The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:4 Explained

Habakkuk 3:4

KJV: And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.

YLT: And the brightness is as the light, He hath rays out of His hand, And there -- the hiding of His strength.

Darby: And his brightness was as the light; Rays came forth from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.

ASV: And his brightness was as the light; He had rays coming forth from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And [his] brightness  was as the light;  he had horns  [coming] out of his hand:  and there [was] the hiding  of his power. 

What does Habakkuk 3:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The radiance of the Holy One"s glory was like the sunlight. Power seemed to flash from His fingertips as rays (lit. horns) of light stretch from the rising sun (cf. Exodus 34:29-30; Exodus 34:35). In spite of this, most of His power remained concealed.

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 3:4 mean?

And [His] brightness like the light was He had rays [flashing] from hand His and there [was] hidden His power
וְנֹ֙גַהּ֙ כָּא֣וֹר תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה קַרְנַ֥יִם מִיָּד֖וֹ ל֑וֹ וְשָׁ֖ם חֶבְי֥וֹן עֻזֹּֽה‪‬‪‬

וְנֹ֙גַהּ֙  And  [His]  brightness 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נׄגַהּ  
Sense: brightness.
כָּא֣וֹר  like  the  light 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
קַרְנַ֥יִם  He  had  rays  [flashing] 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
מִיָּד֖וֹ  from  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
ל֑וֹ  His 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
וְשָׁ֖ם  and  there  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
חֶבְי֥וֹן  hidden 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֶבְיׄון  
Sense: concealment, covering, hiding, hiding place.
עֻזֹּֽה‪‬‪‬  His  power 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹז  
Sense: might, strength.