The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:11 Explained

Habakkuk 3:11

KJV: The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

YLT: Sun -- moon -- hath stood -- a habitation, At the light thine arrows go on, At the brightness, the glittering of thy spear.

Darby: The sun and moon stood still in their habitation, At the light of thine arrows which shot forth, At the shining of thy glittering spear.

ASV: The sun and moon stood still in their habitation, At the light of thine arrows as they went, At the shining of thy glittering spear.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The sun  [and] moon  stood still  in their habitation:  at the light  of thine arrows  they went,  [and] at the shining  of thy glittering  spear. 

What does Habakkuk 3:11 Mean?

Study Notes

at the light
Or, thine arrows walked in the light, etc.

Verse Meaning

The sun and moon stood still at His word (cf. Joshua 10:12-13), and they paled when He sent forth flashes of lightning like arrows and shining spears (cf. Deuteronomy 32:23; Deuteronomy 32:42).

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 3:11 mean?

The sun and moon stood still in their habitation at the light of Your arrows they went at the shining glittering of Your spear
שֶׁ֥מֶשׁ יָרֵ֖חַ עָ֣מַד זְבֻ֑לָה לְא֤וֹר חִצֶּ֙יךָ֙ יְהַלֵּ֔כוּ לְנֹ֖גַהּ בְּרַ֥ק חֲנִיתֶֽךָ

שֶׁ֥מֶשׁ  The  sun 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.
יָרֵ֖חַ  and  moon 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵחַ  
Sense: moon.
עָ֣מַד  stood  still 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
זְבֻ֑לָה  in  their  habitation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: זְבֻל 
Sense: exalted, residence, elevation, lofty abode, height, habitation.
לְא֤וֹר  at  the  light 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
חִצֶּ֙יךָ֙  of  Your  arrows 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֵץ  
Sense: arrow.
יְהַלֵּ֔כוּ  they  went 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לְנֹ֖גַהּ  at  the  shining 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נׄגַהּ  
Sense: brightness.
בְּרַ֥ק  glittering 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בָּרָק  
Sense: lightning.
חֲנִיתֶֽךָ  of  Your  spear 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֲנִית  
Sense: spear.