Discovery BoxHabakkuk 1:5
Context1:5 “Look at the nations and pay attention! 1
You will be shocked and amazed! 2
For I will do something in your lifetime 3
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. 4
Acts 13:40-41
Context13:40 Watch out, 5 then, that what is spoken about by 6 the prophets does not happen to you:
13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! 7
For I am doing a work in your days,
a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’” 8
Ephesians 3:3-9
Context3:3 that 9 by revelation the divine secret 10 was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 11 3:4 When reading this, 12 you will be able to 13 understand my insight into this secret 14 of Christ. 3:5 Now this secret 15 was not disclosed to people 16 in former 17 generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by 18 the Spirit, 3:6 namely, that through the gospel 19 the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members 20 of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel 21 according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by 22 the exercise of his power. 23 3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints 24 – this grace was given, 25 to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten 26 everyone about God’s secret plan 27 – a secret that has been hidden for ages 28 in God 29 who has created all things.
[1:5] 1 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] 2 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] 3 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] 4 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.”
[13:40] 5 sn The speech closes with a warning, “Watch out,” that also stresses culpability.
[13:41] 8 sn A quotation from Hab 1:5. The irony in the phrase even if someone tells you, of course, is that Paul has now told them. So the call in the warning is to believe or else face the peril of being scoffers whom God will judge. The parallel from Habakkuk is that the nation failed to see how Babylon’s rising to power meant perilous judgment for Israel.
[3:3] 9 tn Or “namely, that is.”
[3:3] 11 tn Or “as I wrote above briefly.”
[3:4] 12 tn Grk “which, when reading.”
[3:4] 13 tn Grk “you are able to.”
[3:5] 15 tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.
[3:5] 16 tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).
[3:6] 19 sn The phrase through the gospel is placed last in the sentence in Greek for emphasis. It has been moved forward for clarity.
[3:6] 20 tn Grk “and fellow members.”
[3:7] 21 tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”
[3:7] 22 tn Grk “according to.”
[3:7] 23 sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.
[3:8] 24 sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.
[3:8] 25 sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).
[3:9] 26 tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.
[3:9] 27 tn Grk “what is the plan of the divine secret.” Earlier the author had used οἰκονομία (oikonomia; here “plan”) to refer to his own “stewardship” (v. 2). But now he is speaking about the content of this secret, not his own activity in relation to it.
[3:9] 28 tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.
[3:9] 29 tn Or “by God.” It is possible that ἐν (en) plus the dative here indicates agency, that is, that God has performed the action of hiding the secret. However, this usage of the preposition ἐν is quite rare in the NT, and even though here it does follow a perfect passive verb as in the Classical idiom, it is more likely that a different nuance is intended.
