New English Translation
Habakkuk 3:6
6He takes his battle position and shakes the earth; with a mere look he frightens the nations. The ancient mountains disintegrate; the primeval hills are flattened. He travels on the ancient roads.
Habakkuk 3:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
- New International Version (NIV)He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.
Context of Habakkuk 3:6
4He is as bright as lightning; a two-pronged lightning bolt flashes from his hand. This is the outward display of his power. 5Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him. He takes his battle position and shakes the earth; with a mere look he frightens the nations. The ancient mountains disintegrate; the primeval hills are flattened. He travels on the ancient roads. 7I see the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; the tent curtains of the land of Midian are shaking. 8Is the Lord mad at the rivers? Are you angry with the rivers? Are you enraged at the sea? Is this why you climb into your horse-drawn chariots, your victorious chariots?
Read all of Habakkuk 3Habakkuk 3:6 word by word
עָמַ֣ד׀ וַיְמֹ֣דֶד אֶ֗רֶץ רָאָה֙ וַיַּתֵּ֣ר גּוֹיִ֔ם וַיִּתְפֹּֽצְצוּ֙ הַרְרֵי־עַ֔ד שַׁח֖וּ גִּבְע֣וֹת עוֹלָ֑ם הֲלִיכ֥וֹת עוֹלָ֖ם לֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- He stoodעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
- and measuredמוּדmûd · to shakeH4128
- the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- he beheldרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- and drove asunderנָתַרnâthar · to startH5425
- the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- and the everlastingעַד‛ad · perpetuityH5703
- mountainsהָרָרhârâr · mountainH2042
- were scatteredפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
- the perpetualעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
- hillsגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · hillH1389
- did bowשָׁחַחshâchach · to bowH7817
- his waysהֲלִיכָהhălîykâh · walkH1979
Cross-references for Habakkuk 3:6
- Exodus 15:17You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place you made for your residence, O Lord, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
- Exodus 21:31If the ox gores a son or a daughter, the owner will be dealt with according to this rule.
- Numbers 34:1Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
- Deuteronomy 32:8When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided up humankind, he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the heavenly assembly.
- Acts 17:26From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live,
- Joshua 10:42Joshua captured in one campaign all these kings and their lands, for the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
- Joshua 11:18Joshua campaigned against these kings for quite some time.
- Nehemiah 9:22“You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner of the land. They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and the land of King Og of Bashan.
- Psalms 135:8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, including both men and animals.
- Habakkuk 3:10When the mountains see you, they shake. The torrential downpour sweeps through. The great deep shouts out; it lifts its hands high.
- Genesis 49:26The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains or the desirable things of the age-old hills. They will be on the head of Joseph and on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
- Deuteronomy 33:15with the best of the ancient mountains and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;
- Judges 5:5The mountains trembled before the Lord, the God of Sinai; before the Lord God of Israel.
- Psalms 68:16Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain where God has decided to live? Indeed the Lord will live there permanently!
- Psalms 114:4The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
- Isaiah 64:1If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains would tremble before you!
Commentaries on Habakkuk 3:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6He stood, and measured the earth - ארץ erets, the land; he divided the promised land among the twelve tribes. This is the allusion; and this the prophet had in his eye. God not only made a general assignment of the land to the Hebrews; but he even divided it into such portions as the different families required. Here were both power and condescension. When a conqueror had subdued a country, he divided it among his soldiers. Among the Romans, those among…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6He stood - It is “a metaphor of his giving victory to Israel” Tanchum. And measured - So Kimchi, A. E., Rashi, Tanchum, Vulgate. It is borne out by Hithpolel. “extended himself,” 1 Kings 17:21. By an interchange of dentals; מוד might be = מוט, and so the Aramaic and the Septuagint but in no other case do the two forms co-exist in Hebrew. The earth - Joshua, after he had conquered the land, meted it out and divided it among the people. He who should come…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-15Verses 3-15 God's people, when in distress, and ready to despair, seek help by considering the days of old, and the years of ancient times, and by pleading them with God in prayer. The resemblance between the Babylonish and Egyptian captivities, naturally presents itself to the mind, as well as the possibility of a like deliverance through the power of Jehovah. God appeared in his glory. All the powers of nature are shaken, and the course of nature…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6God is the divine warrior who helps his people (see Habakkuk 3:8–15; see also Isaiah 63:1–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. He stood, and measured the earth--Jehovah, in His advance, is represented as stopping suddenly, and measuring the earth with His all-seeing glance, whereat there is universal consternation. Maurer, from a different root, translates, "rocked the earth"; which answers better to the parallel "drove asunder"; the Hebrew for which latter, however, may be better translated, "made to tremble." everlasting mountains--which have ever been remembered as…Read the comment
Topics related to Habakkuk 3:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Habakkuk 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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