Habakkuk 3:10 kjv
The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.
Habakkuk 3:10 nkjv
The mountains saw You and trembled; The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered its voice, And lifted its hands on high.
Habakkuk 3:10 niv
the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high.
Habakkuk 3:10 esv
The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high.
Habakkuk 3:10 nlt
The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.
The mighty deep cried out,
lifting its hands in submission.
Habakkuk 3 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 19:18 | Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke... and the whole mountain trembled... | Sinai trembling at God's presence |
| Deu 33:2 | The Lord came from Sinai and dawned... with him were myriads of holy ones. | God's appearance with majesty |
| Psa 18:7 | Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the mountains trembled. | Earth shaking at God's anger |
| Psa 29:3-9 | The voice of the Lord is over the waters;... The voice of the Lord makes oaks to whirl. | God's voice, power over nature |
| Psa 68:7-8 | When You went out before Your people,... the earth quaked, the heavens also dropped. | God leading His people, creation reacting |
| Psa 74:13 | You divided the sea by Your might; You broke the heads of the sea monsters. | God's power over chaos waters |
| Psa 77:16 | When the waters saw You, O God, when the waters saw You, they were afraid. | Waters personified as fearing God |
| Psa 89:9 | You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. | God's control over chaotic sea |
| Psa 97:4-5 | His lightnings lit up the world; the earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted. | Earth and mountains respond to God's presence |
| Psa 104:7 | At your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of your thunder they took flight. | Waters flee at God's command |
| Isa 2:19 | Men will enter the caves of the rocks... from the terror of the Lord. | Fleeing God's glorious presence |
| Isa 24:18 | The foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken down. | Earth shattering under divine judgment |
| Isa 40:4 | Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low. | Mountains made low before God |
| Isa 64:1-3 | Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake! | Mountains quaking at God's descent |
| Nah 1:5 | The mountains quake before him; the hills melt away; the earth heaves. | Mountains and earth dissolving before God |
| Jon 2:5-6 | The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep was around me. | The deep, powerful waters |
| Mk 4:41 | And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" | Jesus' power over nature (divine power) |
| Heb 12:26 | At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven." | God shaking creation |
| Rev 6:14 | The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved from their places. | Cosmic shaking at end times |
| Rev 20:13 | And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. | The deep (sea) gives up its contents |
Habakkuk 3 verses
Habakkuk 3 10 Meaning
Habakkuk 3:10 powerfully depicts the natural world reacting with terror and submission to the majestic manifestation of God. Mountains tremble, floods surge in fear, and the primeval deep itself acknowledges God's supreme power with a roaring voice and outstretched hands of awe or surrender. The verse illustrates divine sovereignty, where creation, despite its might, stands utterly dwarfed and subservient to the Almighty.
Habakkuk 3 10 Context
Habakkuk chapter 3 is a psalm or prayer (specifically called a shigionoth) uttered by the prophet after receiving God's earlier oracles of judgment against Judah and Babylon. It serves as a majestic theophany, describing a past, present, and future manifestation of God's awesome power and His divine intervention in history on behalf of His people. The preceding verses (Hab 3:3-9) recount God's magnificent arrival from Teman and Mount Paran, accompanied by natural phenomena. Verse 10 continues this cosmic display, detailing how the very elements of creation—mountains, torrents, and the deep—react in terrified submission to God's overwhelming presence and might. It transitions from God's personal attributes (brightness, power) to creation's response, reassuring Habakkuk and the faithful that though difficulties abound, the sovereign God remains in complete control and will act to save His chosen ones.
Habakkuk 3 10 Word analysis
- The mountains (הָרִים - harim): Plural for "mountain" or "hill." Mountains in biblical thought often represent permanence, stability, and enduring power (Psa 30:7, 90:2). Their reaction highlights the immense, unparalleled power of God.
- saw You (רָאוּךְ - ra'uka): From the verb רָאָה (ra'ah), meaning "to see, perceive, behold." This is strong personification, implying that inanimate mountains possess sensory perception to witness God's awe-inspiring glory and respond. It emphasizes God's tangible, visible manifestation.
