Habakkuk 3:16

16. When I heard R.V. simply, “I heard.” The report of thee (Habakkuk 3:2); that is, the report of the wonderful manifestations of Jehovah in the hour of Israel’s distress (compare 3-15).

My belly trembled R.V., “my body.” An expansion of “was afraid” (Habakkuk 3:2). Jehovah’s approach was terrible to behold, so that all nature trembled. No wonder that even the report of it should cause the prophet and the people to quake, though they have nothing to fear.

My lips quivered The verb is used elsewhere of the ringing of the ears (1 Samuel 3:11; 2 Kings 21:12); in this place the poet may mean more than simply the quivering of the lips, he may have in mind also the chattering of the teeth; so that “lips” would stand for the lips plus the teeth covered by the lips.

At the voice Since nothing is said of a voice speaking to the singer, the noun may be used in the more general sense of “report,” or of “noise” (Genesis 3:8; 1 Kings 1:41), made by Jehovah advancing to battle. The events are so vivid in the mind of the singer that he seems to hear Jehovah coming.

Rottenness entered into my bones Terror robbed him of all strength; his powers became paralyzed.

I trembled in myself R.V., “in my place”; literally, under me, that is, where I stood (Exodus 16:29; 2 Samuel 2:23). His knees shook under him.

To this point the verse is quite clear; it describes the fear which seized the poet when he remembered the mighty works of Jehovah. The rest is exceedingly obscure. The translators were perplexed, as may be seen from the differences between the two translations: A.V., “that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops”; R.V., “Because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of the people that invadeth us.” The translation of A.V. gives little sense, for how can the trembling produce rest in the day of trouble? R.V. is more satisfactory. It states that the trembling is due to the fact that the singer must sit down quietly and wait for the calamity that will befall his people, unable to do anything to turn it aside. But even this thought is not quite suitable; besides it is not very easy to get it from the present Hebrew text. For the last line, which is even more obscure, a third translation is offered in margin R.V., “when there shall come up against the people he that invadeth them.” Again A.V. gives the least sense; R.V. places the last line in apposition to the preceding, and the result is more satisfactory; the marginal reading expresses essentially the same idea. The whole verse becomes clearer, if in one point we follow LXX. instead of the present Hebrew text; the former does not seem to have read the relative, which the English translators reproduce as a conjunction, A.V. “that,” R.V. “because.” With this omitted the second part of Habakkuk 3:16 marks a new beginning and is to be understood not as an expression of fear but of confidence, like Habakkuk 3:17-19. At first the memory of the manifestations of Jehovah in the past terrified the psalmist: “I heard, and my body trembled, my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my place.” But soon fear was displaced by confidence. If Jehovah could help then, surely he can help now; therefore he breaks out into a song of joy and confidence, of which 16b is the beginning: “I will wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of the people that invadeth us.” This interpretation of 16b is preferable to all others.