Discovery BoxIsaiah 63:15
Context63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,
from your holy, majestic palace!
Where are your zeal 1 and power?
Do not hold back your tender compassion! 2
Exodus 3:8
Context3:8 I have come down 3 to deliver them 4 from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, 5 to a land flowing with milk and honey, 6 to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 7
Exodus 19:11
Context19:11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:18-19
Context19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, 8 and the whole mountain shook 9 violently. 19:19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, 10 Moses was speaking 11 and God was answering him with a voice. 12
Micah 1:3-4
Context1:3 Look, 13 the Lord is coming out of his dwelling place!
He will descend and march on the earth’s mountaintops! 14
1:4 The mountains will disintegrate 15 beneath him,
and the valleys will be split in two. 16
The mountains will melt 17 like wax in a fire,
the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope. 18
Habakkuk 3:1-13
Context3:1 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet: 19
3:2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; 20
I am awed, 21 Lord, by what you accomplished. 22
In our time 23 repeat those deeds; 24
in our time reveal them again. 25
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy! 26
3:3 God comes 27 from Teman, 28
the sovereign 29 one from Mount Paran. 30 Selah. 31
His splendor covers the skies, 32
his glory 33 fills the earth.
3:4 He is as bright as lightning; 34
a two-pronged lightning bolt flashes from his hand. 35
This is the outward display of his power. 36
3:5 Plague goes before him;
pestilence 37 marches right behind him. 38
3:6 He takes his battle position 39 and shakes 40 the earth;
with a mere look he frightens 41 the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrate; 42
the primeval hills are flattened.
He travels on the ancient roads. 43
3:7 I see the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; 44
the tent curtains of the land of Midian are shaking. 45
3:8 Is the Lord mad at the rivers?
Are you angry with the rivers?
Are you enraged at the sea? 46
Is this why 47 you climb into your horse-drawn chariots, 48
your victorious chariots? 49
3:9 Your bow is ready for action; 50
you commission your arrows. 51 Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. 52
3:10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
The torrential downpour sweeps through. 53
The great deep 54 shouts out;
it lifts its hands high. 55
3:11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; 56
the flash of your arrows drives them away, 57
the bright light of your lightning-quick spear. 58
3:12 You furiously stomp on the earth,
you angrily trample down the nations.
3:13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant. 59
You strike the leader of the wicked nation, 60
laying him open from the lower body to the neck. 61 Selah.
[63:15] 1 tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.
[63:15] 2 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.
[3:8] 3 sn God’s coming down is a frequent anthropomorphism in Genesis and Exodus. It expresses his direct involvement, often in the exercise of judgment.
[3:8] 4 tn The Hiphil infinitive with the suffix is לְהַצִּילוֹ (lÿhatsilo, “to deliver them”). It expresses the purpose of God’s coming down. The verb itself is used for delivering or rescuing in the general sense, and snatching out of danger for the specific.
[3:8] 5 tn Heb “to a land good and large”; NRSV “to a good and broad land.” In the translation the words “that is both” are supplied because in contemporary English “good and” combined with any additional descriptive term can be understood as elative (“good and large” = “very large”; “good and spacious” = “very spacious”; “good and ready” = “very ready”). The point made in the Hebrew text is that the land to which they are going is both good (in terms of quality) and large (in terms of size).
[3:8] 6 tn This vibrant description of the promised land is a familiar one. Gesenius classifies “milk and honey” as epexegetical genitives because they provide more precise description following a verbal adjective in the construct state (GKC 418-19 §128.x). The land is modified by “flowing,” and “flowing” is explained by the genitives “milk and honey.” These two products will be in abundance in the land, and they therefore exemplify what a desirable land it is. The language is hyperbolic, as if the land were streaming with these products.
[3:8] 7 tn Each people group is joined to the preceding by the vav conjunction, “and.” Each also has the definite article, as in other similar lists (3:17; 13:5; 34:11). To repeat the conjunction and article in the translation seems to put more weight on the list in English than is necessary to its function in identifying what land God was giving the Israelites.
[19:18] 8 sn The image is that of a large kiln, as in Gen 19:28.
[19:18] 9 tn This is the same word translated “trembled” above (v. 16).
