures of the wilderness,Because they are burned up and desolated so that no one passes through [them];Nor can anyone hear the lowing of cattle.Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they are gone.

Give glory to the Lord your God,Before He brings darknessAnd before your feet stumbleOn the dark and shadowy mountains,And while you are longing for lightHe turns it into the shadow of death,And makes it into thick darkness.

“Go up [north] to Lebanon and cry out,And raise your voice in [the hills of] Bashan [across the Jordan];Cry out also from Abarim,For all your lovers (allies) have been destroyed.

“Again you will plant vineyardsOn the mountains of Samaria;The planters will plantAnd enjoy the [abundant] fruit [in peace].

“As I live,” says the King,Whose name is the Lord of hosts,“Surely like Tabor among the mountainsOr like Carmel by the sea,So shall he [the great king of Babylon] come.

“My people have become lost sheep;Their shepherds have led them astray.They have made them turn aside [to the seductive places of idolatry] on the mountains.They have gone along [from one sin to another] from mountain to hill;They have forgotten their [own] resting place.

Our pursuers were swifterThan the eagles of the sky;They pursued us on the mountains,They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.

“Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them,

and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places [of idolatrous worship],

Then you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every leafy tree and under every oak with thick branches, the places where they offered sweet incense and a soothing aroma to all their idols.

Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land; the time has come, the day is near—tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains.

Even when their survivors escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each over his [punishment for] sin.

and does not eat [at the pagan shrines] on the mountains or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her [monthly] time of impurity—