TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   II.   The Prophet’s Prayer and God’s Exaltation (3:1-19)

A.   The Prophet’s Prayer for the Redeemer’s Pity (3:1-2)

1 This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk[*]:

2 I have heard all about you, LORD.

I am filled with awe by your amazing works.

In this time of our deep need,

help us again as you did in years gone by.

And in your anger,

remember your mercy.

NOTES

3:1 was sung. The NLT rendering takes the difficult term shigyonoth [TH7692, ZH8710] to be a musical term. Roberts (1991:130) raises and dismisses the possibility of a reflection of the Akkadian segu, a lament prayer here (cf. Watts 1975:144). Note that the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, S, Part II (Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1992), 413-414, treats the Babylonian lament prayer under sigu.

3:2 heard . . . filled with awe. Hiebert (1986:60-61) notes that these two terms “establish two motifs central to the poem: the hearing about the acts of God, and the response of great awe which this hearing evokes.”

help us again. Lit., “renew it.” The verb can denote not only giving, calling, or creating life (Gen 7:3; Deut 32:39) but also reviving and renewing life (Pss 80:19; 85:6; 119:25) as well as preserving life (Gen 12:12 [NASB]; Deut 6:24; Ps 22:29 [NASB]). The reference here points to the redeeming work of God that is rehearsed in 3:3-15.

as you did in years gone by. The NLT takes the phrase “in the midst of years” to be a reference to the past. Usually it is understood to refer to the future. Thus Robertson (1990:217) says, “Most likely the midst of (the) years refers to the time between the two acts of judgment revealed to Habakkuk in the process of his earlier dialogue. In the time between the purging judgment that must fall on the house of God itself and the consuming judgment that must avenge God’s elect—in that crucial period before the destruction of God’s enemies—may the Lord be sure to preserve life.”

anger . . . mercy. These two words are set in climactic parallelism and close the stanza. This final phrase is marked by alliteration and assonance, specifically the use of velars (e.g., gimel and kaph) and the letters zayin and resh.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The thought of God in his holy Temple, with which chapter 2 ends, provides a natural basis for Habakkuk’s words in 3:1-2. He stood in awe before the God who sits enthroned in his holy Temple. In worshipful reverence, Habakkuk brought his prayer request before him. Not only had he heard the Lord’s pronouncement, but he was reminded of all of God’s miraculous deeds in bygone days. The choice of the word “LORD” (yhwh [TH3068, ZH3378]) rather than a more general term for God probably emphasizes the fact that Habakkuk addressed his words to Israel’s covenant God.

In accordance with God’s message of the coming chastisement of Judah, Habakkuk prayed for God’s miraculous intervention. He asked that God would again make known his work of redemption. With aching heart, he urged God to be compassionate in the coming turmoil (cf. Exod 34:6-7; 1 Kgs 8:33-34, 46-53; 2 Chr 6:24-25, 36-39; Isa 54:8).

Habakkuk’s prayer would be answered according to the terms of Israel’s covenant with God (Deut 4:25-31) and also the prophecies of Jeremiah (Jer 25:1-11; 29:10-14; cf. 2 Chr 36:22; Ezra 1:1; Dan 9:2). His prayer and its realization stand as a harbinger of God’s future gathering of his people in redemptive power (Deut 30:1-3; Ezek 36:24-38; 37:21-28; Amos 9:14-15; Mic 4:6; Zeph 3:20; Zech 10:5-12).