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The Prophets · Old Testament

Habakkuk 3

Habakkuk 3: the prophet's prayer, God's march from Teman, and joy without fruit

General context

The first verse is printed as "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth." The prophet says he has heard the Lord's speech and was afraid, and asks him to revive his work in the midst of the years and in wrath remember mercy. He then describes God coming from Teman and the Holy One from mount Paran, glory covering the heavens, brightness like light with horns from his hand, pestilence before him and burning coals at his feet. He stands and measures the earth, scatters everlasting mountains and drives nations apart. The tents of Cushan and curtains of Midian tremble. The prophet asks whether the Lord's anger was against the rivers and sea when he rode his horses and chariots of salvation; his bow was made naked, the earth cleft with rivers, mountains trembled, the deep lifted its hands, sun and moon stood still at the light of his arrows. He marched in indignation and threshed the heathen, went out for the salvation of his people and of his anointed, wounded the head of the house of the wicked, and walked through the sea with his horses. Hearing this, the prophet's belly trembles, his lips quiver and rottenness enters his bones, so that he may rest in the day of trouble when the invader comes. Though fig, vine, olive, field, flock and herd all fail, he will rejoice in the Lord, whose strength makes his feet like hinds' feet on high places. The last line reads "To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."

Cited passages: Habakkuk 3:1, Habakkuk 3:2, Habakkuk 3:3, Habakkuk 3:4, Habakkuk 3:5, Habakkuk 3:6, Habakkuk 3:7, Habakkuk 3:8, Habakkuk 3:9, Habakkuk 3:10, Habakkuk 3:11, Habakkuk 3:12, Habakkuk 3:13, Habakkuk 3:14, Habakkuk 3:15, Habakkuk 3:16, Habakkuk 3:17, Habakkuk 3:18, Habakkuk 3:19

Habakkuk 3 (KJV)

1A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.

2O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

3God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

4And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.

5Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

6He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

7I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

8Was 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?

9Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

10The 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.

11The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

12Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.

13Thou 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.

14Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.

15Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.

16When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.

17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

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Historical context

This chapter carries its label inside the verse text: "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth" is verse 1, and "To the chief singer on my stringed instruments" closes verse 19. The word Shigionoth is not explained. "Selah" is printed three times, in verses 3, 9 and 13, without explanation. Place names appear only in the description of God's coming: Teman, mount Paran, Cushan, Midian; none is explained, and the text does not tie them to a dated event. Verse 13 speaks of salvation "with thine anointed" and of wounding "the head out of the house of the wicked" without naming either. The invader of verse 16, "when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops," is not named in this chapter, though chapter 1 named the Chaldeans. The prophet's speech shifts from petition (verse 2) to description in the past tense (verses 3 to 15) to first-person response (verses 16 to 19). Whether the past-tense verses recall a former deliverance or describe the vision is not stated. The horses and chariots of verses 8 and 15 belong to the Lord, in contrast to the Chaldean horses of 1:8.

Cited passages: Habakkuk 3:1, Habakkuk 3:19, Habakkuk 3:3, Habakkuk 3:9, Habakkuk 3:13, Habakkuk 3:7, Habakkuk 3:16, Habakkuk 1:6, Habakkuk 3:2, Habakkuk 3:8, Habakkuk 3:15, Habakkuk 1:8

Literary context

The chapter is framed by fear and joy: "I have heard thy speech, and was afraid" at the opening, and "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord" near the close. Between them the poem makes God's advance physical, moving from Teman and Paran through light, pestilence, coals, then measuring and scattering. The rhetorical questions of verse 8, was his anger against the rivers and sea, reframe the cosmic upheaval as aimed at something other than nature. The sun and moon stopping at the light of his arrows sets weapons against heavenly lights. Verse 16 turns the vision inward, into the prophet's belly, lips and bones. The final catalogue lists six failures in a row, fig, vine, olive, fields, flock, herd, before a single "Yet." That "Yet" answers the "how long" of 1:2 without any change in circumstance. The closing hinds' feet on high places recall the tower of 2:1, where the prophet first took his stand to wait.

Cited passages: Habakkuk 3:2, Habakkuk 3:18, Habakkuk 3:3, Habakkuk 3:5, Habakkuk 3:6, Habakkuk 3:8, Habakkuk 3:11, Habakkuk 3:16, Habakkuk 3:17, Habakkuk 1:2, Habakkuk 3:19, Habakkuk 2:1

Key moments

  1. A prayer upon Shigionoth (Habakkuk 3:1). The printed verse labels the chapter a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet.
  2. In wrath remember mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). The prophet, afraid at the Lord's speech, asks him to revive his work.
  3. God came from Teman (Habakkuk 3:3). God comes from Teman and Paran with glory covering the heavens.
  4. Sun and moon stood still (Habakkuk 3:11). The heavenly lights halt at the light of the Lord's arrows.
  5. Salvation with thine anointed (Habakkuk 3:13). The Lord goes out for his people and wounds the head of the wicked's house.
  6. My belly trembled (Habakkuk 3:16). The prophet's body shakes at what he hears, awaiting the day of trouble.
  7. Yet I will rejoice (Habakkuk 3:18). Though every crop and herd fails, the prophet rejoices in the God of his salvation.

For reflection

The prophet lists the fig tree, vine, olive, field, flock and herd all failing and then says he will still rejoice. What separates that kind of joy from denial, given that he has just described his own trembling?

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