God came from Teman,
Habakkuk 3:3
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
Habakkuk prays by acknowledging who God is. Verse 3 contains two pairs of parallel lines. First, he describes a theophany by using two geographical locations.
How God Arrives
A theophany is defined as “a visible manifestation to humankind of God or a god”. Habakkuk says God came from two places: Teman and Mount Paran. Moses used a very similar phrase in his introduction to blessing the people of Israel before his death:
The LORD came from Sinai
Deuteronomy 33:2
and dawned from Seir upon us;
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire at his right hand.
We see a direct reference to God’s arrival at Mount Sinai. This is where God delivered the Torah to his people. When God showed up, the mountain shook and the people trembled. When prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel encountered God, they were afraid for their lives.
Where God Arrives
Where are these other places? Why are they important? Clearly, Habakkuk is hinting back at Deuteronomy. In order to understand what he’s saying, we need to understand what Moses said.
Seir and Teman are very similar – both describe places in Edom. We see Seir used interchangeably with Edom throughout the Bible. Jacob’s brother Esau lived “in the land of Seir, the country of Edom” (Genesis 32:3; see also Deuteronomy 2:4-5). Seir is a region; Teman is a city in Edom (see Amos 1:12, Obadiah 9, Jeremiah 49:7). The song of Deborah depicts God coming out of Seir and Edom (Judges 5:4).
Where is Mount Paran? Paran is only called a mountain in these two passages. We more often read about the wilderness of Paran. The Israelites journeyed there after coming from the wilderness of Sinai (Numbers 10:12). This is where Moses sent out the spies into the land (Numbers 13:3). David went there, too (1 Samuel 25:1). While we can’t give exact boundaries of this wilderness, we can generally say it’s south of Israel proper. Perhaps Mount Paran is in this wilderness. It may reference Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh (in the wilderness of Paran). After God appeared to all the people (Numbers 14:10), he sentenced them to wander forty years in the wilderness.
When God Arrives
There’s a nuanced difference between these two verses, however, which does not appear in English. Deuteronomy says he “came” (completed) from Sinai. Habakkuk says he “comes” or “will come” (incomplete) from Teman. The Lord told him about the impending judgment coming upon Israel and the nations. Whereas Deuteronomy points back to God’s awesome appearance in the past, Habakkuk is looking ahead to God’s future arrival.
We also look towards Jesus’ arrival. He is will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Peter 4:5). While he may seem slow to return, he has assured us that he will return. And he will appear in glory like at Mount Sinai!
To Ponder…
What does it look like for God to show up?
How has God revealed himself in the past? Think of stories in the Bible, elsewhere in history, and in your life personally.
Do you believe God is still at work? Do you live with the expectation of his return?