Does the Bible say the earth is immobile?

Question

1 Chronicles 16:30: “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.”

Psalm 93:1: “Thou hast fixed the earth immovable and firm ...”

Isaiah 45:18: “...who made the earth and fashioned it, and himself fixed it fast...”

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Can anyone explain these passages? I'm a Christian so I'm looking for something more than "The Bible was written by idiots. Get over it."

Answer 1

You've already shut off the correct answer.

Answer 2

By His rule the whole world will be firmly established (cf. 96:10). This means that all the moral and legal orders of life will be solidified under His dominion. Since His throne was established in eternity past, His reign on earth is solidly insured.
—Bible Knowledge Commentary

tremble before Him, all the earth. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.
1 Chronicles 16:30

The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty; The Lord is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.
Psalms 93:1

For this is what the Lord says— God is the Creator of the heavens. He formed the earth and made it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, [but] formed it to be inhabited— “I am the Lord, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:18

This verb, which occurs as a figure of speech referring to great insecurity, can also denote dependability and certainty when used of God and prefixed with a negative.

When môṭ is used with regel "foot," it speaks of the foot slipping or sliding in a time of calamity (Deut. 32:35; Psalm 38:16 [H 17]; Psalm 94:18). In Psalm 82:5 this verb depicts general disorder on the earth: "all the foundations of the earth are slipping." It also is used to refer to the instability of dead idols mounted on platforms that are liable to topple over or be picked up and carted off by a conqueror. Isaiah has much sport urging idolatrous Israel to make sure their gods will not be moved (Isaiah 40:20; Isaiah 41:7).

Two millennial psalms affirm that "the Lord reigns," therefore the inhabited world (tēbēl) cannot be moved (Psalm 93:1; 1 Chron. 16:30; Psalm 96:10). Since the Lord also laid the foundations of the earth, it will not totter forever and ever (Psalm 104:5).

—Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Answer 3

No, that is not correct.

Psalms 93
1 The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

The world is established does NOT mean it is immobile. It cannot be moved from its course (not necessarily a physical course, but a spiritual one), just like the Lord cannot be moved. It doesn't mean the Lord or the Earth itself can't move.


Isaiah 45
18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Answer 4

It took centuries for science to pound the church into submission and finally get them to wake up to the undeniable and overwhelming evidence for a heliocentric solar system. Before then, it was blasphemy to suggest that the earth was not the center of all creation.

So far, science has been pounding on the church about evolution for 150 years. Shouldn't take more than another 100 or so before they take their fingers out of their ears.

Answer 5

I'm not saying that the people who wrote it were idiots; just that they wrote it from a Bronze Age perspective (it's OK to commit acts of genocide, women are little more than chattel, slavery is appropriate) with a Bronze Age level of knowledge (bats are a type of bird, the world is flat, mental illness is caused by demonic possession).

Now that we in the 21st Century have evolved a more enlightened sensibility and are far more knowledgeable, isn't it time we put away the superstitions and dogma we outgrew centuries ago?

Answer 6

The Michelson-Morely Nobel winning experiement also PROVES the EARTH is immobile, taking error into account.

Answer 7

O.K.

The bible was written by bronze age nomads who had no concepts of astronomy or physics.

You need to move past a literal interpretation of the bible as much of it disagrees with proven facts.

Answer 8

I suppose you had better ignore the fact that the earth rotates and is in orbit round the sun.

Never mind. such is life.

Season dude, seasons.

Day, night anyone?

Answer 9

if its in the bible that must be true...

it also says in revelations the earth is flat and square/rectangular.

claims it has four corners.