Habakkuk 3:4 (ASV)

Passage

And [his] brightness was as the light; He had rays [coming forth] from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 3:2 O Jehovah, I have heard the report of thee, and am afraid: O Jehovah, revive thy work in the midst of the years; In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, And the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise.

Habakkuk 3:4 And [his] brightness was as the light; He had rays [coming forth] from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.

Habakkuk 3:5 Before him went the pestilence, And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.

Habakkuk 3:6 He stood, and measured the earth; He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; And the eternal mountains were scattered; The everlasting hills did bow; His goings were [as] of old.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "brightness", "rays", "coming", "forth", "hand", "hiding", and "power". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "brightness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "God came from Teman And the Holy..." into verse 5's "Before him went the pestilence And fiery...", so "light" and "brightness" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "brightness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.