Psalms 102:25-26

102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure. ¹ 

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. ² 

Isaiah 40:12

The Lord is Incomparable

40:12 Who has measured out the waters ³  in the hollow of his hand,

or carefully ⁴  measured the sky, ⁵ 

or carefully weighed ⁶  the soil of the earth,

or weighed the mountains in a balance,

or the hills on scales? ⁷ 

Isaiah 41:15-16

41:15 “Look, I am making you like ⁸  a sharp threshing sledge,

new and double-edged. ⁹ 

You will thresh the mountains and crush them;

you will make the hills like straw. ¹⁰ 

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 54:10

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ¹¹  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 64:1

64:1 (63:19b) ¹²  If only you would tear apart the sky ¹³  and come down!

The mountains would tremble ¹⁴  before you!

Jeremiah 4:24

4:24 I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking.

All the hills were swaying back and forth!

Revelation 6:14

6:14 The sky ¹⁵  was split apart ¹⁶  like a scroll being rolled up, ¹⁷  and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Revelation 8:8

8:8 Then ¹⁸  the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A ¹⁹  third of the sea became blood,

Revelation 20:11

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then ²⁰  I saw a large ²¹  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven ²²  fled ²³  from his presence, and no place was found for them.

[102:26]  ¹ tn Heb “stand.”

[102:26]  ² tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.

[40:12]  ³ tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has מי ים (“waters of the sea”), a reading followed by NAB.

[40:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “with a span.” A “span” was the distance between the ends of the thumb and the little finger of the spread hand” (BDB 285 s.v. זֶרֶת).

[40:12]  ⁵ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[40:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “or weighed by a third part [of a measure].”

[40:12]  ⁷ sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions of v. 12 is “no one but the Lord. The Lord, and no other, created the world. Like a merchant weighing out silver or commodities on a scale, the Lord established the various components of the physical universe in precise proportions.

[41:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”

[41:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.

[41:15]  ¹⁰ sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.

[54:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[64:1]  ¹² sn In BHS the chapter division occurs in a different place from the English Bible: 64:1 ET (63:19b HT) and 64:2-12 (64:1-11 HT). Beginning with 65:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[64:1]  ¹³ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[64:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “quake.” נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) is from the verbal root זָלַל (zalal, “quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). Perhaps there is a verbal allusion to Judg 5:5, the only other passage where this verb occurs. In that passage the poet tells how the Lord’s appearance to do battle caused the mountains to shake.

[6:14]  ¹⁵ tn Or “The heavens were.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) can mean either “heaven” or “sky.”

[6:14]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποχωρίζω states, “ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπεχωρίσθη the sky was split Rv 6:14.” Although L&N 79.120 gives the meaning “the sky disappeared like a rolled-up scroll” here, a scroll that is rolled up does not “disappear,” and such a translation could be difficult for modern readers to understand.

[6:14]  ¹⁷ tn On this term BDAG 317 s.v. ἑλίσσω states, “ὡς βιβλίον ἑλισσόμενον like a scroll that is rolled up…Rv 6:14.”

[8:8]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[8:8]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:11]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:11]  ²¹ tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

[20:11]  ²² tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

[20:11]  ²³ tn Or “vanished.”