Limitless Word
Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.
Habakkuk 3:15 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB You trampled the sea with your horses, churning mighty waters.
  • BSB You trampled the sea with Your horses, churning the great waters.
  • NKJV You walked through the sea with Your horses, Through the heap of great waters.
  • NASB You trampled on the sea with Your horses, On the foam of many waters.
  • NLT You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God tramples the sea with His horses, churning the mighty waters. It again pictures God's triumphant power over the waters in saving His people.

Overview

The image returns to God as a warrior driving His horses through the sea, recalling the exodus deliverance through the Red Sea. The churning waters depict the overwhelming force of God's victory over every obstacle and foe. This closing scene of the theophany reaffirms that the God who once conquered the sea to save His people remains mighty to deliver, a power fulfilled in the greater exodus accomplished by Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Ps 77:19Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
  • Hab 3:8Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?
  • Exod 15:8And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Habakkuk videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Habakkuk 3:15YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HabakkukMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

'The righteous shall live by his faith' (2:4) becomes a cornerstone of the gospel in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews — the faith that lays hold of Christ.

How Habakkuk 3:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.