The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
Ver. 5. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt] Though valleys and low places are also liable to earthquakes, as Antioch often, Ferrara in Italy, A.D. 1516 and 1578, yet hill countries much more, because there are more holes and caverns: see Psalms 29:6; Psalms 144:4 Zechariah 14:4,5. In the year 1618, Aug. 25, Pleurs, a town in Rhoetia, was overwhelmed by a hill, which, with a most swift motion, buried 1500 men. So that village mentioned before, in the country of Bern, that was covered over by a hill in an earthquake, to the destruction of 50 families. All this and that which followeth is alleged here, to show how easily God can overturn the Assyrian greatness.
And the earth is burnt at his presence] Viz. by his fire from heaven, as Sodom, and by others of his land desolating judgments, such as Judea (that once fertile, now barren country), Greece, Asia (once so flourishing), Germany, Ireland, &c., do at this day groan under. God turneth "a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein," Psalms 107:34 .
Yea, the world, and all that dwell therein] Quae quidem sunt mira, sed tamen vera divinae potentiae effecta (Turnov.). Wicked men, besides what they here suffer, shall one day give an account of what they have done in the body, with the world all on a light of fire about their ears: the trial of their works shall be by fire, 1 Corinthians 3:13, the tribunal of fire, Ezekiel 1:27, the judge a consuming fire, Hebrews 12:29, his attendants seraphims, flaming creatures, Isa 6:2 his pleading with sinners in flames of fire, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, the place of punishment a lake of fire fed with tormenting temper, Isaiah 30:33, Sodom's fire and brimstone was but a toy to it. And shall the Ninevites think to mort up themselves against this formidable fire, which the most solid parts of the world cannot avoid or abide?