Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 46:2

"Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, And though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas;" — Psalms 46:2 (ASV)

Though the earth be removed. —Literally, at the changing of the earth. Possibly with the same figure implied, which is expressed in Psalm 102:26, of the worn-out or soiled garment. The psalmist was thinking of the sudden convulsion of an earthquake, and depicts Israel as fearless amid the tottering kingdoms and falling dynasties. Travelers all remark on the signs of tremendous volcanic activity in Palestine.

It is interesting to compare the pagan poet’s conception of the fearlessness supplied by virtue (Horace, Ode 3:3).