- and writhed (וַיָּחִלּוּ - vayyakhilu): From the root חָלַל (chalal), in the Hiphil stem meaning "to cause to tremble, shake, or writhe; to be in anguish or birth pangs." This vivid verb suggests intense, uncontrollable distress, pain, and convulsion. It portrays creation undergoing profound trauma and instability in God's presence, like a woman in labor (Psa 29:9; Isa 13:8; Mic 4:10).
- The torrents of water (זֶרֶם מַיִם - zerem mayim): Zerem refers to a "flow, stream, flood, cloudburst, rushing waters." Mayim is "water." This phrase evokes sudden, overwhelming, and potentially destructive gushes of water.
- swept by (עָבַר - 'avar): From the verb עָבַר ('avar), meaning "to pass over, pass through, flow by, go on." In this context, it suggests the forceful, perhaps terrified, movement of the waters, either flowing away rapidly from God's presence or being driven onward by His power.
- The deep (תְּהוֹם - tehom): The "abyss," "oceanic depths," or "primeval waters." This term often carries connotations of primeval chaos that God organized at creation (Gen 1:2) and over which He retains supreme control (Psa 74:13, 104:6).
- uttered its voice (נָתַן קוֹלוֹ - natan qolo): Literally, "gave its voice." Natan is "to give, put, place," and qol is "voice, sound, roar." This phrase signifies a powerful, roaring sound, perhaps like thunder or a crashing sea, reflecting the profound agitation and fearful respect of the deep for God.
- And lifted its hands on high (רוֹמָם יָדָיו עָלָה - romam yadav 'alah): Again, personification. Romam means "to be high, exalted," often in the sense of lifting up. Yadav is "its hands" (dual form). 'Alah means "to go up, ascend." This striking image can imply surrender to an overwhelming power, an act of awe and worship, or perhaps a gesture of self-preservation or distress in the face of the divine (Psa 68:31, 141:2, Lam 2:19). It visually represents the total submission of the great deep.
Habakkuk 3 10 Bonus section
The imagery in Habakkuk 3:10 has deep roots in ancient Near Eastern cultural contexts, where many cultures depicted deities struggling with or embodying chaotic cosmic waters. However, in Habakkuk, as throughout the Hebrew Bible, there is no struggle; Yahweh merely appears, and creation immediately trembles and submits. This unilateral authority underscores the uniqueness of Israel's God. The poetic intensity of the verse encourages awe and worship, prompting the believer to consider the magnificent power of the God who defends His people, not through ordinary means, but by making the very cosmos tremble at His approach. This reminds us that there is no power in existence—whether natural or spiritual—that is beyond the scope of God's command or able to withstand His manifested presence.
Habakkuk 3 10 Commentary
Habakkuk 3:10 functions as a powerful declaration of God's absolute sovereignty over all creation, an integral aspect of theophany. It depicts nature as a conscious entity responding with fear and homage to its Creator. The mountains, symbols of stability, writhe as if in labor, highlighting that even the most fixed elements of the natural world are utterly disrupted by God's glory and power. This visual and emotional language reinforces that God is not just in control but causes creation itself to undergo convulsion.
The imagery of "torrents of water swept by" portrays either their rapid retreat in fear or their being compelled by God's irresistible will, perhaps mirroring the Red Sea. Most significantly, "the deep uttered its voice, and lifted its hands on high" provides an astonishing anthropomorphic picture. The "deep" (tehom), often representing the chaotic, untamed primeval waters in ancient Near Eastern cosmology and Hebrew Scripture (Gen 1:2; Job 38:8-11), is shown here to be not merely tamed, but actively terrified and subservient to Yahweh. Its roar is a cry of fear or acknowledgement, and its uplifted hands signify complete surrender or an offering of homage to the only true sovereign over chaos. This serves as a polemic against pagan deities often associated with control over storm and sea, declaring Yahweh's unparalleled authority. For Habakkuk and the people, it means that the God who can control cosmic elements can surely deliver them from earthly enemies. The fear of creation thus becomes a source of profound assurance for God's faithful.