Habakkuk 3:19

Bible in Basic English (1941)

The Lord God is my strength, and he makes my feet like roes' feet, guiding me on my high places. For the chief music-maker on corded instruments.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

יְהוִ֤הּ אֲדֹנָי֙ חֵילִ֔י וַיָּ֤שֶׂם רַגְלַי֙ כָּֽאַיָּל֔וֹת וְעַ֥ל בָּמוֹתַ֖י יַדְרִכֵ֑נִי לַמְנַצֵּ֖חַ בִּנְגִינוֹתָֽי׃

Transliteration

YHWH ʾăḏōnāy is my ḥêlî, and he makes my raḡlay like ʾayyālôṯ, and upon my bāmôṯay he makes me tread. For the mǝnaṣṣēaḥ with my nǝḡînôṯāy.

Grammar Details

• *YHWH*: divine name
• *ʾăḏōnāy*: divine title - my Lord
• *ḥêlî*: noun masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix - my strength
• *wayyāśem*: qal imperfect consecutive 3rd person masculine singular - and he makes/sets
• *raḡlay*: noun feminine dual with 1st person singular suffix - my feet
• *kāʾayyālôṯ*: preposition *kə* with definite article and noun feminine plural - like deer/hinds
• *wǝʿal*: conjunction with preposition - and upon
• *bāmôṯay*: noun feminine plural with 1st person singular suffix - my high places
• *yaḏrîḵēnî*: hiphil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix - he causes me to tread/walk
• *lamǝnaṣṣēaḥ*: preposition *lə* with piel participle masculine singular - for the choir director/musical director
• *binǝḡînôṯāy*: preposition *bə* with noun feminine plural with 1st person singular suffix - with my stringed instruments

Word Meanings

• *ḥêlî*: my strength/my power/my might
• *kāʾayyālôṯ*: like deer/like hinds/like gazelles (symbols of surefootedness)
• *bāmôṯay*: my high places/my heights/my elevated places (symbolizing victory and security)
• *lamǝnaṣṣēaḥ binǝḡînôṯāy*: for the choir director with my stringed instruments/for the music leader with my stringed music

