THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET HABAKKUK. Chronological Notes relative to this Book, upon the supposition that it was written a little before the destruction of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before the commencement of the Christian era. Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3404.-Year of the Julian Period, 4114.-Year since the Flood, 1748.-Year since the vocation of Abram, 1321.--Year from the foundation of Solomon's Temple, 412.-Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 376.-First year of the forty-fifth Olympiad.-Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 121.-Year before the birth of Jesus Christ, 596.-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 600.-Cycle of the Sun, 26.-Cycle of the Moon, 10.—Third year of Eropas, king of Macedon.-Twentieth year of Alyattes II., king of Lydia.-Twenty-sixth year of Cyaxares or Cyaraxes, king of Media.-Sixth year of Agasicles, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Proclida.-Eighth year of Leon, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Eurysthenida.-Seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.-Seventeenth year of Tarquinius Priscus, king of the Romans.-Eleventh year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. CHAPTER I. The prophet enters very abruptly on his subject, his spirit being greatly indignant at the rapid progress of vice and impiety, 1-4. Upon which God is introduced threatening very awful and sudden judgments to be inflicted by the ministry of the Chaldeans, 5-10. The Babylonians attribute their wonderful successes to their idols, 11. The prophet then, making a sudden transition, expostulates with God (probably personating the Jews) for permitting a nation much more wicked than themselves, as they supposed, to oppress and devour them as fishers and fowlers do their prey, 12—17. A. M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. a THE burden which Habak-even cry out unto thee of vio- 2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! a Zech. ix. 1. xii. 1. Mal. i. 1. We know little of this prophet; for what we find in the ancients concerning him is evidently fabulous, as well as that which appears in the Apocrypha. He was probably of the tribe of Simeon, and a native of Beth-zacar. It is very likely that he lived after the destruction of Nineveh, as he speaks of the Chaldeans, but makes no mention of the Assyrians. And he appears also to have prophesied before the Jewish captivity, see chap. i. 5; ii. 1; iii. 2, 16–19; and therefore Abp. Newcome thinks he may be placed in the reign of Jehoiakim, between the years 606 B. C. and 598 B. C. As a poet, Habakkuk holds a high rank among the Hebrew prophets. The beautiful connexion between the parts of his prophecy, its diction, imagery, spirit, b Lam. iii. 8. A. M. cir. 3404. and sublimity, cannot be too much admired; and his hymn, chap. iii., is allowed by the best judges to be a masterpiece of its kind. See Lowth's Prælect. xxi., xxviii. NOTES ON CHAP. I. Verse 1. The burden] x hammassa signifies, not only the burdensome prophecy, but the prophecy or revelation itself which God presented to the mind of Habakkuk, and which he saw-clearly perceived, in the light of prophecy, and then faithfully declared, as this book shows. The word signifies an oracle or revelation in general; but chiefly, one relative to future calamities. Verse 2. O Lord, how long shall I cry] The pro The profligacy of the Jews, B. C. cir. 600. A. M. cir. 3404. hold grievance? for spoiling through the 'breadth of the and violence are before me: OI. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir, annum 17. and there are that raise up a land, to possess the dwelling- A. M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. 7 They are terrible and dread- 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judg-ful: 5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. 6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march a Job xxi. 7. Ps. xciv. 3, &c. Jer. xii. 1. b Or, wrested. xxviii. 49, 50. Heb. breadths. of these, and the phet feels himself strongly excited against the vices which he beheld; and which, it appears from this verse, he had often declaimed against, but in vain; the people continued in their vices, and God in his longsuffering. Habakkuk begins his prophecy under a similar feeling, and nearly in similar words, as Juvenal did his Satires: Semper ego auditor tantum? Nunquamne reponam? 8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more "fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. 9 They shall come all for violence: 'their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they captivity of these.1 Ezek. xxii. 2. Jer. v. 6. Zeph. iii. 3.- k Jer. iv. 13.