Jeremiah 4:24 kjv
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
Jeremiah 4:24 nkjv
I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth.
Jeremiah 4:24 niv
I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.
Jeremiah 4:24 esv
I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro.
Jeremiah 4:24 nlt
I looked at the mountains and hills,
and they trembled and shook.
Jeremiah 4 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 19:18 | Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke...and the whole mountain trembled | Sinai trembled at God's presence and law |
| Deut 32:22 | For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. | God's consuming wrath against unfaithfulness |
| Ps 18:7 | Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the mountains trembled and quaked because he was angry. | Creation trembles before God's wrath |
| Ps 46:2-3 | Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way...though the mountains totter into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble. | Stability found in God despite cosmic upheaval |
| Ps 75:3 | When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. | God is the ultimate sustainer of order |
| Ps 97:4-5 | His lightnings lighten the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD. | Cosmic response to God's presence |
| Isa 2:19 | They shall go into the caves of the rocks...before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. | Men hide during God's terrifying judgment |
| Isa 13:13 | Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD. | God's wrath shakes creation during judgment |
| Isa 24:19-20 | The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart...The earth staggers like a drunken man... | Earth's extreme disruption under judgment |
| Isa 34:4 | All the host of heaven shall rot away...the heavens will vanish like a scroll rolling up...all their host will fall. | Celestial bodies dissolve during judgment |
| Joel 2:10 | The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened. | Cosmic signs accompanying a day of judgment |
| Nah 1:5 | The mountains quake before him; the hills melt...the earth heaves before him. | God's power causes nature to dissolve |
| Hab 3:6 | He stood and measured the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble...the ancient mountains crumbled. | God's power over nations and nature |
| Hag 2:6-7 | For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth. | God promises to shake all things |
| Matt 24:7 | Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes. | Signs of the end times, includes physical quakes |
| Heb 12:26 | At Sinai His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." | God's shaking power, ultimate final judgment |
| Rev 6:14 | The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. | Eschatological shaking of creation |
| Rev 16:20 | And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. | Extreme removal of natural features |
| Jer 4:23 | I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and empty. | Links to chaos imagery of creation |
| Gen 1:2 | The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. | Recalling tohu wa-bohu, primordial chaos |
| Zep 1:2-3 | "I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. | Utter devastation during judgment |
Jeremiah 4 verses
Jeremiah 4 24 Meaning
Jeremiah 4:24 depicts the prophet Jeremiah experiencing a terrifying vision of cosmic upheaval, where the most stable elements of creation – the mountains and hills – are profoundly disturbed. This imagery communicates an unparalleled divine judgment causing the very foundations of the earth to tremble and become unstable, signaling a reversal of creation itself into primordial chaos. It emphasizes the absolute power of God and the terrifying consequences of Judah's unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 4 24 Context
Jeremiah chapter 4 describes a severe and imminent judgment upon Judah due to their idolatry and unfaithfulness. Following initial calls to repentance (Jer 4:1-4), the prophet warns of an impending invasion from the North, bringing devastation upon the land. Jeremiah's prophetic burden grows heavy, filled with lament for his people (Jer 4:19-21). Verses 23-26 present a climactic, apocalyptic vision, depicting a de-creation or a return to primordial chaos, where the natural order is completely reversed. Verse 24 is part of this powerful vision, illustrating the sheer magnitude of the impending destruction as not merely political or military but cosmic in scale, foreshadowing a judgment that shakes the very fabric of existence. Historically, this points towards the Babylonian invasions leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
Jeremiah 4 24 Word analysis
- I beheld: ra'iti (רָאִיתִי). A firsthand account of Jeremiah's prophetic vision, not merely intellectual understanding but a vivid, direct spiritual sight. It implies the deep, personal impact of God's message on the prophet.
- the mountains: hārîm (הָרִים). Hebrew plural of har, referring to large, enduring, and stable natural formations, often symbolic of permanence and strength in Scripture. Their disturbance emphasizes the severity and unshakeable nature of the impending judgment.
- and, lo: wəhinneh (וְהִנֵּה). An interjection drawing immediate attention to something startling, sudden, and significant. It heightens the dramatic impact of the vision, much like "behold!" or "look!"
- they trembled: ḥārədû (חָרְדוּ). From the root ḥārad (חרד), meaning to tremble, quake, be afraid, be startled. It denotes a shaking caused by fear, terror, or deep disturbance. Here, the mountains are depicted as responding with terror or agitation to the divine judgment.
- and all: wəkol (וְכָל). An inclusive term, emphasizing the universal scope of the disturbance across all such formations.
- the hills: haggəvā‘ôṯ (הַגְּבָעוֹת). Hebrew plural of giv'a (גִּבְעָה), meaning smaller elevations or rounded hills. Their inclusion indicates that no part of the seemingly stable landscape is immune from this divine shaking.
- moved lightly: hithqāləlû (הִתְקַלְקְלוּ). From the root qālal (קלל), which means to be light, swift, or (in reflexive forms) to shake, reel, or move violently/convulsively. It is sometimes translated as "reeling to and fro" or "swayed violently," implying an extreme dislodgement and instability, as if intoxicated. This is not a gentle movement, but a profound and disturbing disequilibrium, highlighting the earth's response to God's mighty presence and judgment.
- I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled; and all the hills moved lightly: This phrase paints a picture of complete cosmic disarray. The most stable elements of the earth are shaken to their core, symbolizing a collapse of order. This imagery harkens back to primeval chaos (Gen 1:2) where nothing was settled, foreshadowing God's undoing of the creation's order due to sin. The active participation of the landscape (trembling, moving) signifies an inescapable, all-encompassing divine intervention that impacts even the inanimate. It shows the earth's visceral reaction to the powerful wrath of God.
Jeremiah 4 24 Bonus section
The intense cosmic imagery in Jeremiah 4:23-26, including the shaking mountains and hills, is a strong example of "dark hyperboles" in biblical prophecy. While it directly anticipates the utter desolation of Judah by Babylon, it simultaneously speaks to God's ultimate power over all creation and forms a theological bridge to future, ultimate judgments. This "undoing" of creation anticipates the final eschatological judgments where not only earth but heavens will be shaken (Heb 12:26-29), revealing the perishable nature of the current cosmic order and pointing towards the necessity of a new heavens and new earth. The terrifying vision serves to shock the audience into recognizing the gravity of their sin and the immense power of the Holy One of Israel.
Jeremiah 4 24 Commentary
Jeremiah 4:24 serves as a dramatic prophetic depiction of God's severe judgment, rendered in the most potent terms of cosmic unraveling. By portraying mountains trembling and hills reeling, the verse illustrates a reversal of the natural order, suggesting that nothing is impervious to the Lord's wrath. This is not merely an earthly earthquake, but a divine intervention that mimics de-creation, threatening to return the world to tohu wa-bohu, a state of formlessness and void. This vivid imagery underlines that Judah's sin was not trivial; it was an affront that warranted a shaking of creation itself. It instills terror not only through the immediate threat of military invasion but through a revelation of God's terrifying majesty and His capacity to dissolve the very structures He established. The stability associated with mountains and hills is completely eradicated, revealing the fragility of all things apart from God's sustaining grace.