
And then we arrive at our chapter, a prayer which includes descriptions of theophany (visible manifestation of God to man), and then ends on a high note of confidence.
There's really only one thing I want to bring to your attention in this Haftorah, which starts off the theophanic section; A cryptic verse which seemingly tells us God's place of origin. (???)
(ג) אֱל֙וֹהַ֙ מִתֵּימָ֣ן יָב֔וֹא וְקָד֥וֹשׁ מֵֽהַר־פָּארָ֖ן סֶ֑לָה כִּסָּ֤ה שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ הוֹד֔וֹ וּתְהִלָּת֖וֹ מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(3) God comes from Teman; The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
Well first of all, what is Teman? It can actually be one of a couple of things.
- The son of Eliphaz and Timnah (same letters). Eliphaz was the grandson of Esau, and is described as one of the chieftains of Edom. (Gen 36:15);
- The tribe whose forefather is said Teman from above;
- The region which this tribe occupied.

So you can imagine, if you are facing the east, the direction to your right hand would be south. Hence Teman means southward.
In the TaNaKh, Teman ends up being used as a synonym for Edom/Esau in general.
Here are a few examples:

(ז) לֶאֱד֗וֹם כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הַאֵ֥ין ע֛וֹד חָכְמָ֖ה בְּתֵימָ֑ן אָבְדָ֤ה עֵצָה֙ מִבָּנִ֔ים נִסְרְחָ֖ה חָכְמָתָֽם׃
(7) Concerning Edom: Thus said YHWH of Hosts:
Is there no more wisdom in Teman? Has counsel vanished from the prudent? Has their wisdom gone stale?
(יג) לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְנָטִ֤תִי יָדִי֙ עַל־אֱד֔וֹם וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֣ם וּבְהֵמָ֑ה וּנְתַתִּ֤יהָ חָרְבָּה֙ מִתֵּימָ֔ן וּדְדָ֖נֶה בַּחֶ֥רֶב יִפֹּֽלוּ׃
(13) Assuredly, thus said the Lord-YHWH:
I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast, and I will lay it in ruins from Teman.
If it means southward, this makes sense, for south of Israel is the Sinai peninsula, which is where Mount Sinai, the place of God's revelation to Israel occurred. (This would also be quite apropos, given the context in which we will be reading this Haftorah.)
So what would Habbakuk be saying? That God comes from Sinai. I.e., perhaps that once God revealed Himself to our ancestors at Mount Sinai, he went with our ancestors from there and accompanied them during their wanderings, until finally ending up northward in Israel.


The Shasu were semitic-speaking nomads who are traced back to the Moab region. (You can see Moab on the map above, just north of Edom). Egyptain records of them go as far back as 1,500 years BCE.
The Egyptians characterized them as brigands, and they were active in an area spanning the Jezreel Valley all the way to the Sinai Peninsula!
(look for the Mt. Carmel tip jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. The Jezreel valley is just to the right of that.)

"YHW in the land of the Shasu-nomads."
The heiroglyphics above is one such instance.
Originally, the name YHWH referred to a "divine warrior from the Southern region associated with Seir, Edom, Paran and Teman." ---- from Proposals for the Original Profile of YHWH.
Eventually - so this theory goes - these Shasu would make up but one small part of a nation that would eventually come to be known as Israel.
Our passage from Habbakuk above is a remnant of this ancient memory as to where, and from whom, knowledge of one aspect of YHWH, as well the name itself, came from!
(ב) וַיֹּאמַ֗ר יְהוָ֞ה מִסִּינַ֥י בָּא֙ וְזָרַ֤ח מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ לָ֔מוֹ הוֹפִ֙יעַ֙ מֵהַ֣ר פָּארָ֔ן וְאָתָ֖ה מֵרִבְבֹ֣ת קֹ֑דֶשׁ מִֽימִינ֕וֹ אשדת [אֵ֥שׁ] [דָּ֖ת] לָֽמוֹ׃
(2) [Moses] said:
YHWH came from Sinai!
He shone upon them from Seir;
He appeared from Mount Paran,
And approached from Ribeboth-kodesh, Lightning flashing at them from His right.
(ד) יְהוָ֗ה בְּצֵאתְךָ֤ מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ בְּצַעְדְּךָ֙ מִשְּׂדֵ֣ה אֱד֔וֹם אֶ֣רֶץ רָעָ֔שָׁה גַּם־שָׁמַ֖יִם נָטָ֑פוּ גַּם־עָבִ֖ים נָ֥טְפוּ מָֽיִם׃
(4) O YHWH, when You came forth from Seir, Advanced from the country of Edom, The earth trembled; The heavens dripped, Yea, the clouds dripped water!
(ג) אֱל֙וֹהַ֙ מִתֵּימָ֣ן יָב֔וֹא וְקָד֥וֹשׁ מֵֽהַר־פָּארָ֖ן סֶ֑לָה כִּסָּ֤ה שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ הוֹד֔וֹ וּתְהִלָּת֖וֹ מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ד) וְנֹ֙גַהּ֙ כָּא֣וֹר תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה קַרְנַ֥יִם מִיָּד֖וֹ ל֑וֹ וְשָׁ֖ם חֶבְי֥וֹן עֻזֹּֽה׃ (ה) לְפָנָ֖יו יֵ֣לֶךְ דָּ֑בֶר וְיֵצֵ֥א רֶ֖שֶׁף לְרַגְלָֽיו׃ (ו) עָמַ֣ד ׀ וַיְמֹ֣דֶד אֶ֗רֶץ רָאָה֙ וַיַּתֵּ֣ר גּוֹיִ֔ם וַיִּתְפֹּֽצְצוּ֙ הַרְרֵי־עַ֔ד שַׁח֖וּ גִּבְע֣וֹת עוֹלָ֑ם הֲלִיכ֥וֹת עוֹלָ֖ם לֽוֹ׃
(3) God comes from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
His majesty covers the skies, His splendor fills the earth!
(4) It is a brilliant light which gives off rays on every side— And therein His glory is enveloped!
(5) Pestilence marches before Him, And plague comes forth at His heels.
(6) When He stands, He makes the earth shake; When He glances, He makes nations tremble. The age-old mountains are shattered, The primeval hills sink low. His are the ancient routes.
Thunder, Lightning, Earthquakes...!

Given this background, what do you think about such verses as what we've seen from Habbakuk?
Could this memory of the Shasu be what he, Devorah, and Moses have been referring to? Or, do you find the first explanation satisfactory? That this is all simply a hearkening back to the moment when our ancestors stood at Sinai!

