Hab 3:6-7 | NETfull | STEP | He takes his battle position and shakes the earth; with a mere look he frightens the nations. The ancient mountains disintegrate; the primeval hills are flattened. He travels on the ancient roads.

Habakkuk 3:6-7

6 He takes his battle position ^{▼▼ Heb “he stands.”} and shakes ^{▼▼ This verb has been traditionally understood as “measure” (from מוּד, mud), but the immediately following context (vv. 6b–7) favors the meaning “shake” from מָוד (mavd; see HALOT 555 s.v.).} the earth;
with a mere look he frightens ^{▼▼ Heb “makes [the nations] jump [in fear].”} the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrate; ^{▼▼ Or “crumbled,” broke into pieces.”}
the primeval hills are flattened.
He travels on the ancient roads. ^{▼▼ Heb “ancient ways [or, “doings”] are his.” The meaning of this line is unclear. Traditionally it has been translated, “his ways are eternal.” However, in this context (see vv. 3, 7) it is more likely that the line speaks of the Lord taking the same route as in the days of Moses and Deborah (see Deut 33:2; Judg 5:4). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 154.}
7 I see the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; ^{▼▼ Heb “under trouble I saw the tents of Cushan.”} ^{▼▼ Cushan was located in southern Transjordan.}
the tent curtains of the land of Midian are shaking. ^{▼▼ R. D. Patterson takes תַּחַת אֲוֶן (takhat ’aven) in the first line as a place name, “Tahath-Aven.” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 237.) In this case one may translate the verse as a tricolon: “I look at Tahath-Aven. The tents of Cushan are shaking, the tent curtains of the land of Midian.”}