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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 3:5 and Jeremiah 14:12

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Habakkuk depicts Plague and Pestilence as companion deities of the divine warrior, reflecting ancient Near Eastern traditions where such forces served the high god. Jeremiah echoes this, describing plague and famine as instruments of judgment.

Passages

Habakkuk 3:5

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

Jeremiah 14:12

Hebrew Bible
10 Then the Lord spoke about these people. “They truly love to go astray. They cannot keep from running away from me. So I am not pleased with them. I will now call to mind the wrongs they have done and punish them for their sins.” 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for good to come to these people! 12 Even if they fast, I will not hear their cries for help. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will kill them through wars, famines, and plagues.” 13 Then I said, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, look! The prophets are telling them that you said, ‘You will not experience war or suffer famine. I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind.
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jeremiah

References

"... while many scholars are of the opinion 'that Habakkuk 3 has its literary parallel in the Canaanite epic literature', other scholars seriously doubt such a suggestion. Nevertheless, exegetes generally acknowledge an Ancient Near Eastern background of Habakkuk 3 'without over-emphasising the Mesopotamian or Canaanite background'. To a large extent, consensus has been reached amongst scholars that Habakkuk 3:3-15 is an archaic theophany, resembling other theophanies in the Hebrew Bible. Habakkuk 3:3-7 describes Yahweh's triumphant march from the "South" distinctly portraying him as a heavenly warrior. Although storm god motifs – clouds, winds, lightning and storm – are absent in Habakkuk 3:3-7 and Deuteronomy 33:2, they do appear in the archaic theophanies of Judges 5:4 and Psalm 68:8-10. A blinding light associated with the appearance of Yahweh clearly depicts Yahweh as a solar deity. Habakkuk 3 gives a description of a theophany with accompanying natural phenomena. The "Lord of Light" is described as a Divine Warrior; the plague went before him and pestilence followed on his heels. (Habakkuk 3:5; Compare 1 Kings 8:37; Jeremiah 14:12. They could be seen as two 'personalized natural powers, submitted to Yahweh') ..."
Marlene Elizabeth Mondriaan, “The Rise of Yahwism: Role of Marginalised Groups” (PhD diss., University of Pretoria, 2010), 154.

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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Habakkuk 3:5 and Jeremiah 14:12

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