חבקוק, פרק ג׳, פסוק ט׳

God’s presence in the world is revealed with the raw power of a warrior preparing for battle, ready to overturn the very laws of nature to fulfill ancient promises to His people. This revelation is one of total awakening and exposure. The primary image is that of God drawing His bow from its case, fully displaying His might as He goes to war against the Canaanite nations [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה]. Alternatively, this uncovering of the bow can be understood as a poetic description of a natural wonder, representing the sudden appearance of a rainbow on a rainy day [אבן עזרא].

The driving force behind this fierce battle is rooted in ancient oaths. The primary approach among commentators is that God reveals His mighty power specifically to fulfill the promises He swore to the forefathers of the nation, guaranteeing that the land would be given to the Israelite tribes. This spoken oath is absolute, meant to stand and endure forever, though some understand this expression of eternity simply as a pause marking a parenthetical thought [מלבי״ם]. In contrast to the idea of the tribes, a unique perspective suggests that the imagery refers directly to the weapons of war. According to this view, the arrows themselves have seemingly sworn an oath to carry out God's command in battle [אבן עזרא].

As part of this divine intervention, the earth itself is split open to form rivers. Most commentators explain this as a reference to the great miracles performed in the desert, where God cracked open solid rocks and dry ground to bring forth rushing waters. This ensured that the Israelites would have water to drink and would not perish from thirst on their long journey to inherit the land [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, צאינה וראינה]. Another tradition connects this splitting of the earth and water to a later event, viewing it as the miraculous splitting of the Jordan River just as the nation was entering the land [אברבנאל בשם רש״י].