Habakkuk 3:11

The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation,.... This is generally thought to refer to the miracle in the times of Joshua, Joshua 10:12 but a different word is there used, especially of the

The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. The sun and moon stood still - at Joshua's command (Joshua 10:12-13).

The sun and moon stood still: though the sun rejoice as a giant to run his race, and had constantly come out of his chamber to run it about two thousand five hundred years past, yet now he stops his course, and with his stay puts stop to the motion of moon and stars, at the command of God’ s minister and Israel’ s captain, ,13. Habitation; so the psalmist, , speaks of a pavilion or tabernacle pitched for the sun, where at Joshua’ s word, seconded with the word of Joshua’ s and Israel’ s God, he makes a halt as it were, stands at the door of his tabernacle to behold and forward the strange work, the miraculous overthrow of the five conspiring kings. At the light of thine arrows they went: as we read the words they seem somewhat obscure and perplexed, yet very intelligible in this paraphrase: at the light, according to the light which thine arrows gave by their glittering heads, polished shafts, and bright feathers; in their flight thine arrows, O God, for these were the arrows of Israel and thine arrows too, as the sword of Gideon was the sword of the Lord. They, i.e. sun and moon, went, directed their course, and took their way compliant with the flights of these arrows, not hastening to the place of their going down whilst Israel had arrows to shoot, or enemies that day to discomfit, whilst they were to lift up a spear against any enemy that day. The marginal reading of these words is much plainer: thine arrows walked in the light, ( which was miraculously continued,) and thy spears walked in the brightness of the lightning (as I venture for once to read the words from the Hebrew); so dreadful was that day to the enemy, so joyful to Israel. O let some such day arise on captive Jews, revive thy works of old: so the prophet prays.

Habakkuk 3:11 The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, [and] at the shining of thy glittering spear.Ver. 11. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation] viz. In the days of Joshua, and upon his prayer, Joshua 10:12-13, whereupon one crieth out, O admirabilem piarum precum vim ac potentiam quibus etiam coelestia cedunt, &c: Oh the admirable power of prayer, that worketh wonders in heaven! and oh the heroic faith of Joshua, the trophies whereof he set in the very orbs of heaven. At the light of thine arrows they went] By these shining arrows and glittering spears, some understand that terrible lightning, mixed with that horrible hail, Joshua 10:11 with Exodus 10:23, and then it is figura plane poetica, a poetic expression; for the poets call lightning Dιοςβελος, Jove’ s arrow. See the like Psalms 18:14. The huge hail stones were God’ s glittering spears, wherewith he slaughtered his enemies. Others suppose that these things are meant of the arms and weapons of the Israelites, called God’ s arrows and spears, because used at his command and ordered by him (as the sword of the Lord and of Gideon, Judges 7:18). This sense Gualther liketh better, as most comfortable to Christian warriors, who fight the Lord’ s battles.

(11) The sun and moon stand still in their habitation—scil., where they were at the beginning of the judgment. Here, of course, Habakkuk has in mind Joshua 10:12-13. The rest of the verse is best rendered, at the light of Thine arrows which go abroad, at the bright glancing of Thy spear. Apparently, the conception is that the surpassing brightness of the theophany shames the heavenly bodies, which accordingly cease to pursue their journey.

Verse 11. The sun and moon stood still] This was at the prayer of Joshua, when he fought against the Amorites. See Joshua 10:11-12, and the notes there. At the light of thine arrows they went] I think we should translate, - By their light, thine arrows went abroad; By their brightness, the lightning of thy spear. Calvin very justly remarks that the arrows and spears of the Israelites are called those of God, under whose auspices the people fought: the meaning is, that by the continuation of the light of the sun and moon, then stayed in their course, the Israelites saw how to continue the battle, till their enemies were all defeated.

11. The sun and moon stood still] stand still, i.e. do not come forth, being behind the storm-cloud. The word possibly means retreat, withdraw into their habitation, hiding themselves from the light of the flying arrows of Jehovah. They are scared and outshone by the terrible brightness of His lightnings; cf. Isaiah 24:23. Sept. joins “lifted up” of preceding verse to this one, making “the sun” the subject. No acceptable sense is given by the Sept., but certainly the balance of the rhythm seems to require a separate predicate to “the sun”: the sun …, the moon withdraws. At the light of thine arrows they went] at the light of thine arrows as they go. The “arrows” and “spear” both refer to the lightnings. The strophe reads as a whole: 8. Art thou displeased against the rivers, O Lord? Is thine anger against the rivers, Or thy wrath against the sea, That thou dost ride upon thine horses, Upon thy chariots of salvation? 9. Thy bow is made bare … Selah. Thou cleavest the rivers into dryland. 10. The mountains see thee, they tremble, The rainflood of waters passeth on; The deep uttereth his voice, And lifteth up his hands on high. 11. The sun, the moon stand still in their habitation, At the light of thine arrows as they go, At the shining of thy glittering spear.

Sun and moon stood still (as one act retiring into) in their habitation - They withdrew, as it were, in the midst of the great tempest, wherein Joshua 10:11-13.

Why did Jehovah manifest himself in terror? Habakkuk 3:8-11.In Habakkuk 3:8 the poet inquires of Jehovah why all this was done; in 9-11 he continues the description; but throughout the whole section