1:4

This verse describes what will happen when the LORD figuratively appears as the conqueror and judge of the earth and walks on the mountains. The results are described as a combination of earthquakes, thunderstorms, and/or volcanic eruptions. The mountains will melt (1:4a), and the valleys will split apart (1:4b).

This verse has four poetic lines:

4a
The mountains will melt beneath Him,

4b and the valleys will split apart,

4c
like wax before the fire,

4d
like water rushing down a slope.

The first two lines (1:4a–b) mention events that will happen. The last two lines (1:4c–d) are two similes that refer to these events. There are two main interpretations of these similes:

(1) The simile in 1:4c describes the event in 1:4a (“the mountains will melt”). The simile in 1:4d describes the event in 1:4b (“the valleys will split apart”). For example:

4a Mountains will melt under him 4c like wax near a fire. 4b Valleys will split apart 4d like water pouring down a steep hill. (God’s Word)

(2) The two similes in 1:4c–d both describe the event in 1:4a (the mountains will melt). For example:

4a The mountains will disintegrate beneath him, 4b and the valleys will be split in two. 4c The mountains will melt like wax in a fire, 4d the rocks will slide down like water flows down a steep slope. (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most commentaries. With this interpretation, the poetic lines are balanced. Each event has a simile that corresponds to it.

Most English versions are ambiguous. They do not clearly express that 4a is connected with 4c, and 4b with 4d. These versions include: Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, and New Revised Standard Version.

1:4a,c; 1:4b,d

The Notes will discuss lines 1:4a and 1:4c together here to make it easier to see the connection between the event (1:4a) and the simile (1:4c). The Notes will follow the same pattern for 1:4b and 1:4d.

1:4a

This verse starts with the Hebrew waw, which introduces what will happen after the LORD walks on the high places of the earth (1:3b). Some languages may express this relationship without a conjunction. For example:

Beneath him, the mountains melt (New Jerusalem Bible)

Introduce what will happen in a natural way in your language.

The mountains will melt beneath Him: The figurative heat or intensity of the LORD’s anger will cause the mountains to melt. They will become soft and liquid. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Mountains will melt beneath his feet… (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The mountains will become soft where he walks.
-or-
The places where his feet touch the mountains will become like liquid/mud

1:4b

and the valleys will split apart: This is the second thing that will happen after the LORD walks on the high places (1:3b). The valleys will “split open” (English Standard Version), “crack open” (New Century Version), or “are torn open” (New Jerusalem Bible).

This description of the valleys probably refers to the results of an earthquake and/or soft or watery material that flows down from the mountains to the land below, eroding the ground into deep gullies. See the preceding note on 1:4 regarding the combination of events.

Try to translate in a way that can refer to one or more of these events. For example:

Valleys will split apart (God’s Word)
-or-
valleys are torn open (Revised English Bible)
-or-
there will be cracks and deep gullies in the lowlands/plains

valleys: In Hebrew, this word refers to land that is between mountains or to land where there are no mountains. English versions translate it here as valleys. You may use any word or phrase in your language that normally contrasts with mountains. For example:

valleys
-or-
open lands
-or-
prairies/plains
-or-
lowlands

1:4c

like wax before the fire: When wax is put close to a fire, it quickly becomes soft and liquid.

wax: Bees use the substance called wax to make honeycomb. Beeswax or a similar wax are used to make candles. If there is no word for wax in your language, here are some other ways to translate it:

• Borrow the word from another language, such as the national language.

• Replace this simile with a different one. Use the name of something that melts easily when heated near a fire, such as ice, butter, or resin.

• Translate without a simile. For example:

The mountains will quickly become soft and melt

If possible, use a simile to help the readers picture the event more vividly.

1:4d

like water rushing down a slope: This simile describes how the melted or crumbled rocks of the mountains flow rapidly down a steep hill.

water: In Hebrew, this word is the ordinary word for water. In this context, it refers to the water, mud, or lava that flows down from the mountains.

rushing down a slope: In Hebrew, the phrase rushing down is a single word. It means “to flow downhill.” Here are some other ways to translate this simile:

like water cascading down a slope (NET Bible)
-or-
as when torrents pour down a hillside (Revised English Bible)

The point of this simile is the destructive result of the rapid downhill flow. You may use any word or phrase in your language that can refer to rushing water, mud in a landslide, or lava. Use an expression that will help your readers understand the violence of this event.

General Comment on 1:4a–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder of the parts of this verse so that each simile directly follows the event that it describes. For example:

4a Then the mountains will melt under his feet

4c like wax that is held close to a fire.

4b The valleys will split apart

4d like when rushing water flows downhill.

See 1:4a–d (combined/reordered) in the Display for another example.

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