Habakkuk 3:7 (ASV)

Passage

I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

Nearby Context

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.

Habakkuk 3:7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

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?

Habakkuk 3:9 Thy bow was made quite bare; The oaths to the tribes were a [sure] word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tents", "cushan", "affliction", "curtains", "land", "midian", and "tremble". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tents" and "cushan", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "He stood and measured the earth He..." into verse 8's "Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers Was...", so "tents" and "cushan" 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 "tents" and "cushan" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.