Discovery BoxHabakkuk 3:14
Context3:14 You pierce the heads of his warriors 1 with a spear. 2
They storm forward to scatter us; 3
they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition. 4
Habakkuk 3:16
Context3:16 I listened and my stomach churned; 5
the sound made my lips quiver.
My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying, 6
and I shook as I tried to walk. 7
I long 8 for the day of distress
to come upon 9 the people who attack us.
Habakkuk 3:2
Context3:2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; 10
I am awed, 11 Lord, by what you accomplished. 12
In our time 13 repeat those deeds; 14
in our time reveal them again. 15
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy! 16
Habakkuk 1:12
Context1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; 17
my sovereign God, 18 you are immortal. 19
Lord, you have made them 20 your instrument of judgment. 21
Protector, 22 you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. 23
Habakkuk 1:16
Context1:16 Because of his success 24 he offers sacrifices to his throw net
and burns incense to his dragnet; 25
for because of them he has plenty of food, 26
and more than enough to eat. 27
Habakkuk 1:13
Context1:13 You are too just 28 to tolerate 29 evil;
you are unable to condone 30 wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people? 31
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour 32 those more righteous than they are? 33
[3:14] 1 tn Some take “warriors” with the following line, in which case one should translate, “you pierce [his] head with a spear; his warriors storm forward to scatter us” (cf. NIV). The meaning of the Hebrew term פְּרָזוֹ (pÿrazo), translated here “his warriors,” is uncertain.
[3:14] 2 tc Heb “his shafts.” Some emend to “your shafts.” The translation above assumes an emendation to מַטֶּה (matteh, “shaft, spear”), the vav-yod (ו-י) sequence being a corruption of an original he (ה).
[3:14] 3 tn Heb “me,” but the author speaks as a representative of God’s people.
[3:14] 4 tn Heb “their rejoicing is like devouring the poor in secret.”
[3:16] 5 tn Heb “my insides trembled.”
[3:16] 6 tn Heb “decay entered my bones.”
[3:16] 7 tc Heb “beneath me I shook, which….” The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher) appears to be a relative pronoun, but a relative pronoun does not fit here. The translation assumes a reading אֲשֻׁרָי (’ashuray, “my steps”) as well as an emendation of the preceding verb to a third plural form.
[3:16] 8 tn The translation assumes that אָנוּחַ (’anuakh) is from the otherwise unattested verb נָוָח (navakh, “sigh”; see HALOT 680 s.v. II נוח; so also NEB). Most take this verb as נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”) and translate, “I wait patiently” (cf. NIV).
[3:16] 9 tn Heb “to come up toward.”
[3:2] 9 tn Heb “your report,” that is, “the report concerning you.”
[3:2] 10 tn Heb “I fear.” Some prefer to read, “I saw,
[3:2] 12 tn Heb “in the midst of years.” The meaning of the phrase, which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain (cf. NIV “in our day”; NEB, NASB “in the midst of the years”).
[3:2] 13 tn Heb “revive it” (i.e., “your work”).
[3:2] 14 tn Heb “make known.” The implied object is “your deeds”; the pronoun “them,” referring to “deeds” in the previous line, was employed in the translation to avoid redundancy. The suffix on the form חַיֵּיהוּ (khayyehu, “revive it”) does double duty in the parallelism.
[3:2] 15 tn Heb “in turmoil remember [to show] compassion.”
[1:12] 13 tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O
[1:12] 14 tn Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b-13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”
[1:12] 15 tc The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.
[1:12] 16 tn Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
[1:12] 17 tn Heb “for judgment.”
[1:12] 18 tn Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. KJV, NEB “O mighty God”).
[1:12] 19 tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”
[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”].”
[1:13] 21 tn Heb “[you] are too pure of eyes.” God’s “eyes” here signify what he looks at with approval. His “eyes” are “pure” in that he refuses to tolerate any wrongdoing in his presence.
[1:13] 22 tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
[1:13] 23 tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
[1:13] 24 tn Heb “Why do you look at treacherous ones?” The verb בָּגַד (bagad, “be treacherous”) is often used of those who are disloyal or who violate agreements. See S. Erlandsson, TDOT 1:470-73.
