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Introduction
to Habakkuk
INTRODUCTION TO HABAKKUK
This
book is called, in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, "the Prophecy of
Habakkuk". Of this prophet, Aben Ezra and Kimchi say, we know neither his
age nor his family; which shows they paid no regard to a tradition of their
nation, mentioned by some of their ancient writersF1Zohar in Gen.
fol. 6. 3. Vid. Shalshelet Hakabala, fol. 12. 2. , that he was the son of the
Shunammite, whom Elisha raised from the dead; and find the etymology of his
name in the words of the prophet to her, "about this season, according to
the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son", 2 Kings 4:16 where
the root of his name is used; and they account for the doubling of the last
radical in his name, because of the two embraces of him, one by his mother, and
the other by the prophet. His name indeed signifies "an embrace"F2qwqbx
"amplexus", Hillerus; "amplexatio", Hieronymus. ; or, as
some, "an embracer"F3"Amplexans", ibid. ; and
the last letter being doubled, it is with others interpreted "the best
embracer"F4"Optimus amplexator", Tarnovius. ; to
which name his character and conduct agree; who, in the most tender manner,
embraced the people of God, as parents their children, and comforted them with
the assurance of their preservation, notwithstanding their captivity, and with
the promise of the Messiah's coming; suggesting to them they should live by
faith, to which he led them the way by his own example, Habakkuk 1:12, Habakkuk 2:3 but as
this is placing him too early, to put him in the times of Elisha; so it is
fixing him too late, to make him to be in the times of Daniel, and to feed him
in the den of the lions, as Joseph ben GorionF5Hist. Heb. l. 1. c.
11. p. 35, 36. , and the author of the apocryphal book of Bel and the Dragon,
say he did, which was after the Babylonish captivity was ended; whereas it is
certain this prophet prophesied of it, and must have lived some time before it;
for he speaks of the Chaldeans by name coming against the Jews, and carrying
them captive, Habakkuk 1:6. The
learned HuetiusF6Demonstr. Evangel. Prop. 4. p. 284, 301. , and
others, think there were two prophets of this name; one of the tribe of Simeon,
who lived before the captivity; and another of the tribe of Levi, who lived
after it. The Jewish chronologersF7Seder Olam Rabba, p. 55. Seder
Olam Zuta, p. 105. Tzemach David, fol. 15. 1. Juchasin, fol. 12. 2. generally
place this our prophet in the times of Manasseh; with which well enough agrees
the description of the times the prophet lived in, given in Habakkuk 1:2 though
some think he lived in the latter times of JosiahF8Bedford's
Scripture Chronology, p. 674. , or the beginning of JehoiakimF9Usher.
Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3395. ; and it is probable he was a contemporary of
the Prophet Jeremiah, with whom he agrees in many things, and prophesied of the
same. However, there is no room to doubt of the authority of this book, being
always received by the Jewish church, and agreeing with other parts of
Scripture, and especially with the prophecies of Jeremiah; and may be further
confirmed and established by the quotations out of it in the New Testament, as Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41 and Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17. The
general design of the prophecy is to comfort the people of God under the
afflictions that were coming upon them, and to encourage them to the exercise of
faith and patience, in the hope and view of the coming of the Messiah. Pseudo
EpiphaniusF11De Prophet. Vit. & Interit. c. 18. says that
Habakkuk died two years before the people of the Jews returned from Babylon,
and was honourably buried in his own native place, which he says was
Bethsocher, in the tribe of Simeon. With whom IsidoreF12De Vit.
& Mort. Sanct. c. 47. agrees, as to the time of his death; but the place of
his birth, he says, was Bethacat; and of his death, Sabarta. SozomenF13Hist.
Ecclesiast. l. 7. c. 29. reports, that, in the days of Theodosius, the grave of
Habakkuk was found in Cele, formerly the city Ceila. So Eusebius says it was
shown at Kela, eight miles from Eleutheropolis; though, in another place, he
says it was to be seen at Gabbatha, twelve miles from the same place; which may
be reconciled, by observing that it might be between them both, and be seen
from each, since they were places near to each otherF14Vid. Reland.
Palestina Illustrata, tom. 2. p. 772. . But the Cippi HebraiciF15P.
63. Ed. Hottinger. say it was at a place called Jakuk in Galilee, not far from
Sephetta, where was an academy of the Jews; and this seems to agree with what
Sanderson, a countryman of ours, as quoted by Van TillF16Habakkuk
Illustratus, p. 214. , observes; that in his journey from Damascus to
Jerusalem, between Sephet and Chapherchittin, he found a village, in which, the
Jews report, Habakkuk the prophet dwelt and died, the name of which is Jeakoke.
But these things are not to be depended on.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version
Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.