Habakuk 1:7
Konteks1:7 They are frightening and terrifying;
they decide for themselves what is right. 1
Habakuk 1:3
Konteks1:3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? 2
Why do you put up with wrongdoing? 3
Destruction and violence confront 4 me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife. 5
Habakuk 2:11
Konteks2:11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,
and the wooden rafters will answer back. 6
Habakuk 3:17
Konteks3:17 When 7 the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
when the olive trees do not produce, 8
and the fields yield no crops; 9
when the sheep disappear 10 from the pen,
and there are no cattle in the stalls,
Habakuk 2:8
Konteks2:8 Because you robbed many countries, 11
all who are left among the nations 12 will rob you.
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, 13 and those who live in them.
Habakuk 2:16-17
Konteks2:16 But you will become drunk 14 with shame, not majesty. 15
Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! 16
The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand 17 is coming to you,
and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
2:17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; 18
terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. 19
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
Habakuk 1:11
Konteks1:11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on. 20
But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.” 21
Habakuk 2:12
Konteks2:12 The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead 22 –
he who starts 23 a town by unjust deeds.
Habakuk 1:16
Konteks1:16 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
Habakuk 1:15
Konteks1:15 The Babylonian tyrant 28 pulls them all up with a fishhook;
he hauls them in with his throw net. 29
When he catches 30 them in his dragnet,
he is very happy. 31
Habakuk 3:18
Konteks3:18 I will rejoice because of 32 the Lord;
I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!
Habakuk 2:7
Konteks2:7 Your creditors will suddenly attack; 33
those who terrify you will spring into action, 34
and they will rob you. 35
Habakuk 2:19
Konteks2:19 The one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’ is as good as dead 36 –
he who says 37 to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’
Can it give reliable guidance? 38
It is overlaid with gold and silver;
it has no life’s breath inside it.
Habakuk 2:6
Konteks2:6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him 39
and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: 40
‘The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead 41
(How long will this go on?) 42 –
he who gets rich by extortion!’ 43
Habakuk 3:3
Konteks3:3 God comes 44 from Teman, 45
the sovereign 46 one from Mount Paran. 47 Selah. 48
His splendor covers the skies, 49
his glory 50 fills the earth.
Habakuk 3:16
Konteks3:16 I listened and my stomach churned; 51
the sound made my lips quiver.
My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying, 52
and I shook as I tried to walk. 53
I long 54 for the day of distress
to come upon 55 the people who attack us.
Habakuk 2:9
Konteks2:9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. 56
He does this so he can build his nest way up high
and escape the clutches of disaster. 57
Habakuk 1:5-6
Konteks1:5 “Look at the nations and pay attention! 58
You will be shocked and amazed! 59
For I will do something in your lifetime 60
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. 61
1:6 Look, I am about to empower 62 the Babylonians,
that ruthless 63 and greedy 64 nation.
They sweep across the surface 65 of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
Habakuk 3:8
Konteks3:8 Is the Lord mad at the rivers?
Are you angry with the rivers?
Are you enraged at the sea? 66
Is this why 67 you climb into your horse-drawn chariots, 68
your victorious chariots? 69
Habakuk 2:10
Konteks2:10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house.
Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. 70
Habakuk 2:5
Konteks2:5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! 71
His appetite 72 is as big as Sheol’s; 73
like death, he is never satisfied.
He gathers 74 all the nations;
he seizes 75 all peoples.
Habakuk 2:13
Konteks2:13 Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed:
The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke;
their exhausting work will be for nothing. 76
Habakuk 2:18
Konteks2:18 What good 77 is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? 78
What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? 79
Why would its creator place his trust in it 80
and make 81 such mute, worthless things?
Habakuk 1:10
Konteks1:10 They mock kings
and laugh at rulers.
They laugh at every fortified city;
they build siege ramps 82 and capture them.
Habakuk 2:1
Konteks2:1 I will stand at my watch post;
I will remain stationed on the city wall. 83
I will keep watching, so I can see what he says to me
and can know 84 how I should answer
when he counters my argument. 85
Habakuk 3:5
Konteks3:5 Plague goes before him;
pestilence 86 marches right behind him. 87
Habakuk 1:17
Konteks1:17 Will he then 88 continue to fill and empty his throw net? 89
Will he always 90 destroy 91 nations and spare none? 92
Habakuk 3:7
Konteks3:7 I see the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; 93
the tent curtains of the land of Midian are shaking. 94
Habakuk 1:14
Konteks1:14 You made people like fish in the sea,
like animals in the sea 95 that have no ruler.