Referenced Verses

• 2 Sam 22:34 : 34 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
• Ps 18:33 : 33 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
• Deut 32:13 : 13 He put him on the high places of the earth, his food was the increase of the field; honey he gave him out of the rock and oil out of the hard rock;
• Deut 33:29 : 29 Happy are you, O Israel: who is like you, a people whose saviour is the Lord, whose help is your cover, whose sword is your strength! All those who are against you will put themselves under your rule, and your feet will be planted on their high places.
• Ps 46:1 : 1 <To the chief music-maker. Of the sons of Korah; put to Alamoth. A Song.> God is our harbour and our strength, a very present help in trouble.
• 2 Cor 12:9-9 : 9 And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me. 10 So I take pleasure in being feeble, in unkind words, in needs, in cruel attacks, in troubles, on account of Christ: for when I am feeble, then am I strong.
• Ps 27:1 : 1 <Of David.> The Lord is my light and my salvation; who is then a cause of fear to me? the Lord is the strength of my life; who is a danger to me?
• Isa 45:24 : 24 Only in the Lord will Jacob overcome and be strong: together all those who were angry with him will be put to shame and come to destruction.
• Isa 58:14 : 14 Then the Lord will be your delight; and I will put you on the high places of the earth; and I will give you the heritage of Jacob your father: for the mouth of the Lord has said it.
• Zech 10:12 : 12 And their strength will be in the Lord; and their pride will be in his name, says the Lord.
• Isa 12:2 : 2 See, God is my salvation; I will have faith in the Lord, without fear: for the Lord Jah is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.
• Ps 4:1-8 : 1 <To the chief music-maker on corded instruments. A Psalm. Of David.> Give answer to my cry, O God of my righteousness; make me free from my troubles; have mercy on me, and give ear to my prayer. 2 O you sons of men, how long will you go on turning my glory into shame? how long will you give your love to foolish things, going after what is false? (Selah.) 3 See how the Lord has made great his mercy for me; the Lord will give ear to my cry. 4 Let there be fear in your hearts, and do no sin; have bitter feelings on your bed, but make no sound. (Selah.) 5 Give the offerings of righteousness, and put your faith in the Lord. 6 There are numbers who say, Who will do us any good? the light of his face has gone from us. 7 Lord, you have put joy in my heart, more than they have when their grain and their wine are increased. 8 I will take my rest on my bed in peace, because you only, Lord, keep me safe.
• Eph 3:16 : 16 That in the wealth of his glory he would make you strong with power through his Spirit in your hearts;
• Phil 4:13 : 13 I am able to do all things through him who gives me strength.
• Col 1:11 : 11 Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy;
• Ps 54:1-55:23 : 1 <To the chief music-maker; on Neginoth. Maschil. Of David. When the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Is not David keeping himself secret among us?> Let your name be my salvation, O God; let my cause be judged by your strength. 2 Let my prayer come before you, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For men who are going after me have come out against me, violent men are purposing to take my soul; they have not put God before their eyes. (Selah.) 4 See, God is my helper: the Lord is the great supporter of my soul. 5 Let the evil works of my haters come back on them again; let them be cut off by your good faith. 6 Freely will I make my offerings to you; I will give praise to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 Because it has been my saviour from all my trouble; and my eyes have seen the punishment of my haters. 1 <To the chief music-maker, on Neginoth. Maschil. Of David.> Give hearing to my prayer, O God; and let not your ear be shut against my request. 2 Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow; 3 I am troubled because of the voice of the cruel ones, because of the loud cry of the evil-doers; for they put a weight of evil on me, and they are cruel in their hate for me. 4 My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me. 5 Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered. 6 And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest. 7 I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah.) 8 I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind. 9 Send destruction on them, O Lord, make a division of tongues among them: for I have seen fighting and violent acts in the town. 10 By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it. 11 Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets. 12 For it was not my hater who said evil of me; that would have been no grief to me; it was not one outside the number of my friends who made himself strong against me, or I would have kept myself from him in a secret place; 13 But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend. 14 We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company. 15 Let the hand of death come on them suddenly, and let them go down living into the underworld; because evil is in their houses and in their hearts. 16 As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour. 17 In the evening and in the morning and in the middle of the day I will make my prayer with sounds of grief; and my voice will come to his ears. 18 He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me. 19 God will give thought to me; he who from early times is strong will send pain and trouble on them. (Selah.) Because they are unchanged, they have no fear of God. 20 He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement. 21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords. 22 Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved. 23 But you, O God, will send them down into the underworld; the cruel and the false will be cut off before half their days are ended; but I will have faith in you.
• Ps 67:1-7 : 1 <To the chief music-maker. With corded instruments. A Psalm. A Song.> May God give us mercy and blessing, and let the light of his face be shining on us; (Selah.) 2 So that men may see your way on the earth, and your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples give you praise, O God; let all the peoples give you praise. 4 O let the nations be glad, and make song of joy; for you will be the judge of the peoples in righteousness, guiding the nations of the earth. (Selah.) 5 Let the peoples give you praise, O God; let all the peoples give you praise. 6 The earth has given her increase; and God, even our God, will give us his blessing. 7 God will give us his blessing; so let all the ends of the earth be in fear of him.
• Ps 76:1-9 : 1 <To the chief music-maker; put to Neginoth. A Psalm. Of Asaph. A Song.> In Judah is the knowledge of God; his name is great in Israel, 2 In Salem is his tent, his resting-place in Zion. 3 There were the arrows of the bow broken, there he put an end to body-cover, sword, and fight. (Selah.) 4 You are shining and full of glory, more than the eternal mountains. 5 Gone is the wealth of the strong, their last sleep has overcome them; the men of war have become feeble. 6 At the voice of your wrath, O God of Jacob, deep sleep has overcome carriage and horse. 7 You, you are to be feared; who may keep his place before you in the time of your wrath? 8 From heaven you gave your decision; the earth, in its fear, gave no sound, 9 When God took his place as judge, for the salvation of the poor on the earth. (Selah.) 10 The ... will give you praise; the rest of ... 11 Give to the Lord your God what is his by right; let all who are round him give offerings to him who is to be feared. 12 He puts an end to the wrath of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.
• Ps 6:1-9 : 1 <To the chief music-maker on corded instruments, on the Sheminith. A Psalm. Of David.> O Lord, do not be bitter with me in your wrath; do not send punishment on me in the heat of your passion. 2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am wasted away: make me well, for even my bones are troubled. 3 My soul is in bitter trouble; and you, O Lord, how long? 4 Come back, O Lord, make my soul free; O give me salvation because of your mercy. 5 For in death there is no memory of you; in the underworld who will give you praise? 6 The voice of my sorrow is a weariness to me; all the night I make my bed wet with weeping; it is watered by the drops flowing from my eyes. 7 My eyes are wasting away with trouble; they are becoming old because of all those who are against me. 8 Go from me, all you workers of evil; for the Lord has given ear to the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord has given ear to my request; the Lord has let my prayer come before him. 10 Let all those who are against me be shamed and deeply troubled; let them be turned back and suddenly put to shame.
• Ps 18:1 : 1 <To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said,> I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.