Habakkuk 3:19

Context

Habakkuk was a prophet active in the final years of the southern kingdom of Judah. He questions God about injustice that never ceases and about God's answer that He will raise up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) as an instrument of judgment (chapters 1–2). This dialogue includes Habakkuk 2:4, "the just shall live by his faith," which is quoted in the New Testament in passages such as Hebrews 10:38.

Chapter 3 is a prayer and song that opens with the superscription "upon Shigionoth" (3:1). After recalling how God appeared during the Exodus and the wilderness period (3:3–15), the prophet says that although he trembles in fear before the coming invasion, he will wait quietly (3:16). He then confesses that even if the fig tree and the vine, the fields and the folds, are all empty, he will rejoice in the LORD (3:17–18). Verse 19 brings both the song and the entire book to a close.

Interpretation

• A contextual reading: Verse 19 is the conclusion of 3:17–18. Rather than a promise that circumstances will improve, it is read as a confession that God Himself is one's strength even when everything collapses.
• A reading in light of the Psalms tradition: The expression "he will make my feet like hinds' feet … upon mine high places" is nearly identical to David's song in Psalm 18:33 and 2 Samuel 22:34. Many interpreters hold that the hind (in Hebrew, a female deer) depicts sure-footed climbing over rugged mountain terrain, and that "high places" signifies a safe and secure position. Some also connect the verse with Deuteronomy 32:13, "He made him ride on the high places of the earth," and see in it a picture of victory in possessing and ruling the land.
• A reading as liturgical music: The closing words, "To the chief singer on my stringed instruments," are a musical direction in the same form as the superscriptions of many psalms. The "chief singer" refers to the director who led praise in the temple; the New Korean Revised Version renders the term as "the one who directs." Together with the threefold occurrence of "Selah" in chapter 3, this is taken to indicate that the prayer was sung in congregational worship.

Questions Concerning Application

There is no significant doctrinal dispute among denominations over this verse. However, sermons that interpret "high places" as a promise of success or advancement in status have been criticized for reading the verse out of context, since the immediately preceding verse describes the loss of all harvest and livestock. Such criticism also arises in discussions of prosperity theology.

Scholars have debated whether chapter 3 belonged to the Book of Habakkuk from the beginning, citing among other things the fact that the Habakkuk commentary (pesher) among the Dead Sea Scrolls covers only chapters 1–2. The view that chapter 3 is the book's original conclusion is also widely accepted.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, 3:17–19 is often read as a single unit. It is frequently cited in services centered on gratitude, such as Thanksgiving Day, and in sermons offering comfort to believers passing through difficult times. Gospel songs that use this passage as their lyrics are also reportedly sung. In the English-speaking world, Hannah Hurnard's allegorical novel Hinds' Feet on High Places (1955) is known to have taken its title from the wording of this verse.

Related Passages

• Habakkuk 3:17–18
• Psalm 18:33
• 2 Samuel 22:34
• Deuteronomy 32:13
• Isaiah 40:31