‘You divided the earth with rivers,
The mountains saw you and were afraid,
The tempest of waters passed by,
The deep uttered his voice,
And lifted up his hands on high.
The sun and moon stood still in their habitation,
At the light of your arrows as they went,
At the shining of your glittering spear.'
All that is permanent in the world is seen as responding to God as He comes to the aid of His people. The rivers, the mountains, the tempest of waters, the deep, the sun and the moon all yield obedience to Him.
In mind here, at least partly, are the natural phenomena that came to the assistance of God's people as they conquered Canaan. Note how in Judges 5:4-5, as here in Habakkuk 3:3-4, the march of God out of Edom is connected with the deliverance of His people. In the case of Judges it was that wrought for Deborah against Sisera. Thus we have the rocks cloven by the rivers in the wilderness (Psalms 78:15-16; Psalms 78:20), the quaking of the mountains at Sinai (Exodus 19:18), the earthquake at Jericho as the mountains no doubt also quaked (Joshua 6:20), the overflowing of waters ‘passed by' (did not interfere with them), and the deep refused to swallow them up, either at the Reed Sea (Isaiah 63:12-13) or at Jordan, the hailstones in the mountain passes fell like God's arrows (Joshua 10:11; Psalms 18:13-14), the sun and the moon affecting the light (Joshua 10:12-13), and the river Kishon overflowing its banks (Judges 5:21).
There would seem certainly to be an element of protection. The rivers provide water to drink, the mountains (possibly also representing difficult opponents) make no move because they are afraid, the tempest of water (great storm) passes by instead of overwhelming them, the deep, that recognised enemy of the people of Israel, speaks and lifts up his hands, probably in fealty to YHWH. His people are protected by their connection with YHWH on all sides.
Let us, however, examine the ideas in more depth.
‘You divided (or ‘cleaved') the earth with rivers.' This could refer back to the beginning of creation, where rivers were the provision of God for the peoples of the earth and were divided up outside Eden, thus themselves dividing the earth (Genesis 2:10). Everywhere they provided sustenance for the world. But cleaving the earth with rivers might refer to the cleaving of the rock with rivers, which burst through the rock at Moses' command. See Psalms 78:15-16 (compare Isaiah 43:20) where the opening of the rock to provide water to Israel in the wilderness is described in terms of rivers and streams. They would be seen as coming from some underground source. Deuteronomy 33:13 speaks of ‘the deep that couches beneath', and we can compare the river of God which is full of water (Psalms 65:9). Israel thought in terms of a great table of water beneath the ground (which, of course, there is).
Psalms 78:15-16 says, ‘He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to come down like rivers.' And again, ‘He smote the rock and waters gushed out, and streams overflowed' (Psalms 78:20). Both thus see rivers as cleaving the rock. Thus Habakkuk seems here to be centring on God's creative power in the phenomena of nature, while having in mind also His use of them especially on behalf of His people.
‘The mountains saw you and were afraid.' See Exodus 19:18; Judges 5:5, both connected with Sinai. The mountains quivered or flowed down before His presence. He is not only the Creator but also the Mighty One before Whom even the mountains tremble. But mountains can also portray great obstacles and powerful enemies (Jeremiah 51:25; Zechariah 4:7). They too yield to YHWH.
‘The tempest (overflowing) of waters passed by.' This may have in mind the Flood, with the significance here that God will not allow such a catastrophe to overflow His people. It passed by the remnant of His people in the days of Noah, and it will still do so, in whatever new form God's judgment takes. But Isaiah 28:2 (compare Jeremiah 47:2) also compares the tempest of waters to the activities of a mighty and strong one who casts down to the earth, which probably signifies the king of Assyria overwhelming the northern kingdom of Israel by defeat and transportation. Either way, when YHWH gives the word such a tempest of waters ‘passes by' rather than overwhelming. It is under YHWH's control. However it might also refer to the overflowing Jordan which halted in its way while Israel crossed, thus ‘passing them by'.
‘The deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high'. The deep was always seen by Israel as their enemy (Psalms 69:14-15;), although thankfully controlled by YHWH, Whose word it obeys (contrary to some claims He is never literally depicted as struggling with it. That is read in by those who wish to do so). It was from the inanimate deep that creation took place (Genesis 1:2; Genesis 1:6). The floods lift up their voices to YHWH, acknowledging His authority (Psalms 93:3-4), and here the deep does so with hands lifted high, probably in covenant fealty (see Daniel 12:7). The deep can also refer to powerful enemies who seek to overwhelm Israel (Ezekiel 26:19), while the waters of the Reed Sea were ‘the deeps' through which Israel passed safely, in contrast with the enemy, when YHWH delivered His people (Isaiah 63:13 see also Exodus 15:8).
‘The sun and moon stood still in their habitation, at the light of your arrows as they went, at the shining of your glittering spear.' It is difficult not to see here the battle near Aijalon in Joshua 10:9-14, where the sun and moon stood still, the hailstones (arrows - Psalms 18:13-14; Psalms 77:17; 2 Samuel 22:15) hurtled down on the enemy, and God fought for Israel. The glittering spear would represent the lightning which would probably accompany the hailstones (see Psalms 144:6; 2 Samuel 22:15; where it parallels the arrows of God).
But there is probably also to be understood that the sun and moon would also stand still in awe, at the sight of the God of battle, with his hailstone-arrows, and His glittering lightning-spear, whenever He was protecting His people.
‘You marched through the land in indignation,
You threshed the nations in anger.
You went out for the deliverance of your people,
For the salvation of your anointed.'
Here we come face to face with YHWH carrying out His wrath against their sin on the inhabitants of Canaan. Of all the nations they had gone too far with their perverted sexual religion, and their extreme behaviour. But it was also in order to finalise the delivering of His people, those who were His anointed, that is those who were set apart for Himself. (Although the anointed one may be Joshua). Anointing was an act of separation for service and they had been called to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6; for their anointing see Ezekiel 16:9; Isaiah 10:27).
‘Threshed.' Threshing is the act of beating the grain to remove the chaff. See Micah 4:13; Amos 1:3 for its application to warfare.