Habakkuk 1:5

The Lord Reveals Some Startling News

1:5 “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 

Habakkuk 2:3

2:3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; ⁵ 

it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. ⁶ 

Even if the message ⁷  is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; ⁸ 

for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late.

Habakkuk 2:18

2:18 What good ⁹  is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? ¹⁰ 

What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? ¹¹ 

Why would its creator place his trust in it ¹² 

and make ¹³  such mute, worthless things?

Habakkuk 2:11

2:11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,

and the wooden rafters will answer back. ¹⁴ 

Habakkuk 1:16

1:16 Because of his success ¹⁵  he offers sacrifices to his throw net

and burns incense to his dragnet; ¹⁶ 

for because of them he has plenty of food, ¹⁷ 

and more than enough to eat. ¹⁸ 

Habakkuk 2:14

2:14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth

just as the waters fill up the sea. ¹⁹ 

Habakkuk 1:4

1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, ²⁰ 

and justice is never carried out. ²¹ 

Indeed, ²²  the wicked intimidate ²³  the innocent. ²⁴ 

For this reason justice is perverted. ²⁵ 

Habakkuk 1:6

1:6 Look, I am about to empower ²⁶  the Babylonians,

that ruthless ²⁷  and greedy ²⁸  nation.

They sweep across the surface ²⁹  of the earth,

seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.

Habakkuk 2:8

2:8 Because you robbed many countries, ³⁰ 

all who are left among the nations ³¹  will rob you.

You have shed human blood

and committed violent acts against lands, cities, ³²  and those who live in them.

Habakkuk 2:17

2:17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; ³³ 

terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. ³⁴ 

You have shed human blood

and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.

Habakkuk 3:8

3:8 Is the Lord mad at the rivers?

Are you angry with the rivers?

Are you enraged at the sea? ³⁵ 

Is this why ³⁶  you climb into your horse-drawn chariots, ³⁷ 

your victorious chariots? ³⁸ 

Habakkuk 2:5

2:5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! ³⁹ 

His appetite ⁴⁰  is as big as Sheol’s; ⁴¹ 

like death, he is never satisfied.

He gathers ⁴²  all the nations;

he seizes ⁴³  all peoples.

Habakkuk 3:17

3:17 When ⁴⁴  the fig tree does not bud,

and there are no grapes on the vines;

when the olive trees do not produce, ⁴⁵ 

and the fields yield no crops; ⁴⁶ 

when the sheep disappear ⁴⁷  from the pen,

and there are no cattle in the stalls,

[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.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “For the vision is still for the appointed time.” The Hebrew word עוֹד (’od, “still”) is better emended to עֵד (’ed, “witness”) in light of the parallelism (see the note on the word “turn out” in the following line). The “appointed time” refers to the time when the divine judgment anticipated in vv. 6-20 will be realized.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and a witness to the end and it does not lie.” The Hebrew term יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) has been traditionally understood as a verb form from the root פּוּחַ (puakh, “puff, blow”; cf. NEB “it will come in breathless haste”; NASB “it hastens toward the goal”) but recent scholarship has demonstrated that it is actually a noun meaning “witness” (cf. NIV “it speaks of the end / and will not prove false”; NRSV “it speaks of the end, and does not lie”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 106. “The end” corresponds to “the appointed time” of the preceding line and refers to the time when the prophecy to follow will be fulfilled.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “If it should delay, wait for it.” The Hebrew word חָזוֹן (khazon, “vision, message”) is the subject of the third person verbs in v. 3 and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix in the phrase “for it.”

[2:18]  ⁹ tn Or “of what value.”

[2:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “so that the one who forms it fashions it?” Here כִּי (ki) is taken as resultative after the rhetorical question. For other examples of this use, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.

[2:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “or a metal image, a teacher of lies.” The words “What good is” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line. “Teacher of lies” refers to the false oracles that the so-called god would deliver through a priest. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 126.

[2:18]  ¹² tn Heb “so that the one who forms his image trusts in it?” As earlier in the verse, כִּי (ki) is resultative.

[2:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “to make.”

[2:11]  ¹³ sn The house mentioned in vv. 9-10 represents the Babylonian empire, which became great through imperialism. Here the materials of this “house” (the stones in the walls, the wooden rafters) are personified as witnesses who testify that the occupants have built the house through wealth stolen from others.

[1:16]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “therefore.”

[1:16]  ¹⁸ sn The fishing implements (throw net and dragnet) represent Babylonian military might. The prophet depicts the Babylonians as arrogantly worshiping their own power (sacrifices…burns incense, see also v. 11b).

[1:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”

[1:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”

[2:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, just as the waters cover over the sea.”

[1:4]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “never goes out.”

[1:4]  ²⁷ tn Or “for.”

[1:4]  ²⁸ tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).

[1:4]  ²⁹ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[1:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “comes out crooked.”

[1:6]  ²⁹ tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).

[1:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”

[1:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.

[1:6]  ³² tn Heb “the open spaces.”

[2:8]  ³³ tn Or “nations.”

[2:8]  ³⁴ tn Or “peoples.”

[2:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “because of the shed blood of humankind and violence against land, city.” The singular forms אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) and קִרְיָה (qiryah, “city”) are collective, referring to all the lands and cities terrorized by the Babylonians.

[2:17]  ³⁷ tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”

[2:17]  ³⁸ tc The Hebrew appears to read literally, “and the violence against the animals [which] he terrified.” The verb form יְחִיתַן (yÿkhitan) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with third feminine plural suffix (the antecedent being the animals) from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). The translation above follows the LXX and assumes a reading יְחִתֶּךָ (yÿkhittekha, “[the violence against the animals] will terrify you”; cf. NRSV “the destruction of the animals will terrify you”; NIV “and your destruction of animals will terrify you”). In this case the verb is a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with second masculine singular suffix (the antecedent being Babylon). This provides better symmetry with the preceding line, where Babylon’s violence is the subject of the verb “cover.”

[3:8]  ⁴¹ sn The following context suggests these questions should be answered, “Yes.” The rivers and the sea, symbolizing here the hostile nations (v. 12), are objects of the Lord’s anger (vv. 10, 15).

[3:8]  ⁴² tn Heb “so that.” Here כִּי (ki) is resultative. See the note on the phrase “make it” in 2:18.

[3:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “you mount your horses.” As the next line makes clear, the Lord is pictured here as a charioteer, not a cavalryman. Note NRSV here, “when you drove your horses, // your chariots to victory.”

[3:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “chariots of deliverance.”

[2:5]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Indeed wine betrays a proud man and he does not dwell.” The meaning of the last verb, “dwell,” is uncertain. Many take it as a denominative of the noun נָוָה (navah, “dwelling place”). In this case it would carry the idea, “he does not settle down,” and would picture the drunkard as restless (cf. NIV “never at rest”; NASB “does not stay at home”). Some relate the verb to an Arabic cognate and translate the phrase as “he will not succeed, reach his goal.”

[2:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “who opens wide like Sheol his throat.” Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in a physical sense, meaning “throat,” which in turn is figurative for the appetite. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 11-12.

[2:5]  ⁴⁷ sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead. In ancient Canaanite thought Death was a powerful god whose appetite was never satisfied. In the OT Sheol/Death, though not deified, is personified as greedy and as having a voracious appetite. See Prov 30:15-16; Isa 5:14; also see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 168.

[2:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “he gathers for himself.”

[2:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “he collects for himself.”

[3:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “though.”

[3:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the produce of the olive disappoints.”

[3:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “food.”

[3:17]  ⁵² tn Or “are cut off.”