Habakuk 2:15
Konteks2:15 “You who force your neighbor to drink wine 96 are as good as dead 97 –
you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, 98
so you can look at their genitals. 99
Habakuk 3:10-11
Konteks3:10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
The torrential downpour sweeps through. 100
The great deep 101 shouts out;
it lifts its hands high. 102
3:11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; 103
the flash of your arrows drives them away, 104
the bright light of your lightning-quick spear. 105
Habakuk 1:4
Konteks1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, 106
and justice is never carried out. 107
Indeed, 108 the wicked intimidate 109 the innocent. 110
For this reason justice is perverted. 111
Habakuk 3:6
Konteks3:6 He takes his battle position 112 and shakes 113 the earth;
with a mere look he frightens 114 the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrate; 115
the primeval hills are flattened.
He travels on the ancient roads. 116
Habakuk 2:3-4
Konteks2:3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; 117
it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. 118
Even if the message 119 is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; 120
for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late.
2:4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, 121
but the person of integrity 122 will live 123 because of his faithfulness. 124
Habakuk 1:12
Konteks1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; 125
my sovereign God, 126 you are immortal. 127
Lord, you have made them 128 your instrument of judgment. 129
Protector, 130 you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. 131
Habakuk 2:2
Konteks“Write down this message! 133 Record it legibly on tablets,
so the one who announces 134 it may read it easily. 135
Habakuk 3:12
Konteks3:12 You furiously stomp on the earth,
you angrily trample down the nations.
Habakuk 3:2
Konteks3:2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; 136
I am awed, 137 Lord, by what you accomplished. 138
In our time 139 repeat those deeds; 140
in our time reveal them again. 141
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy! 142
Habakuk 3:13
Konteks3:13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant. 143
You strike the leader of the wicked nation, 144
laying him open from the lower body to the neck. 145 Selah.
Habakuk 3:19
Konteks3:19 The sovereign Lord is my source of strength. 146
He gives me the agility of a deer; 147
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. 148
(This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.) 149
Habakuk 1:2
Konteks1:2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?
But you do not listen!
I call out to you, “Violence!”
But you do not intervene! 150
Habakuk 1:9
Konteks1:9 All of them intend 151 to do violence;
every face is determined. 152
They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand. 153
Habakuk 3:4
Konteks3:4 He is as bright as lightning; 154
a two-pronged lightning bolt flashes from his hand. 155
This is the outward display of his power. 156
Habakuk 1:8
Konteks1:8 Their horses are faster than leopards
and more alert 157 than wolves in the desert. 158
their horses come a great distance;
like a vulture 161 they swoop down quickly to devour their prey. 162
Habakuk 1:13
Konteks1:13 You are too just 163 to tolerate 164 evil;
you are unable to condone 165 wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people? 166
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour 167 those more righteous than they are? 168
Habakuk 3:15
Konteks3:15 But you trample on the sea with your horses,
on the surging, raging waters. 169
Habakuk 2:14
Konteks2:14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth
just as the waters fill up the sea. 170
Habakuk 3:9
Konteks3:9 Your bow is ready for action; 171
you commission your arrows. 172 Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. 173
Habakuk 3:14
Konteks3:14 You pierce the heads of his warriors 174 with a spear. 175
They storm forward to scatter us; 176
they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition. 177
[1:7] 1 tn Heb “from him his justice, even his lifting up, goes out.” In this context שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) probably has the nuance “authority.” See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 150.
[1:3] 2 tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”
[1:3] 3 tn Heb “Why do you look at wrongdoing?”
[1:3] sn Habakkuk complains that God tolerates social injustice and fails to intervene on behalf of the oppressed (put up with wrongdoing).
[1:3] 5 tn Heb “and there is conflict and strife he lifts up.” The present translation takes the verb יִשָּׂא (yisa’) in the sense of “carry, bear,” and understands the subject to be indefinite (“one”).
[2:11] 6 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.
[3:17] 8 tn Heb “the produce of the olive disappoints.”
[3:17] 10 tn Or “are cut off.”
[2:8] 13 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.
[2:16] 14 tn Heb “are filled.” The translation assumes the verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of Babylon’s coming judgment, which will reduce the majestic empire to shame and humiliation.
