Habakkuk 3:5
New International Version
Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps.

New Living Translation
Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind.

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

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

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

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

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

NASB 1995
Before Him goes pestilence, And plague comes after Him.

NASB 1977
Before Him goes pestilence, And plague comes after Him.

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

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].

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

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Plague goes before Him, and pestilence follows in His steps.

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

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

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Diseases go ahead of him. Plagues follow after him.

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

International Standard Version
Before him pestilence walks, and disease follows behind him.

Majority Standard Bible
Plague went before Him, and fever followed in His steps.

NET Bible
Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him.

New Heart English Bible
Plague went before him, and pestilence followed his feet.

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

World English Bible
Plague went before him, and pestilence followed his feet.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Before Him goes pestilence, "" And a burning flame goes forth at His feet.

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

Smith's Literal Translation
Before his face shall go the word, and a flame will go forth at his feet.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Death shall go before his face. And the devil shall go forth before his feet.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Death will go forth before his face. And the devil shall depart before his feet.

New American Bible
Before him went pestilence, and plague followed in his steps.

New Revised Standard Version
Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Before him went pestilence, and birds went forth before his feet.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Before him went death and a bird of prey went out at his feet
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Before him goeth the pestilence, And fiery bolts go forth at His feet.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Before his face shall go a report, and it shall go forth into the plains,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Habakkuk's Prayer
4His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden. 5Plague went before Him, and fever followed in His steps. 6He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled; the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.…

Cross References
Exodus 12:29
Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.

Exodus 9:3
then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.

Deuteronomy 32:24
They will be wasted from hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust.

Numbers 11:33
But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague.

2 Samuel 24:15
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

Psalm 78:50
He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.

Isaiah 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!

1 Chronicles 21:14
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.

Amos 4:10
“I sent plagues among you like those of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.

Revelation 6:8
Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

Revelation 9:18
A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths.

Revelation 15:1
Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven final plagues, with which the wrath of God is completed.

Revelation 16:2
So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

Revelation 16:9
And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues. Yet they did not repent and give Him glory.

Revelation 16:11
and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores. Yet they did not repent of their deeds.


Treasury of Scripture

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

went.

Exodus 12:29,30
And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle…

Numbers 14:12
I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

Numbers 16:46-49
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun…

and.

Psalm 18:7-13
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth…

burning coals.

Deuteronomy 32:24
They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.

Jump to Previous
Bolts Burning Close Coals Disease Feet Fiery Flame Flames Followed Forth Goes Pestilence Plague Steps
Jump to Next
Bolts Burning Close Coals Disease Feet Fiery Flame Flames Followed Forth Goes Pestilence Plague Steps
Habakkuk 3
1. Habakkuk, in his prayer, trembles at God's majesty.
17. The confidence of his faith.














Plague went before Him
The Hebrew word for "plague" is "דֶּבֶר" (deber), which often signifies a devastating disease or calamity. In the context of Habakkuk, this phrase evokes the imagery of God's power and judgment as He moves. Historically, plagues were seen as divine instruments used to execute judgment or to demonstrate God's sovereignty, as seen in the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12). This phrase suggests that God's presence is so powerful that it precedes Him with a force that can bring nations to their knees, emphasizing His supreme authority over creation and history.

and pestilence followed in His steps
The term "pestilence" is translated from the Hebrew "רֶשֶׁף" (resheph), which can mean a burning fever or a destructive force. This word is often associated with divine retribution and is used in various parts of the Old Testament to describe God's wrath (e.g., Deuteronomy 32:24). The imagery of pestilence following in God's steps underscores the inevitability and thoroughness of His judgment. It paints a picture of God as a mighty warrior whose path is marked by the consequences of His righteous anger against sin. This serves as a sobering reminder of the holiness of God and the seriousness with which He regards sin, calling believers to a life of reverence and obedience.

(5) Before him went the pestilence. . . .--Better, Before Him shall go the plague, and burning pestilence shall go forth where He sets His feet. Kleinert remarks that it was with these angels of death that Jehovah revealed Himself in the south, and destroyed the armies of Sennacherib (2Kings 19:35).

Verse 5. - After describing the splendour of the theophany, the prophet now turns to the purpose and effects of God's appearing. He comes to avenge and judge, therefore before him went the pestilence. Before him stalks plague, to punish his enemies and the disobedient, as in Egypt, in Canaan (Exodus 23:27; 1 Samuel 5:9, 11); and among his own people (Numbers 11:33; Numbers 14:37, etc.; Leviticus 26:25). For "pestilence" the LXX. reads "word." Burning coals went forth at his feet. "Fiery belts" followed his advance, "hailstones and coals of fire" (Psalm 18:12, 13); as in Psalm 97:8, "A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies on every side." But, regarding the parallelisms of the hemistiches, it is better to take resheph in the sense of "fever heat," as in Deuteronomy 32:24; scorching fever follows in his train. Jerome translates the word, diabolus, looking on the evil spirit as the agent of the Divine vengeance. The Jews, he says, had a tradition that Satan was called Reseph, from the speed of his movements. The LXX. has, "It (the word) shall go forth into the plains," which Jerome interprets, "shall make the crooked straight and the rough ways smooth."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Plague
דָּ֑בֶר (dā·ḇer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1698: A pestilence

went
יֵ֣לֶךְ (yê·leḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

before Him,
לְפָנָ֖יו (lə·p̄ā·nāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

and pestilence
רֶ֖שֶׁף (re·šep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7565: A live coal, lightning, an arrow, fever

followed
וְיֵצֵ֥א (wə·yê·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

in His steps.
לְרַגְלָֽיו׃ (lə·raḡ·lāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - fdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7272: A foot, a step, the pudenda


Links
Habakkuk 3:5 NIV
Habakkuk 3:5 NLT
Habakkuk 3:5 ESV
Habakkuk 3:5 NASB
Habakkuk 3:5 KJV

Habakkuk 3:5 BibleApps.com
Habakkuk 3:5 Biblia Paralela
Habakkuk 3:5 Chinese Bible
Habakkuk 3:5 French Bible
Habakkuk 3:5 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Habakkuk 3:5 Plague went before him and pestilence followed (Hab Hb)
Habakkuk 3:4
Top of Page
Top of Page