Habacuc 3:3-7

Jehovah’s terrible approach, Habakkuk 3:3-7.

3. Teman See on Amos 1:12.

Mount Paran In all probability the mountain range between Mount Seir and Mount Sinai. This whole region in the south was thought to be in a special manner the dwelling place of Jehovah, from which his manifestations proceeded (Judges 5:4; Deuteronomy 33:2). This belief undoubtedly arose from the fact that there Moses received his revelations, and there the covenant was established between Jehovah and Israel.

Holy One A descriptive title of Jehovah (see on Hosea 11:9).

Selah Occurs three times in this chapter (compare 9, 13), and seventy-one times in the Psalter, in thirty-nine psalms. There is still some uncertainty as to the meaning of the word. Some have thought that it marks strophe divisions; a more probable interpretation, however, is that which sees in it a direction to the musicians, either to increase the force of the music, or to play a musical interlude while the singing ceases.

Glory See on Habakkuk 2:14.

Praise The parallelism with “glory” indicates that the poet has in mind not so much the expression of praise by the people as that in Jehovah which evokes the praise, hence the expression is practically equivalent to “praiseworthy manifestation.”

Heavens… earth The whole universe. The thought of the entire verse is that, when Jehovah came forth, the whole universe was dazzled by the splendor and power of his manifestations.

In Habakkuk 3:4 the singer proceeds to describe in greater detail the glory of the divine appearance.

And his brightness was as the light Literally, And there appeared a brightness as the light. The splendor and brightness of Jehovah’s appearance are likened to the dazzling rays of the sun.

He had horns In Arabic poetry the first rays of the rising sun are frequently likened to the horns of a gazelle; R.V., “rays.”

Out of his hand Since the preceding is literally “two horns,” some have seen here a reference to Jehovah wielding and directing the thunderbolts with his hand. This would be in accord with the language in other poems, which describe the appearance of Jehovah in the imagery of a thunderstorm. But, since “horn” is not used ordinarily of lightning, it may be better to look for a different interpretation. The hands being on the sides of a person, “from his hand” may be equivalent to “from his side,” or even “from both sides.” As the disk of the sun is surrounded by bright rays, so Jehovah is thought of here as surrounded by radiant splendor. “Such a radiant splendor surrounding God is presupposed when it is affirmed of Moses that on coming from the presence of Jehovah his face was radiant, or emitted rays” (Exodus 34:29-30).

There Within the brightness.

The hiding of his power All that can be seen is the radiance and the splendor; Jehovah himself is invisible. Ordinarily darkness is represented as covering the Godhead (Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12; Psalms 18:12-13). Following in part LXX. and other ancient versions, Nowack alters 4b and reads Habakkuk 3:4 “His brightness was as the light; the rays at his side he made the hiding place of his power.”

Habakkuk 3:5 points to the servants who accompanied the heavenly King, to carry out his bidding (2 Samuel 15:1; compare 1 Samuel 25:42).

Pestilence There was also a dark side to the divine manifestation; he came to execute judgment, and pestilence was his agent (see on Amos 4:10; compare Isaiah 37:36).

Burning coals The Revisers thought this to refer to the thunderbolts which he hurled against his enemies (Psalms 18:14), for they translated “fiery bolts.” This is a possible interpretation; but in parallelism with “pestilence” it is better understood as the burning fever heat of the plague. This he employed against the enemies of his people. As Habakkuk 3:7 refers to the events on Mount Sinai, so this verse probably refers to the plagues that fell upon the Egyptians before they permitted the Hebrews to depart; there may be an allusion also to the destruction of the army of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:36).

Having described the bright and the dark sides of Jehovah’s manifestation, the poet proceeds to picture in Habakkuk 3:6-7 the impression made by the coming of Jehovah upon nature and upon man. Both verses refer probably to the events on Mount Sinai.

He stood Having reached the goal, he stopped.

Measured With the eyes, preliminary to action. The parallelism favors a verb corresponding to “drove asunder” in the next line. LXX. reads “was shaken”; Targum, “he shook”; the last reading is preferable. This may perhaps begotten from the present Hebrew verb, though it is not its usual meaning. Some commentators substitute a different verb.

He beheld and drove asunder The look of his eyes was sufficient to terrify and scatter all. The second verb means to start up in terror (Job 37:1).

Everlasting mountains… perpetual hills These are the firmest and most substantial portions of the globe; they have existed from the beginning (see on Micah 6:2; compare Psalms 90:2); one would naturally expect them to stand up under the blow, but before Jehovah they crumble. On everlasting see note on Habakkuk 1:12.

Were scattered Literally, burst. The meaning is not that the mountains were scattered in different directions, but that the mountains burst open or were cleaved asunder (Zechariah 14:4).

Did bow In terror.

His ways are everlasting R.V., “His goings were as of old.” The construction of this clause is uncertain. If it is taken as an independent clause either of these translations may be correct; then the words would have to be regarded as a parenthetical exclamation. R.V. expresses the thought that the divine manifestations for the salvation of Israel resembled those of more ancient times, namely, in creation, in the flood, etc. A.V., following the Hebrew text more closely, declares that Jehovah’s manifestations continue forever. In either case the exclamation interrupts the description. Hence several commentators take the words in apposition to “mountains” and “hills,” which is permitted by the Hebrew, “his pathways from of old.” The mountains and hills which have been pathways of Jehovah from of old (Amos 4:13; Micah 1:3) were cleaved and bowed before him. With the entire description should be compared Judges 5:4-5; Psalms 18:7 ff.

Cushan… Midian The former is a lengthened form of Cush, meaning perhaps “tribe of Cush.” This cannot be the Cush, or Ethiopia, in Africa (see on Zephaniah 2:12); the parallel “Midian” suggests a territory in Arabia, perhaps the home of one of the wives of Moses (Numbers 12:1). A district Cush in Arabia is mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions. Probably both the Cushites and the Midianites were without settled abode; roaming up and down the desert, they stopped for a time wherever they could find pasture for their flocks. In the period of the Exodus the Midianites were near Mount Sinai; and this makes it probable that the poet alludes here to the events which took place there.

Tents… curtains The second refers to the tent curtains. The expressions include the persons living in the tents. They were terrified when they beheld the wonderful manifestations of Jehovah.