[2:16] 16 tc Heb “drink, even you, and show the foreskin.” Instead of הֵעָרֵל (he’arel, “show the foreskin”) one of the Dead Sea scrolls has הֵרָעֵל (hera’el, “stumble”). This reading also has support from several ancient versions and is followed by the NEB (“you too shall drink until you stagger”) and NRSV (“Drink, you yourself, and stagger”). For a defense of the Hebrew text, see P. D. Miller, Jr., Sin and Judgment in the Prophets, 63-64.
[2:16] 17 sn The Lord’s right hand represents his military power. He will force the Babylonians to experience the same humiliating defeat they inflicted on others.
[2:17] 18 tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”
[2:17] 19 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.”
[2:17] sn The language may anticipate Nebuchadnezzar’s utilization of trees from the Lebanon forest in building projects. Lebanon and its animals probably represent the western Palestinian states conquered by the Babylonians.
[1:11] 20 tn The precise meaning of v. 11a is uncertain. The present translation assumes the first line further describes the Babylonian hordes, comparing them to a destructive wind. Another option is to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as “spirit,” rather than “wind,” and take the form וְאָשֵׁם (vÿ’ashem) with what precedes (as suggested by the scribal punctuation). Repointing this form as a geminate verb from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be astonished”), one could then translate the line, “The spirit passed on and departed, and I was astonished.” In this case the line would describe the cessation of the divine revelation which began in v. 5. For a detailed defense of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 97-100.
[1:11] 21 tn Heb “and guilty is the one whose strength is his god.” This assumes that אָשֵׁם (’ashem) is a predicate adjective meaning “guilty” and that it relates to what follows.
[2:12] 22 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:12] 23 tn Or “establishes”; or “founds.”
[1:16] 25 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] 26 tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”
[1:16] 27 tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”
[1:15] 28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.
[1:15] 29 tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.
[1:15] 30 tn Heb “and he gathers.”
[1:15] 31 tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
[2:7] 33 tn Heb “Will not your creditors suddenly rise up?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
[2:7] sn Your creditors will suddenly attack. The Babylonians are addressed directly here. They have robbed and terrorized others, but now the situation will be reversed as their creditors suddenly attack them.
[2:7] 34 tn Heb “[Will not] the ones who make you tremble awake?”
[2:7] 35 tn Heb “and you will become their plunder.”
[2:19] 36 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who says.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:19] 37 tn The words “he who says” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line.
[2:19] 38 tn Though the Hebrew text has no formal interrogative marker here, the context indicates that the statement should be taken as a rhetorical question anticipating the answer, “Of course not!” (so also NIV, NRSV).
[2:6] 39 tn Heb “Will not these, all of them, take up a taunt against him…?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
[2:6] 40 tn Heb “and a mocking song, riddles, against him? And one will say.”
[2:6] 41 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who increases [what is] not his.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe,” “ah”) was used in funeral laments and carries the connotation of death.
[2:6] 42 tn This question is interjected parenthetically, perhaps to express rhetorically the pain and despair felt by the Babylonians’ victims.
[2:6] 43 tn Heb “and the one who makes himself heavy [i.e., wealthy] [by] debts.” Though only appearing in the first line, the term הוֹי (hoy) is to be understood as elliptical in the second line.
[3:3] 44 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] 45 sn Teman was a city or region in southern Edom.
[3:3] 46 tn Or traditionally, “holy one.” The term קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy [one]”) here refers to God’s sovereignty. See v. 3b.
[3:3] 47 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] 48 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] 50 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).
[3:16] 51 tn Heb “my insides trembled.”
[3:16] 52 tn Heb “decay entered my bones.”
[3:16] 53 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] 54 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] 55 tn Heb “to come up toward.”
[2:9] 56 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:9] 57 tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.”
[2:9] sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.
[1:5] 58 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] 59 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] 60 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] 61 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.”
[1:6] 62 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
[1:6] 63 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
[1:6] 64 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] 65 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
[3:8] 66 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] 67 tn Heb “so that.” Here כִּי (ki) is resultative. See the note on the phrase “make it” in 2:18.
[3:8] 68 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] 69 tn Or “chariots of deliverance.”
[2:10] 70 tn Heb “you planned shame for your house, cutting off many nations, and sinning [against] your life.”
