Earthquakes were well known events in the world of the Bible story (Exodus 19:18; 1 Samuel 14:15; 1 Kings 19:11; Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 27:54; Matthew 28:2; Acts 16:26). The Bible writers often refer to earthquakes as evidence of God’s mighty power (Judges 5:4; Psalms 18:7; Isaiah 29:6; Joel 2:10; Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:5; Habakkuk 3:6; Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:12; Revelation 8:5; Revelation 11:13; Revelation 16:18).
God may have used earthquakes, along with other forces of nature, to bring about his judgments, even in cases where the Bible does not specifically mention an earthquake. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the stopping of the Jordan River at the time of Israel’s entrance into Canaan, and the collapse of the walls of Jericho may all have involved earthquake activity. These events occurred in the place and at the time God had earlier announced, showing that they had resulted from his direct intervention (Genesis 19:12-14; Genesis 19:24-28; Joshua 3:7-8; Joshua 3:13-17; Joshua 6:5; Joshua 6:20).