Habakkuk 3:6 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.
Habakkuk 3:6 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.
Habakkuk 3:6 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.
Habakkuk 3:6 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.
Habakkuk 3:6 nlt
When he stops, the earth shakes.
When he looks, the nations tremble.
He shatters the everlasting mountains
and levels the eternal hills.
He is the Eternal One!
Habakkuk 3 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Habakkuk 3:6 | He stood and measured the earth; he looked and startled the nations; the eternal mountains were scattered; the ancient hills sank low. | God's power over creation |
| Genesis 1:1 | In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. | Creation foundation |
| Psalm 11:4 | The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. | God's watchful sovereignty |
| Psalm 46:6 | The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. | God's voice affecting earth |
| Psalm 99:1 | The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth be moved! | God's enthronement and power |
| Psalm 119:90 | Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands. | God's faithfulness and stability |
| Isaiah 14:26 | For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? | God's unchangeable purpose |
| Isaiah 40:23 | He brings princes to nothing, and diminishes the rulers of the earth. | God's humbling of rulers |
| Isaiah 45:23 | By myself I have sworn; from my mouth in righteousness has a word gone out that shall not return: to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. | Universal submission to God |
| Jeremiah 10:11 | You shall say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” | False gods' powerlessness |
| Jeremiah 32:17 | "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. | God's power in creation |
| Daniel 2:21 | he changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who understand. | God's control over kingdoms |
| Daniel 4:17 | The watchers and the holy ones decree this, by the sentence of the watchers and the foot of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, gives it to whom he will, and sets over it the lowliest of men. | God's rule over kingdoms |
| Amos 9:5 | The Lord GOD of hosts, the one who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn... | God's powerful touch |
| Nahum 1:5 | The mountains quake because of him; the hills melt, the earth is heaved up before him, the world and all who dwell in it. | God's presence causing earth's reaction |
| Matthew 6:10 | your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. | God's will on earth |
| Mark 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' authority over nature |
| Luke 1:37 | For nothing will be impossible with God. | God's omnipotence |
| Acts 17:24 | the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hand. | God as Creator and Lord |
| Acts 17:25 | neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all life and breath and everything. | God as provider and sustainer |
| Romans 11:36 | For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen. | God as the source of all things |
| 1 Corinthians 10:26 | For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." | Earth belongs to the Lord |
| Philippians 2:10 | so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, | Universal acknowledgement |
| Revelation 19:6 | Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns." | God the Almighty reigns |
Habakkuk 3 verses
Habakkuk 3 6 Meaning
This verse declares God's unstoppable power and dominion over the created order. He surveys the earth, and in doing so, demonstrates His sovereign control, bringing nations to utter ruin and scattering them. His methods are portrayed as divine judgment, absolute and without reprieve.
Habakkuk 3 6 Context
Habakkuk's prophecy occurs during a time of great upheaval and impending judgment for Judah, marked by the rise of the Babylonian empire. The prophet grapples with God's justice, questioning how a holy God can use a wicked nation like Babylon to punish His own people. Chapter 3 is a prayer, a psalm of Habakkuk, that shifts from questioning to awe-inspired faith. He recalls God's powerful interventions in history, specifically His creation and His judgment upon nations. This verse fits within the larger theme of God's sovereign power demonstrated in both creation and judgment, offering Habakkuk assurance as he contemplates the impending desolation.
Habakkuk 3 6 Word Analysis
- He (Hebrew: וַיַּעֲמֹד, wayya·ʿă·mōḏ): And he stood. This Hebrew conjunctive particle ("and") connects this action to God's declaration or ongoing faithfulness, indicating a seamless transition. "Stood" implies presence, readiness, and authoritative positioning.
- stood (Hebrew: עָמַד, ʿā·mǎd): To stand, take a stand, remain. This implies permanence and immovability, fitting for God's unchanging nature.
- and (Hebrew: וְ, wə): Conjunction, indicating continuation or addition.