- Or, the supping up of their faces, &c., or their faces shall look toward the east. Heb. the opposition of their faces toward the east, h Heb. sharp. Chaldeans, it follows, as Bp. Newcome has justly observed, that the Chaldeans invaded Judah whüst those were living whom the prophet addressed. Which ye will not believe] Nor did they, after all the declarations of various prophets. They still supposed that God would not give them up into the hands of their enemies, though they continued in their abominations! It is evident that St. Paul, in the above place, accommodates this prediction to his own purpose. And possibly this sense might have been the intention of the Divine Spirit when he first spoke the words to the prophet; for, as God works in reference Of violence] The most unlawful and outrageous to eternity, so he speaks in reference to the samie; acts. Verse 3. And cause me to behold grievance] by amal, labour, toil, distress, misery, &c., the common fruits of sin. Verse 4. The law is slacked] They pay no attention to it; it has lost all its vigour, its restraining and correcting power; it is not executed; right judgment is never pronounced; and the poor righteous man complains in vain that he is grievously oppressed by the wicked, and by those in power and authority. That the utmost depravity prevailed in the land of Judah is evident from these verses; and can we wonder, then, that God poured out such signal judgments upon them? When judgment doth not proceed from the seat of judgment upon earth, it will infallibly go forth from the throne of judgment in heaven. Verse 5. Behold ye among the heathen] Instead of baggoyim, among the nations or heathen, some critics think we should read 2 bogedim, transgressors; and to the same purpose the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic have read; and thus it is quoted by St. Paul, Acts xiii. 41. But neither this, nor any tantamount reading, is found in any of the MSS. yet collated. Newcome translates, "See, ye transgressors, and behold a wonder, and perish." I will work a work in your days] As he is speaking of the desolation that should be produced by the and therefore there is an infinity of meaning in his WORD. These appear to be the words of God in answer to the prophet, in which he declares he will entirely ruin this wicked people by means of the Chaldeans. Verse 6. That bitter and hasty nation] Cruel and oppressive in their disposition; and prompt and speedy in their assaults and conquests. Verse 7. Their judgment—shall proceed of themselves.] By revolting from the Assyrians, they have become a great nation. Thus, their judgment and excellence were the result of their own valour. Other meanings are given to this passage. Verse 8. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards] The Chaldean cavalry are proverbial for swiftness, courage, &c. In Jeremiah, chap. iv. lâ it is said, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, "His chariots are as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles." Oppian, speaking of the horses bred about the Euphrates, says, They are by nature war-horses, and so intrepid that neither the sight nor the roaring of the lion appals them; and, besides, they are astonishingly fleet." The leopard, of all quadrupeds, is allowed to be the swiftest. The evening wolves] The wolf is remarkable for his quick sight. Elian says, OkvwTEOTATOV ESTI ZIET, f compared to fishermen. A. M. cir. 3104. shall gather the captivity 13 Thou art of purer eyes B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. the sand. as 10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it. 11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. b C 12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. a Dan. v. 4. Kings xix. 25. 25. d A. M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. Ol. XLV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 17. than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? 14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? k 15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their 'drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore m they sacrifice unto their net, c2fPs. v. 5. - Or, grievance. h Jer. xii. 1. i Or, moving. k Jer. xvi. 16. Amos iv. 2. Or, flue net. Deut. viii. 17. Isai. x. 13. xxxvii. 24, 25. b Ps. xc. 2. xciii. 2. Lam. v. 19.Ps. xvii. 13. Isai. x. 5, 6, 7. Ezek. xxx. Heb. rock. Deut. xxxii, 4.- e Heb. founded. και μέντοι, και νυκτος και σεληνης ουκ ούσης ὧδε όρᾳ. "The wolf is a very flect animal; and, besides, it can see by night, even when there is no moonlight." Some think the hyena is meant: it is a swift, cruel, and untameable animal. The other prophets speak of the Chaldeans in the same way. See Deut. xxviii. 49; Jer. xlviii. 40, xlix. 22; Ezek. xvii. 5; Lam. iv. 19. Verse 9. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind] This may be an allusion to those electrical winds which prevail in that country. Mr. Jackson, in his overland journey from India, mentions his having bathed in the Tigris. On his coming out of the river one of those winds passed over him, and, in a moment, carried off every particle of water that was on his body and in his bathing dress. So, the Chaldeans shall leave no substance behind them; their faces, their bare appearance, is the proof that nothing good shall be left. Shall gather the captivity as the sand.] They shall carry off innumerable captives. Verse 10. They shall scoff at the kings] No power shall be able to stand before them. It will be only as pastime to them to take the strongest places. They will have no need to build formidable ramparts: by sweeping