Topical Bible: Foundation: Figuratively Applied to The Mountains

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In biblical literature, the term "foundation" is often used metaphorically to describe the stability, permanence, and enduring nature of the mountains. This figurative application underscores the mountains as symbols of God's creation, strength, and the unchanging nature of His promises.

The mountains, with their majestic and immovable presence, are frequently depicted as the foundational elements of the earth. In the poetic and prophetic books of the Bible, this imagery serves to highlight the grandeur and reliability of God's creation. For instance, in Psalm 104:5, the psalmist declares, "He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved." Here, the mountains are implied as part of the earth's foundational structure, emphasizing the Creator's power and the stability of His work.

The prophet Habakkuk also uses this imagery to convey the eternal nature of God's ways. In Habakkuk 3:6, it is written, "He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. The ancient mountains crumbled; the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting." The reference to the "ancient mountains" and "age-old hills" as foundational elements that can be shaken by God's presence illustrates the supremacy of God's eternal nature over even the most enduring aspects of creation.

In the wisdom literature, the mountains are often associated with the concept of divine wisdom and understanding. Proverbs 8:25-26 personifies wisdom, stating, "Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth, before He made the earth and its fields, or any of the dust of the world." This passage suggests that wisdom, like the mountains, is foundational to the order and structure of the world, existing even before the physical creation.

The mountains as foundations also appear in the context of God's covenantal promises. In Isaiah 54:10, the prophet reassures the people of God's unwavering commitment: "Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." Here, the mountains serve as a metaphor for the enduring and unshakeable nature of God's covenant, reinforcing the idea that His promises are as steadfast as the earth's most formidable features.

Throughout the biblical narrative, the figurative application of "foundation" to the mountains serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty, the reliability of His creation, and the eternal nature of His promises. The mountains, in their grandeur and permanence, reflect the divine attributes of strength, stability, and faithfulness, offering believers a profound symbol of trust in God's unchanging nature.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire is kindled in my anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

He Then once More Excellently, Appropriately, and Clearly Examines ...
... man which after God is created") are applied to one ... builders of the Faith laid the
foundation of the ... all which the divine Scripture figuratively names, with a ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 2 he then once.htm

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... in the eighteenth psalm is to be taken figuratively. ... to refute an assumption which
has no foundation to rest upon ... trope (Greek, tropos, a turn) is applied, in a ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... when he actually appeared had its foundation in a ... to say many things which applied
to himself ... prophecy must clearly be understood figuratively, and therefore ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

General Principles of Interpretation. 1 Since the Bible Addresses ...
... he wishes to be understood literally or figuratively, and various ... particular kinds
of food, may be applied to the ... intuitions which lie at the foundation of all ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxiv general principles of.htm

A Discourse
... That Lebanon is used figuratively by the inspired writers there ... their doctrine are
not only a foundation to the ... cannot, I think, be more fitly applied than to ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm

The Prophet Joel.
... object of joy is here described, first, figuratively, and then ... plague of locusts
especially, is here applied to the ... is true that there is no foundation for the ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the prophet joel.htm

Crucified, Dead, and Buried. '
... quotation of the Sanhedrists, expressly applied to the ... was the first and
foundation-fact concerning ... in old Testament prophecy - whether figuratively or really ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xv crucified dead and.htm

The Tabernacle of the Most High
... diligently sought out opportunities, and heartily applied his energies ... we put that
as the foundation of our ... baptism than that which is figuratively set forth ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the tabernacle of the most.htm

The Doctrine of God
... is used in two senses in the Bible: figuratively, as denoting ... to what is meant by
holiness as applied to God ... says: "Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of god.htm

The Water of Life;
... to pass in that day [the day of the gospel] that the mountains shall drop ... This rock,
saith he, was Christ, that is, figuratively: and this throne is Christ ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the water of life.htm