Habakkuk 2:11

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

and the wooden rafters will answer back. ¹ 

Habakkuk 2:20

2:20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. ² 

The whole earth is speechless in his presence!” ³ 

Habakkuk 2:8

2:8 Because you robbed many countries, ⁴ 

all who are left among the nations ⁵  will rob you.

You have shed human blood

and committed violent acts against lands, cities, ⁶  and those who live in them.

Habakkuk 3:13

3:13 You march out to deliver your people,

to deliver your special servant. ⁷ 

You strike the leader of the wicked nation, ⁸ 

laying him open from the lower body to the neck. ⁹  Selah.

[2:11]  ¹ 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.

[2:20]  ² tn Or “holy temple.” The Lord’s heavenly palace, rather than the earthly temple, is probably in view here (see Ps 11:4; Mic 1:2-3). The Hebrew word ֹקדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy”) here refers to the sovereign transcendence associated with his palace.

[2:20]  ³ tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”

[2:8]  ³ tn Or “nations.”

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Or “peoples.”

[2:8]  ⁵ 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.

[3:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “anointed one.” In light of the parallelism with “your people” in the preceding line this could refer to Israel, but elsewhere the Lord’s anointed one is always an individual. The Davidic king is the more likely referent here.

[3:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”

[3:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “laying bare [from] foundation to neck.”