The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:7 Explained

Habakkuk 3:7

KJV: I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

YLT: Under sorrow I have seen tents of Cushan, Tremble do curtains of the land of Midian.

Darby: I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

ASV: I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I saw  the tents  of Cushan  in affliction:  [and] the curtains  of the land  of Midian  did tremble. 

What does Habakkuk 3:7 Mean?

Study Notes

Cushan
Or, Ethiopia.

Verse Meaning

Habakkuk saw the semi-nomadic Ethiopians and Midianites, who lived on both sides of Mt. Sinai, trembling with fear because they witnessed something of Yahweh"s power. The terms Midianite and Cushite both described Moses" wife ( Exodus 2:16-22; Exodus 18:1-5; Numbers 12:1), so they may be synonyms here. Perhaps this is a reference to Yahweh parting the Red Sea. It is small wonder that these tribes trembled since His glance can cause mountains to melt ( Habakkuk 3:6).

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 3:7 mean?

In affliction I saw the tents of Cushan trembled The curtains of the land of Midian -
תַּ֣חַת אָ֔וֶן רָאִ֖יתִי אָהֳלֵ֣י כוּשָׁ֑ן יִרְגְּז֕וּן יְרִיע֖וֹת אֶ֥רֶץ מִדְיָֽן ס

אָ֔וֶן  affliction 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.
רָאִ֖יתִי  I  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אָהֳלֵ֣י  the  tents 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֹהֶל  
Sense: tent.
כוּשָׁ֑ן  of  Cushan 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כוּשָׁן  
Sense: a place in Arabia or Mesopotamia; site unknown.
יִרְגְּז֕וּן  trembled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: רָגַז  
Sense: tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed.
יְרִיע֖וֹת  The  curtains 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: יְרִיעָה  
Sense: curtain, drape.
אֶ֥רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִדְיָֽן  of  Midian 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִדְיָן  
Sense: son of Abraham by Keturah and progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation