Verse 7 takes up the theme of the second line of verse 6 and speaks of the effect of God’s presence on specific peoples. There is no justification for starting a new paragraph at this point, as Good News Translation does.

I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: the verb translated I saw is the only one in the first person in verses 3-15. Its occurrence reminds the reader that the description the prophet is giving is a kind of vision which he had in answer to his prayer of verse 2.

Cushan as the name of a tribe, a nation, or a region does not occur anywhere else in the Old Testament. Some scholars link it with the name Cush, which refers to an area including most of Sudan and part of modern Ethiopia (see comments on Nahum 3.9 and Zeph 1.1). Others regard it as referring to some small and otherwise unknown group of people living in the Sinai Peninsula (Bible en français courant footnote). It may be an alternative name for the people of Midian mentioned in the second half of the verse, or perhaps a name for some clan among the Midianites. Some slight support for this view can be claimed by comparing Exodus 2.16-21 with Numbers 12.1. It is possible that Moses’ Midianite wife Zipporah is the same person referred to as a Cushite in Numbers 12.1 (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch footnote), but this cannot be proved. Translators should keep the name Cushan in the form in which it appears here, and not change it to a more familiar form like “Cushite.” In languages which need to identify Cushan, one may say “the people from the clan of Cushan.”

The tents of Cushan refers to the dwellings of the people. As inhabitants of the desert, these people were nomads and lived in tents made of goat skins or cloth woven from goat hair.

In affliction is ambiguous and can be understood in two ways. It may be taken physically as referring to the damage or destruction of the tents in the storm and earthquake. Thus New American Bible translates “the tents of Cushan collapse” (compare New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Or it may be taken psychologically as referring not just to the tents but to the people who live in them. Thus Jerusalem Bible translates “I have seen the tents of Cushan terrified.” Good News Translation follows this interpretation. However, the Good News Translation translators thought that readers might not understand the idea that the tents represent the people living in them (a figure of speech called metonymy). Therefore Good News Translation does not mention the tents but states the meaning in nonfigurative language as “I saw the people of Cushan afraid” (compare Bible en français courant).

The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble: the tents of the desert dwellers were often divided by curtains placed across them. This provided a private section for the women behind the curtain in the inner part of the tent. Here the word is used as a parallel to the tents in the previous line (compare Isa 54.2; Jer 4.20; 10.20; 49.29), and there is no special emphasis on the curtains as such. Some versions translate as “pavilions,” which is really no more than another word for tents (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

Again the line may be interpreted either physically or psychologically. If it is taken physically, it refers to the tents enduring the fierce winds of the storm. Thus New English Bible translates “the tent-curtains of Midian flutter” (compare Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). If taken psychologically it speaks of the people of Midian trembling in fear at the presence of God. Thus Jerusalem Bible translates “I have seen … the pavilions of the land of Midian shuddering.” Good News Translation follows this interpretation but again drops the metonymy and states the meaning in nonfigurative language as “the people of Midian tremble.” This interpretation has a parallel in Exodus 15.15, where neighboring nations are spoken of as in panic when they hear what the LORD has done for his people.

The land of Midian lay on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba, but the Midianites also lived on the west side in the Sinai Peninsula. This is the area near “the hills of Paran” mentioned in verse 3. The mention of it strengthens the associations which the passage has with the events of the Book of Exodus.

In cultures where tents are commonly used, translators may render this verse as “I saw the people who live in tents in Cushan show great fear, and those people who live in the land of Midian tremble with terror” or “I saw the people of Cushan very much afraid in their tents, and the people of Midian trembling with terror in their homes.”

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 .