Logos Bible Study

Habakkuk 3:8–13

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3:8Is the Lord mad at the rivers?

Are you angry with the rivers?

Are you enraged at the sea?28

Is this why29 you climb into your horse-drawn chariots,30

your victorious chariots?31

3:9Your bow is ready for action;32

you commission your arrows.33

Selah.

You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface.34

3:10When the mountains see you, they shake.

The torrential downpour sweeps through.35

The great deep36 shouts out;

it lifts its hands high.37

3:11The sun and moon stand still in their courses;38

the flash of your arrows drives them away,39

the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.40

3:12You furiously stomp on the earth,

you angrily trample down the nations.

3:13You march out to deliver your people,

to deliver your special servant.41

You strike the leader of the wicked nation,42

laying him open from the lower body to the neck.43

Selah.

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Footnotes

  1. 28 The following context suggests these questions should be answered, “Yes.” The rivers and the sea, symbolizing here the hostile nations (v. 12), are objects of the Lord’s anger (vv. 10, 15).
  2. 29 Heb “so that.” Here כִּי (ki) is resultative. See the note on the phrase “make it” in .
  3. 30 Heb “you mount your horses.” As the next line makes clear, the Lord is pictured here as a charioteer, not a cavalryman. Note here, “when you drove your horses, // your chariots to victory.”
  4. 31 Or “chariots of deliverance.”
  5. 32 Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”
  6. 33 Heb “sworn in are the arrow-shafts with a word.” The passive participle of שָׁבַע (shava’), “swear an oath,” also occurs in Ezek 21:23 (21:28 ) referencing those who have sworn allegiance. Here the Lord’s arrows are personified and viewed as having received a commission which they have vowed to uphold. In Jer 47:6–7 the Lord’s sword is given such a charge. In the Ugaritic myths Baal’s weapons are formally assigned the task of killing the sea god Yam.
  7. 34 Heb “[with] rivers you split open the earth.” A literal rendering like “You split the earth with rivers” (so , ) suggests geological activity to the modern reader, but in the present context of a violent thunderstorm, the idea of streams swollen to torrents by downpours better fits the imagery. As the Lord comes in a thunderstorm the downpour causes streams to swell to river-like proportions and spread over the surface of the ground, causing flash floods.
  8. 35 Heb “a heavy rain of waters passes by.” Perhaps the flash floods produced by the downpour are in view here.
  9. 36 The great deep, which is to be equated with the sea (vv. 8, 15), is a symbol of chaos and represents the Lord’s enemies.
  10. 37 Lifting the hands here suggests panic and is accompanied by a cry for mercy (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19). The forces of chaos cannot withstand the Lord’s power revealed in the storm.
  11. 38 Heb “in their lofty dwelling places.”
  12. 39 Or “at the light of your arrows they vanish.”
  13. 40 Heb “at the brightness of the lightning of your spear.”
  14. 41 Heb “anointed one.” In light of the parallelism with “your people” in the preceding line this could refer to Israel, but elsewhere the Lord’s anointed one is always an individual. The Davidic king is the more likely referent here.
  15. 42 Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”
  16. 43 Heb “laying bare [from] foundation to neck.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?

Was your anger against the rivers,

or your indignation against the sea,

when you rode on your horses,

on your chariot of salvation?

You stripped the sheath from your bow,

calling for many arrows. Selah

You split the earth with rivers.

The mountains saw you and writhed;

the raging waters swept on;

the deep gave forth its voice;

it lifted its hands on high.

The sun and moon stood still in their place

at the light of your arrows as they sped,

at the flash of your glittering spear.

You marched through the earth in fury;

you threshed the nations in anger.

You went out for the salvation of your people,

for the salvation of your anointed.

You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,

laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Were you angry with the rivers, Lord?

Was your wrath against the streams?

Did you rage against the sea

when you rode your horses

and your chariots to victory?

You uncovered your bow,

you called for many arrows.

You split the earth with rivers;

the mountains saw you and writhed.

Torrents of water swept by;

the deep roared

and lifted its waves on high.

Sun and moon stood still in the heavens

at the glint of your flying arrows,

at the lightning of your flashing spear.

In wrath you strode through the earth

and in anger you threshed the nations.

You came out to deliver your people,

to save your anointed one.

You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness,

you stripped him from head to foot.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Are you angry at the rivers, Lord?

Is your wrath against the rivers?

Or is your fury against the sea

when you ride on your horses,

your victorious chariot?

You took the sheath from your bow;

the arrows are ready to be used with an oath.

Selah

You split the earth with rivers.

The mountains see you and shudder;

a downpour of water sweeps by.

The deep roars with its voice

and lifts its waves high.

Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,

at the flash of your flying arrows,

at the brightness of your shining spear.

You march across the earth with indignation;

you trample down the nations in wrath.

You come out to save your people,

to save your anointed.

You crush the leader of the house of the wicked

and strip him from foot to neck.

Selah

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers

and parted the sea?

Were you displeased with them?

No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!

You brandished your bow

and your quiver of arrows.

You split open the earth with flowing rivers.

The mountains watched and trembled.

Onward swept the raging waters.

The mighty deep cried out,

lifting its hands in submission.

The sun and moon stood still in the sky

as your brilliant arrows flew

and your glittering spear flashed.

You marched across the land in anger

and trampled the nations in your fury.

You went out to rescue your chosen people,

to save your anointed ones.

You crushed the heads of the wicked

and stripped their bones from head to toe.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Was the anger of Yahweh against the rivers?

Was your wrath against the rivers,

or your fury against the sea,

when you mounted upon your horses,

upon your victory chariot?

You laid bare the nakedness of your bow,

swearing oaths with the arrows of your word.

You split the earth with rivers.

When the mountains saw you they writhed;

a torrent of waters swept by;

the deep gave its voice;

it raised its hands on high.

Sun and moon stood still in their place;

at the light of your arrows they moved about;

at the gleam of the flashing of your spear.

In fury you marched through the earth;

in anger you trampled the nations.

You went forth for the salvation of your people,

for the salvation of your anointed.

You crushed the head of the house of wickedness,

laying bare from the foundation to the top.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Was the Lord displeased against the rivers?

Was thine anger against the rivers?

Was thy wrath against the sea,

That thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?

Thy bow was made quite naked,

According to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah.

Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

The mountains saw thee, and they trembled:

The overflowing of the water passed by:

The deep uttered his voice,

And lifted up his hands on high.

The sun and moon stood still in their habitation:

At the light of thine arrows they went,

And at the shining of thy glittering spear.

Thou didst march through the land in indignation,

Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.

Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people,

Even for salvation with thine anointed;

Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked,

By discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.

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