Job 9:6
in Job 9He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
That shaketh the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble;
KJV
Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
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This verse in Job 9
Commentary
10 notes on this verseThe pillars thereof tremble - This also refers to an earthquake, and to that tremulous motion which sometimes gives warning of the approaching catastrophe, and from which this violent convulsion of nature has received its name. Earthquakes, in Scripture language, signify also violent commotions and disturbances in states; mountains often signify rulers; sun, empires; stars, petty states. But it is most likely that the expressions here are to be understood literally.
This site's exposition
He moves mountains without their knowledge
on Job 9:5-10
Job answers his own hard question with praise for the God who "moves mountains," "shakes the earth from its place," and "seals off the stars". "He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion" reaches into the created order the whirlwind speeches return to in chapters 38 and 39.
This site's exposition
He shakes the earth from its place
Barnes and Clarke read the verse as an earthquake that shakes the earth from its place. The foundations are pillars in the Hebrew, as if the earth stood on posts. Clarke notes how the ground may tremble before the great shock.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"He removes mountains," Job says, "and they do not know it." The mountains, he says, and they do not notice it. And this is in perfect accordance with what David said: "He touches the mountains, and they smoke." In this passage he speaks about the power of God by stating that God can do anything through his avenging power. In fact, Job has testified to his justice and, at the same time, testifies to his power.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Which shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof shall tremble. For 'the earth was shaken out of her place,' when the Israelitish people, rooted out of the borders of Judaea, submitted the neck to the Gentiles, because she would not be subjected to the Creator. Which same earth had pillars, in that the erection of her stubborness, which was to be destroyed, rose upon the Priests and Rulers, the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees.
He passes from the mixed bodies to the elements. Among these the earth seems to be the most fixed and stable which as it is the center of all motion is unmoved. Yet sometimes, it moves naturally because of gas which is contained within it …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
By the common law of nature the mountains are settled and are therefore called everlasting mountains, the earth is established and cannot be removed ( Ps. xciii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Which shaketh the earth out of her place,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The earth is regarded, poetically, as resting on pillars, which tremble in an earthquake (Ps 75:3; The literal truth as to the earth is given (Job 26:7).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Which shaketh the earth out of her place - This evidently refers to violent convulsions of nature, as if the earth were to be taken away. Objects on the earth’s surface become displaced, and convulsion seems to seize the world. The Septuagint renders this, “who shaketh that which is under the heavens from its foundations” - ἐκ Θεμελίων ek themeliōn. The change in the Hebrew would be very slight to authorize this rendering. And the pillars thereof tremble - In this place the earth is represented as sustained like a building by pillars or columns. Whether this is a mere poetic representation, or whether it describes the actual belief of the speaker in regard to the structure of the earth, it is not easy to determine. I am inclined to think it is the former, because in another place where he is speaking of the earth, he presents his views in another form, and more in acoordance with the truth (see the notes at Job 26:7): and because here the illustration is evidently taken from the obvious and perceived effects of an earthquake. It would convulse and agitate the pillars of the most substantial edifice, and so it seemed to shake the earth, as if its very supports would fall.
The words behind it
5 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז | hamargiz | the [one who] shakes | H7264 → | |
| אֶ֭רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ | mimekomah | from place its | H4725 → | 401 times |
| וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ | veamudeiha | and pillars its | H5982 → | |
| יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃ | yitfalatzun | they tremble ! | H6426 → |
הַמַּרְגִּ֣יזthe [one who] shakes
hamargizH7264 →
אֶ֭רֶץ[the] earth
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּfrom place its
mimekomahH4725 →401 times
וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָand pillars its
veamudeihaH5982 →
יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃they tremble !
yitfalatzunH6426 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hebrews 12:26At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”
it leads to
- Haggai 2:6–7
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
- Isaiah 13:13
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts on the day of His burning anger.
- Isaiah 2:19
Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 19:18
Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
- Joel 3:16
The LORD will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.
- Haggai 2:6–7
Through
Psalms 75:3When the earth and all its dwellers quake, it is I who bear up its pillars. Selah
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 2:8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 2:8
Through
Haggai 2:6For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:26–28
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”
- Isaiah 10:25
For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.”
- Hebrews 12:26–28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Job
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book IX; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON JOB 9:5; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.