HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:1 Superscription. “Oracle” translates a common word for “burden” (Hb. massa’), but when used in the Prophets it may more specifically signify a prophetic oracle (see Isa. 14:4). Jeremiah 20:9 and Amos 3:8 suggest that once God gives a message, it becomes a “burden” until the prophet announces it. Prophets do not typically use the term “prophet” for themselves, but Habakkuk is called a prophet twice (Hab. 1:1; 3:1), possibly because his message differs significantly from that of most other prophets.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:2–11 First Cycle. Habakkuk is disappointed that God does not seem to be answering his prayers; but God’s response indicates that, unknown to the prophet, he has already begun answering them.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:2–4 Habakkuk’s Lament. Habakkuk believes that God is letting sin go unpunished and that therefore there is no justice. A major interpretative decision is whether the source of the wrongdoing in these verses is a foreign power that suppresses faithfulness (Assyrians) or the leaders of Judah who oppress their own people. These notes reflect the second position.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:2 O LORD. Habakkuk uses the covenant name for God, emphasizing the relationship between God and the prophet. how long? This is the common form of the formal complaint (cf. Ps. 13:1, 2). Violence! During much of the latter seventh century B.C., Judah was morally corrupt (with much wrongful violence) and spiritually apostate. The description of Josiah’s reforms underscores the depths of the people’s depravity (2 Kings 23).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:3 idly look at wrong. Habakkuk can hardly believe that his God appears to tolerate sin instead of punishing it (see v. 13).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:4 the law is paralyzed. The Mosaic law had little impact on the hearts of these people and was not accomplishing its purpose. Instead, they were living according to their own greedy, self-centered desires. justice never goes forth. Habakkuk believes that God’s inactivity has caused injustice to become worse. The rich were using their power and money to get what they wanted; the rights of the poor were being trampled on. righteous. There was still a righteous remnant, but life was hard for them because they fell prey to the wicked and would not break God’s laws to get ahead.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:5–11 God’s Response. God has already begun to answer Habakkuk’s request (the Babylonians are coming to punish the Israelites).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:5 Look among the nations. Habakkuk lived in a time of political turmoil—the Assyrians were losing power, whereas the Babylonians were gaining it. you would not believe. Habakkuk refused to believe that a just God would allow the cruel Babylonians to punish his people.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:6 I am raising up. God controls the political scene and uses nations for his own purposes (cf. Isa. 44:28; Dan. 2:21). Chaldeans. Another name for the Babylonians, but technically they were an ethnically diverse Aramean tribe in southern Babylon that began to take control as the Assyrians weakened. The Babylonians gained independence from Assyria in 626 B.C. and, continuing to increase in power, defeated Assyria in 605. Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonians in this victory and consolidated the Babylonian Empire. After his father’s death in 605 B.C. he became king over the vast empire, which flourished until the Persians defeated it in 539. bitter and hasty nation. God knows the Babylonians well and uses their character traits to punish Judah.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:7 their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. In pursuit of domination, the Babylonians were not bound by Judean legal systems, or even common decency. In their pride and arrogance they abused their power.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:8 The Babylonians conquered their enemies so quickly that their horses seemed to come faster than swift leopards. Using horses allowed them to overtake their enemies before they had time to prepare. eagle. A bird of prey, depicting the Babylonians’ fierceness and voracious appetite for conquest.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:9 violence. Habakkuk had seen violence in the land (v. 2), but the Babylonians took it to a whole new level. They gather captives like sand. The Babylonians continued the Assyrian policy of deporting captives to their land to discourage and disorient them.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:10 scoff … laugh. The powerful Babylonians had little regard for weaker kings or rulers whose meager fortifications offered little resistance. they pile up earth. One of the primary means of capturing a walled city was to construct earthen ramps so that movable towers could be pushed close enough to the walls to breach them (see Isa. 29:3; Jer. 32:24).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:11 whose own might is their god. The Babylonians had become so successful and powerful that they relied on their military might for protection, as others would have relied on their gods.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:12–2:20 Second Cycle. This expresses the age-old dilemma concerning God’s justice: “Why does evil seem to go unpunished?” God’s vindicating answer is, “I will see to it that all those who are wicked will be punished, but the righteous ones must live by faith.”
