Habakkuk 1:1-5

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

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

1:2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?

But you do not listen!

I call out to you, “Violence!”

But you do not intervene! ³ 

1:3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? ⁴ 

Why do you put up with wrongdoing? ⁵ 

Destruction and violence confront ⁶  me;

conflict is present and one must endure strife. ⁷ 

1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, ⁸ 

and justice is never carried out. ⁹ 

Indeed, ¹⁰  the wicked intimidate ¹¹  the innocent. ¹² 

For this reason justice is perverted. ¹³ 

The Lord Reveals Some Startling News

1:5 “Look at the nations and pay attention! ¹⁴ 

You will be shocked and amazed! ¹⁵ 

For I will do something in your lifetime ¹⁶ 

that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. ¹⁷ 

[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.”

[1:2]  ³ tn Or “deliver.”

[1:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”

[1:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “Why do you look at wrongdoing?”

[1:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “are before.”

[1:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “and there is conflict and strife he lifts up.” The present translation takes the verb יִשָּׂא (yisa’) in the sense of “carry, bear,” and understands the subject to be indefinite (“one”).

[1:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “the law is numb,” i.e., like a hand that has “fallen asleep” (see Ps 77:2). Cf. NAB “is benumbed”; NIV “is paralyzed.”

[1:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “never goes out.”

[1:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for.”

[1:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).

[1:4]  ¹² tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[1:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “comes out crooked.”

[1:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “look among the nations and observe.” The imperatival forms in v. 5 are plural, indicating that the Lord’s message is for the whole nation, not just the prophet.

[1:5]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of the verb תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). A literal translation might read, “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sounds draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572-73 §34.4c.

[1:5]  ¹⁶ tc Heb “for a work working in your days.” Following the LXX reading, some supply a first person singular pronoun with the participle פֹּעֵל (po’el). Ellipsis of a first singular pronoun before participles is relatively rare (see GKC 360 §116.s); perhaps an original אֲנֹכִי (’anoki; or אֲנִי, ’aniy) followed the initial כִּי (ki) and was omitted by homoioteleuton.

[1:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “you will not believe when it is told.” In this context the force of כִּי (ki) may be “when,” “if,” or “even though.”