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Habakkuk

About this book
Chapter 3

1 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet: 2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; I am awed, Lord, by what you accomplished. In our time repeat those deeds; in our time reveal them again. But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy!⁠ 3 God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.⁠ Selah. His splendor has covered the skies,⁠ the earth is full of his glory.⁠ 4 His brightness will be as lightning;⁠ a two-pronged lightning bolt flashing from his hand. This is the outward display of his power.⁠ 5 Plague will go before him; pestilence will march right behind him.⁠ 6 He took his battle position and shook the earth; with a mere look he frightened the nations. The ancient mountains disintegrated; the primeval hills were flattened.⁠ His are ancient roads.⁠ 7 I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; the tent curtains of the land of Midian were shaking. 8 Was the Lord mad at the rivers? Were you angry with the rivers? Were you enraged at the sea?⁠ Such that you would climb into your horse-drawn chariots, your victorious chariots?⁠ 9 Your bow is ready for action; you commission your arrows. Selah. You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface.⁠ 10 When the mountains see you, they shake. The torrential downpour sweeps through. The great deep shouts out; it lifts its hands high.⁠ 11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses;⁠ the flash of your arrows drives them away, the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.⁠ 12 You furiously stomp on the earth; you angrily trample down the nations. 13 You march out to deliver your people, to deliver your special servant. You strike the leader of the wicked nation,⁠ laying him open from the lower body to the neck. Selah.⁠ 14 You pierce the heads of his warriors with a spear. They storm forward to scatter us; they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition. 15 But you trample on the sea with your horses, on the surging, raging waters.⁠ 16 I listened and my stomach churned; the sound made my lips quiver. My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying, and I shook as I tried to walk. I long for the day of distress to come upon the people who attack us. 17 When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when the olive trees do not produce and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep disappear from the pen and there are no cattle in the stalls— 18 I will rejoice because of the Lord; I will be happy because of the God who delivers me! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.⁠ (This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Texts in conversation

Compare Joshua 10:13 and Habakkuk 3:11

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Joshua and Habakkuk describe the sun and moon as members of the heavenly host, reflecting an ancient Near Eastern view that celestial bodies belonged to a divine army. In Joshua they stop to aid Israel, and in Habakkuk they stand still in response.

Passages

Joshua 10:13

Hebrew Bible
11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, all the way to Azekah. They died—in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword. 12 The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon; O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” 13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day. 14 There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord listened to a human being, for the Lord fought for Israel! 15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Joshua

Habakkuk 3:11

Hebrew Bible
9 Your bow is ready for action; you commission your arrows. Selah. You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. 10 When the mountains see you, they shake. The torrential downpour sweeps through. The great deep shouts out; it lifts its hands high. 11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; the flash of your arrows drives them away, the bright light of your lightning-quick spear. 12 You furiously stomp on the earth; you angrily trample down the nations. 13 You march out to deliver your people, to deliver your special servant. You strike the leader of the wicked nation, laying him open from the lower body to the neck. Selah.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Habakkuk

References

"... In the cosmic arena, Yahweh is depicted as the one who musters the heavenly army (Isaiah 13:4). As the 'host of the heights' (Isaiah 24:21), the celestial bodies are depicted as the heavenly corps under the command of Yahweh. This 'host of heaven' is conceived as the creation of Yahweh, the members of which constitute his heavenly army (Isaiah 40:26; 45:12; Psalm 33:6; 103:21; 148:2; Genesis 2:1; Sirach 17:32; 24:2; 43:8). Indeed, the sun, moon, and stars may be depicted as composing this heavenly retinue (Joshua 10:12–13; Judges 5:20; Habakkuk 3:11; Daniel 8:10). While preparing for the conquest of Jericho, Joshua encountered his heavenly counterpart, 'the commander of the army of Yahweh', who appeared in the guise of a warrior to deliver a message prior to the conquest of the land (Joshua 5:14–15; see also Daniel 8:11). In this function, the members of this heavenly army might be conceived as angels, i.e., 'messengers of Yahweh. In Psalm 103:20-21 Yahweh's messengers, the mighty warriors, are included among his host, his ministers who do his will. When Jacob encounters the 'messengers of God', he responds by calling them 'the army of God', providing an etiology for the place name Mahanaim (Genesis 32:2–3) ..."
David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008), 3721–3722.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Joshua 10:13 and Habakkuk 3:11

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