Tracing the Imagery of Fire and Brimstone in Scripture
While the modern geological term “volcano” (Har Ga’ash, a “raging mountain,” in Modern Hebrew) is not explicitly found in the King James Version of the Bible, the Scriptures contain vivid and powerful descriptions of geological phenomena that bear a striking resemblance to volcanic activity. These fiery, earth-shaking accounts serve primarily to underscore the immense power, majesty, and holiness of God, often in the context of divine revelation or judgment.
The central source for this compelling imagery is the account of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai: The Archetype of the Fiery Peak
The most famous biblical scene reminiscent of a volcanic eruption is the descent of the Lord upon Mount Sinai (or Horeb). The descriptions perfectly capture a mountain aflame and smoking, with violent trembling.
- Exodus 19:18 (KJV): “And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.“
- Deuteronomy 4:11 (KJV): “And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.“
Scholars have long debated whether this was a true volcanic eruption or a supernatural manifestation of God’s presence (theophany). Geologically, the traditional location of Mount Sinai (Jabal Musa) is not volcanic, though other proposed locations in Arabia, such as Hala-‘l Badr, are volcanic and were active in ancient times. Regardless of the geological reality, the biblical narrative utilizes powerful, fire-and-smoke imagery that an ancient audience would certainly understand as the ultimate display of destructive power.
Prophetic and Poetic Allusions to Fiery Judgment
Beyond the historical event at Sinai, the prophets and psalmists frequently use language that evokes the melting of mountains and the eruption of divine fire to describe the awesome nature of the Lord and the terrifying prospect of His judgment.
- Psalm 104:32 (KJV): “He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.” (This brief, evocative line is a concise description of a smoking peak at the Lord’s command.)
- Judges 5:5 (KJV): “The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.”
- Nahum 1:5-6 (KJV): “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. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.“
- Micah 1:4 (KJV): “And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.”
These passages employ the imagery of a terra-forming power, where mountains—the symbols of permanence and stability—are reduced to molten wax or smoking debris by the presence and anger of God.
Eschatological Fire and Brimstone
Finally, the New Testament’s Book of Revelation, which contains powerful prophetic imagery relevant to your interest in The Lord’s Return and ‘The day of the Lord’, features a vision that clearly references a mountain of fire.
- Revelation 8:8 (KJV): “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood.”
This future event, part of the trumpet judgments, symbolically describes a cataclysmic disaster, often interpreted as an enormous meteor or a massive geological event—an erupting, burning “mountain” being thrown into the sea.
In summary, while the KJV Bible does not use the word “volcano,” it uses imagery of fire, smoke, trembling earth, and melting mountains to describe the power of God, most notably at Mount Sinai and in prophetic visions of judgment. This intense imagery serves as a crucial element in establishing the “fear of the Lord” and highlighting the transformative, world-shaking nature of divine intervention.