Verses 3-15 describe a theophany, or an appearance of God in great power and glory. This is to be seen as the answer to the prophet’s request in verse 2. The theophany is pictured in traditional language drawn from such natural occurrences as a thunderstorm in the mountainous desert area of the Sinai Peninsula. In the Old Testament impressive events in nature such as thunderstorms, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are often associated with the special presence of the LORD (compare Exo 19.16-20; Psa 18.7-15; 29.3-10; 97.1-5; Micah 1.3-4; Nahum 1.4-5). Mention of such occurrences often has overtones of reference back to the dramatic events of the exodus and the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. This is the case here also.
One difficulty in this whole passage is to decide whether to translate the verbs as past, present, or future. In Hebrew many of the verbs are in a tense that describes events which are complete, or which happened repeatedly in the past. However, this is probably the so-called “prophetic perfect,” in which the prophet describes future events with such certainty that he speaks of them as if they had already happened. Some translations (King James Version, Revised Standard Version, New International Version) put the verbs mostly in the past, while others (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) put them mostly in the present. In English the present tense can sometimes be used to describe events which are in the near future, and that is the effect here. Good News Translation puts verses 3-6 in the present tense, and verses 7-15 in the past. That is because Good News Translation understands verses 7-15 to be alluding to what God has done in the past to help his people.
In one sense, however, it hardly matters what various European language versions have done. Translators must consider the effect on the reader that various tenses will have in their own languages, and then decide whether past, present, or future will be most appropriate to indicate an event yet to take place. In languages where the verb system does not lay emphasis on time distinctions, verb forms which are neutral with regard to time may be appropriate.
God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran: these two clauses are obviously parallel with each other and are broadly similar in meaning. The Hebrew word for God here is an archaic form which reminded the readers of God’s previous acts to help his people. Good News Translation helps to bring this out by saying “God is coming again.” In languages which have special words for showing the direction of the action, the word used here should have the action coming toward the prophet.
Teman was a district of Edom, a country to the southeast of Judah. It stands for Edom as a whole, and so Good News Translation translates as “Edom.” In many languages one must say “the country of Edom” or “the land of Edom.”
The Holy One is a title for God (compare Isa 1.4; 6.3; 40.25) which is particularly relevant in the book of Habakkuk in the light of 1.12. Good News Translation makes it clear that this is a reference to God by translating “the holy God.” See the comments on 1.12 and 13 for a discussion on “holy.”
Mount Paran refers to the mountainous and barren area in the Sinai Peninsula west of the Gulf of Aqaba. Because it is an area rather than one particular mountain, Good News Translation translates as “the hills of Paran.” “The hills of Paran” may also be expressed as “the hills in the district of Paran.”
Teman and Paran together are to the south of Judah. God is pictured as coming from the south, from the area where he made himself known to his people in the giving of the Law and the wandering in the desert. Thus even the place names point back to the past acts of God and help to add to the feeling of reverence for the majesty of God. For similar use, see Deut 33.2; Judges 5.4-5; Psa 68.7-8. The area of Paran also had some association with King David (1 Sam 25.1). The Gulf of Aqaba, Edom, and Paran may be located on the map entitled “Egypt and Sinai” in American editions of Good News Translation, and on the map entitled “Liberation from Egypt, the Route of the Exodus” in British editions of Good News Translation.
The second half of the verse also consists of two parallel lines which have similar meaning. His glory covered the heavens: glory here probably refers to the bright shining light which is associated with the presence of God. This fits with the mention of lightning in verse 4. Good News Translation translates as “splendor.”
The earth was full of his praise: here praise does not mean the sounds men make when praising God, but rather the qualities in God that make men want to praise him. Similar usage is found in Isaiah 60.18; 62.7; Jeremiah 51.41. One can put the two lines together and say “The heavens and the earth are filled with God’s splendor that makes people all over the earth praise him.” In languages which do not use the passive, one may say “God’s bright shining light fills the heavens (or, skies) and the earth, causing people everywhere to praise him.”
These two lines form an introduction to the description of the thunderstorm that follows in verses 4-6.
The word Selah, which comes at the end of the verse in Revised Standard Version, actually comes in the middle of the verse in Hebrew (compare New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Except here and in verses 9 and 13, it occurs only in the Book of Psalms. Its meaning is no longer known, but it is probably some kind of instruction relating to the musical accompaniment or the liturgical use of the passages in question. Some versions translate it as “Pause” (Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant), but many others simply omit it (Moffatt, New American Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), and translators are recommended to do the same.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .