The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:8 Explained

Habakkuk 3:8

KJV: Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?

YLT: Against rivers hath Jehovah been wroth? Against rivers is Thine anger? Against the sea is Thy wrath? For Thou dost ride on Thy horses -- Thy chariots of salvation?

Darby: Was Jehovah wrathful with the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy rage against the sea, That thou didst ride upon thy horses, Thy chariots of salvation?

ASV: Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers, Or thy wrath against the sea, That thou didst ride upon thy horses, Upon thy chariots of salvation?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Was the LORD  displeased  against the rivers?  [was] thine anger  against the rivers?  [was] thy wrath  against the sea,  that thou didst ride  upon thine horses  [and] thy chariots  of salvation? 

What does Habakkuk 3:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

With rhetorical questions Habakkuk affirmed that Yahweh was not angry with the (Nile and Jordan) rivers and the (Red) sea when He transformed them. He was demonstrating His power for the salvation of His people, as a divine warrior riding His chariot.
"In Canaanite mythology, Baal had confronted the personified god Yam (sea), alternatively called Judge River. Israel borrowed this motif but dropped any idea that natural phenomena are personified deities. Yahweh is presented as having engaged in combat with the sea at creation or at other unspecified periods (cf. Job 26:12-13; Psalm 29; Psalm 89:9-10)." [1]

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 3:8 mean?

Were with the rivers [You] displeased Yahweh [Was] against the rivers Your anger [Was] against the sea Your wrath that You rode on Your horses Your chariots of salvation
؟ הֲבִנְהָרִים֙ חָרָ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה אִ֤ם ؟ בַּנְּהָרִים֙ אַפֶּ֔ךָ אִם־ בַּיָּ֖ם עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֤י תִרְכַּב֙ עַל־ סוּסֶ֔יךָ מַרְכְּבֹתֶ֖יךָ ؟ יְשׁוּעָֽה

؟ הֲבִנְהָרִים֙  Were  with  the  rivers 
Parse: Article, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
חָרָ֣ה  [You]  displeased 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרָה  
Sense: to be hot, furious, burn, become angry, be kindled.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
؟ בַּנְּהָרִים֙  against  the  rivers 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
אַפֶּ֔ךָ  Your  anger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
בַּיָּ֖ם  against  the  sea 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ  Your  wrath 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבְרָה  
Sense: outpouring, overflow, excess, fury, wrath, arrogance.
כִּ֤י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תִרְכַּב֙  You  rode 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: רָכַב  
Sense: to mount and ride, ride.
סוּסֶ֔יךָ  Your  horses 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: סוּס 
Sense: swallow, swift.
מַרְכְּבֹתֶ֖יךָ  Your  chariots 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מֶרְכָּבָה  
Sense: chariot.
؟ יְשׁוּעָֽה  of  salvation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְשׁוּעָה  
Sense: salvation, deliverance.