Habakuk 2:7
Konteks2:7 Your creditors will suddenly attack; 1
those who terrify you will spring into action, 2
and they will rob you. 3
Habakuk 1:10-11
Konteks1:10 They mock kings
and laugh at rulers.
They laugh at every fortified city;
they build siege ramps 4 and capture them.
1:11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on. 5
But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.” 6
Habakuk 3:6
Konteks3:6 He takes his battle position 7 and shakes 8 the earth;
with a mere look he frightens 9 the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrate; 10
the primeval hills are flattened.
He travels on the ancient roads. 11
Habakuk 1:16
Konteks1:16 Because of his success 12 he offers sacrifices to his throw net
and burns incense to his dragnet; 13
for because of them he has plenty of food, 14
and more than enough to eat. 15
Habakuk 1:14
Konteks1:14 You made people like fish in the sea,
like animals in the sea 16 that have no ruler.
Habakuk 3:9
Konteks3:9 Your bow is ready for action; 17
you commission your arrows. 18 Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. 19
Habakuk 1:5
Konteks1:5 “Look at the nations and pay attention! 20
You will be shocked and amazed! 21
For I will do something in your lifetime 22
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. 23
Habakuk 2:16
Konteks2:16 But you will become drunk 24 with shame, not majesty. 25
Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! 26
The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand 27 is coming to you,
and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
Habakuk 3:19
Konteks3:19 The sovereign Lord is my source of strength. 28
He gives me the agility of a deer; 29
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. 30
(This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.) 31
Habakuk 2:3
Konteks2:3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; 32
it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. 33
Even if the message 34 is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; 35
for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late.
Habakuk 3:16
Konteks3:16 I listened and my stomach churned; 36
the sound made my lips quiver.
My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying, 37
and I shook as I tried to walk. 38
I long 39 for the day of distress
to come upon 40 the people who attack us.
Habakuk 1:3-4
Konteks1:3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? 41
Why do you put up with wrongdoing? 42
Destruction and violence confront 43 me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife. 44
1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, 45
and justice is never carried out. 46
Indeed, 47 the wicked intimidate 48 the innocent. 49
For this reason justice is perverted. 50
Habakuk 1:6
Konteks1:6 Look, I am about to empower 51 the Babylonians,
that ruthless 52 and greedy 53 nation.
They sweep across the surface 54 of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
Habakuk 3:13
Konteks3:13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant. 55
You strike the leader of the wicked nation, 56
laying him open from the lower body to the neck. 57 Selah.
Habakuk 1:13
Konteks1:13 You are too just 58 to tolerate 59 evil;
you are unable to condone 60 wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people? 61
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour 62 those more righteous than they are? 63
Habakuk 2:6
Konteks2:6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him 64
and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: 65
‘The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead 66
(How long will this go on?) 67 –
he who gets rich by extortion!’ 68
Habakuk 2:17-18
Konteks2:17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; 69
terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. 70
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
2:18 What good 71 is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? 72
What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? 73
Why would its creator place his trust in it 74
and make 75 such mute, worthless things?
[2:7] 1 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] 2 tn Heb “[Will not] the ones who make you tremble awake?”
[2:7] 3 tn Heb “and you will become their plunder.”
[1:10] 4 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.
[1:11] 5 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] 6 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.
[3:6] 8 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] 9 tn Heb “makes [the nations] jump [in fear].”
[3:6] 10 tn Or “crumbled,” broke into pieces.”
[3:6] 11 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
[1:16] 13 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] 14 tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”
[1:16] 15 tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”
[1:14] 16 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.
[3:9] 17 tn Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”
[3:9] 18 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] 19 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
[1:5] 20 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] 21 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] 22 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] 23 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.”
[2:16] 24 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] 26 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] 27 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.
[3:19] 28 tn Or perhaps, “is my wall,” that is, “my protector.”
[3:19] 29 tn Heb “he makes my feet like those of deer.”
[3:19] 30 tn Heb “he makes me walk on my high places.”
[3:19] sn Difficult times are coming, but Habakkuk is confident the
[3:19] 31 tn Heb “For the leader, on my stringed instruments.”
[2:3] 32 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] 33 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] 34 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:3] 35 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.”
[3:16] 36 tn Heb “my insides trembled.”
[3:16] 37 tn Heb “decay entered my bones.”
[3:16] 38 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] 39 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] 40 tn Heb “to come up toward.”
[1:3] 41 tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”
[1:3] 42 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] 44 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”).
[1:4] 45 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] 46 tn Heb “never goes out.”
[1:4] 48 tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).
[1:4] 49 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 50 tn Heb “comes out crooked.”
[1:6] 51 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
[1:6] 52 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
[1:6] 53 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] 54 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
[3:13] 55 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] 56 tn Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”
[3:13] 57 tn Heb “laying bare [from] foundation to neck.”
[1:13] 58 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] 59 tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
[1:13] 60 tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
[1:13] 61 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] 63 tn Heb “more innocent than themselves.”
[2:6] 64 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] 65 tn Heb “and a mocking song, riddles, against him? And one will say.”
[2:6] 66 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] 67 tn This question is interjected parenthetically, perhaps to express rhetorically the pain and despair felt by the Babylonians’ victims.
[2:6] 68 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.
[2:17] 69 tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”
[2:17] 70 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.
[2:18] 71 tn Or “of what value.”
[2:18] 72 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] 73 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] 74 tn Heb “so that the one who forms his image trusts in it?” As earlier in the verse, כִּי (ki) is resultative.
