INTRODUCTION
1. Background and Date
Habakkuk’s prophecy is set against a background of the decline and fall of the Judean kingdom (c. 626–586 B.C.). Although nothing is known of the prophet himself apart from the book bearing his name—the book is not dated in the usual manner (cf. Am 1:1; Zep 1:1; et al.)—the general background of Habakkuk is clear from the internal data. Verses 5–11 represent a period before 605, the year the Babylonians (the Chaldeans, 1:6; see NIV note) rose to power, and probably prior to the 612 destruction of Nineveh. By contrast it is sometimes argued that 1:12–17 and 2:6–20 must reflect a period after 612 B.C., when the power and rapacity of the Babylonians had become common knowledge to the prophet. The best solution seems to be to take the sections of the dialogue as representative of Habakkuk’s spiritual struggles over a long period of time, possibly beginning as early as 626 and continuing as late as 590 or after.
During this period Judah enjoyed its last bit of prosperity under Josiah (d. 609 B.C.); Assyria’s wound was revealed as fatal with the ultimate fall of Nineveh in 612; and the short-lived Babylonian Empire established its dominance over Palestine with Jerusalem a casualty and its people taken into exile in 586 B.C. Conditions during the life of the prophet would have progressed from excellent—with considerable material prosperity and even promise of spiritual revival—to the height of desperation as the net was drawn closer and closer around the hapless capital. There is no direct evidence from the book that Habakkuk lived past the destruction of Jerusalem (but cf. 3:16–19).
2. Authorship
Nothing is known of Habakkuk except his name, which does not lend itself to attempts at finding a Hebrew meaning. Of his temperament and personal situation we know only what may be inferred from the book. Literary dependencies and early canonical reception leave no doubt that Habakkuk’s work was circulated and accepted early, but the details remain lost.
3. Occasion and Purpose
Habakkuk was unique among the prophets. He did not speak for God to the people but to God about his people. The similarity with the other prophets is in the setting. Violence and covenant violations abounded. The Lord should have arisen to correct the situation, but such had not been forthcoming, and the prayers of the righteous seemed in vain.
The Assyrians would naturally have been a threat to Judah; and apart from the problem of the future of God’s covenant promises, the prophet would have expected Assyria to be “the rod of God’s anger.” The new element externally is the introduction of Babylonian power, with such awful potential consequences and with no clear vision of when and how the Lord would continue his commitments to the chosen line. But initially Habakkuk was more concerned with internal injustices and the Lord’s apparent complacency toward the evil generation. It was God’s reply (1:5–11) that catapulted the prophecy onto the international and eschatological level.
Chapters 2–3 carry us well beyond the last days of Judah to the future. Habakkuk himself was never told when or exactly how it would end, but 2:14, 20 assured him of the ultimate triumph of the Lord; and the psalm in ch. 3 shows that Habakkuk learned to live in the light of this fact.
4. Theological Values
Habakkuk’s message (esp. 2:4) forms a basic point in three NT books (Ro 1:17; Gal 3:11–12; Heb 10:37–38). The theological value of Habakkuk, however, cannot be limited to a few, though crucial, NT quotations. The prophet asked deeply penetrating questions, and the answers are basic to a proper view of God and his relation to history. If God’s initial response sounded the death knell for any strictly nationalistic covenant theology of Judah, his second reply outlined in a positive sense the fact that all history was hastening to a conclusion that was as certain as it was satisfying. In the interim, the righteous are to live by faith. The faith prescribed is still called for as a basic response to the unanswered questions in today’s universe; and it is this theology for life that stands as Habakkuk’s most basic contribution.
EXPOSITION
I. Habakkuk’s Initial Lament (1:1–4)
These verses correspond closely to the psalms of lament or complaint; prominent features of this form in vv.2–4 include the questions addressed to the Lord, the urgent descriptions of dire need, and the sustained petition for deliverance (cf. Pss 10:1–13; 13:1–4; 22:1–21; 74:1–11; 80; 88). Habakkuk’s prophecy is thus located clearly within the community of faith, exposed to many tribulations, yet oriented to the Lord as its help in trouble.
1–2 The question “How long” implies a situation of crisis from which the speaker seeks deliverance. The verb “listen” (GK 9048) normally carries connotations of an active response to what is heard; where that response is lacking, the righteousness of either the petitioner or the one addressed is called in question. The crisis in which Habakkuk called for help was “violence”; the response expected from the Lord was that he should “save.”
“Violence” (GK 2805) denotes flagrant violation of moral law by which a person injures primarily one’s fellow human beings (e.g., Ge 6:11). Its underlying meaning is one of ethical wrong, of which physical brutality is only one possible expression. To “save” (GK 3828) means to deliver from what oppresses or restricts. Such salvation is to be found ultimately only in the Lord, by those who are righteous toward him.
3 The concepts of “injustice” and “wrong” are correlated in ten other verses; NIV usually translates them as “evil” and “trouble.” “Destruction” and “violence” are similarly correlated repeatedly in Scripture, associated with unjust oppression of the weaker members within a community (Jer 6:7; 20:8; Eze 45:9; Am 3:10). A third word-pair, “strife” and “conflict,” evokes the anger and dissension born of conflicting and uncompromising wills (cf. Pr 15:18; 17:14; 26:20–21).
4 The disintegration of a society into factions is bound up with its rejection of the forces that bring it unity—’’law” and “justice.” The “law” (torah; GK 9368) may refer to any form of authoritative “teaching.” When used in the singular without clear definition, as here, “law” signifies God’s covenantal code established with Israel, given through Moses and mediated primarily through the Levitical priesthood in close conjunction with the king or other governing authorities. Its effectiveness was therefore “paralyzed” by the corruption of the religious and civil leadership of the nation. “Justice” (GK 5477) implies the exercise not merely of legal processes but of all the functions of government; it is through “justice” that law and order are represented, legislated, interpreted, and enforced.
II. God’s First Response (1:5–11)
This passage is distinguished from vv.2–4 by a transition to the Lord as speaker. In form these verses resemble an oracle, yet scarcely the oracle of salvation that forms the turning point in certain other laments (e.g., Pss 12:5; 13:5–6; 22:23–24; et al.). They correspond more closely to an expanded announcement of judgment on God’s people, the prophet’s lament serving as the accusation on which this is based.
5 The Lord is now the speaker; he addresses a plural audience. The hearers, by implication Judeans, are treated as distinct from the “nations” (or Gentiles), at whom they are to “look.” To be “amazed” is a human response to an event that utterly confounds all previous expectations; it runs counter to what the listeners “believe.” The destruction of Jerusalem was such an event, creating both a national and a theological crisis among God’s people.
6 This verse identifies both the speaker and the amazing work introduced in v.5—the Lord and Babylonia’s rise to power. The latter ran counter to popular theology (cf. Jer 5:12; 6:14; 7:1–34; 8:11) but was fully in accord with the Lord’s chastisement of his sinning people. Character produces conduct, and the Babylonian character is expressed by unprincipled rapacity (“ruthless and impetuous”). “The whole earth” suggests unrestricted scope for such behavior, which by implication would engulf Palestine also.
7 Verses 7–11 develop the description of the oppressors. Their character was rooted in a self-sufficiency that acknowledged no superior authority and no dependency, which was tantamount to self-deification. Thus they were “feared” and “dreaded,” usurping the place of God. If God’s people refuse to fear him, they will ultimately be compelled to fear those less worthy of fear. The source of Babylonian “law” and “honor” is exposed—it is self-generated.
8–9 The Babylonian “cavalry” are compared to three predators whose speed and power bring violent death to their prey. The “leopard” and the “wolf” recur, together with the lion, in Jer 5:6 as symbols of divine judgment on Judah. The “vulture” translates an ambiguous term that may also denote an eagle. The vulture is primarily a scavenger, feeding off carrion, whereas the eagle hunts and kills its prey. The imagery of the hunter better fits the historical context (cf. Dt 28:49–50).
Those who live by “violence” shall die by the violence of others. “Like a desert wind,” describing the Babylonian advance, pictures the hot, scorching wind from the Eastern desert. “Like sand” creates a vivid portrait of numberless prisoners helplessly collected for deportation.
10 The Babylonians “deride kings” and “scoff at rulers,” since they can “laugh” at their defenses. The “ramps,” constructed primarily of earth, were a graded incline along which the cumbersome battering rams could be moved in besieging city walls. The “wicked” who “hem in” the “righteous” would themselves be hemmed in by the horrors of siege (cf. v.4).
11 The onrushing cavalry (vv.8–9) was checked by the siege warfare, in which it would not have participated. As the fortified cities fell and resistance crumbled, the cavalry’s pent-up energy was released and its progress resumed. The Babylonians may “sweep past,” but the final verdict was already in. “Guilty men” is followed immediately by the reason for the guilt: “whose own strength is their god.” Such people acknowledge no accountability, seek no repentance, and offer no reparations, while violating the most fundamental order of created life.
III. Habakkuk’s Second Lament (1:12–2:1)
This section has characteristics of a second lament, having many points of contact with 1:2–4 (see comment). These include invocation of the Lord’s name (v.12), the urgent questions addressed to him (vv.13, 17), the description of the wicked oppressing the righteous (vv.13–17), and the issue of unrequited justice that this raises. The note of confidence expressed in v.12 is also typical of most laments—an attitude implicit in the prophet’s perseverance and his insistence that his answers come from God.
12 Although “everlasting” (GK 7710) may refer to eternity, it more often denotes an unspecified point in past history and is applied repeatedly to God’s former preservation of Israel. God’s holiness is associated with his transcendent sovereignty and power, manifested in the past redemption of his people. Habakkuk’s confidence of survival (“we will not die”) reflects his knowledge of God’s future commitment to his people in salvation history.
“Rock” (GK 7446) evokes the strength and reliability of “the LORD” as Israel’s God, and the concepts of “judgment” and “punishment” are correlated repeatedly (cf. Isa 11:3–4). “Punish” (GK 3519) has an underlying judicial meaning of “establishing what is just or right.” Frequently it signifies correction of an offender. Here “judgment” (GK 5477) implies the restoration of rule and authority through removal of the causes of disorder. As intimated in vv.7–8, the Israelites’ rejection of God’s authority mediated through the law merely exposed them to the harsher experience of his authority mediated through an alien people.
13 To “look on” (GK 8011) a matter can imply that it is viewed with acceptance. That the Lord refused to view “evil” and “wrong” in this manner was a basic tenet of Israel’s faith (Pss 5:4; 34:16, 21). The evil apparently tolerated was that of the “treacherous,” namely, those who are unreliable and break faith in relationship. The Lord’s tolerance is implied because he was “silent,” or uninvolved; the treachery was typically that of the wicked who “swallow up” the righteous as a wolf devours its prey.
Evidently the “wicked” corresponds to the fisherman in vv.15–17. The express purpose of fishing is to consume the prey. This is motivated by a boundless greed, gratified without principle and pursued by means of a far-flung, international aggression. The “righteous” correspond to the “nations,” likened to fish (vv.14–17). This designation includes Judah, whose sin caused her to be numbered among the nations in judgment. Habakkuk’s concern was his own people, as both the perpetrators and victims of injustice.
14 The presence of calamity and evil in the world is related without hesitation to God’s sovereign control of human destiny. The comparison to “fish” implies a condition that is subhuman and vulnerable. The “sea creatures” are seen as equally helpless, lacking the organization or leadership normally expected in human society.
15 The “hook” and line were widely used for fishing. The “net” was used for hunting and fishing and so had a diversity of application (cf. Isa 19:8). The precise identification of the “net” and “dragnet” is not certain. They appear to correspond to the two main types of net, the throw-net and the seine. “Rejoice” and “be glad” are used with great frequency in religious contexts of worship and praise. They indicate not merely pleasure or merriment but a response affirming what is valued and honored. Again the Babylonians are exposed as exalting the images of their own power and dominance.
16 The verb “sacrifice” (GK 2284) denotes the slaughter of living creatures, usually in a context of worship and service offered to deity. To “burn incense” has the broad meaning of “burning,” causing a sacrifice to smoke. The verb is used with various animal sacrifices (e.g., Ex 29:13, 18, 25) and specifically with incense (e.g., Ex 30:7; Nu 16:40). The prophet is complaining that the Babylonians were clearly guilty of according to their own power the honor and strength due to God alone.
The Babylonians’ full-blown delusion of greatness is depicted by the swift violence of the “net” and the unyielding, wholesale spoliation of the “dragnet” (cf. vv.8–11). The vast catch they procured had the one purpose of providing “food” for the Babylonian lifestyle. The adjectives underlying “luxury” and “choicest” both have the meaning of “fat,” suggesting prosperity. The prosperity of the wicked made them immune to any feeling of dependency or accountability. The metaphorical language barely veils the fact that the food consumed by the Babylonians consisted of nations and individual lives (cf. v.13).
17 Can injustice be tolerated indefinitely by a God of justice? The phrase “empty his net” is virtually identical with “draw his sword”; possibly a double entendre is intended here, since the sword symbolizes the military power of which the net has been the image. The verb underlying “without mercy” has the basic meaning of “sparing” or “removing from a situation.” It is used of holding back or refraining from an action, and commonly of pity as the attitude that causes one to hold back or remove from harm. The Babylonians’ unrestrained self-will produced in them a hard insensitivity, making them a pitiless threat to other nations.
2:1 The noun “watch” (GK 5466) denotes either the duty or act of watching or a place of observation where such a responsibility is fulfilled. Habakkuk’s “watch” is evidently portrayed as being on the city walls, as indicated by the “ramparts.” Mizpah, for example, was a typical fortified city of this preexilic period; it had a solid wall 1800 feet long, 12 feet thick on average and perhaps 36 feet high, thus posing a considerable obstacle to battering rams and attackers scaling it. It was built of stone with salients and recesses, being buttressed at its weak points with a total of ten towers; and it would have been crowned by a balcony and parapet. The gate was also guarded by two towers, being carefully designed and fortified in keeping with its strategic function.
It was at some point on such defenses as these that Habakkuk saw himself on duty. The verb “look” (GK 7595) is applied particularly to sentries or watchmen on city walls, who were to warn the citizens of danger. It is applied figuratively to the prophets, who as Israel’s watchmen were to see the Lord’s purposes and communicate them to their peopie—a fitting title for those called to be seers and visionaries. Thus, Habakkuk the prophet looked to God for revelation concerning the nations. His “ramparts” and “watch” were the place of responsibility assigned to him, to stand in the council of the Lord and to see his word. The noun “complaint” (GK 9350) denotes an argument by which one seeks to establish what is right and a rebuke or correction by which right is restored. Habakkuk needed to know how to respond to God’s ways, both in his assessment of injustice and in his conduct amid the consequences of injustice. He revealed a mature wisdom in his determination that this response be shaped by what God himself would say.
IV. God’s Second Response (2:2–20)
1. Prologue (2:2–3)
2 The noun “revelation” (GK 2606) denotes vision that is almost invariably supersensory in nature, and it is attributed especially to the prophets. The “revelation” was to be written down to preserve it for the future. To “make plain” (GK 930) may refer to clarity either in form (by engraving the words) or in content. The reference to the writing material favors the former. This prophecy has a lasting relevance and is to be guarded accordingly. The “tablets” may have been composed of stone, clay, or even metal. “Herald” is literally “the one who reads.” Such might be done by a herald, whose role would then be to “run” with the message. Alternatively, “run with” may refer specifically to prophetic activity (cf. Jer 23:21). The context is concerned primarily with preservation of the revelation as a source of encouragement for the future, rather than with its geographical proclamation.
3 The directive to “write” is given because the revelation “awaits” a future fulfillment, at “the end”; its impact extends beyond the present and must therefore be transmitted by means of a permanent record. Indeed, this fulfillment may appear to “linger,” suggesting a delay beyond what is expected or intended: the Lord’s timetable differs from a human one (cf. 2Pe 3:1–10). The “end” implies the termination of a certain object, activity, or period of time. The immediate context of the “revelation” is the end of the Babylonian oppression, for which the prophet must “wait” (GK 2675).
There is an “appointed time” for the “revelation’s” fulfillment, determined by the Lord; and it will not “prove false” or disappoint but “will certainly come.” Thus the reader may run with confidence and perseverance the race marked out for him (cf. 1Co 15:58). The logical outcome of this “revelation” is that one should “wait.”
2. Indictment (2:4–5)
4 With this verse, the prophet begins the content of the “revelation” referred to in vv.2–3. The verb “puffed up” carries the basic meaning of “swelling,” here in the sense of arrogance and presumption. “His desires” translates napsho (“soul,” “life”; cf. GK 5883), whose meaning includes also the idea of desire or appetite. “His” evidently refers to the Babylonians. The verb “to be upright” denotes what is straight or level. The “righteous” may be defined by his commitment to the demands of the “law.”
“Faith” (GK 575) implies fairness, stability, certainty, or permanence. Hence it is commonly used of personal character and conduct, which is evidenced especially as reliability. God’s reliability (“faithfulness”) is parallel to his name “Rock,” with its connotations of stability and security as a basis for reliance. This quality of reliability and stability is predicated of the “righteous,” the only plausible antecedent of “his” in “his faith.” It signifies that his commitment to righteousness is genuine and steadfast.
For a person to be faithful in righteousness entails dependent trust on God; such an attitude is clearly demanded in the present context of waiting for deliverance. And “faith” implies obedient commitment no less than trust. Contrary to appearances, the judgment of God is selective and awe-inspiring in its precision: in the midst of disaster, his grace overshadows the righteous and causes them to “live.”
5 “Wine,” like the Babylonians, is deceptive and unreliable (“betrays”); although drunk to enhance one’s life, wine impoverishes, confuses, and destroys (cf. Pr 20:1; 23:20–21, 29–35). It is associated with arrogance, unfulfilled greed, and social injustice elsewhere in the OT (cf. Isa 5:8–30). The object of this betrayal is clarified by the references to “arrogance” and restless ambition, clearly the Babylonians. And, indeed, the Babylonian regime was to be overthrown in just the circumstances of drunken pride portrayed here (cf. Da 5:1–31).
Napsho (“greedy”; GK 5883) is also translated “his desire, throat, appetite.” The greed is insatiable. “Grave” (Heb. sheol; GK 8619) is perhaps better translated “underworld” or “hell,” a place depicted repeatedly as devouring its prey (Nu 16:30–34; Pr 1:12). The expression of this insatiable greed is political conquest. The dominant metaphor relates to the treachery of an addiction to wine, which, like political and military ambition, knows no limit of fulfillment and to which all other interests are sacrificed.
3. Sentence (2:6–20)
6a The opening line introduces the oracle of woe (vv.6–20), characterized as a type of proverb (“taunt”; GK 5442); as an ambiguous, allusive saying that requires interpretation (“ridicule”; GK 4886); and as a riddle or enigmatic saying translated “scorn” (GK 2648). The first two terms have certain limited associations with mockery. The dominant emphasis is not ridicule but didactic, exposing the Babylonians as an object-lesson.
6b–8 “Woe” (GK 2098) is commonly used to introduce a judicial indictment. The crime is specified, first, as unjust acquisition of wealth, achieved by “extortion” and plunder, and, more seriously, as the wholesale destruction of people and their environment in the pursuit of this wealth. The noun “extortion” (GK 6294) denotes the accumulation of pledges taken as security by a creditor; such a procedure often accompanied the exploitation and even enslavement of the poor (cf. 2Ki 4:1–7; Ne 5:1–13). The word “debtors” is defined as “the peoples who are left,” i.e., the survivors within the conquered nations; and the sentence announced here was indeed executed by former victims of Babylon, the Medes and Persians (cf. Jer 25:25; 49:34–39; Eze 32:24–2.5; Isa 13:17–22; 21:2–10; Da 5:28).
9–11 The noun “gain” (GK 1299) is generally associated with rapacity and wrongdoing, associations that are stressed by “unjust.” The verb translated as “plotted the ruin” implies the cutting off of life. The present section amplifies these accusations by exposing the self-interested purposes underlying such violence, namely, establishment of the Babylonian “realm” or dynastic house, by elevating it to the invulnerable security depicted by an eagle’s “nest.” However, this exercise of evil to escape “ruin” is futile, for one reaps what one sows. The sentence of judgment balances the crime: shame for self-exaltation, loss of life for destruction of life, a divided and discordant house for a secure house. And, indeed, despite all its impregnable defenses, Babylon was to fall in precisely such circumstances of division and deluded pride (cf. Da 5:1–30).
12–14 The third “woe” reiterates the indictment of ruthless self-aggrandizement achieved by “bloodshed,” applying it to the construction of the Babylonian capital. The judgment pronounced on such an enterprise is inevitable: a civilization built up by the destruction of other civilizations and by the conscription of their labor for its own ends will itself be destroyed. The mainspring of human history is to be found, not in its events themselves, but in the revealed purposes of the Lord who directs it. The title “LORD Almighty” (lit., “LORD of armies”) expresses the Lord’s sovereign rule as king and commander over every created force, but primarily over Israel. It is associated repeatedly with his militant judgment of all that opposes his rule.
The underlying purpose for the preceding indictments is God’s abiding intent that his “glory” (GK 3883) fill the whole earth as it has filled his house, and that humankind should know it fully—a “knowledge” that will be as the “sea” in its length, breadth, and depth. This entails the removal of all that rejects such “knowledge,” of which the Babylonian character and aspirations are the very epitome. The phrase “glory of the LORD” is used of the visible presence of God, by which the preeminent value of his character and actions are revealed. It is associated most prominently with the tabernacle and temple, and especially with the cherubim above which the Lord is enthroned, ruling over Israel, his sovereign majesty being of the essence of his “glory.” To know the Lord in such “glory” is therefore to abandon the Babylonians’ proud autonomy and to honor him as Lord.
15–17 The fourth “woe” introduces a new accusation, expressed by the image of inducing drunkenness with its consequences. The figure is used repeatedly of God’s judgment by which he prostrates human beings, confusing their faculties and thereby undermining their presumptuous claim to self-determination; and it is applied widely to the Babylonians as instruments of that judgment. However, the Babylonian motives in such judgment are entirely self-interested: they seek their own “glory” through their malicious humiliation of their “neighbors,” in which there is no acknowledgment of God’s sovereign determination. Once again, therefore, their evil motivation and conduct reap a corresponding judgment: they will succumb to the same drunken humiliation that they have administered to others.
The preceding crime is defined more literally as “destruction” and “violence” wrought on “Lebanon.” Often associated with the territory of Israel, to whose people it was allotted by the Lord, “Lebanon” is used as a symbol of Israel, and more specifically of Israel as a victim of Babylonian aggression (Eze 17:3). In keeping with these connotations, the Babylonians’ “violence” and “destruction” refer to their rape and despoliation of the region of Israel—an injustice requiting Israel’s own “destruction and violence” (cf. 1:3, 9) while incurring a corresponding retribution for the Babylonians themselves.
18–20 The dominant motif of v.18 is its denunciation of “idols”; they are unable to “teach” truth to anyone, and they are therefore utterly unworthy of one’s “trust.” These artifacts of “wood” and “stone” are unable to “give guidance” because they are without “breath.” It is therefore reprehensible folly for a person to call on them. By contrast the Lord is in his holy “temple,” or “palace” (GK 2121), ruling and judging in sovereign power.
The futility of idols is contrasted repeatedly with the living God’s unique claim to “trust” and obedience. Their insidiousness is suggested by their ability to usurp the place of God in human lives, claiming a trust that belongs to him alone, and “giving guidance” that can come from him alone. In view of the Lord’s implacable opposition to all such usurpers, the mere reference to his presence constitutes an intimation of judgment—a judgment duly executed on Babylon and still operative against humanity’s bent toward idolatry.
V. The Prayer of Habakkuk (3:1–19)
In its form and language, ch. 3 is closely related to the Psalms. Habakkuk’s recollection of Israel’s past history is typical of the praises, instruction, and supplications in the Psalms. More specifically, the passage resembles the psalms of lament. It shows particular affinities with Ps 18 and Ps 77. For an extended discussion on the relationship between the prayer of Habakkuk and the Psalms, see EBC 7:520–22.
1. Introduction (3:1)
1 The reference to “Habakkuk the prophet” marks a new section. The following verses are characterized as a “prayer,” a title attributed elsewhere to five psalms of lament (Pss 17; 86; 90; 102; 142), and also to an early collection of Davidic psalms (cf. Ps 72:20). The associations with the psalmic literature are reinforced by the phrase “On shigionoth” (cf. “shiggaion” in the title of Ps 7). The precise meaning of the phrase is uncertain.
2. Prayer (3:2)
2 The orientation of Habakkuk’s “prayer” is to the past. The noun “fame” (GK 9051) is normally used of secondhand information, suggesting a remoteness from the hearer’s own experience to the persons or events referred to. The Lord’s “deeds” envisaged here are his work at the Exodus—a primary anchor-point of Israel’s recollection, faith, and hope. Habakkuk’s appeal for “mercy” (GK 8163) is thus grounded in God’s covenantal commitment to Israel, displayed in the Exodus and sealed at Sinai. However, it is also an admission of Israel’s decline from the revelation of God’s character and ways, made “known” at the Exodus: not only do the “deeds” of that epoch represent secondhand knowledge, but the need to “renew” them implies that their impact in redemption and revelation was facing extinction. Moreover, the imminence of “wrath” betrays the presence of sin, which the Lord is committed to judge in his people.
3. Theophany (3:3–15)
3 “Teman” was located in Edom, the land south and east of the Dead Sea, traditionally occupied by the descendants of Esau. The wilderness of “Paran” was a large, relatively diffuse area, lying between Kadesh Barnea to the north and Mount Sinai to the south and bounded by Edom to the northeast and Egypt to the southwest. “Mount Paran” is generally thought to be situated to the east of this desert. The primary function of mentioning these locales is to evoke the revelation of God’s law at Sinai. The noun “glory” (GK 2086) is used primarily of kingly authority, revealed preeminently in the Lord’s sovereignty over creation and history. Thus God’s “glory” covers “the heavens” in permeating them, being revealed in them as an expression of his majesty. God’s “praise” denotes the power of his character and works, for which he is to be praised and which pervades his creation. The meaning of the expression “Selah” has been obscure to translators since early times; possibly it had a liturgical function, relating to music or prayer in the temple worship.
4 God’s “glory” is as “the sunrise.” “Splendor” (GK 5586) denotes the shining of various sources of light, including the sun, while “sunrise” translates the common noun “light.” The noun “rays” normally means “horns,” with the derived meaning of “projections,” such as beams or rays of light. “Splendor” describes the radiance of God’s presence in contexts that recall his theophanies at Sinai and in the wilderness. This radiance is generally manifested as intense fire, shrouded in clouds and darkness, an image very remote from that of the rising sun. “Sunrise” is used of lightning, which is a prominent characteristic of Sinai and later theophanies. On this understanding, the Lord is perceived as illuminating the world with the awe-inspiring radiance that characterized his descent on Mount Sinai. The “rays” are flashes of light manifested at the Lord’s presence. The “hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power—a “power” manifested conspicuously in the forces of nature, which are “hidden” in his storehouses.
5 God’s “power” is here revealed in judgment: almost invariably “plague” and “pestilence” are attributed directly to the sovereign agency and judgment of God. Accompanying him in the context of Sinai, they refer particularly to the plagues that devastated Egypt and which attended Israel’s disobedience to the covenant given at Sinai.
6–7 The scope of this judgment embraces the “earth” as a whole, which is convulsed by earthquake and volcanic upheaval. The repercussions of such judgment and physical upheaval are reflected among the “nations.” “Tremble” implies both emotional turmoil and abrupt physical dislocation. The “mountains” and “hills” are symbols of grandeur, permanence, and security in the “earth”; yet they are revealed as frail and temporary. Although they appear to be “age-old,” in truth God alone is “eternal.” The “nations” are exemplified more specifically by the tribes of “Cushan” and “Midian.” The Midianites were localized in Transjordan; the word “dwellings” typifies their nomadic existence. The identity of “Cushan” is uncertain, but evidently it also denotes a nomadic group in similar “distress.” This close parallelism suggests that “Cushan” was a nation related or even identical to “Midian” (cf. Ex 2:18–22; 18:1–5; Nu 12:1).
8 The Lord’s “wrath” is directed against the “sea,” evoking his display of power at the Red Sea. The correlation with that event is substantiated by the reference to “chariots” and “horses” and to the Lord’s victory, or the salvation of his people.
9 All three Hebrew words in the second line of this verse are obscure, and they must be interpreted against the background of the first line. The noun “arrows” normally means “staffs” or “tribes,” but the first of these meanings can be applied to the shaft of a weapon. Such an application is appropriate to “bow.” “Many” translates a form derived from either a noun meaning “group of seven” or a verb meaning “to swear.” The first alternative is suggested in the sevenfold volleys of arrows used in Israelite warfare. Although the issue is by no means clear-cut, “to swear” is preferable because vv.11–14 clearly echo Dt 32:39–43; v.9 is closely related to vv.11–14 by the correspondence of “uncovered” and “stripped”; it is therefore to be interpreted against the same Deuteronomic background. Thus, God’s militant intervention is perceived as fulfilling the commitment sworn to Moses and Israel beyond the Jordan. A tentative translation of the entire line would be “The arrows of the promise are sworn.”
The final line is also obscure, since it could be translated “you split the rivers to the earth.” The noun “rivers” has associations with the Exodus. The verb “split” (GK 1324) is often applied to the division of the Red Sea, which allowed God’s people to walk securely on the dry “earth.” However, the vision of the earth “split” by floods of water is appropriate to the following verses with their undertones of the Creation and the Flood. The syntactical ambiguity is supported by the association of God’s “bow” with the Flood (cf. Ge 9:13–14, 16) and by the similar juxtaposition of earthquake and flood in v.10. On this understanding “earth” may correspond to “mountains.” Verse 8 would then deal with the Exodus and vv.9–11 more explicitly with the Flood, both motifs being integrated in vv.12–15.
10 The reference to “water” again evokes God’s might revealed in driving back the Red Sea, as do the nouns “deep” and “torrents.” This verse in particular draws on the language of Ps 77, where the Exodus is the explicit focus of recollection. Both passages envision that event in cosmic terms, as convulsing the “mountains” and the whole of nature. It is this awe-inspiring power of God, the Creator and Judge of all the earth, that is manifested in retribution and salvation at the Red Sea. As at the Cross, a universal cataclysm is compressed into a single, localized event in Israel’s history; and that event, too, is destined to shake the universe.
11 The “sun” and “moon” are prominent symbols of God’s created order, particularly of its permanence. Their inactivity indicates the interruption of that order. Here the picture is probably of an eclipse; they stay in their place and cease to give light. Moreover, darkness is appropriate to the context of storm in vv.9–11. Such an interruption of the created order typically accompanies the judgment of God; and this judgment, culminating in the eschatological Day of the Lord, is characterized consistently by darkness. The noun “glint” is used of lightning (cf. Ps 77:18), and the Lord’s “arrows” are equated with lightning (Pss 18:14; 77:17–18). His “arrows” recur repeatedly as instruments of his judgment.
12 This verse recapitulates the motif of God’s wrath, the noun “anger” being identical to “wrath” in v.8. It also recapitulates the military imagery of vv.8–9, 11. Habakkuk’s vision embraces the conquest of the “nations” as an integral part of the Exodus and of Israel’s subsequent destiny. The Lord may appoint the Babylonians to curse Israel, but they will surely inherit a curse themselves. Threshing implies violent shaking and crushing, which also characterizes the effects on the “earth” and mountains as the Lord “strode” by.
13 The military associations of “came out” are reiterated in the words “deliver” (GK 3829) and “save” (GK 3829), both derived from the same root as “victorious” (v.8) and “save” (1:2). This deliverance expresses the Lord’s covenantal commitment to his “people” and to his “anointed one” (mashiach, “Messiah”). In the present context of the Exodus, “anointed one” appears to refer to Moses, who, like King David, combined in himself the messianic functions of shepherd, prophet, servant of God, and priest. The context of the Exodus also throws light on the identity of the “leader.” Egypt represents an archetypal land of “wickedness,” and the pharaoh as leader figures prominently as an agent of Israel’s oppression. This understanding is reinforced by the associations of the noun “land” (GK 1074), normally translated “house,” since Egypt is characterized as Israel’s “house of bondage.” The oppression in Egypt foreshadows subsequent oppression, and the deliverance at the Red Sea embodies the promise of subsequent deliverance.
14 This devastation is elaborated further here, the verb “pierced” echoing a meaning of “crushed,” and the noun “head” being identical to “leader.” It is accomplished by turning the enemy’s “spear” (or “weapons”) against himself. This is reminiscent of the overthrow of the pharaoh’s horses and chariots and represents a fitting judgment on the Babylonians. Indeed, Babylon fell to Cyrus without opposition, its “leader” being betrayed by factions among his own subjects (cf. Da 5). The scene recalls the Babylonians’ rapacity in the preceding chapters. This victory is wrought on behalf of the “wretched” (the “humble” or “afflicted”). This adjective denotes a condition of material or spiritual poverty.
15 Verse 15 reverts again to the language of v.8, thereby establishing the historical context of the intervening verses. The phrase “great waters” represents a further allusion to the Exodus.
4. Response (3:16–19a)
16 The term “heart” (GK 1061) is applied in literal usage to the lower abdomen, particularly the womb or belly, as the seat of conception; it is used figuratively of the innermost thoughts and motives of man. As evidenced by the additional anatomical terms, the prophet was shaken and disabled throughout his being. The verb “pounded” echoes the same root in vv.2, 7, and occurs again in “trembled.” The conspicuous repetitions indicate the cause of Habakkuk’s inward upheaval: the imminence of God’s “wrath” on Israel and, more acutely, the uncertainty of any time-frame that accompanies the subsequent judgment on the enemy. This is corroborated by the final, explanatory lines, which anticipate a “nation invading us” as an instrument of that “wrath.” But they also anticipate for that nation its own “day of calamity.” For Habakkuk to see such things that were veiled to his contemporaries was to experience distress. To see beyond them, to the Holy One who appointed them, was to demonstrate the greatness of faith and to find strength to “wait quietly” (cf. 2:3).
17 Israel’s prosperity was dependent on the nation’s obedience to the covenant and on the Lord’s consequent blessing. Such prosperity was forfeited by disobedience and disloyalty to the covenant, thus incurring the Lord’s chastening through natural and military disasters. In this vision of a devastated economy, Habakkuk acknowledges his nation’s apostasy and the inevitability of judgment.
18 The faith demonstrated in v.16 reaches full expression (2:4). For Habakkuk it was “God” himself and his intervention as “Savior” (GK 3829) that motivated his longing and his joyful attaining. The basis of Habakkuk’s faith, as of Paul’s, was the revealed word of God (cf. Ro 10:17). The covenant that promised the invasion and devastation also gave assurance of restoration to God’s favor and presence (cf. Dt 30:1–10; 32:34–43).
19a This verse is clearly dependent on Ps 18, in its affirmation of God-given “strength” and most notably in the image of “the feet of a deer . . . on the heights.” However, the phrase “go on the heights” is anticipated in Dt 33:29, which itself echoes Dt 32:13. Both passages envisage Israel’s conquest and possession of the Promised Land.
5. Epilogue (3:19b)
19b The final line of the prophecy forms an editorial conclusion to ch. 3, expressed in the language of Psalms. The “director of music” probably had supervisory authority, particularly of the Levites in relation to the music of the temple service (1Ch 15:21; 23:4; 2Ch 2:2, 18; 34:12–13). The noun “stringed instruments” is translated “song” or music in common usage (cf. Job 30:9; Pss 69:12; 77:6).
The Old Testament in the New
| OT Text | NT Text | Subject |
| Hab 1:5 | Ac 13:41 | Judgment for sin |
| Hab 2:3–4 | Heb 10:37–38 | Persevere in faith |
| Hab 2:4 | Ro 1:17; Gal 3:11 | The righteous live by faith |