Job 9:6 — Word Study
WLCהַמַּרְגִּ֣יז אֶ֭רֶץ מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃
BSAHe shakesrâgaz [removes, sends earthquakes to] the earthʼerets [land, ground, territory] from its placemâqôwm [location, position] so that its foundationsʻammûwd [pillars, supports] tremblepâlats△▸ [shudder, quake, are frightened]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז | the [one who] shakes | Particle, verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular |
| אֶ֭רֶץ | [the] earth | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ | from place its | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ | and pillars its | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃ | they tremble ! | Verb hithpael imperfect third person masculine plural, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble. |
| KJV | Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. |
| ASV | That shaketh the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble; |
| YLT | Who is shaking earth from its place, And its pillars move themselves. |
| WEB | He shakes the earth out of its place. Its pillars tremble. |
| BBE | Who is moving the earth out of its place, so that its pillars are shaking: |
The translations agree here on the action of God shaking the earth.
The sentence is structured around a main verb with a prepositional phrase and a result clause, clearly indicating the cause and effect of God's action.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 5 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 9:6
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Sovereignty Over Creationgenerated
Job 9:6 is part of Job's profound reflection on the power and majesty of God. In this context, Job acknowledges that God has the authority to shake the earth and disrupt its foundations, illustrating His control over all creation. This passage emphasizes the theme of divine sovereignty found throughout the Book of Job, as Job grapples with his suffering and seeks to understand God's role in the world.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 2:19–21 | Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. |
| 2 | Isaiah 13:13–14 | Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts on the day of His burning anger. |
| 3 | Isaiah 24:1–19 | Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— |
| 4 | Haggai 2:6–21 | For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. |
| 5 | Hebrews 12:26 | At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 13 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז, ha.mar.Gizgenerated
The word הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז (ha.mar.Giz) is a hiphil participle of the root רָגַז (ragaz), which means to shake or tremble. It conveys the idea of causing agitation or disturbance, particularly in response to strong emotions. In this verse, it describes God's active role in shaking the earth, emphasizing His power to provoke fear and awe.
As a participle, it indicates an ongoing action, suggesting that God's shaking of the earth is not a one-time event but a continual demonstration of His authority. The use of this term sets a tone of reverence and fear, highlighting the consequences of God's might on the natural world.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז (ha.mar.Giz) governs the entire verse, with a noun phrase following that identifies the object of the action: אֶ֭רֶץ ('E.retz). The structure is straightforward, emphasizing the relationship between God and the earth.
The prepositional phrase מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ (mi.me.ko.Mah) specifies the source of the action, indicating from where the earth is being shaken. The conjunction וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ (ve.'a.mu.Dei.ha) introduces the pillars, which are affected by the action, culminating in the verb phrase יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃ (yit.fa.la.Tzun), illustrating the result of God's shaking.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז as σείων (seíōn), which also means 'to shake.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence in meaning, emphasizing the action of shaking as a demonstration of divine power.
This rendering aligns with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the focus on God's authority over creation, while the Greek term carries similar implications of disturbance and upheaval.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 9:6 tells us that God has the power to shake the earth from its place, causing its foundations to tremble. This verse illustrates God's sovereignty and control over creation, emphasizing that even the earth responds to His authority.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies God's supreme power and authority over creation, indicating that He can disrupt the natural order at will.
The trembling of the foundations symbolizes the profound impact of God's actions on the earth, evoking fear and awe.
This verse illustrates God's sovereignty by showing that He has control over the earth and its stability.
The word evokes feelings of fear, reverence, and recognition of God's power to cause upheaval.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I seen God's power at work in my life or in the world around me?
- How can I respond to the reality of God's sovereignty over creation?
- What does it mean for me to recognize God's authority in my daily decisions?
- How can I cultivate a sense of reverence for God's power in my spiritual life?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Fathers referenced this verse to discuss God's power and authority, illustrating its significance in theological discussions.
Which shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof shall tremble. For 'the earth was shaken out of her place,' when the Israelitish people, rooted out of the borders of Judaea, submitted the neck to the Gentiles,Early Church Fathers on Job 9 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 9:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWhich shaketh the earth out of her place,.... Can do it, and will do it at the last day, when it shall be utterly broken down, clean dissolved, and reel to and fro like a drunkard, and be removed as
Read John Gill on Job 9 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWhich shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. Which shaketh the earth ... pillar's thereof tremble. The earth is regarded, poetically, as resting on pillars, which tremble in an earthquake.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 9 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe earth, i.e. great portions of it, by earthquakes, or by removing islands, which sometimes hath been done. The pillars thereof, i.e. the strength or the strongest parts of it, the mountains, yea, the deep and inward parts of it, which, like pillars, supported those parts which appear to our view, and yet have been discovered and overturned by earthquakes.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 9 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 9:6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.Ver. 6. Which shaketh the earth out of her place] By mighty earthquakes, dislocating the earth, some part of it; for the whole was never removed, though God can take up the whole globe as a man would do a ball, tossing the very centre itself whereon it is established, 2 Samuel 22:8, &c. There is a twofold power of God; 1. Absolute. 2. Actual. By the former he can do more than he doth: by the latter, whatsoever he willeth, that without impediment he effecteth. As for the earth, as God upholdeth it by the word of his power, Hebrews 1:3, so he hath poised it merely by its own weight, that it should not be removed…
Read John Trapp on Job 9 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 6. The pillars thereof tremble.] This also refers to an earthquake, and to that tremulous motion which sometimes gives warning of the approaching catastrophe, and from which this violent convulsion of nature has received its name. Earthquakes, in Scripture language, signify also violent commotions and disturbances in states; mountains often signify rulers; sun, empires; stars, petty states. But it is most likely that the expressions here are to be understood literally.
Read AdamClarke on Job 9 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges6. The reference is probably to earthquakes. The earth is conceived as a structure supported on pillars, ch. Job 38:6; Psalms 75:3. The conception was poetical; if the pillars were supposed anything actual, they were probably the roots of the great mountains which extended downwards and bore up the earth, as the part of them above the earth supported the heavens.
Read Cambridge on Job 9 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWhich shaketh the earth out of her place - This evidently refers to violent convulsions of nature, as if the earth were to be taken away. Objects on the earth’s surface become displaced, and convulsion seems to seize the world.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 9 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible6. Pillars thereof — Job speaks after the popular notion of the day, of the earth as resting on pillars, as we still speak of the rising of the sun.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 9 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
He shakes the earth out of its place. Its pillars tremble.
He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
he who shakes the earth out of its place so that its pillars tremble;
Tyndale line
Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
That shaketh the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble;
Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and its pillars tremble.
Hee remooueth the earth out of her place, that the pillars thereof doe shake.
Strictly literal
Who shaketh the earth out of its place, and the pillars thereof tremble;
Who is shaking earth from its place, And its pillars move themselves.
Who is shaking earth from its place, || And its pillars move themselves.
Who shaketh the earth loose out of her place, that her pillars tremble;
he who shakes the earth out of its place and sets its supports trembling.
From the Latin
Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
Simplified
He shakes the earth, making its foundations quake.
Who is moving the earth out of its place, so that its pillars are shaking:
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז אֶ֭רֶץ מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃, while the Septuagint matches three of the five words. The correspondence indicates a strong agreement in the core message, despite differences in word order and expression.
הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז אֶ֭רֶץ מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃
3 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 9:6
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רָגַז (ragaz) is a Hebrew verb meaning to tremble or quake, often in response to strong emotions like anger or fear. It can describe both a state of agitation and the act of causing agitation in others. The entries indicate its use in various forms, including Qal, Hiphil, and Hithpael, covering a range of emotional responses.
רָגַז vb. be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, perturbed
Qal quake
Hiph. cause to quake, disquiet, enrage
Hithp. excite oneself
base
H7264 רָגַז be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, perturbed .quake
. cause to quake, disquiet, enrage
. excite oneself
7264 ragaz raw-gaz'
a primitive root; to quiver (with any violent emotion,
especially anger or fear):--be afraid, stand in awe,
disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake, rage, shake,
tremble, trouble, be wroth.
רָגַז (ra.gaz) — to tremble.
1) tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed
1a)(Qal) to quake, be disquieted, be excited, be perturbed
1b) (Hiphil) to cause to quake, disquiet, enrage, disturb
1c) (Hithpael) to excite oneself
Art | V-Hiphil — Particle · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singularHTd/Vhrmsa
אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.
אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land
earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
earth, opp. to heaven, sky
earth = inhabitants of earth
land =
country, territory
district, region
trial territory
piece of ground
specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
= inhabitants of land
used even of Shᵉʼôl
ground, surface of ground
soil, as productive
אֶרֶץ in phrases
people of the land
in measurements of distance
the country of the plain, level or plain country
land of the living
end(s) of the earth
pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
base
H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
. earth, opp. to heaven, sky
. earth = inhabitants of earth
. land = . country, territory
. district, region
. trial territory
. piece of ground
. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
. = inhabitants of land
. used even of Shᵉʼôl
. . ground, surface of ground
. soil, as productive
. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land
. in measurements of distance
. the country of the plain, level or plain country
. land of the living
. end(s) of the earth
. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
776 'erets eh'-rets
from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth
(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,
field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.
: country/field
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
1b2) district, region
1b3) tribal territory
1b4) piece of ground
1b5) land of Canaan, Israel
1b6) inhabitants of land
1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
1b8) city (-state)
1c) ground, surface of the earth
1c1) ground
1c2) soil
1d) (in phrases)
1d1) people of the land
1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
1d3) level or plain country
1d4) land of the living
1d5) end(s) of the earth
1e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1e1) lands, countries
1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.
: soil
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):
In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.
'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).
Earth
(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.
(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (
The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…
In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.
Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2
מָקוֹם (maqom) means 'place' and encompasses a variety of contexts, including a standing place, station, or post. It can refer to human abodes, localities, regions, and even figurative conditions of body or mind. The term is derived from a root meaning 'standing' and is used broadly in the Old Testament.
מָקוֹם, מָקֹם 399 n.m. standing-place, place
standing-place
station, where soldiers are placed
post, office
place where a thing belongs
esp.
place of human abode
of י׳’s abode
place
in gen. place, locality, spot
space, room
space, distance, between
region, quarter, direction
peculiar uses
base
H4725 מָקוֹם, מָקֹם standing-place, place . . standing-place
. station, where soldiers are placed
. post, office
. . place where a thing belongs
. esp. . place of human abode
. of י׳’s abode
. place
. in gen. place, locality, spot
. . space, room
. space, distance, between
. region, quarter, direction
. peculiar uses
4725 maqowm maw-kome'
or maqom {maw-kome'}; also (feminine) mqowmah {mek-o-mah'};
or mqomah {mek-o-mah'}; from 6965; properly, a standing, i.e.
a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific);
also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or
mind):--country, X home, X open, place, room, space, X
whither(-soever).
see HEBREW for 06965
מָקוֹם (ma.qom) — place.
1) standing place, place
1a) standing place, station, post, office
1b) place, place of human abode
1c) city, land, region
1d) place, locality, spot
1e) space, room, distance
1f) region, quarter, direction
1g) give place to, instead of
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp3fs
עַמּוּד (ammuwd) means 'pillar' or 'column,' referring to a vertical support structure. It can denote both a physical pillar and a platform. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to stand.' The entries consistently emphasize its architectural connotation, with no significant disagreement noted among the lexicons.
עַמּוּד, עַמֻּד 110 n.m. pillar, column
base
H5982 עַמּוּד, עַמֻּד pillar, column
5982 `ammuwd am-mood'
or ammud {am-mood'}; from 5975; a column (as standing); also
a stand, i.e. platform:--X apiece, pillar.
see HEBREW for 05975
עַמּוּד (am.mud) — pillar.
1) pillar, column
1a) pillar
1b) column, upright
1c) column (of smoke)
עַמּוּד (am.mud) — (Hall of) Pillars.
Combined with u.lam (אוּלָם "Hall" H0197)
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3fs
פָּלַץ (palats) is a Hebrew verb that means to shudder or tremble. It is identified as a primitive root, possibly implying a sense of rending or quivering. The Hithpael form specifically denotes the action of shuddering or trembling, with a reference to Job 9:6.
[פָּלַץ] vb. Hithp. shudder;—Jb 9:6
ref
H6426 פָּלַץ
6426 palats paw-lats'
a primitive root; properly, perhaps to rend, i.e. (by
implication) to quiver:--tremble.
פָּלַץ (pa.lats) — to shudder.
(Hithpael) to shudder, tremble
V-Hithpael-Imperf-3mp | Suff — Verb hithpael imperfect third person masculine plural · suffixHVti3mp/Sn