Habakkuk 3:7 (YLT)

Passage

Under sorrow I have seen tents of Cushan, Tremble do curtains of the land of Midian.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 3:5 Before Him goeth pestilence, And a burning flame goeth forth at His feet.

Habakkuk 3:6 He hath stood, and He measureth earth, He hath seen, and He shaketh off nations, And scatter themselves do mountains of antiquity, Bowed have the hills of old, The ways of old <FI>are<Fi> His.

Habakkuk 3:7 Under sorrow I have seen tents of Cushan, Tremble do curtains of the land of Midian.

Habakkuk 3:8 Against rivers hath Jehovah been wroth? Against rivers <FI>is<Fi> Thine anger? Against the sea <FI>is<Fi> Thy wrath? For Thou dost ride on Thy horses--Thy chariots of salvation?

Habakkuk 3:9 Utterly naked Thou dost make Thy bow, Sworn are the tribes--saying, `Pause!' <FI>With<Fi> rivers Thou dost cleave the earth.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "He hath stood and He measureth earth..." into verse 8's "Against rivers hath Jehovah been wroth Against...", so "under" and "sorrow" 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 "under" and "sorrow" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.