[19:19] 10 tn The active participle הוֹלֵךְ (holekh) is used to add the idea of “continually” to the action of the sentence; here the trumpet became very loud – continually. See GKC 344 §113.u.
[19:19] 11 tn The two verbs here (“spoke” and “answered”) are imperfect tenses; they emphasize repeated action but in past time. The customary imperfect usually is translated “would” or “used to” do the action, but here continuous action in past time is meant. S. R. Driver translates it “kept speaking” and “kept answering” (Exodus, 172).
[19:19] 12 tn The text simply has בְּקוֹל (bÿqol); it could mean “with a voice” or it could mean “in thunder” since “voice” was used in v. 16 for thunder. In this context it would be natural to say that the repeated thunderings were the voice of God – but how is that an answer? Deut 4:12 says that the people heard the sound of words. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 232-33) rightly comments, “He was answering him with a loud voice so that it was possible for Moses to hear His words clearly in the midst of the storm.” He then draws a parallel from Ugaritic where it tells that one of the gods was speaking in a loud voice.
[1:3] 13 tn Or “For look.” The expression כִּי־הִנֵּה (ki-hinneh) may function as an explanatory introduction (“For look!”; Isa 26:21; 60:2; 65:17, 18: 66:15; Jer 1:15; 25:29; 30:10; 45:5; 46:27; 50:9; Ezek 30:9; 36:9; Zech 2:10; 3:8), or as an emphatic introduction (“Look!”; Jdgs 3:15; Isa 3:1; Jer 8:17; 30:3; 49:15; Hos 9:6; Joel 3:1 [HT 4:1]; Amos 4:2, 13; 6:11, 14; 9:9; Hab 1:6; Zech 2:9 [HT 2:13]; Zech 3:9; 11:16).
[1:3] 14 tn Or “high places” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 15 tn Or “melt” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This is a figurative description of earthquakes, landslides, and collapse of the mountains, rather than some sort of volcanic activity (note the remainder of the verse).
[1:4] 16 sn The mountains will disintegrate…the valleys will be split in two. This imagery pictures an earthquake and accompanying landslide.
[1:4] 17 tn The words “the mountains will melt” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The simile extends back to the first line of the verse.
[1:4] 18 tn The words “the rocks will slide down” are supplied in the translation for clarification. This simile elaborates on the prior one and further develops the imagery of the verse’s first line.
[3:1] 19 tn The Hebrew text adds עַל שִׁגְיֹנוֹת (’al shigyonot, “upon [or, “according to”] shigyonot”). The meaning of this word is uncertain. It may refer to the literary genre of the prayer or to the musical style to be employed when it is sung. The NEB leaves the term untranslated; several other modern English versions transliterate the term into English, sometimes with explanatory notes (NASB, NRSV “according to Shigionoth”; NIV “On shigyonoth”).
[3:2] 20 tn Heb “your report,” that is, “the report concerning you.”
[3:2] 21 tn Heb “I fear.” Some prefer to read, “I saw,
[3:2] 23 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] 24 tn Heb “revive it” (i.e., “your work”).
[3:2] 25 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] 26 tn Heb “in turmoil remember [to show] compassion.”
[3:3] 27 tn In vv. 3-15 there is a mixture of eleven prefixed verbal forms (without vav [ו] consecutive or with vav conjunctive), sixteen suffixed forms, and three prefixed forms with vav consecutive. All of the forms are best taken as indicating completed action from the speaker’s standpoint (all of the prefixed forms being regarded as preterites). The forms could be translated with the past tense, but this would be misleading, for this is not a mere recital of God’s deeds in Israel’s past history. Habakkuk here describes, in terms reminiscent of past theophanies, his prophetic vision of a future theophany (see v. 7, “I saw”). From the prophet’s visionary standpoint the theophany is “as good as done.” This translation uses the English present tense throughout these verses to avoid misunderstanding. A similar strategy is followed by the NEB; in contrast note the NIV and NRSV, which consistently use past tenses throughout the section, and the NASB, which employs present tenses in vv. 3-5 and mostly past tenses in vv. 6-15.
[3:3] 28 sn Teman was a city or region in southern Edom.
[3:3] 29 tn Or traditionally, “holy one.” The term קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy [one]”) here refers to God’s sovereignty. See v. 3b.
