THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET HABAKKU K. Chronological Notes relative to this Book, upon the supposition that it was written a little before the destruction of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before the commencement of the Christian era. Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3404.-Year of the Julian Period, 4114.-Year since the Flood, 1748.-Year since the vocation of Abram, 1321.-Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 412.-Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 376. -First year of the forty-fifth Olympiad.-Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 121.-Year before the birth of Jesus Christ, 596.-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 600.-Cycle of the Sun, 26.-Cycle of the Moon, 10.-Third year of Eropas, king of Macedon.-Twentieth year of Alyattes II., king of Lydia.-Twenty-sixth year of Cyaxares or Cyaraxes, king of Media. Sixth year of Agasicles, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Proclida.-Eighth year of Leon, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Eurysthenida.-Seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.-Seventeenth year of Tarquinius Priscus, king of the Romans.-Eleventh year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. CHAPTER I. The prophet enters very abruptly on his subject, his spirit being greatly indignant at the rapid progress of vice and impiety, 1-4. Upon which God is introduced threatening very awful and sudden judgments to be inflicted by the ministry of the Chaldeans, 5-10. The Babylonians attribute their wonderful successes to their idols, 11. The prophet then, making a sudden transition, expostulates with God (probably personating the Jews) for permitting a nation much more wicked than themselves, as they supposed, to oppress and devour them, as fishers and fowlers do their prey, 12-17. A, M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. THE a burden which Habak- even cry out unto thee of vio- A. M. cir. 3404. kuk the prophet did see. 2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, a Zech. ix. 1; xii. 1; Mal. i. 1. lence, and thou wilt not save! b Lam. iii. 8. B. C. cir. 600. OL. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. hymn, chap. iii., is allowed by the best judges to be a masterpiece of its kind. See Lowth's Prælect. xxi., xxviii. NOTES ON CHAP. 1. We know little of this prophet; for what we find in the ancients concerning him is evidently fabulous, as well as that which appears in the Apocrypha. He was probably of the tribe of Simon, and a native of Bethzacar. It is very likely that he lived after the deVerse 1. The burden] n hammassa signifies, struction of Nineveh, as he speaks of the Chaldeans, not only the burdensome prophecy, but the prophecy or but makes no mention of the Assyrians. And he ap-revelation itself which God presented to the mind of pears also to have prophesied before the Jewish captivity, see chap. i. 5; ii. 1 ; iii. 2, 16-19; and therefore Abp. Newcome thinks he may be placed in the reign of Jehoiakim, between the years 606 B. C. and 598 B. C. As a poet, Habakkuk holds a high rank among the Hebrew prophets. The beautiful connection between the parts of his prophecy, its diction, imagery, spirit, and sublimity, cannot be too much admired; and his Habakkuk, and which he saw-clearly perceived, in the light of prophecy, and then faithfully declared, as this book shows. The word signifies an oracle or revelation in general; but chiefly, one relative to future calamities. Verse 2. O Lord, how long shall I cry] The prophet feels himself strongly excited against the vices which he beheld; and which, it appears from this verse, Profligacy of the Jews, A. M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. cir. annum 17. CHAP. I. h and their punishment. grievance ? for spoiling and vio- | through the breadth of the land, lence are before me and there to possess the dwelling-places are that raise up strife and con- that are not theirs. tention. 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. e 5 ⚫ Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. 6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march © Job xxi. 7; Psa. xciv. 3, &c.; Jer. xii. 1.- d Or, wrested. e Isa. xxix. 14; Acts xiii. 41. Deut. xxviii. 49, 50; Jer. v. 15 Fulfilled 2 Chron. xxxvi. 6.b Heb. breadths.- Or, from them shall proceed the judgment of these, and the captivity of he had often declaimed against, but in vain; the people continued in their vices, and God in his longsuffering. Habakkuk begins his prophecy under a similar feeling, and nearly in similar words, as Juvenal did his Satires: Of violence] The most unlawful and outrageous acts. Verse 3. And cause me to behold grievance] amal, labour, toil, distress, misery, &c., the common fruits of sin. Verse 4. The law is slacked] They pay no attention to it; it has lost all its vigour, its restraining and correcting power; it is not executed; right judgment is never pronounced; and the poor righteous man complains in vain that he is grievously oppressed by the wicked, and by those in power and authority. That the utmost depravity prevailed in the land of Judah is evident from these verses; and can we wonder, then, that God poured out such signal judgments upon them? When judgment doth not proceed from the seat of judgment upon earth, it will infallibly go forth from the throne of judgment in heaven. Verse 5. Behold ye among the heathen] Instead of baggoyim, among the nations or heathen, some critics think we should read D'11 bogedim, transgressors; and to the same purpose the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic have read; and thus it is quoted by St. Paul, Acts xiii. 41. But neither this, nor any tantamount reading, is found in any of the MSS, yet collated. Newcome translates, "See, ye transgressors, and behold a wonder, and perish." I will work a work in your days] As he is speaking of the desolation that should be produced by the Chaldeans, it follows, as Bp. Newcome has justly observed, that the Chaldeans invaded Judah whilst those were living whom the prophet addressed. Which ye will not believe] Nor did they, after all the declarations of various prophets. They still supposed that God would not give them up into the hands A. M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci,. R. Roman., cir. annum 17. 7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the cagle that hasteth to eat. m 9 They shall come all for violence: "their" faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they these. k Heb. sharp.- - Ezek. xxii. 27; Jer. v. 6; Zeph. iii. 3. Jer. iv. 13.- Or, the supping up of their faces, &c,, or their faces shall look toward the east.- Heb. the opposition of their faces toward the east, of their enemies, though they continued in their abominations! It is evident that St. Paul, in the above place, accommodates this prediction to his own purpose. And possibly this sense might have been the intention of the Divine Spirit when he first spoke the words to the prophet; for, as God works in reference to eternity, so he speaks in reference to the same; and therefore there is an infinity of meaning in his WORD. These appear to be the words of God in answer to the prophet, in which he declares he will entirely ruin this wicked people by means of the Chaldeans. Verse 6. That bitter and hasty nation] Cruel and oppressive in their disposition; and prompt and speedy in their assaults and conquests. Verse 7. Their judgment—shall proceed of themselves.] By revolting from the Assyrians, they have become a great nation. Thus, their judgment and excellence were the result of their own valour. Other meanings are given to this passage. Verse 8. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards] The Chaldean cavalry are proverbial for swiftness, courage, &c. In Jeremiah, chap. iv. 13, it is said, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, "His chariots are as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles." Oppian, speaking of the horses bred about the Euphrates, says, "They are by nature war-horses, and so intrepid that neither the sight nor the roaring of the lion appals them; and, besides, they are astonishingly fleet." The leopard, of all quadrupeds, is allowed to be the swiftest. The evening wolves] The wolf is remarkable for his quick sight. Elian says, Οξυωπέστατον εστι ζωον, και μέντοι, και νυκτος και σεληνης ουκ ούσης όδε δρα ; "The wolf is a very fleet animal; and, besides, it can see by night, even when there is no moonlight." Some think the hyana is meant it is a swift, cruel, and untameable animal. The other prophets speak of the Chaldeans in the same way. See Deut. xxviii. 49; Jer. xlviii. 40; xlix. 22; Ezek. xvii. 5; Lam. iy. 19. Verse 9. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind] Chaldean armies HABAKKUK. compared to fishermen. A. M. cir. 3404. shall gather the captivity as the erously, and holdest thy tongue A. M. eir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. sand. 10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it. 11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, Pimputing this his power unto his god. when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? X B. C. eir. 600. OL. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Priscí, R. Roman, cir. annum 17. 14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? 13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold teous.c evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treach P Dan. v. 4.9 Psa. xc. 2; xciii. 2; Lam. v. 19. xix. 25; Psa. xvii. 13; Isa. x. 5, 6, 7; Ezek. xxx. 25. rock; Deut. xxxii. 4.- Heb. founded. - Psa. v. 5. 2 Kings Heb. This may be an allusion to those electrical winds which prevail in that country. Mr. Jackson, in his overland journey from India, mentions his having bathed in the Tigris. On his coming out of the river one of those winds passed over him, and, in a moment, carried off every particle of water that was on his body and in his bathing dress. So, the Chaldeans shall leave no substance behind them; their faces, their bare appearance, is the proof that nothing good shall be left. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? Or, grievance. 16; Amos iv. 2.13; xxxvii. 24, 25.— w Jer. xii. 1. Or, flue net.Őr, dainty. Or, moving.- y Jer. xvi. Deut. viii. 17; Isa. x. Heb. fat. Jehovah, GOD OF TRUTH, thou hast appointed them for judgment." But this emendation, however elegant, is not supported by any MS.; nor, indeed, by any of the ancient versions, though the Chaldee has something like it. The common reading makes a very good sense. Verse 13. Thou art of purer eyes] Seeing thou art so pure, and canst not look on iniquity-it is so abominable-how canst thou bear with them who “deal treacherously, and hold thy tongue when the wicked Shall gather the captivity as the sand.] They shall devour the righteous?" All such questions are easily carry off innumerable captives. Verse 10. They shall scoff at the kings] No power shall be able to stand before them. It will be only as pastime to them to take the strongest places. They will have no need to build formidable ramparts: by sweeping the dust together they shall make mounts sufficient to pass over the walls and take the city. Verse 11. Then shall his mind change] This is thought to