the dust together they shall make mounts sufficient to pass over the walls and take the city. Verse 11. Then shall his mind change] This is thought to relate to the change which took place in Nebuchadnezzar, when " a beast's heart was given to him," and he was "driven from the dwellings of And this was because of his offending-his pride and arrogance; and his attributing all his success, &c., to his idols. men." Verse 12. Art thou not from everlasting] The idols change, and their worshippers change and fail: but thou, Jehovah, art eternal; thou canst not change, and they who trust in thee are safe. Thou art infinite in thy mercy; therefore, "we shall not die," shall not be totally exterminated. Thou hast ordained them for judgment] Thou hast raised up the Chaldeans to correct and punish us ; but thou hast not given them a commission to destroy us totally. Instead of lo namuth, "we shall not die," Houbigant and other critics, with a little transposition of letters, read л ↳ El emeth, "God of truth ;" and then the verse will stand thus: "Art thou not from everlasting, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? O Jehovah, GOD OF TRUTH, thou hast appointed them for judgment." But this emendation, however elegant, is not supported by any MS.; nor, indeed, by any of the ancient Versions, though the Chaldee has something like it. The common reading makes a very good sense. Verse 13. Thou art of purer eyes] Seeing thou art so pure, and canst not look on iniquity-it is so abominable, how canst thou bear with them who "deal treacherously, and hold thy tongue when the wicked devour the righteous!" All such questions are easily solved by a consideration of God's ineffable mercy, which leads him to suffer long and be kind. He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. Verse 14. Makest men as the fishes of the sea] Easily are we taken and destroyed. We have no kader to guide us, and no power to defend ourselves. Nebuchadnezzar is here represented as a fisherman, who is constantly casting his nets into the sea, and enclosing multitudes of fishes; and, being always successful, he sacrifices to his own net-attributes all his conquests to his own power and prudence; not considering that he is only like a net that, after having been used for a while, shall at last be thrown by as useless, or burnt in the fire. Verse 16. They sacrifice unto their net] He had no God; he cared for none; and worshipped only his armour and himself. King Mezentius, one of the worst characters in the Eneid of Virgil, is represented as invoking his own right hand and his spear in battle. Æn. x. 773. Dextra mihi Deus, et telum quod missile libro, "My strong right hand and sword, assert my stroke. relics of it in different parts of Europe; for when Those only gods Mezentius will invoke." DRYDEN. And Capaneus, in Statius, gives us a more decisive proof of this self-idolatry. Thebaid, lib. x. Ades, O mihi dextera tantum Tu præses belli, et inevitabile Numen, Te voco, te solum Superum contemptor adoro. "Only thou, my right hand, be my aid; I contemn the gods, and adore thee as the chief in battle, and the irresistible deity." The poet tells us that, for his impiety, Jupiter slew him with thunder. This was an ancient idolatry in this country, and has existed till within about a century. There are military men bind themselves to accomplish any particular purpose, it is usual to lay their hand upon their sword: but formerly they kissed it, when swearing by it. With most heroes, the sword is both their Bible and their God. To the present day it is custom among the Hindoos annually to worship the implements of their trades. See WARD. Verse 17. And not spare continually to slay the nations?] They are running from conquest to cotquest; burning, slaying, sacking, and slaughtering. Like the fishermen, who throw cast after cast while any fish are to be caught, so Nebuchadnezzar is destroying one nation after another. This last settence explains the allegory of the net. CHAPTER II. The prophet, waiting for a return to his expostulation, is answered by God that the time for the destruction of the Jewish polity by the Chaldeans is not only fixed in the divine counsel, but is awfully near; and he is therefore commanded to write down the vision relative to this appalling subject in the most legible characters, and in the plainest language, that all who read it with attention (those just persons who exercise an unwatering faith in the declaration of God respecting the violent irruption of the merciless Babylonians), may flee from the impending vengeance, 1-4. The fall of the Chaldeans. and of their ambitious monarch, is then predicted, 5-10; and, by a strong and bold per sonification, the very stone and wood of those magnificent buildings, which the Babylonish king had raised by oppression and bloodshed, pronounce his woe, and in responsive taunts upbraid him, 11, 12. The prophet then beautifully sets forth the absolute impotence of every effort, however well-conducted, which is not in concert with the divine counsel: for though the wicked rage, and threaten the utter extermination of the people of God; yet. when the SET time to favour Zion is come, the destroyers of God's heritage