When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered, &c.— The prophet, having recounted, for the present encouragement of the faithful, the wonderful works which God had formerly done for his people, returns again to set forth in what manner he was affected with the judgments pronounced against them; and thence takes occasion to pray that he might be gathered to his fathers in peace, before the king of Babylon should invade Judaea, and carry the people away captive, Habakkuk 3:16.; adding, as a reason for his prayer, a description of the desolation which should then come upon the land, Habakkuk 3:17. After this he concludes his prayer for the Jews with declaring, that whatever became of himself, he would still rejoice in hope, that God would visit his people again with his salvation, Habakkuk 3:18. And then, glorying in Jehovah as their strength, the prophet rests assured that he would in due time restore the captive Jews to their own land; giving them the agility of the hind, to return once more to the fertile and darling hills of Judaea. The meaning of the 16th verse will be best seen by the following translation;
I heard thy report, and my bowels were troubled; My lips quivered at thy voice: Consumption [tabes] entered into my bones, And my steps tottered under me. O, that I might be at rest before the day of distress, When the invader shall come up against the people with his troops! GREEN.
The verb נוח noach is used also for resting in the region of the dead; and it is probably in this sense that the prophet uses it here. A good man would rather wish to be gathered to his fathers in peace, than survive such a desolation of his country as is described in the next verse.