relate to the change which took place in Nebuchadnezzar, when "a beast's heart was given to him," and he was "driven from the dwellings of men." And this was because of his offending—his pride and arrogance; and his attributing all his success, &c., to his idols. Verse 12. Art thou not from everlasting] The idols change, and their worshippers change and fail: but thou, Jehovah, art eternal; thou canst not change, and they who trust in thee are safe. Thou art infinite in thy mercy; therefore, "we shall not die," shall not be totally exterminated. Thou hast ordained them for judgment] Thou hast raised up the Chaldeans to correct and punish us; but thou hast not given them a commission to destroy us totally. Instead of No lo namuth, “we shall not die," Houbigant and other critics, with a little transposition of letters, read x El emeth, "God of truth ;" and then the verse will stand thus: "Art thou not from everlasting, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? O solved by a consideration of God's ineffable mercy, which leads him to suffer long and be kind. He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. Verse 14. Makest men as the fishes of the sea] Easily are we taken and destroyed. We have no leader to guide us, and no power to defend ourselves. Nebuchadnezzar is here represented as a fisherman, who is constantly casting his nets into the sea, and enclosing multitudes of fishes; and, being always successful, he sacrifices to his own net-attributes all his conquests to his own power and prudence; not considering that he is only like a net that, after having been used for a while, shall at last be thrown by as useless, or burnt in the fire. Verse 16. They sacrifice unto their net] He had no God; he cared for none; and worshipped only his armour and himself. King Mezentius, one of the worst characters in the Eneid of Virgil, is represented as invoking his own right hand and his spear in battle. Æn. x. 773. Dextra mihi Deus, et telum quod missile libro, Nunc adsint. "My strong right hand and sword, assert my stroke. Those only gods Mezentius will invoke." DRYDEN. And Capaneus, in Statius, gives us a more decisive proof of this self-idolatry. Thebaid, lib. x. The prophet waits on God Ades, O mihi dextera tantum CHAP. II. Tu præses belli, et inevitabile Numen, Te voco, te solum Superum contemptor adoro. "Only thou, my right hand, be my aid; I contemn the gods, and adore thee as the chief in battle, and the irresistible deity." The poet tells us that, for his impiety, Jupiter slew him with thunder. to know his will. but formerly they kissed it, when swearing by it. With most heroes, the sword is both their Bible and their God. To the present day it is a custom among the Hindoos annually to worship the implements of their trades. See WARD. Verse 17. And not spare continually to slay the nations ?] They are running from conquest to conThis was an ancient idolatry in this country, and has quest; burning, slaying, sacking, and slaughtering. existed till within about a century. There are relics Like the fishermen, who throw cast after cast while of it in different parts of Europe; for when military any fish are to be caught, so Nebuchadnezzar is demen bind themselves to accomplish any particular pur-.stroying one nation after another. This last sentence pose, it is usual to lay their hand upon their sword: explains the allegory of the net. CHAPTER II. The prophet, wailing for a return to his expostulation, is answered by God that the time for the destruction of the Jewish polity by the Chaldeans is not only fixed in the Divine counsel, but is awfully near; and he is therefore commanded to write down the vision relative to this appalling subject in the most legible characters, and in the plainest language, that all who read it with attention (those just persons who exercise an unwavering faith in the declaration of God respecting the violent irruption of the merciless Baylonians) may flee from the impending vengeance, 1-4. The fall of the Chaldeans, and of their ambitious monarch, is then predicted, 5-10; and, by a strong and bold personification, the very stone and wood of those magnificent buildings, which the Babylonish king had raised by oppression and bloodshed, pronounce his wo, and in responsive taunts upbraid him, 11, 12. The prophet then beautifully sets forth the absolute impotence af every effort, however well conducted, which is not in concert with the Divine counsel : for though the wicked rage, and threaten the utter extermination of the people of God; yet when the SET time to favour Zion is come, the destroyers of God's heritage shall themselves be destroyed, and "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea,” 13, 14. See Psa. cii. 13-16. For the cup of idolatry which Babylon has given to many nations, she will receive of the Lord's hand the cup of fury by the insurrection of mighty enemies (the Medes and Persians) rushing like wild beasts to destroy her, 15. In the midst of this distress the prophet very opportunely asks in what the Babylonians had profited by their idols, exposes the absurdity of trusting in them, and calls upon the whole world to stand in awe of the everlasting Jehovah, 16–19. NOTES ON CHAP. II. Verse 1. I will stand upon my watch] The prophets are always represented as watchmen, watching constantly for the comfort, safety, and welfare of the people; and watching also to receive information from the Lord for the prophetic influence was not always with them, but was granted only at particular times, according to the will of God. When, in doubtful cases, they wished to know what God was about to do with the country, they retired from society and gave themselves to meditation and prayer, waiting thus upon God to hear what he would say IN them. What he will say unto me] bi, IN me-in my understanding and heart. And what I shall answer when I am reproved.] What I shall say to God in behalf of the people; and what the Lord shall command me to say to the people. Some translate, "And what he will answer for my 2 And the LORD answered me, and said, & Write the vision, and cir. annum 17. • Or, when I am argued with.