Habakkuk 3:11 (GNV)

Passage

The sunne and moone stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrowes they went, and at the bright shining of thy speares.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 3:9 Thy bowe was manifestly reueiled, and the othes of the tribes were a sure worde, Selah. thou diddest cleaue the earth with riuers.

Habakkuk 3:10 The mountaines sawe thee, and they trembled: the streame of the water passed by: the deepe made a noyse, and lift vp his hand on hie.

Habakkuk 3:11 The sunne and moone stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrowes they went, and at the bright shining of thy speares.

Habakkuk 3:12 Thou trodest downe the land in anger, and didest thresh the heathen in displeasure.

Habakkuk 3:13 Thou wentest foorth for the saluation of thy people, euen for saluation with thine Anointed: thou hast wounded the head of the house of the wicked, and discoueredst the foundations vnto the necke, Selah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "sunne", "moone", "stood", "still", "habitation", "thine", and "arrowes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "sunne", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "The mountaines sawe thee and they trembled..." into verse 12's "Thou trodest downe the land in anger...", so "light" and "sunne" 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 "sunne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.