The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:9 Explained

Habakkuk 3:9

KJV: Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

YLT: Utterly naked Thou dost make Thy bow, Sworn are the tribes -- saying, 'Pause!' With rivers Thou dost cleave the earth.

Darby: Thy bow was made naked, The rods of discipline sworn according to thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

ASV: Thy bow was made quite bare; The oaths to the tribes were a'sure word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thy bow  was made quite  naked,  [according] to the oaths  of the tribes,  [even thy] word.  Selah.  Thou didst cleave  the earth  with rivers. 

What does Habakkuk 3:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He pulled His powerful bow out and prepared to use it. He called for many arrows to shoot at His enemies (cf. Deuteronomy 32). This is a notoriously difficult phrase to translate.
"God had enlisted weapons and pledged them on oath for the destruction of his enemies." [1]
"In the ancient Near East, warriors would sometimes empower their weapons with a magical formula. The Lord is depicted here as doing the same (see also Jeremiah 47:6-7)." [2]
Selah. Think of that.
The prophet envisioned the rivers as God"s instruments in dividing portions of the earth.

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 3:9 mean?

quite was made ready Your bow was sworn [over Your] arrows speech Selah With rivers You divided the earth
עֶרְיָ֤ה תֵעוֹר֙ קַשְׁתֶּ֔ךָ שְׁבֻע֥וֹת מַטּ֖וֹת אֹ֣מֶר סֶ֑לָה נְהָר֖וֹת תְּבַקַּע־ אָֽרֶץ

עֶרְיָ֤ה  quite 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֶרְיָה  
Sense: nudity, nakedness.
תֵעוֹר֙  was  made  ready 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: עוּר  
Sense: (Niphal) to be exposed, be bared, be laid bare.
קַשְׁתֶּ֔ךָ  Your  bow 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קֶשֶׁת  
Sense: bow.
שְׁבֻע֥וֹת  was  sworn 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: oath, curse.
מַטּ֖וֹת  [over  Your]  arrows 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַטֶּה  
Sense: staff, branch, tribe.
אֹ֣מֶר  speech 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֹמֶר  
Sense: utterance, speech, word, saying, promise, command.
סֶ֑לָה  Selah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: סֶלָה  
Sense: to lift up, exalt.
נְהָר֖וֹת  With  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
תְּבַקַּע־  You  divided 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּקַע  
Sense: to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear.
אָֽרֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.