Habakkuk 3:15
What does Habakkuk 3:15 mean?
A plain-English look at Habakkuk 3:15 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Habakkuk 3:15 means
This verse returns to the powerful imagery of God's dominion over the natural world, specifically the sea, recalling a dramatic act of deliverance. "Thou didst tread the sea with thy horses, The heap of mighty waters" is a clear reference to the Red Sea crossing, where God's powerful intervention enabled His people to pass through seemingly impassable waters. This image emphasizes God's absolute control over the most formidable natural barriers, illustrating His ability to make a way where there is none for the salvation of His people.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Thou didst tread the sea with thy horses, The heap of mighty waters.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Thou didst tread the sea with thy horses, The heap of mighty waters.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The feet of your horses were on the sea, on the mass of great waters.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Thou hast proceeded through the sea with Thy horses--the clay of many waters.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Thou madest a way in the sea for thy horses, in the mud of many waters.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Thou didst walk through the sea with thy horses, The heap of great waters.
Context
Coming after the detailed descriptions of God's victory over specific enemies in verse 14, verse 15 returns to a grander scale of God's power demonstrated over creation. It precedes Habakkuk's personal reaction to these profound truths and his final declaration of faith and trust. This verse serves as a powerful reminder of God's capacity to overcome any obstacle for His people, bringing the historical recounting of God's mighty acts to a climax before the prophet's concluding reflection.
v.14Thou didst pierce with his own staves the head of his warriors: They came as a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
v.15This passage
v.16I heard, and my body trembled, My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entereth into my bones, and I tremble in my place; Because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, For the coming up of the people that invadeth us.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Exodus 15:8
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
- Psalms 77:19
Thy way was in the sea, And thy paths in the great waters, And thy footsteps were not known.
- Habakkuk 3:8
Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers, Or thy wrath against the sea, That thou didst ride upon thy horses, Upon thy chariots of salvation?
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