Habakkuk 3:9 (KJV)

Passage

Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

Nearby Context

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

Habakkuk 3:8 Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?

Habakkuk 3:9 Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

Habakkuk 3:10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

Habakkuk 3:11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "quite", "naked", "oaths", "tribes", "even", "word", "selah", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "quite" and "naked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Was the LORD displeased against the rivers..." into verse 10's "The mountains saw thee and they trembled...", so "quite" and "naked" 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 "quite" and "naked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.