How could “mountains melt like wax” (Psalm 97:5) be taken literally without contradicting known geological processes?

I. Scriptural Foundation and Context

Psalm 97 presents a majestic portrayal of the Almighty ruling over creation with divine authority. The key verse reads:

“The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.” (Psalm 97:5)

This psalm underscores the power of the One who formed the mountains, directing creation itself to respond. Interpreting this passage literally in the sense of actual geological transformations does not have to conflict with known scientific and geological observations.

II. The Language of “Melting” and Biblical Imagery

The Hebrew text behind “melt like wax” uses a word that vividly conveys the rapid softening and flowing we associate with melting. Wax liquefies when exposed to heat. In similar fashion, volcanic processes cause mountains to erupt and, in a sense, “melt” as molten rock flows down their slopes.

Scripture frequently employs powerful metaphors drawn from real phenomena. In Micah 1:4, we read: “The mountains will melt beneath Him, and the valleys will split apart…” Here again, the collapse and liquefying effect associated with intense heat is the image. Such poetic descriptions do not require an exclusively symbolic interpretation. They align with natural forces that could literally reshape mountains.

III. Volcanic Activity and Natural Explanation

1. Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions present a clear geological process in which part of a mountain truly melts. Magma, molten rock from Earth’s interior, can erupt onto the surface, causing the initial mountain structure to break apart or collapse. Flowing lava looks strikingly like wax as it cools and hardens. Real-world examples, such as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State, demonstrated catastrophic reshaping of a mountain in a way that could be described as “melting” in ancient terms.

2. Geophysical Transitions

High-temperature geothermal activity can also transform the Earth’s crust. Tectonic shifts and the release of intense heat from within the Earth can, on a large scale, cause volcanic fields to form or mountains to erode quickly. While continental drift and tectonics typically operate over significant time spans, events like sudden pyroclastic flows and lava fountaining offer glimpses of rapid transformations consistent with a picture of mountains “melting.”

IV. Historical Illustrations and Archaeological Corroboration

Numerous volcanic sites around the Mediterranean region, such as Mount Vesuvius in Italy, have shown how entire mountain landscapes and cities were seemingly “consumed” by molten flows. Archaeology at Pompeii and Herculaneum has uncovered layers of volcanic material that buried structures and altered the shape of the local topography. The biblical writers, living in lands bordering volcanic regions (e.g., Asia Minor with its volcanic past, or geographical awareness of such phenomena), would have known or heard of spectacular geological occurrences resembling melted mountains.

V. Divine Intervention and Miraculous Events

1. Supernatural Acts in Scripture

While volcanic eruptions offer a natural explanation, Scripture allows for God’s direct intervention. The parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), the sundial shadow moving back in Hezekiah’s time (2 Kings 20), and the resurrection of Christ (Luke 24; 1 Corinthians 15) are accounts of events transcending typical processes. Thus, even a literal “melting” of mountains can be attributed to an extraordinary act of the Creator who holds dominion over nature.

2. Context of Judgment and Deliverance

The biblical context often places events like mountains shaking or melting amid scenes of divine judgment or revelation (e.g., Sinai quaking in Exodus 19). If God miraculously judged an area, causing mountains to literally melt, that would still comport with the biblical worldview, reflecting the direct command of the One who set the laws of nature in place.

VI. Harmony with a Young-Earth Perspective

From a young-earth viewpoint, catastrophic events such as the global Flood (Genesis 6–9) could have involved accelerated geological movements. Models of catastrophic plate tectonics, researched by scientists who favor a young-earth timeline, propose that mountain ranges formed rapidly during and shortly after the Flood. Such processes would necessarily involve massive reshaping of the Earth’s crust, including volcanism and tectonic shifts. While mainstream geology interprets many phenomena over eons, these creation-based models compress the timeline, allowing for faster and more dramatic mountain-building—and in some instances, mountain “breakdown” or melting events—under extreme conditions.

VII. Reliance on the Consistency of Scripture

1. Manuscript Reliability

The textual foundation for Psalm 97, like the rest of the Psalms, is reinforced by numerous Hebrew manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient translations (e.g., Septuagint). These documents show remarkable consistency, underscoring the trustworthiness of the biblical account. When the text describes extraordinary events—whether figurative or literal—its survival and consistent transmission attest to the deliberate precision of the scriptural authors.

2. Biblical Coherence

Psalm 97:5 complements other passages (e.g., Nahum 1:5–6, Micah 1:4) depicting the might of the Creator and the resulting upheaval in creation. Rather than contradictions, these verses form a coherent picture of the supreme being who can make—or allow—seemingly immovable natural structures to melt away in an instant.

VIII. Inerrancy and Literary Style

1. Poetic Emphasis

Understanding Hebrew literature involves recognizing that poetic books utilize parallelism and vibrant imagery to highlight theological truths. A literal phenomenon can be described in terms that capture its drama. The phrase “melt like wax” showcases the writer’s experience of divine power, which can be matched both by volcanic activity and by God’s direct intervention.

2. Consistency in Purpose

Across Scripture, the purpose is to reveal God’s nature and plan. This psalm conveys that nothing—no force, no mountain—is more permanent or awe-inspiring than the presence of the Almighty. Whether mountains truly melted in a historic or eschatological context, or whether readers are beholding a metaphorical depiction of unstoppable power, the emphasis remains on the sovereignty of the Lord of all the earth.

IX. Implications for Faith and Science

1. Acknowledging Natural Processes

Believers can faithfully affirm geological evidence for volcanism and catastrophic reshaping of landscapes. When scripture speaks of such events, it can match real processes (as discovered in volcanic areas worldwide). This alignment illustrates the compatibility between biblical claims and observations in creation.

2. Confidence in the Creator

The existence of a powerful Creator who can reshape mountains rapidly underscores the doctrinal truth that all creation is under divine authority. References to the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament—attested by multiple historical eyewitness sources (1 Corinthians 15:3–8)—magnify the reliability of God’s Word in both spiritual and physical realities.

X. Conclusion

Psalm 97:5’s statement that “the mountains melt like wax” can be taken literally in light of known geological processes such as volcanism or other high-heat geodynamic events. The image also concurs with the biblical theme of a sovereign, omnipotent Creator who governs nature. Historical eruptions, archaeological findings, and catastrophic geological models further support that mountains can indeed break down or partially liquefy under intense heat and pressure.

Whether the psalmist is describing a particular event or a general display of divine power, this poetic declaration need not contradict geological knowledge. Instead, it amplifies the message of Scripture: the Lord who made all things can cause the mightiest features of Earth’s topography to yield before His presence.