[2:5] 71 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] sn The Babylonian tyrant is the proud, restless man described in this line as the last line of the verse, with its reference to the conquest of the nations, makes clear. Wine is probably a metaphor for imperialistic success. The more success the Babylonians experience, the more greedy they become just as a drunkard wants more and more wine to satisfy his thirst. But eventually this greed will lead to their downfall, for God will not tolerate such imperialism and will judge the Babylonians appropriately (vv. 6-20).
[2:5] 72 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] 73 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] 74 tn Heb “he gathers for himself.”
[2:5] 75 tn Heb “he collects for himself.”
[2:13] 76 tn Heb “Is it not, look, from the
[2:18] 77 tn Or “of what value.”
[2:18] 78 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] 79 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] 80 tn Heb “so that the one who forms his image trusts in it?” As earlier in the verse, כִּי (ki) is resultative.
[1:10] 82 tn Heb “they heap up dirt.” This is a reference to the piling up of earthen ramps in the process of laying siege to a fortified city.
[2:1] 83 sn Habakkuk compares himself to a watchman stationed on the city wall who keeps his eyes open for approaching messengers or danger.
[2:1] 84 tn The word “know” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:1] 85 tn Heb “concerning my correction [or, “reproof”].”
[3:5] 86 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] sn There are mythological echoes here, for in Canaanite literature the god Resheph aids Baal in his battles. See J. Day, “New Light on the Mythological Background of the Allusion to Resheph in Habakkuk III 5,” VT 29 (1979): 353-55.
[3:5] 87 tn Heb “goes out at his feet.”
[1:17] 89 tn Heb “Will he then empty his throw net?” The words “continue to fill and” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:17] 90 tn Or “continually.”
[1:17] 92 tn Or “without showing compassion.”
[3:7] 93 tn Heb “under trouble I saw the tents of Cushan.”
[3:7] sn Cushan was located in southern Transjordan.
[3:7] 94 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.”
[1:14] 95 tn The Hebrew word רֶמֶשׂ (remesh) usually refers to animals that creep, but here the referent seems to be marine animals that glide through the water (note the parallelism in the previous line). See also Ps 104:25.
[2:15] 96 tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[2:15] 97 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:15] 98 tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (misapeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”).
[2:15] sn Forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger. The Babylonian’s harsh treatment of others is compared to intoxicating wine which the Babylonians force the nations to drink so they can humiliate them. Cf. the imagery in Rev 14:10.
[2:15] 99 tn Heb “their nakedness,” a euphemism.
[2:15] sn Metaphor and reality are probably blended here. This may refer to the practice of publicly humiliating prisoners of war by stripping them naked. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 124.
[3:10] 100 tn Heb “a heavy rain of waters passes by.” Perhaps the flash floods produced by the downpour are in view here.
[3:10] 101 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] 102 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] 103 tn Heb “in their lofty dwelling places.”
[3:11] 104 tn Or “at the light of your arrows they vanish.”
[3:11] 105 tn Heb “at the brightness of the lightning of your spear.”
[1:4] 106 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] 107 tn Heb “never goes out.”
[1:4] 109 tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).
[1:4] 110 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 111 tn Heb “comes out crooked.”
[3:6] 113 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] 114 tn Heb “makes [the nations] jump [in fear].”
[3:6] 115 tn Or “crumbled,” broke into pieces.”
[3:6] 116 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
[2:3] 117 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] 118 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] 119 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:3] 120 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.”
[2:4] 121 tn The meaning of this line is unclear, primarily because of the uncertainty surrounding the second word, עֲפְּלָה (’apÿlah). Some read this as an otherwise unattested verb עָפַל (’afal, “swell”) from which are derived nouns meaning “mound” and “hemorrhoid.” This “swelling” is then understood in an abstract sense, “swell with pride.” This would yield a translation, “As for the proud, his desires are not right within him” (cf. NASB “as for the proud one”; NIV “he is puffed up”; NRSV “Look at the proud!”). A multitude of other interpretations of this line, many of which involve emendations of the problematic form, may be found in the commentaries and periodical literature. The present translation assumes an emendation to a Pual form of the verb עָלַף (’alaf, “be faint, exhausted”). (See its use in the Pual in Isa 51:20, and in the Hitpael in Amos 8:13 and Jonah 4:8.) In the antithetical parallelism of the verse, it corresponds to חָיָה (khayah, “live”). The phrase לֹא יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ (lo’ yoshrah nafsho bo), literally, “not upright his desire within him,” is taken as a substantival clause that contrasts with צַדִּיק (tsadiq, “the righteous one”) and serves as the subject of the preceding verb. Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in the sense of “desire” (see BDB 660-61 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ for a list of passages where the word carries this sense).