- measured (Hebrew: וַיְמֹד, way·yə·mōḏ): And he measured. God's action of measuring indicates His complete knowledge, precise control, and intimate understanding of His creation. It signifies divine ordering and ownership.
- the earth (Hebrew: הָאָרֶץ, hā·ʾā·reṣ): The earth. Refers to the entire world, the planet.
- he looked (Hebrew: וַיַּבְּט, way·ya·ḇə·ṭ): And he looked. Implies a focused, intentional gaze. It is not a passive observation but an active perception, often implying judgment or assessment.
- and startled (Hebrew: וַיַּחֲרֵד, way·ya·ḥă·rêḏ): And he trembled/made to tremble. This verb can mean to tremble oneself or to cause trembling. Here, it signifies God's impactful look causing nations to shake with fear or to be put to flight.
- the nations (Hebrew: גּוֹיִם, gō·wîm): Nations, peoples, Gentiles. Refers to the assembled peoples or the gentile nations collectively.
- the eternal (Hebrew: עֹלָם, ʿō·lām): Eternity, long duration. Modifies mountains, indicating their immense age and enduring nature from humanity's perspective, thus highlighting the extraordinary nature of their scattering.
- mountains (Hebrew: הָרִים, hā·rîm): Mountains.
- were scattered (Hebrew: נָפֹצ, nā·p̄ōṣ): To be scattered, dispersed. Signifies being broken apart, dispersed as in defeat or judgment.
- the ancient (Hebrew: קֶדֶם, qe·ḏem): East, antiquity, origin. Refers to something that is very old, primeval.
- hills (Hebrew: גְּבָעוֹת, gə·ḇā·‘ō·wṯ): Hills, small hills.
- sank low (Hebrew: שָׁפְלוּ, šā·p̄ə·lū): Were brought low, humbled, sunk down. Implies a reduction in height or status, a collapsing, a submission to a lower state.
Words-group analysis:
- "He stood and measured the earth; he looked and startled the nations": This phrase encapsulates God's sovereign inspection and judgment of the entire world and its inhabitants. The "measuring" points to divine order and control, while the "startling" emphasizes the fear and awe His gaze invokes in the nations, signifying the imminence of judgment.
- "the eternal mountains were scattered; the ancient hills sank low": This poetic imagery uses geological upheaval to represent the catastrophic destruction and the humbling of even the most stable and seemingly permanent entities when God judges. "Eternal" and "ancient" emphasize the scale of God's power, affecting things presumed to be unchangeable.
Habakkuk 3 6 Bonus Section
The imagery of mountains scattering and hills sinking low has echoes in other prophetic passages describing God's powerful presence and judgments. For example, Psalm 97:5 states, "The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth." Similarly, Psalm 77:16-18 links the Red Sea crossing with God’s powerful intervention, where waters saw Him and were afraid; the deep was agitated and showed its might. This verse in Habakkuk contributes to the broader biblical theme of God as the ultimate Creator and Judge, whose power is so profound that it affects the very foundations of the earth. It highlights that His dominion is absolute, affecting both the natural and the political realms.
Habakkuk 3 6 Commentary
Habakkuk 3:6 describes God's comprehensive power over creation. When God looks upon the earth, the nations are not merely observed but actively destabilized and put to flight. Even the seemingly immutable elements of the landscape—eternal mountains and ancient hills—are described as being scattered and brought low. This hyperbolic language illustrates the ultimate sovereignty of God. Nothing in creation, no matter how formidable or enduring in human perspective, can withstand His gaze or His decree. For Habakkuk, this serves as a reminder of God's power, both in past deliverances and in future judgments, offering assurance that the God who commands the mountains also controls the nations that oppress Judah.
- Practical application: Trust in God's ultimate power even when earthly circumstances seem overwhelming and unchangeable. God’s sovereignty extends over all creation, ensuring His purposes will be fulfilled.