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Psalm 97:5
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
3A fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries on every side.
4His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees, and trembles.
5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6The heavens declare his righteousness. All the peoples have seen his glory.
7Let all them be shamed who serve engraved images, who boast in their idols. Worship him, all you gods!
Notice
Mountains melting like wax make even the firmest ground seem fragile before the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
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What changes in your reading when mountains are compared to wax?
Write on thisWhere, if anywhere, do you struggle to trust the “Lord of the whole earth”?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Nahum 1:5The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, yes, the world, and all who dwell in it.Both passages describe mountains giving way at God's presence, with the earth itself subject to his power.
Micah 1:3–4For behold, the LORD comes out of his place, and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.Micah describes the LORD treading on the earth's high places; the psalm describes mountains melting at his presence.
Isaiah 24:19–20The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.Both portray solid ground losing its stability: Isaiah describes the earth breaking apart, while the psalm describes mountains melting.
Isaiah 64:1–2Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—Isaiah asks for mountains to quake at God's presence, while the psalm pictures mountains melting at that same presence.
Habakkuk 3:6He stood, and shook the earth. He looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains were crumbled. The age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal.Habakkuk's ancient mountains crumble and the psalm's mountains melt, each portraying their vulnerability before God.
Psalm 47:2For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth.Both name God's authority over the whole earth, describing him as Lord in one psalm and King in the other.
Psalm 46:6The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice and the earth melted.Melting marks God's power in both psalms: the earth melts at his voice, and mountains melt at his presence.
2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with …Both depict the created world's vulnerability before the Lord, through melting mountains in the psalm and burning earth in Peter.
Amos 9:13“Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the one treading grapes him who sows seed; and sweet wine will drip …Both use mountain imagery, though Amos describes abundant wine while the psalm depicts mountains melting before the Lord.
Micah 1:4The mountains melt under him, and the valleys split apart like wax before the fire, like waters that are poured down a steep place.Both compare mountains melting before God to wax, with Micah extending the scene to valleys splitting apart.
Judges 5:5The mountains quaked at the LORD’s presence, even Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.Both describe mountains yielding at the LORD's presence, with Judges naming Sinai and the psalm declaring his lordship over the whole earth.
Psalm 68:2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.Both use melting wax to portray God's overwhelming presence; Psalm 68 applies the image to a prayer for the wicked to perish.
Where this verse fits
Praise and worship. fear for the future. sermon or Bible study notes.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The surrounding fire and trembling give this image weight: even mountains yield before God. His rule reaches the whole earth, including the ground beneath your feet.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).