The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:19 Explained

Habakkuk 3:19

KJV: The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

YLT: Jehovah the Lord is my strength, And He doth make my feet like hinds, And on my high-places causeth me to tread. To the overseer with my stringed instruments!

Darby: Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet, And he will make me to walk upon my high places. To the chief Musician. On my stringed instruments.

ASV: Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength; And he maketh my feet like hinds feet , And will make me to walk upon my high places.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The LORD  God  [is] my strength,  and he will make  my feet  like hinds'  [feet], and he will make me to walk  upon mine high places.  To the chief singer  on my stringed instruments. 

What does Habakkuk 3:19 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The final footnote to this book gives direction to the choir director who used this chapter as part of Israel"s formal worship. Habakkuk specified the use of stringed instruments to accompany the singing undoubtedly because they set the proper mood.
The book opened with a dialogue between Habakkuk and Yahweh in which the prophet vented his fears and the Lord responded in love (ch1). Then it proceeded to a dirge in which the Lord explained the wickedness of the instrument that He would use to judge Judah, the Babylonians, and promised their ultimate destruction (ch2). It closes with a doxology in which Habakkuk praised God and recommitted himself to faith in and faithfulness to Yahweh as he anticipated hard times to come (ch3).
"Habakkuk teaches us to face our doubts and questions honestly, take them humbly to the Lord, wait for His Word to teach us, and then worship Him no matter how we feel or what we see." [1]
This book can be a great help to people who are discouraged about their present circumstances and or can see nothing good coming in the future. It helps us adjust our attitude from one of pessimism and even despair to optimism and rejoicing. The crucial issue is whether we will listen to God and believe Him, namely, exercise faith.

Context Summary

Habakkuk 3:1-19 - The Faith That Is Invincible
This psalm was intended to be sung by the captives during the Exile, which was near. In Habakkuk 3:3-15 there is a recital of the great events in the past. First Sinai, then the victories and deliverances of the book of Judges, the passage of the Red Sea and Jordan, the divine vengeance on the oppressors. But the prophet could not contemplate the future of the Chosen People without dismay. He longed to be at rest before those terrible Chaldean hosts burst upon the land. At the close he breaks into a sublime refrain which has been the solace and song of myriads of believers. If all God's gifts failed he would still possess the Giver. He could still triumph in God. Indeed, the divine Savior and Friend is often more apparent when the fields and the farmsteads are bare [source]

Chapter Summary: Habakkuk 3

1  Habakkuk, in his prayer, trembles at God's majesty
17  The confidence of his faith

What do the individual words in Habakkuk 3:19 mean?

GOD the Lord is my strength and He will make my feet like deer's [feet] and on my high hills He will make me walk to the Chief Musician with my stringed instruments
יְהוִ֤הּ‪‬‪‬ אֲדֹנָי֙ חֵילִ֔י וַיָּ֤שֶׂם רַגְלַי֙ כָּֽאַיָּל֔וֹת וְעַ֥ל בָּמוֹתַ֖י יַדְרִכֵ֑נִי לַמְנַצֵּ֖חַ בִּנְגִינוֹתָֽי

יְהוִ֤הּ‪‬‪‬  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
אֲדֹנָי֙  the  Lord  is 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
חֵילִ֔י  my  strength 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
וַיָּ֤שֶׂם  and  He  will  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
רַגְלַי֙  my  feet 
Parse: Noun, fdc, first person common singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
כָּֽאַיָּל֔וֹת  like  deer's  [feet] 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַיָּלָה  
Sense: doe, deer, hind.
וְעַ֥ל  and  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בָּמוֹתַ֖י  my  high  hills 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
יַדְרִכֵ֑נִי  He  will  make  me  walk 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: דָּרַךְ  
Sense: to tread, bend, lead, march.
לַמְנַצֵּ֖חַ  to  the  Chief  Musician 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָצַח  
Sense: to excel, be bright, be preeminent, be perpetual, be overseer, be enduring.
בִּנְגִינוֹתָֽי  with  my  stringed  instruments 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural
Root: נְגִינָה  
Sense: music, song, taunt song.