[3:3] 30 sn The precise location of Mount Paran is unknown, but like Teman it was located to the southeast of Israel. Habakkuk saw God marching from the direction of Sinai.
[3:3] 31 tn Selah. The meaning of this musical term (which also appears in vv. 9, 13, and in the Psalms as well) is unknown.
[3:3] 33 tn Heb “praise.” This could mean that the earth responds in praise as God’s splendor is observed in the skies. However, the Hebrew term תְּהִלָּה (tÿhillah, “praise”) can stand by metonymy for what prompts it (i.e., fame, glory, deeds).
[3:4] 34 tn Heb “[His] radiance is like light.” Some see a reference to sunlight, but the Hebrew word אוֹר (’or) here refers to lightning, as the context indicates (see vv. 4b, 9, 11). The word also refers to lightning in Job 36:32 and 37:3, 11, 15.
[3:4] 35 tn Heb “two horns from his hand to him.” Sharp, pointed lightning bolts have a “horn-like” appearance. The weapon of “double lightning” appears often in Mesopotamian representations of gods. See Elizabeth Van Buren, Symbols of the Gods in Mesopotamian Art (AnOr), 70-73.
[3:4] 36 tn Heb “and there [is] the covering of his strength”; or “and there is his strong covering.” The meaning of this line is unclear. The point may be that the lightning bolts are merely a covering, or outward display, of God’s raw power. In Job 36:32 one reads that God “covers his hands with light [or, “lightning”].”
[3:5] 37 tn Because of parallelism with the previous line, the meaning “pestilence” is favored for רֶשֶׁף (reshef) here, but usage elsewhere suggests a destructive bolt of fire may be in view. See BDB 958 s.v.
[3:5] 38 tn Heb “goes out at his feet.”
[3:6] 40 tn This verb has been traditionally understood as “measure” (from מוּד, mud), but the immediately following context (vv. 6b-7) favors the meaning “shake” from מָוד (mavd; see HALOT 555 s.v.).
[3:6] 41 tn Heb “makes [the nations] jump [in fear].”
[3:6] 42 tn Or “crumbled,” broke into pieces.”
[3:6] 43 tn Heb “ancient ways [or, “doings”] are his.” The meaning of this line is unclear. Traditionally it has been translated, “his ways are eternal.” However, in this context (see vv. 3, 7) it is more likely that the line speaks of the
[3:7] 44 tn Heb “under trouble I saw the tents of Cushan.”
[3:7] 45 tn R. D. Patterson takes תַּחַת אֲוֶן (takhat ’aven) in the first line as a place name, “Tahath-Aven.” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 237.) In this case one may translate the verse as a tricolon: “I look at Tahath-Aven. The tents of Cushan are shaking, the tent curtains of the land of Midian.”
[3:8] 46 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] 47 tn Heb “so that.” Here כִּי (ki) is resultative. See the note on the phrase “make it” in 2:18.
[3:8] 48 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] 49 tn Or “chariots of deliverance.”
[3:9] 50 tn Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”
[3:9] 51 tn Heb “sworn in are the arrow-shafts with a word.” The passive participle of שָׁבַע (shava’), “swear an oath,” also occurs in Ezek 21:23 ET (21:28 HT) referencing those who have sworn allegiance. Here the
[3:9] 52 tn Heb “[with] rivers you split open the earth.” A literal rendering like “You split the earth with rivers” (so NIV, NRSV) suggests geological activity to the modern reader, but in the present context of a violent thunderstorm, the idea of streams swollen to torrents by downpours better fits the imagery.
[3:10] 53 tn Heb “a heavy rain of waters passes by.” Perhaps the flash floods produced by the downpour are in view here.
[3:10] 54 sn The great deep, which is to be equated with the sea (vv. 8, 15), is a symbol of chaos and represents the Lord’s enemies.
[3:10] 55 sn Lifting the hands here suggests panic and is accompanied by a cry for mercy (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19). The forces of chaos cannot withstand the Lord’s power revealed in the storm.
[3:11] 56 tn Heb “in their lofty dwelling places.”
[3:11] 57 tn Or “at the light of your arrows they vanish.”
[3:11] 58 tn Heb “at the brightness of the lightning of your spear.”
[3:13] 59 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] 60 tn Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”
