Habakkuk 3:5 (DBY)

Passage

Before him went the pestilence, And a burning flame went forth at his feet.

Nearby Context

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

Habakkuk 3:4 And [his] brightness was as the light; Rays [came forth] from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.

Habakkuk 3:5 Before him went the pestilence, And a burning flame went forth at his feet.

Habakkuk 3:6 He stood, and measured the earth; He beheld, and discomfited the nations; And the eternal mountains were scattered, The everlasting hills gave way: His ways are everlasting.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "before", "went", "pestilence", "burning", "flame", "forth", and "feet". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "before" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And his brightness was as the light..." into verse 6's "He stood and measured the earth He...", so "before" and "went" 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 "before" and "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.