These lines follow the previous verse very closely, using different terms, but expressing much the same idea.
The mountains quaked before the LORD is parallel to “the earth trembled” (verse 5.4). The mountains refers to the mountains in Sinai, the desert peninsula mentioned in the following line. Mount Sinai is where God addressed Moses and the people of God (Exo 19.11, 18, 20; verse 24.16; verse 34.2, 4). For mountains see verse 2.9. In some languages translators may prefer to begin this line with “The mountains of Sinai.” Quaked does not render the same Hebrew verb as the one translated “trembled” in verse 5.4, but one that often means “flow.” New Jerusalem Bible says “melted.” If a separate word cannot be found, translators may need to repeat the verb used in verse 5.4, for example, “shook.” Before the LORD is literally “from the faces of Yahweh.” A similar expression “before the faces” occurs in the narrative account (verse 4.14, 15, 23) in association with Barak and the people of Israel. There it meant that Yahweh was “in front of Barak,” leading him, and that Yahweh accomplished the victory “before the eyes of the Israelites.” In this context it might have a slightly different meaning, for example, “At the sight of the LORD, the mountains shook,” “Mountains shook in fear before the LORD” (Revised English Bible), or “Mountains trembled in the presence of the LORD” (New American Bible). In some languages it might be possible to make the imagery even more explicit by saying “When the LORD appeared, the mountains melted” or “At the sight of the LORD, the mountains flowed.”
Yon Sinai before the LORD, the God of Israel is literally “this Sinai, from the faces of Yahweh, the God of Israel,” a line that causes problems for both exegetes and translators. The first problem concerns the words “this Sinai,” which some take as referring back to the LORD in the previous line. Thus New Revised Standard Version and New International Version render this whole verse as “The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.” Good News Translation takes a similar approach but combines the lines, saying “The mountains quaked before the LORD of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.” Though Revised Standard Version sees a geographic reference back to the mountains of Sinai by saying yon Sinai, many versions see a reference to “the LORD of Sinai” (Good News Translation). Translators will have to make an exegetical choice here, but can, if they so desire, put the alternative interpretation in a footnote.
The other difficulty in this line is that it contains an ellipsis, since several words have been left implied. If the Revised Standard Version interpretation is maintained, based on the previous line, the meaning is probably “this [mountain of] Sinai trembled before the LORD, the God of Israel.”
Yon is an old English demonstrative meaning “over there.” Though many theories exist, the exact location of Mount Sinai is unknown. Some note that since Sinai and “Seir” occur here and elsewhere together (Deut 33.2), they may be located in the same territory, that is, the region of Edom.
Before the LORD, the God of Israel is another example of stairstep parallelism since the LORD appearing in the first line is further qualified as the God of Israel (see verse 5.3).
Like New Revised Standard Version and New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh sees a parallel between the God of Sinai and the God of Israel by rendering this whole verse as:
The mountains quaked—
Before the LORD, Him of Sinai,
Before the LORD, God of Israel.
New American Bible is similar with:
Mountains trembled
in the presence of the LORD, the One of Sinai,
in the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.
We might also say:
• The mountains shook before Yahweh.
Sinai shuddered before Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Translators will have to choose the interpretation they wish to follow here and translate accordingly.
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .