Habacuc 3:9

Almeida Revista e Corrigida

Descoberto se fez o teu arco; os juramentos feitos s tribos foram uma palavra segura. (Sel) Tu fendeste a terra com rios.

Parallel Translations

A Biblia Sagrada
Descoberto se movimentou o teu arco; os juramentos feitos s tribos foram uma palavra segura. (Sel.) Tu fendeste a terra com rios.

Almeida Revista e Atualizada
Tiras a descoberto o teu arco, e farta est a tua aljava de flechas. Tu fendes a terra com rios.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

bow: Deuteronomy 32:23, Psalms 7:12, Psalms 7:13, Psalms 35:1-3, Isaiah 51:9, Isaiah 51:10, Isaiah 52:10, Lamentations 2:4

according: Genesis 15:18-21, Genesis 17:7, Genesis 17:8, Genesis 22:16-18, Genesis 26:3, Genesis 26:4, Genesis 28:13, Genesis 28:14, Psalms 105:8-11, Luke 1:72-75, Hebrews 6:13-18

Selah: Habakkuk 3:9, Psalms 143:6

Thou: Exodus 17:6, Numbers 20:11, Psalms 78:15, Psalms 78:16, Psalms 105:41, 1 Corinthians 10:4

the earth with rivers: or, the rivers of the earth

Reciprocal: Job 28:10 - every precious thing Psalms 3:2 - Selah Psalms 74:15 - flood Psalms 114:3 - Jordan

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thy bow was made quite naked,.... It was took out of its case, and arrows out of their quiver, and these made use of against the enemies of his people: this is put for all weapons of war; the sword was unsheathed, and all military weapons employed, and the power of the Lord was exerted; or, as the Targum,

"the Lord was revealed in his power;''

fighting the battles of his people, as in the times of Joshua:

[according] to the oaths of the tribes, [even thy] word. Selah. That is, to fulfil his word of promise, to which he had annexed his oaths, he at several times swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to the fathers of the Israelites, that he would put them in possession of the land of Canaan; and which being worthy of notice, and to be remarked, the word "Selah" is added. So the Targum,

"in revealing thou art revealed in thy power, because of thy covenant which thy word made with the tribes for ever.''

The "bow" here is an emblem of the Gospel, with which Christ the Captain of our salvation, the antitype of Joshua, went forth, more especially in the first ages of Christianity, conquering and to conquer, Revelation 6:2. The arrows of this bow are the doctrines of the Gospel, which are sharp in the heart of Christ's enemies, his elect; who are so in a state of nature, whereby they are brought into subjection to him, Psalms 45:5 and hereby the promises of God confirmed by his oaths are accomplished, that the spiritual seed of Christ shall endure for ever; or he shall never want a seed to serve him, Psalms 89:35:

Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers; which is generally supposed to allude to the smiting of the rock, from whence waters gushed out, and ran in dry places like a river; for which channels or canals were made in the earth, in which they flowed and followed the Israelites wherever they went, and supplied man and beast with water. So the Targum,

"for thou didst break strong rocks, rivers came forth overflowing the earth;''

see Psalms 105:41 but this seems to be going back in the history; rather therefore this refers to the rivers formed in the land of Canaan, whereby it became fertile; hence it is called a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, that spring out of valleys and hills, Deuteronomy 8:7. This may respect, in futurity, either the provisions of grace, and the large abundance of the blessings of it, made for the supply and satisfaction of the children of God in times of distress and difficulty, Isaiah 41:17 or that help and assistance against, protection and deliverance from, the flood of persecution, cast out after the church by Satan, in order to overwhelm her, by the earth opening its mouth, and swallowing up the flood, Revelation 12:15.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thy bow was made quite naked - The word is repeated for emphasis. Literally, (In) “nakedness, it was laid naked;” the sheath being laid aside and cast away, as Isaiah says, Isaiah 22:6. “Kir laid bare the shield.” Gregory, Mor. xix. 9. n. 54, Compare Augustine in Psalms 59:0, n. 6.: The bow represents the threat of the vengeance of Almighty God, from which it is at length discharged, if not turned aside; the longer the string is drawn, the sharper issueth the arrow. So then the more the coming of the day of judgment is delayed, the stricter is the severity of the judgment then issuing. So long as judgment is delayed, the bow seems laid up in its sheath. God’s judgments mostly strike suddenly. Psalms 64:7, “as with a swift arrow,” because men regard them not, coming from a bow at a distance which they see not. His more signal judgments He makes bare in sight of all.

According to the oath of (to) the tribes - “the oath which He swore unto our father Abraham,” which oath He often renewed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and again to David This oath, the word and promise of God, was the pledge of the deliverance of His people, that they “should be saved from their enemies, and from the hand of all that hate them.” It lay, as it were, covered and hid, so long as God completed it not. Selah. A pause followeth, wherein to meditate on all which is contained in the word or promise of God, which is all time and eternity.

Thou didst cleave the earth with (into) rivers - Sea and river had become dry land for the passing through of God’s people; again, the rock, struck by Moses’ rod, was split, so that “rivers ran in the dry places.” Until that Rock, which was Christ, was stricken, and “out of His side came blood and water” John 19:24, the whole world was desert and barren; then it was turned into streams of water, and “now not four but twelve streams went forth from the Paradise of Scriptures” (Jerome) For from the One Fountain which is Christ, there issue many streams, even as many as convey the waters of His teaching, to water the earth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 9. Thy bow was made quite naked — That is, it was drawn out of its case; as the arrows had their quiver, so the bows had their cases. A fine oriental bow and bow-case, with quiver and arrows, are now before me; they show with what propriety Jehovah is represented as taking his bow out of its case, in order to set his arrow upon the cord, to shoot at his enemies. It is not the drawing out, or making bare the arrow, that is mentioned here; but the taking the bow out of its case to prepare to shoot.

This verse appears to be an answer to the questions in the preceding: "Was the Lord displeased," c. The answer is, All this was done "according to the oaths of the tribes" the covenant of God, frequently repeated and renewed, which he made with the tribes, to give them the land of the Canaanites for their inheritance.

Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. — Or, "Thou didst cleave the streams of the land." Or, "Thou cleavedst the dry land into rivers." This may be a reference to the passage of Jordan, and transactions at Arnon and the brook Jabbok. See Numbers 21:13-15.

In this verse we have Selah again, which, as before, may signify a pause, or some alteration in the music.