shall thenselves be destroyed, and "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory j God, as the waters cover the sea," 13, 14. See Ps. cii. 13-16. For the cup of idolatry which Babylon has given to many nations, she will receive of the Lord's hand the cup of fury by the insurrection of mighty enemies (the Medes and Persians) rushing like wid beasts to destroy her, 15. In the midst of this distress the prophet very opportunely asks in what the Babylonians had profited by their idols, exposes the absurdity of trusting in them, and calls upon the whole world to stand in awe of the everlasting Jehovah, 16–19. A. M. cir. 3404. B. C. cir. 600. a Isai. xxi. 8, 11. A. M. cir. 3404 B. C. cir. 600 Ol. cir. XLV. L. Tarquinii Prisci R. Roman cir. annum 17. Heb. upon my reproof, « arguing. g Isai. viii. 1. xxx. 8. from the Lord: for the prophetic influence was net always with them, but was granted only at particular times, according to the will of God. When, in doubtful cases, they wished to know what God was about to do with the country, they retired from 3384 and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. b 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith. : the Chaldean monarchy. A. M. cir. 3404. wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people : f 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him 5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by that ladeth himself with thick clay! What he will say unto me] bi, IN me-in my live—he that believes what God hath said relative to understanding and heart. And what I shall answer when I am reproved.] What I shall say to God in behalf of the people; and what the Lord shall command me to say to the people. Some translate," And what he will answer for my conviction." Or, "what shall be answered to my pleading." Verse 2. Write the vision] Carefully take down all that I shall say. the Chaldeans besieging Jerusalem, shall make his escape from the place, and consequently shall save his life. The words in the New Testament are accommodated to the salvation which believers in Christ shall possess. Indeed, the just-the true Christians, who believed in Jesus Christ's words relative to the destruction of Jerusalem, when they found the Romans coming against it, left the city, and escaped to Pella in Colesyria, and did live-their lives were Make it plain upon tables] Write it in a full, plain, saved: while the unbelieving Jews, to a man, either legible hand. That he may run that readeth it.] That he who attentively peruses it may speed to save his life from the irruption of the Chaldeans, by which so many shall be cut off. The prophet does not mean that the words are to be made so plain, that a man running by may easily read them, and catch their meaning. This interpretation has been frequently given; and it has been incautiously applied to the whole of the Bible: "God's book is so plain, that he that runs may read;" but it is very foolish: God never intends that his words shall be understood by the careless. He that reads, studies, meditates, and prays, shall understand every portion of this sacred book that relates immediately to his own salvation. But no trifler can understand it. If the contents of a play bill were to be read as many read the Bible, they would know just as much of the one as they do of the other. Verse 3. The vision is yet for an appointed time] The Chaldeans, who are to ruin Judea, shall afterwards be ruined themselves: but they must do this work before they receive their wages; therefore the vision is for an appointed time. But at the end it shall speak. When his work of devastation is done, his day of retribution shall take place. Though it tarry] Though it appear to be long, do not be impatient; it will surely come; it will not tarry longer than the prescribed time, and this time is not far distant. Wait for it. Verse 4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up] He that presumes on his safety without any special perished, or were made slaves. One good sense is, He that believes the promises of God, and has found life through believing, shall live by his faith. Verse 5. Because he transgresseth by wine] From the present translation, it is not easy to see either reason or meaning in the first clause of this verse. Newcome translates, "Moreover, as a mighty man transgresseth through wine, he is proud, and remaineth not at rest." Houbigant thus: "For he, though he be a despiser, and powerful, and proud, yet shall he not have rest." Nebuchadnezzar is here represented in his usual character, proud, haughty, and ambitious; inebriated with his successes, and determined on more extensive conquests; and, like the grave, can never have enough: yet, after the subjugation of many peoples and nations, he shall be brought down, and become so despicable that he shall be a proverb of reproach, and be taunted and scorned by all those whom he had before enslaved. And cannot be satisfied] When he has obtained all that is within his reach, he wishes for more; and becomes miserable, because any limits are opposed to his insatiable ambition. It is said of Alexander: Unus Pellæo juveni non sufficit orbis ; One world sufficed not Alexander's mind; |