Job 9:5

5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger;

Job 9:5 Meaning and Commentary

Job 9:5

Which removeth the mountains
This and what follow are instances of the power of God, and are full proofs of his being mighty in strength; and may be understood, either literally, not only of what God is able to do if he will, but of what he has done; and history ^F25 furnishes us with instances of mountains being removed from one place to another; and Scheuchzer ^F26 makes mention of a village in Helvetia, called Plurium, which, in 1618, was covered with the sudden fall of a mountain, and swallowed up in the earth, with 1800 inhabitants, and not the least trace of it to be seen any more; and in the sacred Scriptures is a prediction of the mount of Olives being removed from its place, one half to the north and the other to the south, ( Zechariah 14:4 ) ; and Josephus ^F1 gives a relation much like it, as in fact; besides, Job may have respect to what had been done in his times, or before them, and particularly at the universal deluge, which covered the tops of the highest mountains and hills, and very probably washed away some from their places: or else it may be understood proverbially, of the Lord's doing things marvellous and surprising, and which are impossible and impracticable with men; see ( Matthew 17:20 ) ( 1 Corinthians 13:2 ) ; or rather figuratively, of kingdoms and mighty kings, as the Targum, comparable to mountains for their height and strength, who yet are removed by God at his pleasure; see ( Zechariah 4:7 ) ( Revelation 16:20 ) ;

and they know not;
when they are removed, and how it is done; it is imperceptible; either the mountains are not sensible of it, or the inhabitants of the mountains, as Bar Tzemach; or men, the common sort of men, the multitude, as Gersom: R. Saadiah Gaon interprets it of removing the men of the mountains, and they know it not:

which overturneth them in his anger;
for the sins or men, which was the case of the old world: Mr. Broughton renders it, "that men cannot mark how he hath removed them out of their place in his anger".

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 83. Wernerus, Palmerius, Theophanes "a aurus", in Bolduc. in loc.
F26 Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 673.
F1 Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 4.

Job 9:5 In-Context

3 If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times.

4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength--who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? --

5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger;

6 who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble;

7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars;