TEXT [Commentary]

  B.   First Explanation: God Will Judge Judah through the Babylonians (1:5-11)

5 The LORD replied,

“Look around at the nations;

look and be amazed![*]

For I am doing something in your own day,

something you wouldn’t believe

even if someone told you about it.

6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[*]

a cruel and violent people.

They will march across the world

and conquer other lands.

7 They are notorious for their cruelty

and do whatever they like.

8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs[*]

and fiercer than wolves at dusk.

Their charioteers charge from far away.

Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.

9 “On they come, all bent on violence.

Their hordes advance like a desert wind,

sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.

10 They scoff at kings and princes

and scorn all their fortresses.

They simply pile ramps of earth

against their walls and capture them!

11 They sweep past like the wind

and are gone.

But they are deeply guilty,

for their own strength is their god.”

NOTES

1:5 look. The verb used here (nabat [TH5027, ZH5564]) had formed a critical part of Habakkuk’s complaint (1:3), and God used the same word in his reply. It thus serves as a literary “hook” between the first two sections. It will figure in the next portion as well (1:13). Further hooks in this section can be seen in the words for justice (1:4, 7, though not reflected in the NLT) and violence (1:2, 9).

the nations. MT, baggoyim [TH1471, ZH1580]. The LXX reads “O despisers,” perhaps reflecting bogedim [TH898, ZH953] (treacherous ones), a reading followed by Paul in his address at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:41).

I am doing. The personal pronoun is omitted in the Hebrew text, as is frequently done in cases where the subject has already been mentioned or is sufficiently clear from the context. The same construction occurs in 2:10 with the omission of the second pronoun.

in your own day. Robertson (1990:146) appropriately observes, “Swiftness in the execution of judgment is characteristic of the Lord’s activity throughout the ages. Although extremely patient and forbearing with rebellious sinners, the Lord is not slow to act once he has determined that the iniquity of the people is full, and the time for judgment has arrived.”

1:6 I am raising up. The construction found here is often used to refer to future events, the details of which God is about to set in process.

Babylonians. MT, kasdim [TH3778, ZH4169] (Chaldeans). This is also the reading of 1QpHab (2:11) among the DSS, although the term is then interpreted to refer to the Kittim (i.e., the Romans). By the time of the Neo-Assyrian era, the term “Chaldea” was used of those tribes that lived in southernmost Mesopotamia. Many of them were designated by the word bit (house of), such as Bit Yakin, which was situated on the Persian Gulf. One of the most famous Chaldean kings was Merodach-baladan, the perennial enemy of Assyria, who sent his emissaries to Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-19). By 705 BC at the latest, Merodach-baladan took the title “King of Babylon,” with the result that the terms “Chaldean” and “Babylonian” were used interchangeably in the OT (cf. Isa 13:19; 47:1, 5; 48:14, 20).

cruel and violent. The two adjectives are alliterated in the Hebrew text (hammar wehannimhar [cf. TH4751/4116, ZH5253/4554]) and reflect the ideas of ferocity/bitterness and speed. As it is the Babylonians’ disposition that is being characterized here, the NLT rendering perfectly reflects their ruthless and violent nature.

march across the world. Robertson (1990:150-151) notes the worldwide brutality envisioned in this phrase and then remarks: “Interestingly, Rev 20:9 echoes precisely the LXX rendering of this phrase. Satan goes out to deceive the nations. His troops are like the sand of the seashore in number. . . . This awesome army ‘marched across the breadth of the earth.’ ”

1:7 do whatever they like. The Babylonians know no other law, whether human or divine, than themselves and their own might (cf. 1:11). The word mishpat [TH4941, ZH5477] (justice) appears in this verse, forming a literary link with 1:2-4 and serving as a key stitchword through 2:1. As Robertson (1990:152) remarks, “This nation shall not look to God for a criterion for righteousness; it shall determine its own standard of truth.”

1:8 swifter than cheetahs. Cf. NLT mg, “leopards.” Roberts (1991:96-97) appropriately observes: “The various comparisons of the Babylonian horses to leopards, wolves, and a vulture rushing toward food all convey the idea of the speed with which the Babylonian cavalry reaches its objective, but the choice of these animals of prey as the terms of comparison already intimates the nature of that objective.”

eagles. Many commentators suggest the translation “vultures” here. Although such a translation is admissible and serves the line well, if the image of “coming from afar” is carried through, the more traditional rendering here is perhaps better (cf. Deut 28:49). The far-reaching Babylonians are also compared to eagles in Jer 4:13; 48:40; 49:22.

1:9 Their hordes advance. Lit., “the totality of their faces is toward the east.” The clause is a difficult one. Ward (1911:9) gives it up as “untranslatable” and adds: “It is a corrupt intrusion; or possibly represents the remnant of a member of a lost couplet.” Textual uncertainty is already evident in the ancient versions, whose attempts to translate ad sensum produced widely varying results. Modern efforts have proved no more convincing (see, e.g., the discussions in Hulst 1960:248-249 and in Dominique Barthélemy, Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project [New York: United Bible Societies, 1980], 5:352-353). The chief difficulties center on the first and third words of the Hebrew phrase. The former is a hapax legomenon and is generally considered to be derived from the root gamam [TH4041, ZH4480] (“be abundant/filled”; cf. HALOT 1.545). The precise nuance of the word has, however, been variously understood, some opting for the idea of eagerness (NASB mg) on the part of the Babylonians or the endeavor etched on their faces; others for the thought of totality (NEB). Accordingly the first two words are rendered “hordes” (NIV) or “horde of faces” (NASB).

The final decision as to the translation of the first word is tied to that of the third word, which has been related to the idea of advancing, hence “moving forward” (NASB), or to the figure of the east wind (NJB), a suggestion found already in 1QpHab 3:9 (cf. Vulgate). The latter solution is favored by the following figure of the gathering of captives like sand. The NLT attempts to retain both meanings with the third word and translates according to the flow of the passage.

1:10 ramps of earth. The building of siege mounds as a battle tactic is widely attested both in the Scriptures (e.g., 2 Sam 20:15; 2 Kgs 19:32; Jer 32:24; Ezek 17:17) and in the extrabiblical literature of the ancient Near East. (Note, for example, Sennacherib’s report of using “well-tempered (earth) ramps” for his third campaign; see Luckenbill 1927:2.120.)

1:11 sweep past like the wind. The underlying Hebrew of this verse is variously understood, with many proposed solutions and emendations. Some suggest that the word translated “wind” should be rendered “spirit,” whether of the personified Babylonians (KJV, “mind”) or of God’s revealing spirit. The NLT simply translates according to the sense of the context.

guilty. Roberts (1991:97) points out that nearly all exegetes regard the form of the word in question as corrupt, although he himself retains the Masoretic reading by viewing the word as a first-person verb from shamem (“be atonished”): “It [the spirit] departed, and I was astonished.” Ward (1911:11) decides that the clause yields no reasonable sense and is corrupt. Keil (1954:59) takes ’ashem [TH816, ZH870] as a verb and translates it “offends.” Others take the form to mean “become guilty” (e.g., R. L. Smith). 1QpHab 4:9 reads wysm, which has been understood by some as a form derived from sim [TH7760, ZH8492] (to set) and by others as being from shamem [TH8074, ZH9037] (“be desolate”; Driver, Brownlee 1959). The NLT captures the force of the context—the whole sentence perhaps bearing the nuance, “But he whose strength is his god is/will be held guilty” (cf. NASB, NJB).

COMMENTARY [Text]

In his reply to Habakkuk, God seized upon the very words Habakkuk had used. The prophet had complained that he constantly had to behold evil all around him. And God himself had seen it all—apparently with unconcern, because he had done nothing to correct either the people or the condition. God now tells Habakkuk to look—to look at the nations, to take a good look. God was already at work in and behind the scenes of earth’s history to set in motion events that would change the whole situation. And when Habakkuk learned what would happen, he would be utterly amazed. In fact, he probably would not be able to believe it.

The reason for Habakkuk’s projected astonishment becomes apparent in verse 6: God would raise up the Babylonians (an empire that was to reach its height of power under Nebuchadnezzar II [605–562 BC] and last until it experienced a crushing defeat at the hands of the Persians in 539 BC). Since God’s prophet would be surprised at his announcement about the Babylonians, God reinforced their identity with a brief resume of their character and potentially devastating power (1:6-11). They were fierce, cruel people who never tired in pursuit of their goal of conquest. Their successes struck fear into the hearts of all who stood in their path. A terror and dread to all, they arrogantly acknowledged no law but themselves.

Skilled military tacticians, their cavalry could cover vast distances quickly in their insatiable thirst for conquest and booty. Moreover, their well-trained and battle-seasoned army could move forward with such precision that the whole striking force would march as one to achieve its objectives, at the same time taking many captives. No wonder, then, that enemy rulers were merely a joke to them. With disdain they laughed at them and moved against their cities, however strongly fortified. Using siege techniques, they captured them. Although the language is hyperbolic throughout, in light of the ancient records, it is not inappropriate (see Wiseman 1956:61, 67). Long years of contact with the Assyrians must have served the Chaldeans well in terms of military knowledge. Delaporte (1970:73-74) is doubtless correct in saying that “the Babylonian army must have been organized much like the Assyrian army in the last days of the Sargonids’ empire.”

The picture of Babylonian armed might is thus complete. Its armies have been portrayed as the finest and fiercest in the world, being capable of moving swiftly across vast stretches of land to strike the enemy. Babylon was an arrogant bully who contemptuously mocked all its foes and knew no god but strength. Habakkuk was informed, however, that God’s avenging host was not without accountability. When nations make themselves and their own strength their only god rather than acknowledging the true God, who is their sponsor, they will be held guilty for their actions.

God’s answer to his prophet’s first perplexity emphasizes three important truths. First, God is a righteous judge who is aware of all that takes place in the world. When sin occurs it will be punished, even if it is the sin of God’s own people (cf. 1:9 with Deut 28:41; Prov 14:34). How crucial it is for all people and nations to remember Paul’s pronouncement: “For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

Second, God is sovereignly active in the affairs of earth’s history, even though that may not be evident to human observation. This point underscores the familiar scriptural truth that God is the sovereign governor of the world and its destiny (Pss 22:28; 47:8; 103:19; 113:4-9; Isa 40:21-24, 28; 65:17-19; 66:22; Dan 4:34-35; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:15; 2 Pet 3:5-7). Accordingly, believers who ignore the will of God actually deny God his rightful place in their lives, preferring rather to play God themselves. If they believe that God is, as he has revealed himself to be, the sovereign creator, controller, and consummator of the universe (1 Chr 29:11-12; Acts 17:24-26), then surely the believers’ part is to trust God in full commitment to him and let God truly be God in all of life’s activities (Prov 3:5-7).

Third, God does hear and answer prayer, even though his answer may be something other than what is expected. Too often, believers come to God with the answer they want. Because of our own finitude and our own set manner of dealing with things, it is all too easy at times either to be unable to see things from God’s point of view or to presume to instruct God as to the way he should act (cf. Jas 4:3). While it is not wrong to share one’s desires as to the outcome of a given petition, it must be done with the realization that God’s ways are not necessarily ours (Isa 55:8-9). His way, however, is always the best.