Habakkuk 3:11

Hab. 3:11. "The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; at the light of thine arrows they went, at the shining of thy glittering spear." By this it is evident that there was not only a dreadful storm of hail, but thunder and lightning with it, on the day that the sun and moon stood still, as we commonly have thunder and lightning in storms of hail, in the summer time. That by the light of God's arrows, is meant the light of his lightning, is evident by Psalms 144:6, "Cast forth lightning and scatter them, shoot out thine arrows and destroy them;" and especially Psalms 18:13; Psalms 18:14, "The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice, hailstones and coals of fire: yea, he sent forth his arrows and scattered them, and he shot out lightnings and discomfited them." These lightnings are called God's arrows; and the instance that David has reference to was parallel with this, for it was an instance wherein God fought against David's enemies in a storm of hail, as he did against the enemies of Israel, when the sun and moon stood still; and it was probably when God came forth upon David's enemies, before him, like the breach of waters at Baal-Perazim, that we read of, 2 Samuel 5:20. And that which God did for David there, is particularly mentioned as parallel with what God did for Israel at Gibeon, when the sun and moon stood still, Isaiah 28:21. If this needed any further confirmation it might be further confirmed by the last expression in that verse, "At the shining of thy glittering spear." The radix of the word, that is translated glittering, which [in the Hebrew] signifies to lighten; and the [Hebrew] word itself properly signifies lightning; so that the literal translation of the words is, "At the shining of the lightning of thy spear." And besides, we read, Joshua 10:10 that the Lord discomfited them before Israel; and Mr. Bedford observes that the word used in the original signifies to strike a terror by the noise of thunder. (Scripture Chronology, p. 510, margin.) Wherever the same word in the original is used, and it is said that God discomfited these or those; this seems to have been the case that God fought against them with thunder and lightning. So when Sisera and his host were discomfited, Judges 4:15 (see Notes on Judges 5:20) and so 1 Samuel 7:10; 2 Samuel 22:15, and Psalms 18:14.

It is here said that the sun and moon stood still, but went or walked at the light of God's arrows, and at the shining of the lightnings of his spear; by which it seems that when the lightning began, the sun and moon began to move again, after they had stood still. The case seems to have been thus: as long as the sun and moon stood still, there was a serene air, that the children of Israel and their enemies might behold that great and wondrous miracle by which God then manifested his power, and glory, and wonderful mercy to his people. But then the storm began to arise, and appeared first at a distance with thunders and lightning, but approaching, and when the lightnings appeared, the sun and moon began to move, and then came the dreadful storm and destroyed the Amorites. The lightnings appearing and playing at a distance before the storm came, seems here to be compared to a man of war's brandishing his weapons when coming to battle. The sun and moon, God's creatures, had stood still to help Israel against their enemies; but when God himself appeared with brandished weapons coming to the battle, they withdrew, as conscious that now there was no further need of their help, seeing that God himself was coming, who needed not the help of his creatures, and did not need to have the sun and moon stand still to give him time: he could do his work in a short time. And though God's fighting against the Amorites by hail, is mentioned before the sun and moon's standing still, yet doubtless it was after: when the sun stood still, it was to give them opportunity to fight for themselves, but there would have been no need of that, if God was fighting for them. God did not appear thus to take the burden of the battle immediately on himself until they were weary. It is not God's manner to appear, until after others have done their part. And then it must be either before or afterwards, that God fought by the storm of hail, and not in the time of the sun and moon's standing still; for if so, the storm would have hid the miracle, and it was unreasonable to suppose that it was afterwards, or that there was any need of the sun's standing still twelve hours together, to give opportunity for the children of Israel after God had taken the work into his own hands, and had so terribly destroyed them with hailstones. God does not need men to finish the work after he has taken it in hand, when he begins he will also make an end.

In all probability when God began with thunder, lightning, and hail, the children of Israel stood still, and rested while God fought for them: see Exodus 14:13; Exodus 14:14; and also 2 Chronicles 20:17. It could be no otherwise than that by that time the children of Israel needed rest, having been in battle and pursuit for above eighteen hours, and having traveled all the night before, Joshua 10:9, and the latter part of the time in the scorching heat of the sun (vide No. 109 on Joshua 10:12-14) it having stood still over their heads for twelve hours together. And besides, this destruction by hail was doubtless after the children of Israel had done, and not when they were mixed with their enemies fighting with them; for, if so, they themselves would be exposed to the hail, and thunder, and lightning, as well as their enemies. (Vide Notes on Psalms 68:8; Psalms 68:9.)

It is signified in the margin of our Bibles, that the words may be translated, "Thine arrows walked in the light, and thy glittering spear on the shining," i.e. in the shining of the sun while it stood; but this is not so natural a translation, for by this way of rendering the words are thus, in the light thine arrows walked, and in the shining the glittering of thy spear. But this is not so natural a translation; for, 1. There seems to be an evident antithesis in the words between standing still and walking; and therefore they are to be attached to the same subject, viz. the sun and moon. 2. It is not a natural metaphor, to say, that a spear walked in the light; for a spear is not a weapon that is to do its execution flying through the air, though arrows are; and it is less natural speaking to say, that the glittering of the spear walks. 3. The shining spoken of seems evidently to related to the word that next follows, viz. the glittering or lightning of the spear. 4. The prefix, that is translated at, is Lamed, and not Beth, and therefore is more properly rendered at than in. And besides this translation confutes itself, because without doubt the thing that respect is had to here, when mention is made of God's appearing in battle himself, when his own weapons, on that day when the sun and moon stood still, is God's fighting, as he did against the Amorites, and destroying them by the storm of hail. But then God's arrows could not be said to walk in the light and shining of the sun, because the storm hid the shining of the sun; and besides that it is not probable that they did this execution, while the sun continued to stand still, because the storm would have hid the miracle.