- Heb. upon my reproof, or arguing.- —— Isa. viii. 1; xxx. 8. conviction." Or, "what shall be answered to my Make it plain upon tables] Write it in a full, plain, legible hand. That he may run that readeth it.] That he who attentively peruses it may speed to save his life from the irruption of the Chaldeans, by which so many shall be cut off. The prophet does not mean that the words are to be made so plain, that a man running by may easily read them, and catch their meaning. This interpretation has been frequently given; and it has been incautiously applied to the whole of the Bible: "God's book is so plain, that he that runs may read ;" but it is very foolish: God never intends that his words shall be understood by the careless. He that reads, studies, meditates, and prays, shall understand every portion Ol. cir. XLV. 1. he may run that readeth it. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gather of this sacred book that relates immediately to his own salvation. But no trifler can understand it. If the contents of a play-bill were to be read as many read the Bible, they would know just as much of the one as they do of the other. Verse 3. The vision is yet for an appointed time] The Chaldeans, who are to ruin Judea, shall afterwards be ruined themselves: but they must do this work before they receive their wages; therefore the vision is for an appointed time. But at the end it shall speak. When his work of devastation is done, his day of retribution shall take place. Though it tarry] Though it appear to be long, do not be impatient; it will surely come; it will not tarry longer than the prescribed time, and this time is not far distant. Wait for it. Verse 4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up] He that presumes on his safety without any special warrant from God, is a proud man; and whatever he may profess, or think of himself, his mind is not upright in him. But he that is just by faith shall live-he that believes what God hath said relative to the Chaldeans besieging Jerusalem, shall make his escape from the place, and consequently shall save his life. The words in the New Testament are accommodated to the salvation which believers in Christ shall possess. Indeed, the just-the true Christians, who believed in Jesus Christ's words relative to the destruction of Jerusalem, when they found the Romans coming against it, left the city, and escaped to Pella in Colesyria, and did live-their lives were saved: while the unbelieving Jews, to a man, either perished or were made slaves. One good sense is, He that believes the promises of God, and has found life through believing, shall live by his faith. Verse 5. Because he transgresseth by wine] From the present translation, it is not easy to see either reason or meaning in the first clause of this verse. Newcome translates, "Moreover, as a mighty man transgresseth through wine, he is proud, and remaineth not at rest." Houbigant thus: "For he, though he the Chaldean monarchy. A. M. cir. 3404 B. C. cir. 600. OL. cir. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. eth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people : 6 Shall not all these "take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, • Wo to him that increaseth that which is not his. how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them? 8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence Nebuchadnezzar is here represented in his usual character, proud, haughty, and ambitious; inebriated with his successes, and determined on more extensive conquests; and, like the grave, can never have enough: yet, after the subjugation of many peoples and nations, he shall be brought down, and become so despicable that he shall be a proverb of reproach, and be taunted and scorned by all those whom he had before enslaved. And cannot be satisfied] When he has obtained all that is within his reach, he wishes for more; and becomes miserable, because any limits are opposed to his insatiable ambition. It is said of Alexander :— Unus Pellæo juveni non sufficit orbis ; Estuat infelix angusto limite mundi. Juv. Sat. x. 168. One world sufficed not Alexander's mind; Coop'd up, he seem'd on earth and seas confined. And the poet justly ridicules him, because at last the sarcophagus was found too large for his body! Verse 6. Shall not all these take up a parable against him] His ambition, derangement, and the final destruction of his mighty empire by the Persians, shall form the foundation of many sententious sayings among the people. "He who towered so high, behold how low he is fallen!" "He made himself a god; behold, he herds with the beasts of the field!" "The disturber of the peace of the world is now a handful of dust!” Verse 7. Shall they not rise up suddenly] Does not this refer to the sudden and unexpected taking of Babylon by Cyrus, whose troops entered into the city through the bed of the Euphrates, whose waters they had diverted by another channel; so that the Babylonians knew nothing of the matter till they saw the Persian soldiers rise up as in a moment, in the very heart of their city? Verse 8. For the violence of the land] Or, for the violence done to the land of Judea, and to the city of Jerusalem. |