Habakkuk 3:6
He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled; the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.
He stood
The phrase "He stood" in Habakkuk 3:6 signifies the divine presence and authority of God. In Hebrew, the word used here is "עָמַד" (amad), which conveys the idea of standing firm or taking a position. This imagery suggests God's unchanging nature and His sovereign control over creation. Historically, standing is a posture of readiness and authority, indicating that God is prepared to act on behalf of His people. This evokes a sense of awe and reverence, reminding believers of God's steadfastness and reliability.

and measured the earth
The act of measuring the earth implies God's dominion and ownership over all creation. The Hebrew root "מָדַד" (madad) means to measure or survey, suggesting a careful and deliberate action. This phrase reflects the biblical theme of God's omniscience and omnipotence, as He knows every detail of the earth He created. It also echoes the ancient Near Eastern practice of kings measuring land to assert control, reinforcing God's ultimate authority over the world.

He looked
"Looked" in this context is derived from the Hebrew "נָבַט" (nabat), which means to gaze or regard with attention. This indicates God's active involvement and concern for His creation. It is not a passive glance but an intentional observation, suggesting that nothing escapes His notice. This reassures believers that God is aware of their circumstances and is actively engaged in the world.

and startled the nations
The phrase "startled the nations" conveys the impact of God's presence and actions on the world. The Hebrew word "וַיַּתֵּר" (vayatter) can mean to cause to tremble or to be dismayed. This reflects the biblical theme of God's power to disrupt and challenge the status quo, often leading to a recognition of His sovereignty. Historically, nations have been moved by divine intervention, and this serves as a reminder of God's ability to influence global events.

The ancient mountains crumbled
"Ancient mountains" refers to the enduring and seemingly unchangeable aspects of creation. The Hebrew "הַרְרֵי־קֶדֶם" (harrei-qedem) emphasizes their age and permanence. The crumbling of these mountains signifies God's power to alter even the most stable elements of the natural world. This imagery is a powerful reminder of God's supremacy over creation and His ability to bring about change in seemingly impossible situations.

the perpetual hills collapsed
Similar to the mountains, "perpetual hills" symbolize stability and continuity. The Hebrew "גִּבְעוֹת עוֹלָם" (giv'ot olam) suggests hills that have existed from time immemorial. Their collapse underlines the theme of divine intervention and transformation. This serves as a metaphor for God's ability to overturn human expectations and bring about His purposes, encouraging believers to trust in His plans.

His ways are everlasting
The phrase "His ways are everlasting" highlights the eternal nature of God's character and actions. The Hebrew "דַּרְכֵי עוֹלָם" (darkei olam) suggests paths or ways that are timeless and unchanging. This reassures believers of the consistency and faithfulness of God throughout history. It is an invitation to place trust in God's eternal wisdom and guidance, knowing that His purposes will ultimately prevail.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Habakkuk
A prophet in the Old Testament who dialogues with God about the justice and sovereignty of God amidst the apparent triumph of evil.

2. Nations
Refers to the various peoples and kingdoms of the earth that are startled by God's power and presence.

3. Ancient Mountains and Perpetual Hills
Symbolic of the enduring and seemingly unchangeable aspects of creation that are subject to God's authority.

4. God's Everlasting Ways
Highlights the eternal nature and unchanging character of God's plans and purposes.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
The imagery of God measuring the earth and causing mountains to crumble underscores His supreme authority over all creation. Believers can find comfort in knowing that nothing in creation is beyond God's control.

The Transience of Earthly Powers
The nations are startled, and the ancient mountains crumble, reminding us that earthly powers and seemingly permanent structures are temporary before God's eternal ways.

The Eternal Nature of God's Ways
God's ways are everlasting, providing believers with assurance that His plans and purposes are unchanging and reliable, even when the world seems unstable.

Reverence and Awe for God's Power
The response of creation to God's presence should inspire a sense of reverence and awe in believers, leading to worship and trust in His mighty power.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God measuring the earth and crumbling mountains in Habakkuk 3:6 enhance your understanding of His sovereignty?

2. In what ways can the transience of earthly powers, as depicted in this verse, influence your perspective on current world events?

3. How does the concept of God's everlasting ways provide comfort and assurance in your personal life?

4. Reflect on a time when you have been "startled" by God's power or presence. How did it impact your faith journey?

5. How can you cultivate a deeper sense of reverence and awe for God in your daily life, in light of the truths found in Habakkuk 3:6?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 46
This psalm speaks of God as a refuge and strength, and it describes the earth's response to His presence, similar to the imagery of mountains trembling.

Isaiah 40
This chapter emphasizes God's sovereignty over the nations and His power over creation, echoing the themes of God's authority in Habakkuk 3:6.

Micah 1:4
Describes the mountains melting and valleys splitting at the presence of the Lord, paralleling the imagery of mountains crumbling in Habakkuk.
God Poetically Portrayed and Practically RememberedHomilistHabakkuk 3:3-15
God Poetically Portrayed and Practically RememberedD. Thomas Habakkuk 3:3-15
God in HistoryS.D. Hillman Habakkuk 3:3-18
People
Habakkuk, Teman
Places
Cushan, Lebanon, Midian, Mount Paran, Teman
Topics
Age-old, Ancient, Antiquity, Asunder, Beheld, Beholdeth, Bent, Bow, Bowed, Broken, Collapsed, Crumbled, Dashed, Discomfited, Drove, Eternal, Everlasting, Goings, Hills, Low, Maketh, Measured, Measureth, Mountains, Moved, Nations, Perpetual, Pieces, Sank, Scatter, Scattered, Shaketh, Shaking, Shattered, Shook, Standeth, Startled, Stood, Suddenly, Surveyed, Themselves, Tremble, Unchanging, Yes
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Habakkuk 3:6

     1454   theophany
     4245   hills
     5204   age

Habakkuk 3:3-6

     1090   God, majesty of
     4254   mountains

Habakkuk 3:5-6

     4843   plague

Library
September 7. "I Will Joy in the God of My Salvation" (Hab. Iii. 18).
"I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. iii. 18). The secret of joy is not to wait until you feel happy, but to rise, by an act of faith, out of the depression which is dragging you down, and begin to praise God as an act of choice. This is the meaning of such passages as these: "Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice"; "I do rejoice; yes, and I will rejoice." "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." In all these cases there is an evident struggle with sadness and
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Spiritual Revival, the Want of the Church
NOTE: This edition of this sermon is taken from an earlier published edition of Spurgeon's 1856 message. The sermon that appears in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 44, was edited and abbreviated somewhat. For edition we have restored the fuller text of the earlier published edition, while retaining a few of the editorial refinements of the Met Tab edition. "O Lord, revive thy work."--Habakkuk 3:2. All true religion is the work of God: it is pre-eminently so. If he should select out of his
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 44: 1898

What a Revival of Religion Is
Text.--O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.--Hab. iii. 2. IT is supposed that the prophet Habakkuk was contemporary with Jeremiah, and that this prophecy was uttered in anticipation of the Babylonish captivity. Looking at the judgments which were speedily to come upon his nation, the soul of the prophet was wrought up to an agony, and he cries out in his distress, "O Lord, revive thy work." As if he had said, "O Lord, grant
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

The Highway
"The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places."--Hab. iii. 19. Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 It is a wondrous and a lofty road Wherein the faithful soul must tread, And by the seeing there the blind are led, The senses by the soul acquaint with God. On that high path the soul is free, She knows no care nor ill, For all God wills desireth she, And blessed is His will.
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

The Believer's Sure Trust. --Hab. Iii. 17, 18
The Believer's sure Trust.--Hab. iii. 17, 18. Though the fig-tree's blossom fail, And the vines should bring no fruit; Though the olive, smit with hail, Cast its foliage round the root; Though the fields should yield no meat, And the herds forsake the stall, In the folds no flocks should bleat At the shepherd's well-known call:-- Yet will I in God rejoice, In Jehovah I will trust, And extol, with heart and voice, His salvation from the dust; He can raise my fallen head, He can all my sickness cure;
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

The Holy Spirit in Relation to the Father and the Son. ...
The Holy Spirit in relation to the Father and the Son. Under this heading we began by considering Justin's remarkable words, in which he declares that "we worship and adore the Father, and the Son who came from Him and taught us these things, and the host of the other good angels that attend Him and are made like unto Him, and the prophetic Spirit." Hardly less remarkable, though in a very different way, is the following passage from the Demonstration (c. 10); and it has a special interest from the
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

Life of Jerome.
The figures in parentheses, when not otherwise indicated, refer to the pages in this volume. For a full account of the Life, the translator must refer to an article (Hieronymus) written by him in Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography. A shorter statement may suffice here, since the chief sources of information are contained in this volume, and to these reference will be continually made. Childhood and Youth. A.D. 345. Jerome was born at Stridon, near Aquileia, but in Pannonia, a place
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

The Coming Revival
"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. lxxxv. 6. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. iii. 2. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. cxxxviii. 7. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. lvii. 15. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. He will revive us."--HOS. vi. 1, 2. The Coming
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

A Prayer when one Begins to be Sick.
O most righteous Judge, yet in Jesus Christ my gracious Father! I, wretched sinner, do here return unto thee, though driven with pain and sickness, like the prodigal child with want and hunger. I acknowledge that this sickness and pain comes not by blind chance or fortune, but by thy divine providence and special appointment. It is the stroke of thy heavy hand, which my sins have justly deserved; and the things that I feared are now fallen upon me (Job iii. 25.) Yet do I well perceive that in wrath
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

How to Make Use of Christ as the Life when the Soul is Dead as to Duty.
Sometimes the believer will be under such a distemper, as that he will be as unfit and unable for discharging of any commanded duty, as dead men, or one in a swoon, is to work or go a journey. And it were good to know how Christ should be made use of as the Life, to the end the diseased soul may be delivered from this. For this cause we shall consider those four things: 1. See what are the several steps and degrees of this distemper. 2. Consider whence it cometh, or what are the causes or occasions
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Messiah's Entrance into Jerusalem
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. -- And He shall speak peace unto the heathen. T he narrowness and littleness of the mind of fallen man are sufficiently conspicuous in the idea he forms of magnificence and grandeur. The pageantry and parade of a Roman triumph, or of an eastern monarch, as described in history, exhibit him to us
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Unchangeableness of God
The next attribute is God's unchangeableness. I am Jehovah, I change not.' Mal 3:3. I. God is unchangeable in his nature. II. In his decree. I. Unchangeable in his nature. 1. There is no eclipse of his brightness. 2. No period put to his being. [1] No eclipse of his brightness. His essence shines with a fixed lustre. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.' James 1:17. Thou art the same.' Psa 102:27. All created things are full of vicissitudes. Princes and emperors are subject to
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Lord of Glory.
1 Cor. ii:8. OUR ever blessed Lord, who died for us, to whom we belong, with whom we shall be forever, is the Lord of Glory. Thus He is called in 1 Cor. ii:8, "for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." Eternally He is this because He is "the express image of God, the brightness of His Glory" (Heb. i:3). He possessed Glory with the Father before the world was (John xvii:5). This Glory was beheld by the prophets, for we read that Isaiah "saw His Glory and spake of Him"
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

Habakkuk
The precise interpretation of the book of Habakkuk presents unusual difficulties; but, brief and difficult as it is, it is clear that Habakkuk was a great prophet, of earnest, candid soul, and he has left us one of the noblest and most penetrating words in the history of religion, ii. 4b. The prophecy may be placed about the year 600 B.C. The Assyrian empire had fallen, and by the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C., Babylonian supremacy was practically established over Western Asia. Josiah's reformation,
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Habakkuk 3:6 NIV
Habakkuk 3:6 NLT
Habakkuk 3:6 ESV
Habakkuk 3:6 NASB
Habakkuk 3:6 KJV

Habakkuk 3:6 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Habakkuk 3:5
Top of Page
Top of Page