[2:4] 122 tn Or “righteous.” The oppressed individuals mentioned in 1:4 are probably in view here.
[2:4] 123 tn Or “will be preserved.” In the immediate context this probably refers to physical preservation through both the present oppression and the coming judgment (see Hab 3:16-19).
[2:4] 124 tn Or “loyalty”; or “integrity.” The Hebrew word אֱמוּנָה (’emunah) has traditionally been translated “faith,” but the term nowhere else refers to “belief” as such. When used of human character and conduct it carries the notion of “honesty, integrity, reliability, faithfulness.” The antecedent of the suffix has been understood in different ways. It could refer to God’s faithfulness, but in this case one would expect a first person suffix (the original form of the LXX has “my faithfulness” here). Others understand the “vision” to be the antecedent. In this case the reliability of the prophecy is in view. For a statement of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 111-12. The present translation assumes that the preceding word “[the person of] integrity” is the antecedent. In this case the
[1:12] 125 tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O
[1:12] 126 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] 127 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] 128 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] 129 tn Heb “for judgment.”
[1:12] 130 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] 131 tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”
[2:2] 132 tn Heb “the
[2:2] 133 tn Heb “[the] vision.”
[2:2] 135 tn Heb “might run,” which here probably means “run [through it quickly with one’s eyes],” that is, read it easily.
[3:2] 136 tn Heb “your report,” that is, “the report concerning you.”
[3:2] 137 tn Heb “I fear.” Some prefer to read, “I saw,
[3:2] 139 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] 140 tn Heb “revive it” (i.e., “your work”).
[3:2] 141 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] 142 tn Heb “in turmoil remember [to show] compassion.”
[3:13] 143 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] 144 tn Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”
[3:13] 145 tn Heb “laying bare [from] foundation to neck.”
[3:19] 146 tn Or perhaps, “is my wall,” that is, “my protector.”
[3:19] 147 tn Heb “he makes my feet like those of deer.”
[3:19] 148 tn Heb “he makes me walk on my high places.”
[3:19] sn Difficult times are coming, but Habakkuk is confident the
[3:19] 149 tn Heb “For the leader, on my stringed instruments.”
[1:9] 152 tn Heb “The totality of their faces is to the east” (or “is forward”). The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מְגַמַּת (megammat) is unclear. For a discussion of options see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 93. NEB has “a sea of faces rolls on”; NIV “their hordes advance like a desert wind”; NRSV “with faces pressing forward.”
[1:9] 153 tn Heb “and he gathers like sand, prisoners.”
[3:4] 154 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] 155 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] 156 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”].”
[1:8] 157 tn Heb “sharper,” in the sense of “keener” or “more alert.” Some translate “quicker” on the basis of the parallelism with the first line (see HALOT 291 s.v. חדד).
[1:8] 158 tn Heb “wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The present translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). On this phrase see also Zeph 3:3.
[1:8] 159 tn Or “horsemen,” “cavalry.”
[1:8] 160 tn The precise nuance of the rare verb פָּוַשׁ (parash) is unclear here. Elsewhere it is used of animals jumping or leaping (see Jer 50:11; Mal 4:2).
[1:8] 161 tn Or “eagle” (so NASB, NRSV). The term can refer to either eagles or vultures, but in this context of gruesome destruction and death “vulture” is preferred.
[1:8] 162 tn Heb “they fly like a vulture/an eagle quickly to devour.” The direct object “their prey” is not included in the Hebrew text but is implied, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:13] 163 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] 164 tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
[1:13] 165 tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
[1:13] 166 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.
[1:13] 167 tn Or “swallow up.”
[1:13] 168 tn Heb “more innocent than themselves.”
[3:15] 169 tn Heb “the foaming of the mighty [or “many”] waters.”
[2:14] 170 tn Heb “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
[3:9] 171 tn Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”
[3:9] 172 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] 173 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.
[3:9] sn As the
[3:14] 174 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] 175 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] 176 tn Heb “me,” but the author speaks as a representative of God’s people.
[3:14] 177 tn Heb “their rejoicing is like devouring the poor in secret.”
