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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 Epic of Gilgamesh XI 99 and Habakkuk 3:5

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Habakkuk 3 describes God marching with deities in front of and behind him, similar to the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the storm god Adad is led by his servants. Both follow a pattern common in ancient Near Eastern stories about gods on the move.

Passages

Epic of Gilgamesh XI 99

Ancient Near East, Babylonian
97 At the very first light of dawn– 98 there came up from the horizon a black cloud, 99 within it did Adad bellow continually. 100 Šullat and Haniš were going at the fore, 101 “throne-bearers” travelling over mountain and land. 102 Errakal was ripping out the mooring poles; 103 Ninurta, as he went, made the weirs overflow. 104 The Anunnaki bore torches aloft, 105 setting the land aglow with their brilliance.
2100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Epic of Gilgamesh

Habakkuk 3:5

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

References

"... Although it is possible that the text alludes in some way to the plagues of the Exodus, it seems more likely in light of the Ancient Near Eastern background that verse 5 gives a description of God’s semi-divine military attendants. Perhaps these are members of the heavenly council, or perhaps this is a polemic against well-known deities. It is clear that Resheph was a very prominent god in the ancient Near East, and it is possible that Deber should also be considered an Ancient Near Eastern deity. At any rate, in this text these attendants are in complete submission to the Divine Warrior, ready to do the commander’s bidding. Deber acts as the forerunner of the march and Resheph brings up the rear. Similarly, Marduk also deploys attendants to prepare the way for battle (Enuma Elish IV.42-43). Erra has seven deities march at his side (Context of Scripture 1:113: I.1-110), and the storm god Adad is accompanied by his two heralds, Shullat and Hanish (Gilgamesh 11:96-100). Even Baal does not fight alone—he has Kothar-wa-Ḫasis prepare two weapons for him, both of whose names describe their function (ygrš, “Driver,” and ’ymr, “Expeller”). ..."
Tyler J. Patty, “Ancient Near Eastern Literature and the Psalm of Habakkuk 3” (diss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2015), 1–24.

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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Epic of Gilgamesh XI 99 and Habakkuk 3:5

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