Verse 9
"Thy bow was made quite bare; The oaths to the tribes were a sure word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers."
The Hebrew text is difficult here; but it is not safe to follow RSV and other versions which, "attempting to correct the text (by emending it), make it speak of the power of the divine judgment."[25]
"Thy bow was made quite bare ..." The figure is that of taking a bow out of its carrying case, thus readying it for action. Another similar figure is, "He hath bent his bow and made it ready" (Psalms 7:12).
"The oaths to the tribe were a sure word ..." This just means that God's promises to Israel (the tribes) had proved to be dependable and trustworthy. It was not God who had failed Israel in the forthcoming calamity, but Israel who had failed God.
"Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers ..." This too is of somewhat uncertain meaning. Interestingly, "This may refer to the cleavage of the earth's surface after an earthquake,"[26] exactly the same kind of phenomena that probably entered into the forming of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Geologists sometimes dispute this explanation, but it is fully consistent with all known facts.
"Selah ..." See under Habakkuk 3:3.
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