John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth , etc.] These are the words of the prophet, obeying the divine command, calling upon the mountains, which are the strong parts of the earth, and the bottoms of them the foundations of it, to hear the Lord’s controversy with his people, and judge between them; or, as some think, these are the persons with whom, and against whom, the controversy was; the chief and principal men of the land, who were as pillars to the common people to support and uphold them: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel ; his people Israel, who were so by choice, by covenant, by their own avouchment and profession: they had been guilty of many sins and transgressions against both tables of the law; and now the Lord had a controversy with them for them, and was determined to enter into judgment, and litigate the point with them; and dreadful it is when God brings in a charge, and pleads his own cause with sinful men; they are not able to contend with him, nor answer him for one of a thousand faults committed against him; (see Hosea 4:1,2).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - The people are called upon to declare why they were weary of God' worship, and prone to idolatry. Sin causes the controversy between God and man. God reasons with us, to teach us to reason with ourselves. Le them remember God's many favours to them and their fathers, and compar with them their unworthy, ungrateful conduct toward him.
Original Hebrew שׁמעו8085 הרים2022 את853 ריב7379 יהוה3069 והאתנים386 מסדי4146 ארץ776 כי3588 ריב7379 ליהוה3069 עם5973 עמו5971 ועם5973 ישׂראל3478 יתוכח׃3198
