Habakkuk 3:5

New Living Translation

Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The sickness went before him, and the destroyer followed behind him.

New American Standard Bible
Before Him goes plague, And plague comes forth after Him.

New Century Version
Sickness goes before him, and disease follows behind him.

Update Bible Version
Before him went the pestilence, And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.

Webster's Bible Translation
Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

Amplified Bible
Before Him goes the pestilence [of judgment as in Egypt], And [the burning] plague [of condemnation] follows at His feet [as in Sennacherib's army].

English Standard Version
Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.

World English Bible
Plague went before him, And pestilence followed his feet.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
There the strengthe of hym was hid, deth schal go bifore his face; the deuel schal go out bifore hise feet.

English Revised Version
Before him went the pestilence, and fiery bolts went forth at his feet.

Berean Standard Bible
Plague went before Him, and pestilence followed in His steps.

Contemporary English Version
Dreadful diseases and plagues marched in front and followed behind.

American Standard Version
Before him went the pestilence, And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.

Bible in Basic English
Before him went disease, and flames went out at his feet.

Complete Jewish Bible
Before him goes pestilence, and close behind, the plague.

Darby Translation
Before him went the pestilence, And a burning flame went forth at his feet.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Before him goeth the pestilence, and fiery bolts go forth at His feet.

King James Version (1611)
Before him went the pestilence, and burning coales went forth at his feete.

New Life Bible
Disease goes before Him, and much trouble comes after Him.

New Revised Standard
Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Before him went the pestilence, and burning coales went forth before his feete.

George Lamsa Translation
Before him went pestilence, and birds went forth before his feet.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Before him, marcheth pestilence, - and fever, goeth forth, at his feet:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Death shall go before his face. And the devil shall go forth before his feet.

Revised Standard Version
Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Before him went the pestilence, and burning coales went foorth before his feete.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Before his face shall go a report, and it shall go forth into the plains,

Good News Translation
He sends disease before him and commands death to follow him.

Christian Standard Bible®
Plague goes before him,and pestilence follows in his steps.

Hebrew Names Version
Plague went before him, And pestilence followed his feet.

King James Version
Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

Lexham English Bible
Before him went Disease, and Pestilence went out at his feet.

Literal Translation
A plague goes before Him, and lightning went forth at His feet.

Young's Literal Translation
Before Him goeth pestilence, And a burning flame goeth forth at His feet.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Destruccio goeth before him, and burnynge cressettes go from his fete.

New English Translation
Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him.

New King James Version
Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Before Him goes pestilence, And plague comes after Him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Before Him goes pestilence,And plague comes after Him.

Contextual Overview

³ I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. ⁴ His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. ⁵ Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. ⁶ When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One! ⁷ I see the people of Cushan in distress, and the nation of Midian trembling in terror. ⁸ Was it in anger, Lord , that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation! ⁹ You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows. You split open the earth with flowing rivers. ¹⁰ The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands in submission. ¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in the sky as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed. ¹² You marched across the land in anger and trampled the nations in your fury.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

went: Exodus 12:29, Exodus 12:30, Numbers 14:12, Numbers 16:46-49, Psalms 78:50, Psalms 78:51, Nahum 1:2, Nahum 1:3

and: Psalms 18:7-13

burning coals: or, burning diseases, Deuteronomy 32:24

Reciprocal: Exodus 24:17 - like devouring fire 2 Samuel 22:9 - coals Job 41:21 - General Psalms 18:12 - At the Psalms 18:13 - coals Psalms 46:6 - earth Psalms 50:3 - a fire Psalms 97:3 - General Psalms 104:32 - looketh Amos 8:8 - the land

Cross-References

Genesis 2:17
except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

Genesis 3:2
"Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied.

Genesis 3:3
"It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"

Genesis 3:6
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

Genesis 3:7
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Genesis 3:10
He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."

Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."

Genesis 3:14
Then the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.

Genesis 3:15
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3:22
Then the Lord God said, "Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Before him went the pestilence,.... Either in the land of Egypt, when he marched through that, and slew all their firstborn,

Psalms 78:50 or rather which he sent before him, and Israel his people among the nations of the land of Canaan, with other diseases and judgments, and destroyed them to make way for his people, which may be here alluded to, Exodus 23:27 and may point at the judgments of God, and those pestilential diseases which seized upon the persecutors of the Christians, both among the Jews, as Herod, Acts 12:23 and among the Gentiles, as many of the Roman emperors, who died violent and grievous deaths; and particularly it may regard the pestilence, famine, and other sore judgments preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of it, for their rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah:

and burning coals went forth at his feet; which some understand of hailstones mingled with fire, to which the allusion may be, being one of the plagues of Egypt, Exodus 9:23. Some interpret it of hot diseases, burning fevers, so Kimchi; which are at the command of God, and sent forth by him when he pleases, to do his will. The ancient fathers expound all this of the destruction of death, and the devil, and his principalities, by Christ upon the cross; and the Targum is,

"from before him was sent forth the angel of death, and his word went forth in a flame of fire;''

but this seems to have respect to the burning of the city and temple of Jerusalem, which was done by the Romans as instruments, but according to the direction, order, and will of Christ, Matthew 22:7 see

Psalms 18:12.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Before Him went (goeth) the pestilence - then to consume His enemies. Exodus 23:27 : “I will send My fear before thee, and will destroy all the people, to whom thou shalt come,” and the lightnings are a token that, Psalms 68:1-2, “they which hate Him, flee before Him, and the wicked perish at the Presence of God.” So, on His Ascension, Herod and Pilate were smitten by Him, and Elymas and Simon Magus before His apostles, and whatsoever hath lifted itself up against Him hath perished, and antichrist shall perish, Psalms 11:4, “at the breath of His mouth,” and all the ungodly on the Day of Judgment.

And burning coals - rather, as English, “burning fever”, Deuteronomy 32:2. (where also it is singular, as only beside in רשׁף בני b^enēy resheph Job 5:7.) So A. E., “burning coals” is from Kimchi, Tanchum gives as different opinions “sparks” or “arrows” or “pestilence;” but the meanings “sparks, arrows,” are ascribed only to the plural. Psalms 76:4; 88:48; Song of Solomon 8:6. The central meaning is probably “burning heat.”

Went forth at his feet - i. e., followed Him. Messengers of death went as it were before Him, as the front of His army, and the rear thereof was other forms of death Death and destruction of all sorts are a great army at His command, going before Him as heralds of His Coming (such as are judgments in this world) or attendants upon Him, at the judgment when He appeareth 2 Tim. 6:1. in His kingdom, when, Matthew 13:51, Matthew 13:42, “they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 5. Before him went the pestilence — This plague was several times inflicted on the disobedient Israelites in the wilderness; see Numbers 11:33; Numbers 14:37; Numbers 16:46; and was always the proof that the just God was then manifesting his power among them.

Burning coals event forth at his feet. — Newcome translates, "And flashes of fire went forth after him." The disobedient Israelities were consumed by a fire that went out from Jehovah; see Leviticus 10:2; Numbers 11:1; Numbers 16:35. And the burnt-offering was consumed by a fire which came out from before Jehovah, Leviticus 11:24.