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:12–2:1 Habakkuk’s Lament. Habakkuk wonders how God can use a wicked nation to punish a less wicked one.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:12 Are you not from everlasting? Habakkuk has good theology and knows that God lives forever (see Ps. 90:2). We shall not die. Several translations have “You shall not die” at this point, reflecting a later rabbinic tradition. This makes an easier reading than the abrupt change from “you” to “we,” but it finds no support in the Hebrew manuscripts or the Septuagint, and should not be considered original. Habakkuk grounds his confidence in God’s future for his people in the eternal nature of God. you … have established them. Habakkuk understands that God has ordained Babylon to be his agent of punishment.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:13 purer eyes than to see evil. This is a classic statement of the puzzle of how an all-powerful God can allow sin to continue unchecked. Habakkuk cannot understand the justice of allowing wicked Babylon to punish a less wicked nation such as Judah. (He can call Judah more righteous because, even though most of its people were unfaithful to God’s covenants, some of them actually were faithful.) Habakkuk thinks that God’s holiness should have prohibited him from using the corrupt Babylonians.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:14 Habakkuk’s charge against God is that he allows mankind to act like lower creatures (fish and crawling things) with no rulers or judges, so that wickedness goes unchecked.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:15 He. That is, the “wicked” one in v. 13, a personification of the nation of Babylon. hook. See Amos 4:2. Captives were sometimes taken away with hooks in their noses—an intentionally painful and humiliating treatment. drags them out with his net. The image is that of a fish helplessly caught in a fishing net; Mesopotamian rock reliefs portray prisoners in nets being hauled off to captivity.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:16 he sacrifices to his net. See note on v. 11. The Babylonians appear quite proud of their weapons of destruction.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 1:17 mercilessly killing nations forever? If a righteous God does not step in to end the Babylonians’ wicked plan, who will? Where is God’s justice, and how can he tolerate this?
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:1 I will take my stand at my watchpost. Similar to a lookout who awaits a coming enemy, Habakkuk waits in the city’s watchtower for God to rebuke his direct challenge. tower. Probably part of a wall and tower system to protect the city.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:2–20 God’s Response. God assures Habakkuk that he will punish all the wicked at the right time.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:2 Write the vision. This word “vision” commonly refers to the prophetic message from God (see 1 Chron. 17:15; Prov. 29:18). This message was to be a permanent witness, since it would not be imminently fulfilled. The content may be the entire book of Habakkuk, or some shorter portion. so he may run who reads it. This may refer to a herald spreading the message throughout the nation, or more generally to anyone fleeing the coming judgment.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:3 the vision awaits its appointed time. The fulfillment of the message may occur more slowly than expected, but God’s timing will be perfect. wait for it. While the judgment coming upon Judah will begin quite soon (586 B.C.), the punishment of the Babylonians will not be fulfilled until 539.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:4 his soul. The singular form refers to the Babylonian nation as a whole, but with a primary reference to the king. A proud person relies on himself, whereas a righteous person relies on God. While the phrase “his soul is puffed up” refers primarily to Babylon in this context, it could include anyone who is proud. It will take faith to wait patiently for God’s plan to unfold, but the righteous believe that God will accomplish it. The phrase but the righteous shall live by his faith is quoted in the NT to emphasize that people are saved by grace through faith (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; cf. Eph. 2:8) and that Christians should live by faith (Heb. 10:38–39). The kind of faith that Habakkuk describes, and that the NT authors promote, is continuing trust in God and clinging to God’s promises, even in the darkest days.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:5 His greed is as wide as Sheol. Sometimes in the OT, Sheol is the place of the dead where everyone went, yet which never filled up (see Prov. 30:15–16).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:6–20 The taunt against the Babylonians consists of five “woe oracles” that are divided into two parts (vv. 6–14 and vv. 15–20), both of which end with summary statements declaring the glory and greatness of God. These woe oracles (vv. 6, 9, 12, 15, 19) describe the reasons why Babylon deserves its coming punishment (cf. Isa. 5:8–23). Woe oracles are generally composed of two parts: declaration of the wrong, and pronouncement of impending judgment as a result.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:6 all these. That is, all the nations that Babylon has destroyed (see Isa. 14:9–11). Woe. The Babylonians are condemned for their excessive greed in conquest. They have hoarded things that are not theirs. While pledges were allowed under the law as guarantee of repayment, humane treatment of people was still expected (see Ex. 22:26–27; Deut. 24:10–13).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:7 debtors. The spoil and plunder that Babylon has taken from other nations is actually only on loan until a stronger nation comes to plunder Babylon.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:8 blood of man. God will someday hold the Babylonians accountable for indiscriminate bloodshed (see 1:17; Gen. 9:6).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:9 Woe. Babylon is condemned for relying on treasures and wealth for protection. evil gain. Amassing stolen goods was prohibited under the law (Ex. 20:13–17; Deut. 5:17–21). set his nest on high. Like the eagle that builds its nest in inaccessible spots, the Babylonians attempted to build a city that was inaccessible to their enemies (see Isa. 14:4–15; cf. Obad. 3–4). Herodotus says that Babylon had a huge wall with 100 bronze gates. It was wide enough for a four-horse chariot to run upon it (History 1.178–179).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:10 forfeited your life. God will hold Babylon responsible for killing many people.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:11 stone will cry out. The stones were plundered from other nations’ buildings or purchased with plundered goods and would serve as a witness against Babylon.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:12 Woe. Babylon is condemned for its violence and injustice.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:13 LORD of hosts. Yahweh is the commander of the heavenly armies, all of which do his bidding; see note on Amos 3:13. peoples labor merely for fire. God controls man’s destiny and will punish injustice; thus, Babylon’s cities will ultimately be destroyed or given to others. Even the people of Judah were chastened for similar practices (Mic. 3:10).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:14 The glory of the LORD is his special presence with his people, especially at the sanctuary. The glory “filled” the tabernacle and temple (Ex. 40:34–35; 1 Kings 8:11); a number of texts look forward to a day when God’s glory fills the whole earth (Num. 14:21; Ps. 72:19; Isa. 6:3 esv footnote). Israel existed so that the nations might come to know the true God (Gen. 12:2–3; Ex. 19:5–6), and the prophets nurtured the hope that one day the light would indeed reach all the nations. (Christian interpreters dispute whether a prophecy such as this will be fulfilled before or after Christ’s return.)
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:15 Woe. Babylon is chastened for violence to its neighbors. gaze at their nakedness. That is, to dishonor them (cf. Gen. 9:20–22).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:16 shame. Babylon will experience the same shame and embarrassment that it inflicted on others (see note on v. 15). Cup is a symbol of divine retribution on Babylon (see Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15–17; Lam. 4:21; Rev. 14:10; 16:19).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:17 violence done to Lebanon. Babylon used the famed cedars of Lebanon for its massive building projects (see Isa. 14:8). Nebuchadnezzar’s royal annals indicate that he commanded his army to construct a road to bring these cedars to Babylon. The animal population may also have been decimated—Assyrian inscriptions record hunting expeditions in the Lebanese ranges, and the Babylonians probably indulged in the same practices.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:18 idols. Carved images or likenesses of false gods were often condemned as worthless and lifeless objects unworthy of the faith placed in them (cf. Isa. 41:29; 44:9; Jer. 10:15). teacher of lies. This highlights the deceptive nature of worshiping idols (cf. Isa. 44:20).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:19 Woe. The Babylonians are condemned for their idolatry. Idols were often ornate and covered with valuable metals to enhance their prestige.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 2:20 But the LORD. There is a tremendous contrast between silent, inanimate idols and the awesome living God who sits enthroned in heaven and rules over the earth. He is the One who deserves the honor and reverence bestowed on worthless idols (see Isa. 41:1; Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 2:13). Silence is commanded so that everyone will consider God’s awesome nature and realize his sovereignty over all creation (see Zeph. 1:7).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:1–19 Habakkuk’s Prayer. Habakkuk asks for a new demonstration of God’s wrath and mercy, such as God demonstrated so powerfully in the past, and closes with a confession of faith and trust in God. This prayer uses terms similar to the Psalms of Trust (compare vv. 1, 3, 9, 13, 19 with Psalms 17; 90).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:1 The word for prayer here usually refers specifically to a prayer of supplication (v. 2) but can also refer to prayer in general, including prayers sung corporately (e.g., Ps. 54:2; 55:1). Shigionoth occurs only twice in the OT (once in the singular and once in the plural) and may refer to an instrument or a type of psalm. The other usage of the word (Ps. 7:1) favors a type of psalm, and it may be related to Akkadian shigu, “a lament.”
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:2 I have heard. Habakkuk had heard (perhaps in the temple) of God’s great saving acts, which he recounts in vv. 3–15; see the Song of Moses (Ex. 15:1–21). in wrath remember mercy. A plea that when God judges, he will also be merciful—a classic statement of how God deals with his people.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:3 Teman means “south”; with the reference to Mount Paran (Num. 13:3, 26; Deut. 33:2), it may suggest the time following Israel’s exodus from Egypt. When the biblical authors refer to God’s mighty acts in the exodus, they often use images to evoke the fear or awe of God (see Deut. 33:2; Judg. 5:4–5; Ps. 18:7–15; etc.). Selah is a term occurring often in the Psalms, of unknown meaning; it is probably some kind of musical direction.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:4–5 Habakkuk likens God’s presence at Mount Sinai to that of a thunderstorm with darkness and flashes of lightning (see Ex. 19:18–20; Ps. 18:9–14). Pestilence and plague are often used as pictures of divine judgment (Ex. 7:14–12:30; Lev. 26:25; Deut. 28:21–22; Ps. 91:3, 6).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:6 eternal mountains. Mountains were considered part of the foundation of the earth, and thus their quaking was a sign of divine judgment. Earthquakes are frequently associated with God’s power (Ex. 19:18; Ps. 18:7; Isa. 24:1–3; Jer. 4:24–26; 10:10; Mic. 1:3–4; Nah. 1:5).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:7 Cushan … Midian. These Arab tribes living near Edom see God’s power and are stricken with fear (see Ex. 15:14–16; Josh. 2:9–10).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:8 God used his power over the Nile (Ex. 7:14–24) and Jordan Rivers (Josh. 3:14–17), as well as the Red Sea (Ex. 14:2–15:5), to demonstrate his greatness in the exodus. The chariot of salvation is a picture of God bringing deliverance to this people.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:9 many arrows. Probably an image of thunderbolts sent by God. split the earth. An image of thunderstorms and floods cutting through the desert landscape.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:11 sun and moon stood still. A reference to Joshua’s victory at Gibeah (Josh. 10:12–13); the victory here will be equally sensational. God is pictured as a great warrior with his bow and spear.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:12 threshed the nations. See Amos 1:3.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:13 God fought for his people (your anointed) because they were his covenant people, a nation of priests (Ex. 19:6; Ps. 114:2). The head of the house of the wicked may refer to the pharaoh of Egypt or the leaders of Canaan; both felt God’s displeasure. laying him bare from thigh to neck. The Hebrew is obscure, but it suggests a thorough defeat.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:14–15 Another reference to the destruction that God brought on the Egyptians, who had set out to defeat the Israelites.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:16 I hear. Habakkuk realizes that he must wait patiently for the destruction of his people and that God will then unleash his power against the Babylonians. people who invade us. That is, the Babylonians.
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:17–19 Anticipating great destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, Habakkuk has radically changed—he began by informing God how to run his world, and ended by trusting that God knows best and will bring about justice. Though the fig tree should not blossom. Verse 17 contains a frequently quoted list of material disasters in which all crops and livestock are lost, and as a result it is unclear how there will be food to eat. Yet even amid suffering and loss, Habakkuk has learned that he can trust God, and with that trust comes great joy, not in circumstances but in God himself: yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Yahweh has become Habakkuk’s strength (see Ps. 18:32, 39).
HABAKKUK—NOTE ON 3:19 he makes my feet like the deer’s. Habakkuk can have sure-footed confidence in God and can live on the heights even amid extreme circumstances (see Mal. 4:2). choirmaster. Probably the director of the temple musicians (see Psalms 4; 5; 6; 8; 9; 11; etc.). stringed instruments. Harps, lyres, etc. (see Ps. 33:2; 92:3; 144:9). This kind of liturgical notation suggests that Habakkuk meant this to be a “prayer” (Hab. 3:1) that the faithful would sing together.