Habakkuk 1:1

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

1:1 The following is the message ¹  which God revealed to Habakkuk the prophet: ² 

Habakkuk 3:7

3:7 I see the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; ³ 

the tent curtains of the land of Midian are shaking. ⁴ 

Habakkuk 3:10

3:10 When the mountains see you, they shake.

The torrential downpour sweeps through. ⁵ 

The great deep ⁶  shouts out;

it lifts its hands high. ⁷ 

Habakkuk 3:6

3:6 He takes his battle position ⁸  and shakes ⁹  the earth;

with a mere look he frightens ¹⁰  the nations.

The ancient mountains disintegrate; ¹¹ 

the primeval hills are flattened.

He travels on the ancient roads. ¹² 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Heb “The burden” (so KJV, ASV). The Hebrew term מַשָּׂא (masa’), usually translated “oracle” (NAB, NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “utterance” (BDB 672 s.v. III מַשָּׂא), in prophetic literature is a technical term introducing a message from the Lord (see Zech 9:1; 12:1; Mal 1:1). Since it derives from a verb meaning “to carry,” its original nuance was that of a burdensome message, that is, one with ominous content.

[1:1]  ² tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] which Habakkuk the prophet saw.”

[3:7]  ³ tn Heb “under trouble I saw the tents of Cushan.”

[3:7]  ⁴ tn R. D. Patterson takes תַּחַת אֲוֶן (takhat ’aven) in the first line as a place name, “Tahath-Aven.” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 237.) In this case one may translate the verse as a tricolon: “I look at Tahath-Aven. The tents of Cushan are shaking, the tent curtains of the land of Midian.”

[3:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “a heavy rain of waters passes by.” Perhaps the flash floods produced by the downpour are in view here.

[3:10]  ⁶ sn The great deep, which is to be equated with the sea (vv. 8, 15), is a symbol of chaos and represents the Lord’s enemies.

[3:10]  ⁷ sn Lifting the hands here suggests panic and is accompanied by a cry for mercy (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19). The forces of chaos cannot withstand the Lord’s power revealed in the storm.

[3:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “he stands.”

[3:6]  ⁸ tn This verb has been traditionally understood as “measure” (from מוּד, mud), but the immediately following context (vv. 6b-7) favors the meaning “shake” from מָוד (mavd; see HALOT 555 s.v.).

[3:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “makes [the nations] jump [in fear].”

[3:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “crumbled,” broke into pieces.”

[3:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “ancient ways [or, “doings”] are his.” The meaning of this line is unclear. Traditionally it has been translated, “his ways are eternal.” However, in this context (see vv. 3, 7) it is more likely that the line speaks of the Lord taking the same route as in the days of Moses and Deborah (see Deut 33:2; Judg 5:4). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 154.