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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 Habakkuk 3:11 and Psalm 77:17

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Psalm 77 and Habakkuk use storm god imagery, where God battles wild waters with thunder and lightning. Psalm 77 links this language to the exodus and rescue of Israel, while Habakkuk uses it to picture judgment falling on a hostile nation.

Passages

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. 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.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Habakkuk

Psalm 77:17

Hebrew Bible
15 You delivered your people by your arm21—the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah) 16 The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and trembled. Yes, the depths of the sea shook with fear. 17 The clouds poured down rain; the skies thundered. Yes, your arrows flashed about. 18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind; the lightning bolts lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook. 19 You walked through the sea; you passed through the surging waters, but left no footprints.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... Regarding the spatial framework, 'Anatu, Môtu, and Ba'lu each seize humans, thus acting within human space, but conflict between divine beings occurs either in the realm of Môtu or an unspecified, but presumably, divine spatial context. In comparison, biblical examples that refigure Yahweh’s conflict with the sea within the chronological framework of the exodus story, or within a contemporary historical context, exhibit interchange between divine and human spheres similar to that the in Ba'lu Cycle. However, among surviving texts, the biblical materials are distinct (and possibly innovative) in pinning divine combat to a specific moment, in the exodus story or contemporary context. Of course, not every biblical example has this feature; those discussed above place Yahweh’s divine combat in primordial time, which is in line with the chronological framework of Marduk’s battles. Let us now consider passages that exhibit the conflict motif intertwined with the exodus motif: Psalm 77:14–21; Psalm 106:7–12; and Psalm 114 ... Habakkuk 3, like Jeremiah 51:34–37, employs the conflict motif to portray an enemy, possibly Babylon, as destined for defeat. The passage describes Yahweh in battle and interweaves divine warrior imagery with a description of Yahweh defending his anointed against an enemy polity. Habakkuk 3:8–10 indicates through rhetorical questions that Yahweh was enraged against the sea/rivers. The passage describes Yahweh’s weapons, and like several passages discussed above (Psalm 93:1–5; 29:3, 10; 65:8; and Nahum 1:3–5) references the deep’s voice or Yahweh’s superior voice ..."
Debra Scoggins Ballentine, The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 93, 105.

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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