His brightness was like the light is ambiguous. Some scholars think that it refers to the way light spreads across the sky at sunrise, and they compare it with Psalm 19.5-6. Thus New English Bible translates “He rises like the dawn,” and New International Version “His splendor was like the sunrise.” Other scholars link the first line more closely with the second and interpret it as a reference to the way lightning flashes across the sky. Thus Moffatt translates “his radiance is a lightning blaze,” and Good News Translation “He comes with the brightness of lightning.” This second interpretation seems to fit the context better and is recommended to translators. This clause may also be rendered “as he comes, he shines brightly like lightning.”
Rays flashed from his hand: the word here translated rays is the word usually translated “horns,” and its presence here has led some scholars to think that there is some copying mistake in the Hebrew. However, the same root in a verbal form is used of Moses’ face shining in Exodus 34.29-30, and there is no strong reason why the noun could not have a related meaning in a poetic passage like this one. The Hebrew word is dual in form, and New English Bible reflects this by translating “twin rays” (compare Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Translators may do something like this, if it would add to the poetic feeling of the passage in their language. But there seems to be no particular emphasis on the dual meaning, and many translators will prefer to treat it as a plural, as most English versions do (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Good News Translation treats rays as standing for “light” and translates “light flashes from his hand.” This line is best understood as referring to lightning.
Some scholars think that the words from his hand should be translated as “at his side” (New English Bible; compare Moffatt, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). However, the normal meaning of the word is “hand,” and this makes perfectly good sense here (compare Deut 33.2).
There he veiled his power: there refers to the LORD’s hand, which is sometimes pictured as the location of his power (compare 2 Sam 24.14). Good News Translation turns the sentence into a passive and renders “there where his power is hidden.” In languages which do not use the passive, translators may say, for example, “there where he hides his power.” The picture seems to say that God’s power is hidden behind the flashes of lightning. This is a little awkward, and some scholars think there are some words missing from the text (a gap is marked in Moffatt‘s translation). New English Bible places here some words found in verses 6 and 7 in Hebrew. However, the majority of English translators consider that the Hebrew text as it stands makes adequate sense, and this view can safely be followed in other languages.
An alternative translation model for this verse is “As he comes he shines brightly like lightning, and rays of light flash out from his hand, the place where he hides his power.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .