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Habakkuk
Chapter Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO HABAKKUK 3
The
title of this chapter is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, composed after the
manner of a psalm of David, and directed to the chief singer, Habakkuk 3:1. The
occasion of it is expressed, Habakkuk 3:2 in
which the prophet declares his concern for the work of the Lord, and the
promotion of the kingdom and interest of Christ; and observes the various steps
that were, or would be, taken for the advancement of it; for which he prays,
and suggests that these would be after the manner of the Lord's dealing with
the people of Israel, and settling them in the land of Canaan, Habakkuk 3:3 and
there being several things awful in this account, both with respect to the
judgments of God on his enemies, and the conflicts and trials of his own
people, it greatly affected the mind of the prophet, Habakkuk 3:16 and
yet, in the view of the worst, he expresses his strong faith in the Lord, as to
better times and things, that would most assuredly come, Habakkuk 3:17.
Habakkuk 3:1 A prayer of
Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.[a]
YLT
1A prayer of Habakkuk the
prophet concerning erring ones:
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. Of the name,
character, and office of the prophet; see Gill on Habakkuk 1:1. This
chapter is entitled a "prayer" of his, a supplicatory one, put up in
an humble and earnest manner, and in the exercise of faith, and under the
influence of a spirit of prophecy. He before had a vision of the coming of
Christ, and of what enemies would rise up, and obstruct his kingdom and
interest in the world; and here lie prays that these obstructions might be removed,
and that the kingdom of Christ, in its full extent and glory, might take place
in the world; and is a prayer of faith, as he prayed it might be, he believed
it would be; and left this prayer behind him, for the use and instruction of
the church in all ages, until the whole should be accomplished. It seems to be
composed after the manner of the psalms of David, to make it the more pleasant
and agreeable; and that it might be the more regarded, and be more fitted for
the public use and service of the sanctuary: this appears from the style of it,
which is poetical, lofty, and sublime; from the frequent use of the word
"Selah", peculiar to the psalms of David, Habakkuk 3:3 and
from the direction of it to the chief singer on the stringed instruments, Habakkuk 3:19 and
from the phrase "upon", or "according to Shigionoth" here,
which the Septuagint version renders "with a song"; and so the Arabic
version, "after the manner of a song"; for this word seems to
be the plural of Shiggaion, the title of the seventh psalm Psalm 7:1; which
was either the name, title, or first word of some song or songs, according to
which this was to be sung; or the name of the tune with which it was to be
sung; or of the instrument on which was to be sung: it very probably designs,
and may called, an "erratic" or "wandering" song, because
of the variableness of its metre, and of its tune. The Vulgate Latin version
wrongly interprets it, "for ignorances"; as if this was a prayer of
the prophet's for the pardon sins of error and ignorance committed by himself,
or by others, or both; which sense is favoured by the Targum,
"a
prayer which Habakkuk the prophet prayed, when it was revealed unto him
concerning the length (of time) which (God) gave to the wicked; that, if they
would return to the law with a perfect heart, they should be forgiven all the
sins which they had committed before him as ignorance:'
but
there does not appear throughout the whole prayer one single petition for the
pardon of any sin at all.
Habakkuk 3:2 2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the
years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.
YLT
2O Jehovah, I heard thy
report, I have been afraid, O Jehovah, Thy work! in midst of years revive it,
In the midst of years Thou makest known In anger Thou dost remember mercy.
O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid,.... Or,
"thy hearing"F16שמעך "tuam
auditionem", V. L. Burkius; "tuum auditum", Pagninus, Montanus;
"rumorem", Tarnovius. ; which the Lord had caused to be heard from
and of himself; the report that had been made to him, and other prophets before
him, particularly Isaiah, who says, "who hath believed our report?" Isaiah 53:1 where
the same phrase is used as here: though it seems here not so much to regard the
evangelical part of that report, concerning the coming of Christ, his
sufferings and death, in order obtain redemption and salvation for his people;
for this would have been, and was, matter of joy, and not of fear and
consternation: but the truth is this, the Lord in the preceding speech, being a
report he made to the prophet concerning the Messiah, had signified that Christ
would have many enemies from the Jews and from the Gentiles, from Rome Pagan
and Rome Papal; that the church of Christ would meet with great afflictions and
persecutions, and be attended with many conflicts, temptations, and difficulties;
that the interest of the Redeemer would be sometimes very low, and the work of
the Lord at a stand in the world, yea, seemingly dead, quite lost and gone;
this is what caused the fear and distress in the prophet's mind, and gave him
that pain and uneasiness: and hence the following petition,
O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years; which refers
not to the deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, which was fixed to a term
of years, when, and not before, not in the midst of them it would be wrought;
but to the great work of the Lord in the times of the Gospel. There is a double
reading of these words in the Septuagint version of them, and both very
different from the Hebrew text. The one is, "in the midst of two lives
thou shalt be known"; the life that now is, and that which is to come. The
other, by a change of the accent, is, "in the midst of two animals thou
shall be known"; so the Arabic version. Theodoret makes mention of both,
and inclines to the former;
"some
(he says) by two animals understand angels and men; some the incorporeal powers
near the divine Glory, the cherubim and seraphim; others the Jews and
Babylonians; but to me it seems that the prophet does not say animals, but
lives, the present and future, in the midst of which he was a just Judge:'
but
the latter reading is followed by many of the ancients, whose different senses
are given by Jerom on the place; some interpreting them of the Son and Spirit,
by whom the Father is made known; others of the two cherubim in Exodus, and of
the two seraphim in Isaiah; and there were some who understood them of the two
Testaments, the Old and New, in the midst of which the Lord may be known; and
others of Christ's being crucified between two thieves, by which be might be
known: but, besides these different sentiments, many of the ancients concluded
from hence that Christ lay in the manger between two animals, the ox and the
ass, and to which they refer in their ancient hymnsF17"Agnoscat
bos et asinus Jacentem in praesepio." And again, "Cognovit bos et
asinus, Quod paer erat Dominus." ; but though this is a wrong version of
the text, and a wrong sense which is put upon it, together with Isaiah 1:3; yet, as
Burkius observes, there is in this mistake a certain and ancient truth, that
the text of Habakkuk belongs to the work of God in Christ, and especially to
the nativity of our Lord Jesus; and so some later writers apply this to the
wonderful work of the incarnation of Christ, that new, unheard of, and amazing
thing the Lord would work in the earth; the promise of which, being delayed,
might seem to be dead; and therefore it is entreated it might be revived, and
the performance of it hastened; and others to the work of redemption by Christ,
which the Father gave him to do, and he promised to come and perform; but,
being deferred, the Old Testament saints were impatient of it. Cocceius and Van
Till restrain it to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, his coming being
prophesied of before; and render the words, "O Lord, thy work is his lifeF18Taking
חייהו for חייו, as ידיהו for ידיו in ver. 10. So Ben
Melech observes it may be taken. , in the midst of the years"; the
resurrection of Christ from the dead, or the quickening of him, is prophesied
of in many places as a work that would be done, and in which the hope and
expectation of the saints were placed; this being a work of great importance
both to Christ, his exaltation and glory, and to his people; their quickening
together with him; their regeneration, or passing from death to life; their
justification of life, and resurrection from the dead, depending upon it; and
this is the Lord's work, and owing to the exceeding greatness of his power, and
is frequently ascribed to God the Father, who raised Christ from the dead, and
gave him glory: and this was "in the midst of the years", or between
the years of the Old and of the New Testament; the former was the year of God's
longsuffering and forbearance, the time when the Jewish church, like children,
were under governors and tutors, until the time appointed of the Father; the
latter is the acceptable year of the Lord, and the year of the redeemed; and
between these two years, at the end of the one, and the beginning of the other,
the Messiah came, was cut off or died, and was quickened and raised again: but
I should choose rather to understand this more generally of the work of the
Lord in the Christian churches throughout the whole Gospel dispensation, or at least
in some certain periods of it. The church itself is the work of the hands of
the Lord, Isaiah 45:11 which
sometimes has seemed to have been in a very dead and lifeless state and
condition, as in the dark times of Popery; and though there was a reviving of
it upon the Reformation, yet there has been a decline since; and the Sardian
church state, in which we now are, is described as having a "name",
that it "lives", and yet is "dead"; and the interest of
religion, and the church of Christ, will be lower still when the witnesses are
slain, and their dead bodies lie unburied, before the Spirit of the Lord enters
into them, and revives them: now the prophet having in view these various
intervals, and especially the last, prays for a reviving of the interest and
church of Christ, and the work of the Lord in it; and which will be done when
Christ will come in a spiritual manner, and destroy antichrist; when the Spirit
will be poured down plentifully from on high; when the Gospel will be purely
and powerfully preached all over the world; when the ordinances of it will be
administered as at the beginning; when multitudes of churches will be raised
and formed, the Jews will be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles brought
in: this will be a reviving time indeed! and there never will be a thorough one
till this time comes; and this will be in "the midst of the years";
between the years of the reign of antichrist, the 1260 days or years of it,
which will now expire, and the thousand years of Christ's personal reign on
earth; between these two will be this reviving time or spiritual reign of
ChristF19The Targum interprets these years of the time in which God
will renew the world. . The words may to good purpose be applied to the work of
grace in the hearts of true believers in Christ, which is the Lord's work, and
his only; not men, not ministers, not angels, but Jehovah only is the author
and finisher of it. This sometimes seems as it were to be dead, when the graces
of the Spirit are not in exercise; when saints are in dead and lifeless frames
of soul; when they are backward to spiritual and religious exercises; when the
world, and the things of it, have got power over them, and they are unconcerned
for the things of Christ, the honour of his name, and the good of their own
souls; when they are under the power of some sin, and are carried captive by
it, as was the case of David, Peter, and others: now this work is revived, when
the graces of the Spirit are called forth again into lively exercise; when the
affections go out strongly after divine objects and things; when the thoughts
of the mind, and the meditations of the heart, are on spiritual subjects; when
the talk and conversation turns chiefly on things of a religious and heavenly
nature; when there is a forwardness to spiritual exercises, a stirring up of
themselves and others to them, and a continuance in them; when there is a
visible growing in grace, and a fruitfulness in every good work: this is to be
prayed for, and is from the Lord; and is owing to his setting his hand a second
time to the work; to his being as the dew to his people; to Christ the sun of
righteousness arising on them, with healing in his wings; and to the south wind
of the Spirit blowing upon them, and causing their spices to flow out; and this
is desirable in the midst of their years, before the years come on in which
they have no pleasure, or before they go hence, and be no more:
in the midst of the years make known; which
Cocceius and Van Till restrain to the notification of Christ's resurrection
from the dead by the ministry of the Gospel, for the benefit of the Lord's
people, both Jews and Gentiles; as being a matter of great consequence to them,
and for the confirmation of the Christian religion, as it undoubtedly was: but
it seems better to understand it in a more general sense, that God would make
known more of himself, as the covenant God and Father of his people, of his
mind and will, of his love, grace, and mercy in Christ; that he would make
known more of Christ, of his person, offices, and grace; that he would make
known more clearly the work of his Spirit and grace upon their hearts, and
display his power, and the efficacy of his grace, in reviving it, and carrying
it on; that he would make known more largely his covenant and promises, his
truth and faithfulness in the performance of them; that he would grant a larger
measure of knowledge of all divine things of the Gospel, and the truths of it;
such as is promised, and is expected will be in the latter day, when the earth
shall be everywhere filled with the knowledge of the Lord, Habakkuk 2:14,
in wrath remember mercy; the above interpreters
refer this to the time of God's wrath and vengeance upon the Jewish nation for
their rejection of the Messiah; and which the prophet does not pray might be
averted, but that mercy might be remembered to his own people among them, as
was; who had the Gospel first preached to them, and were called by grace and
saved; and who had an opportunity given them of escaping from Jerusalem, before
the destruction of that city: but it may be more agreeable to interpret this of
the state of the churches of Christ and true believers; who, when under
affliction and distress, or in temptation and desertion, are ready to conclude
that God is dealing with them in wrath; and whom the prophet personates, and by
him they are taught to pray, that at such seasons God would remember his
covenant, his promises, his lovingkindness and tender mercies, the favour he
bears to his own people, and smile on them again, and comfort their souls.
Habakkuk 3:3 3 God
came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise.
YLT
3God from Teman doth come,
The Holy One from mount Paran. Pause! Covered the heavens hath His majesty, And
His praise hath filled the earth.
God came from Teman,.... Or, "may God
come from Teman"F20יבוא
"veniet", so some in Calvin, Van Till. ; since it is part of the
prayer of Habakkuk: or, as "from Teman"F21מתימן "sicuti olim ex Theman", Van Till. ; as he
of old came from thence, a city in the land of Edom, Jeremiah 49:7 it
was five miles from Petra, in Idumea, where was Mount Seir, from whence the
Lord arose, and shone forth from Mount Paran, at the giving of the law, Deuteronomy 33:2 to
which the allusion is here. So the Targum,
"at
the giving of the law to his people, God was revealed from the south;'
for
so Teman signifies. The prophet, to encourage his own faith, and the faith of
others, takes notice, in this and the following verses, of the instances of the
grace, goodness, and power of God to his people Israel, in appearing to them at
Mount Sinai, going before them in the wilderness, destroying their enemies,
casting them out before them, and introducing them into the land of Canaan, and
settling them there; suggesting, that he that had done these great and
wonderful things would support and maintain, carry on and promote, his own
kingdom and interest in the world; in order to which the prophet prays to God
the Father for the coming of his Son, either in the flesh, that the incarnate
God would appear in the world, and set up his kingdom in it; or, in prayer, he
prophesies of it, and expresses his faith in it: "God cometh from the
south"; or, "he shall come"F23Venit, Grotius;
"veniet", Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin, Gussetius. , as it may be
rendered: he knew, from the prophecy of Micah, that he that was to be ruler in
Israel was to come from Bethlehem, Micah 5:2 which lay
to the south of Jerusalem; and from hence he expected him, and believed he
would come, and prayed for it as being most desirable and welcome: or else this
respects the coming of the Messiah, in the ministration of the word to Jews and
Gentiles, after his resurrection from the dead, and ascension to heaven, and
the pouring forth of his Spirit on the day of Pentecost; that as the Lord came
from the places here mentioned, when he gave the law on Mount Sinai, so he
would send forth his Gospel out of Zion and Jerusalem, and go forth himself
along with it, riding in his glory, and in his majesty, conquering and to
conquer; causing his ministers to triumph in him, and by them subdue multitudes
of souls to him, both in Judea, and in the Gentile world, whereby his kingdom
might appear in it:
and the Holy One from Mount Paran; or, "even the Holy
One"F24וקדוש. ; that came or shined
forth "from Mount Paran" formerly; for it was Christ then that
appeared on Mount Sinai, and gave to Moses the lively oracles of God; see Psalm 68:17 he, as
he is truly God, God manifest in the flesh, "Immanuel", God with us;
so he is the holy One of God, infinitely and essentially holy, as a divine
Person; and holy, and harmless, and without sin in his human nature and life;
and is the sanctifier and sanctification of his people. Mount Paran was
situated to the south of the land of Canaan, as well as Teman, which so
signifies, as before observed. It is called by Ptolemy, Pomponius Mela, and
others, Strobilus, from its likeness to a pineapple. It had its name from the
city Paran, which lay between Egypt and ArabiaF25Hiller. Onomastic.
p. 585, 908. ; see 1 Kings 11:18 which
Jerom saysF26De locis Hebr. fol. 91. F. G. was three days' journey
from Aila to the east; mention is made of Ail, or Elparan in Genesis 14:6 near
to which was the wilderness of Paran, frequently spoken of in Scripture, Genesis 21:21 the
same which JosephusF1De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 9. sect. 4. calls the
valley or plain of Pharan, where Simon of Gerasa made caves and dens, and hid
the treasure he plundered from the people: according to AdrichomiusF2Theatrum
Terrae Sanctae, p. 116. , it was a most dreadful barren desert, where nothing
grew, or was to be had, through which the children of Israel journeyed; and was
sometimes taken for the first part of the desert of Arabia, near Mount Sinai,
and sometimes for the last part of it, towards the land of promise; sometimes
it was called the desert of Sin, and sometimes the desert of Sinai, from that mountain;
but its most general name was that of Paran, and contained eleven days' journey
from Mount Sinai to Kadeshbarnea. Mount Paran (he saysF3Ibid. p.
123. ) is thick and shady, near to Mount Sinai, and even
"contiguous", as it should seem to be from Deuteronomy 33:2 to
which the reference is here. So HillerusF4Ut supra, (Hiller.
Onomastic.) p. 431, 477, 908. interprets it, "full of boughs", or
"branches"; or else he would have it to signify "the corner of
Aran", the son of Dishan, a son of Seir the Horite, who inhabited this
country; see Genesis 36:20 and
both Teman and Paran being to the south, may point to the place of the
Redeemer, by whom the great work was to be done, referred unto. Jerom says he
heard a Hebrew man discourse on this passage, thus,
"that
Bethlehem lies to the south, where the Lord and Saviour was born: and that he
it is of whom it is here said, "the Lord shall come from the south";
that is, shall be born in Bethlehem, and thence arise; and because he who is
born in Bethlehem formerly gave the law on Mount Sinai, he is "the Holy
One" that came from "Mount Paran"; seeing Paran is a place near
to Mount Sinai; and the word "Selah" signifies "always";
and the sense is, he who is born in Bethlehem, and who on Mount Sinai, that is,
on Mount Paran, gave the law, always is the author and giver of all blessings,
past, present, and to come.'
The
word
Selah stands here in the middle of the verse. It is interpreted, by
several of the Jewish writers, "for ever", as by the aforementioned
Hebrew; and by others as an affirmation, and render it, "verily,
truly", as answering to "Amen". Some understand it as a pause or
full stop, denoting attention to something said that is remarkable; and others
take it to be a note, directing the singer to the elevation of his voice, where
it stands; and so it is no other than a musical note; hence the Septuagint
render it διαψαλμα. A very learned
manF5Paschii Dissertatio de Selah, p. 670. in Thesaur. Theolog.
Philolog. par. 1. has wrote a dissertation upon it, showing that it is one of
the names of God; and used differently, as the sense requires, either in the
vocative case, as "Selah", that is, O God; or in the other cases, of
God, to God, &c.:
his glory covered the heavens; that is, the glory of
God, the Holy One, when he came, or should come: this was true of him when he
descended on Mount Sinai, and his glory abode upon it; and the sight of his
glory was like devouring fire; and the elders saw the God of Israel, under
whose feet was as a paved work of sapphire, and as the body of heaven in its
clearness; yea, so great as to make the light and glory of the celestial bodies
useless, even to cover and hide the shining of them; see Exodus 24:10 and
may respect the glorious appearances at the birth of Christ, when the heavenly
host descended, and sung Glory to God in the highest, and when the glory of the
Lord shone round about the shepherds, Luke 2:9 and at his
baptism, when the heavens were opened, the Father's voice was heard, and the
Spirit descended on Christ, as a dove; and at his transfiguration, when his
face shone as the sun; and Moses and Elias appeared in glorious forms, and a
bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice was heard from the excellent Glory,
Matthew 3:16 or
rather it may be, this may respect Christ as the brightness of his Father's
glory, and the glory of God in the face of Christ, as set forth in the light of
the glorious Gospel of Christ, when carried throughout the world by his
apostles; whereby his glory was so spread in it, that the heavens were covered
with it, and declared it; yea, it was set above the heavens, and the name of
the Lord became excellent in all the earth, as follows; see Psalm 19:1,
and the earth was full of his praise; with the
words of his praise, as the Targum; so the fame of the mighty things done by
the Lord in Egypt, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, for his people,
reached the nations of the world, and especially those of the land of Canaan,
and struck them with awe and dread, Joshua 2:9 and the
fame of Christ, his miracles and doctrines, went through the land of Israel,
and all Syria; and multitudes glorified God, and praised him for what was done
by him, Matthew 4:23 and
more especially the earth was filled with his glory and praise when his Gospel
was carried into all the parts of it by his apostles; which occasioned universal
joy to all sensible sinners, and filled their hearts and mouths with praise to
God for such a Saviour, and for such blessings of grace and good things that
came by him: or, "the earth was full of his light"F6תהלתו מלאה הארץ
"et lux ejus implevit terram", Junius & Tremellius; "et
splendoris, vel fulgoris ejus plena terra", Vatablus, Drusius; so
Kimchi, Ben Melech, and R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 3. 1. ; of the light of
his Gospel, and of the knowledge of himself by it.
Habakkuk 3:4 4 His
brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And
there His power was hidden.
YLT
4And the brightness is as
the light, He hath rays out of His hand, And there -- the hiding of His
strength.
And his brightness was as the light,.... Of fire,
of devouring fire on the top of the mount, to which the sight of his glory was
like, Exodus 24:16 to
which Kimchi refers it. Aben Ezra thinks the pillar of fire is intended, in
which the Lord went before his people in the wilderness, Exodus 13:21 or as
the light and splendour of Bereshith, as the Targum, of that primogenital light
which was produced on the first day of the creation; or as the light of the
seven days of the creation, as Jarchi; see Isaiah 30:26 or
rather as the light of the sun shining in its full strength, Christ being the
light of the world, and the sun of righteousness; and so may describe him as
the brightness of his Father's glory; or his glory, as the only begotten of the
Father, seen by his own disciples in the days of his flesh, shining through his
works and miracles; or as exhibited in the light of his glorious Gospel, which
is the great light that shined on men; and in and by which they that sat in
darkness saw light, and who were darkness itself were made light in the Lord:
what a glory, lustre, brightness, and light, did the Gospel spread in the world
at the first publication of it!
he had horns coming out of his hand; which the Jewish
interpreters understand of Moses having horns or beams of light and glory from
the hand and power of God, when he conversed with him on the mount, and the
skin of his face shone, where the same word is used as here, Exodus 34:29 though
some of them interpret it of the two tables of the law, which came from the
hand of the Lord, edged with glory and brightness, and looked like fire; hence
called a "fiery law", Deuteronomy 33:2.
The words may be rendered, as in the margin, "he had beams" coming
"out of his side"F7קרנים מידו לו "e lateribus
utrinque emicabant cornua", i. e. "radii", Drusius. ; and be
understood of Christ, who has beams and rays of glory on all sides of him, all
around him; he is all gloryF8So R. Joseph Albo interprets them of
sparks of spiritual light, which come from God himself, and not another. Vid.
Sepher Ikkarim, l. 2. c. 29. ; he is crowned with glory and honour, and highly
exalted at his Father's right hand, above all principalities and powers: and
"horns" being an emblem of power and might, authority and dominion,
the phrase may denote that power and authority in heaven and in earth are given
to him as Mediator, and exercised by him. Van Till observes, that the word
"horn" is a military term, and is used for the wings of armies, the
right and left; and as Christ is here described as a General of an army,
marching forth in a warlike manner; these may denote the armies or companies
under him, at his hand, and under his command, accoutred, and ready to obey his
orders; and particularly may have respect to the division made among the
apostles, whom he sent forth to subdue men to him; committing the Gospel of the
circumcision to Peter, and of the uncircumcision to Paul, Galatians 2:7 whose
ministrations were made successful to the pulling down of the strong holds of
sin and Satan, and reducing many to the obedience of Christ:
and there was the hiding of his power; that is, in
his hand; there his power, which before was hidden, was made manifest; and yet
so little displayed, in comparison of what it is in itself, that it may be
rather said to be hid than revealed; or there, in his hand, lies his power,
with which he hides and covers his people in the day of battle; especially his
ministering servants, whom he holds in his right hand, and preserves them
amidst a thousand dangers and difficulties, and keeps them for further
usefulness; see Acts 18:10. The
Targum is,
"sparks
went out from the chariot of his glory; there he revealed his majesty, which
was hid from the children of men, with sublime power.'
Aben
Ezra thinks the ark is meant by "the hiding of his power", called
"the ark of his strength", Psalm 132:8.
Habakkuk 3:5 5 Before
Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet.
YLT
5Before Him goeth
pestilence, And a burning flame goeth forth at His feet.
Before him went the pestilence,.... Either in the land
of Egypt, when he marched through that, and slew all their firstborn, Psalm 78:50 or
rather which he sent before him, and Israel his people among the nations of the
land of Canaan, with other diseases and judgments, and destroyed them to make
way for his people, which may be here alluded to, Exodus 23:27 and
may point at the judgments of God, and those pestilential diseases which seized
upon the persecutors of the Christians, both among the Jews, as Herod, Acts 12:23 and
among the Gentiles, as many of the Roman emperors, who died violent and
grievous deaths; and particularly it may regard the pestilence, famine, and
other sore judgments preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
inhabitants of it, for their rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah:
and burning coals went forth at his feet; which some
understand of hailstones mingled with fire, to which the allusion may be, being
one of the plagues of Egypt, Exodus 9:23. Some
interpret it of hot diseases, burning fevers, so Kimchi; which are at the
command of God, and sent forth by him when he pleases, to do his will. The
ancient fathers expound all this of the destruction of death, and the devil,
and his principalities, by Christ upon the cross; and the Targum is,
"from
before him was sent forth the angel of death, and his word went forth in a
flame of fire;'
but
this seems to have respect to the burning of the city and temple of Jerusalem,
which was done by the Romans as instruments, but according to the direction,
order, and will of Christ, Matthew 22:7 see Psalm 18:12.
Habakkuk 3:6 6 He
stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the
everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are
everlasting.
YLT
6He hath stood, and He
measureth earth, He hath seen, and He shaketh off nations, And scatter
themselves do mountains of antiquity, Bowed have the hills of old, The ways of
old [are] His.
He stood and measured the earth,.... This alludes to the
ark of the Lord, the symbol of his presence, standing and abiding at Gilgal for
the space of fourteen years, while the land of Canaan was subdued by Joshua; and
then measured out by him, and divided by lot, as an inheritance to the children
of Israel, according to the direction and appointment of the Lord, Joshua 13:1 &c.:
here it may have respect to the mission of the apostles into the various parts
of the world, and the distribution of it among them; some being sent into one
part, and some into another, called their particular line and measure, 2 Corinthians 10:14
some into India, others into Ethiopia; some into Asia, and others into Europe;
by which means the Gospel was preached everywhere, and great part of the world
became Christians:
he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; with a look
of his he made them give way; he drove the Canaanites out of the land, and
separated them from one another, and scattered them about, to make room for his
people Israel, Psalm 78:55,
and the everlasting mountains were scattered; or,
"were broken"F9יתפצצו
"contriti sunt", Pagninus, Montanus; so R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed,
fol. 95. 1. :
the perpetual hills did bow; the mountains and hills
that were from the beginning of the creation, that were settled upon their
bases, and never moved, now trembled, shook, and bowed, as Sinai and others
did, at the presence of the God of Israel; see Judges 5:5 or
rather, figuratively, these may design the kingdoms and states, kings and
princes, greater and lesser, belonging to the land of Canaan, which were
shaken, moved, and taken by the Israelites, and brought into subjection to
them; and in like manner kings and kingdoms, comparable to mountains and hills,
through the preaching of the Gospel, and the power of Christ attending it, were
brought to yield unto him, at the downfall of Paganism in the Roman empire:
this is signified by every mountain and island being moved out of their places,
and kings and great men calling to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and
hide them from the wrath of the Lamb, Revelation 6:14,
his ways are everlasting; and what he has done in
ages past he can do again; his power, his wisdom, and his grace, are
unchangeably the same; and all he does in time, every step he takes, is
according to his counsels, purposes, and decrees in eternity, which infallibly
come to pass; nor can he be hindered and frustrated in the execution of them;
as he has begun, he will go on; as he has set up his kingdom in the world, he
will support and maintain it; and though there are many obstructions and
remoras in the way of it, he will go on, and remove them, until he has
thoroughly established it, and brought it to its highest glory, which he has
designed; all mountains and hills are nothing before him; he can soon make them
a plain; see Revelation 11:15,
or, "the ways of the worldF11הליכות עולם "itinera mundi", Vatablus, Tigurine version.
are his"; the world is under his government, and all things in it subject
to his providence; he can rule and overrule all things for his own glory, and
the good of his interest, and he will do it; everything is subject to his
control, and under his direction; not a step can be taken without his will.
This the prophet observes along with the above things, to encourage the faith
and expectation of the saints, that the work of the Lord will be revived, and
his kingdom and interest promoted and established in the world; though there
may, and will, be many difficulties and distresses previous to it.
Habakkuk 3:7 7 I
saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian
trembled.
YLT
7Under sorrow I have seen
tents of Cushan, Tremble do curtains of the land of Midian.
I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction,.... The same
with Cush or Ethiopia; hence the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render
it, "the tents of the Ethiopians"; and these are the same with
"the curtains of Midian" in the next clause, tents being made of
curtains, and the Ethiopians and Midianites the same people; so the daughter of
the priest of Midian, whom Moses married, is called an Ethiopian woman, Exodus 2:21. This
seems to have respect to that panic which seized the neighbouring nations by
whom the Israelites passed, as well as the Canaanites, into whose land they were
marching, when they heard what wonderful things were done for them in Egypt, at
the Red sea, and in the wilderness, which was predicted by Moses in Exodus 15:14 and
not only fulfilled in the Canaanites, as appears from what Rahab says, Joshua 2:9 but
particularly in the Moabites and Midianites, who sent to each other, and
consulted together against Israel; and, by the advice of Balaam, found ways and
means to draw them into fornication, and so to idolatry; for which the
Israelites having suffered, were stirred up to avenge themselves on them, and
slew five of their kings, and a great multitude of their people; and so the
words may be rendered, "for iniquity"F12תחת און "propter
iniquitatem", V. L. Calvin, Tigurine version. ; and the word is often used
for idolatry; that is, for the sin they drew the Israelites into, they were
brought into trembling and great distress, which the prophet saw, perceived,
and understood by reading the history of those times; see Numbers 22:3 though
the Jewish commentators, and others, generally refer this to the case of
Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia, who carried Israel into captivity, from
whence they were delivered by Othniel, who prevailed against Cushan, and into
whose hands he fell; and so then he and his people were seen in affliction, Judges 3:7 but
Cushan here is not the name of a man, but of a country: and whereas it follows,
the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble; this is
thought to refer to the times of Gideon, when the Midianites were overcome by
him with three hundred men, and in their fright fell upon and destroyed each
other; signified by a barley cake tumbling into the host of Midian, and
overturning a tent, as represented in a dream to one of Gideon's men, Judges 7:13 but the
former reference seems best; and it should be observed, that Cush or Ethiopia,
and Midian, were parts of Arabia; for not only the Arabians are said to be near
the Ethiopians, or at the hand of the Cushites, 2 Chronicles 21:16
but Sinai, a part of Horeb, where Moses fed the flock of his father-in-law, the
priest of Midian, is expressly said to be in Arabia; compare Exodus 3:1 and with
those Arabians called Scenitae, from their dwelling in tents, agree the
characters in the text: now the people inhabiting those places, the prophet
foresaw by a spirit of prophecy "under vanity"F13"Subjecta
vanitati", Heb.; "sub vanitate", Piscator, Cocceius, Van Till. ,
as it may be rendered; that is, "subject" to it, as the whole Gentile
world was, Romans 8:20 or
under the power of idolatry; but it was foretold that these should be converted
in Gospel times, Psalm 68:31 which
was brought about, partly by the Apostles Matthew and Matthias, said to be sent
into Ethiopia; and partly by the Ethiopian eunuch, converted and baptized by
Philip, who doubtless was the means of spreading the Gospel in his own country,
when returned to it, Acts 8:27 and
chiefly by the Apostle Paul, who went into Arabia, and preached there, quickly
after his conversion; and here were churches in the first times of
Christianity; See Gill on Galatians 1:17 and
at this time Cushan or Ethiopia was in affliction; and the Midianites trembled,
such of them to whom the word came in power, and they were made sensible of
their danger and misery, as the apostle did, the instrument of their
conversion, Acts 9:6 once more,
as an Ethiopian is an emblem of a man in a state of nature, and describes very
aptly wicked and profligate persons, apostates from religion, and such as are
persecutors of good men, Jeremiah 13:23 it
may design such here; and be expressive of their distress and trouble, the fear
and dread they would be seized with on seeing Christianity prevail, and
Paganism falling in the Roman empire; which distress and trembling are in a
very lively manner set forth in Revelation 6:15.
Habakkuk 3:8 8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger
against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on
Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?
YLT
8Against rivers hath Jehovah
been wroth? Against rivers [is] Thine anger? Against the sea [is] Thy wrath?
For Thou dost ride on Thy horses -- Thy chariots of salvation?
Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger
against the rivers?.... Referring, as is commonly thought, either to the rivers in
Egypt turned into blood, which was one of the plagues of that land, Exodus 7:20 when
the resentment of the Lord was not so much against them as against the
Egyptians; and as a punishment of them for drowning the infants of the
Israelites in them, and in order to obtain the dismissal of his people from
that land: or else to the river Jordan, called "rivers", because of
the largeness of it, and the abundance of water in it; against which the Lord
was not angry, when he divided the waters of it, which was done only to make a
passage through it for his people into the land of Canaan, Joshua 3:16,
was thy wrath against the
sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of
salvation? the Red sea, when a strong east wind was sent, and divided the
waters of it, which was no mark of displeasure against that; but for the
benefit of the people of Israel, that they might pass through it as on dry
land; and for the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts, who, entering into it
with his horses and chariots, were drowned; the Lord coming forth against him,
riding on his horses and chariots, the pillar of fire and cloud, by which he
defended Israel, and through which he looked, and discomfited the host of the
Egyptians, and wrought salvation for his people; see Exodus 14:19 with
which compare Psalm 114:3. The
clouds are the chariots of the Lord, Psalm 104:3 so
angels, who are sometimes signified by horses and chariots, Psalm 18:10 Zechariah 1:8 and
here they may design the angels of Michael, or Christ, Revelation 12:7 the
Christian emperors, Constantine and Theodosius, whom the Lord raised up, and
made use of as instruments to demolish Paganism, establish Christianity, and
deliver and save his people from their persecutors, who came in like a flood
upon them; and who, for their number and force, were comparable to rivers, yea,
to the sea; and upon whom the Lord showed some manifest tokens of his wrath and
displeasure; so people, tongues, and nations, are compared to many waters, Revelation 17:15
and monarchs and their armies, Isaiah 8:7 and the
Targum here interprets the rivers of kings and their armies: and it may be
observed that some parts of the Roman empire are signified by the sea, and
rivers and fountains of waters, on which the blowing of the second and third
trumpets brought desolation; as the antichristian states are described by the
same, on which the second and third vials of God's wrath will be poured, when
he will indeed be displeased and angry with the rivers and the sea,
figuratively understood, Revelation 8:8.
Habakkuk 3:9 9 Your
bow was made quite ready; Oaths were sworn over Your arrows.[b] Selah You divided the earth with rivers.
YLT
9Utterly naked Thou dost
make Thy bow, Sworn are the tribes -- saying, `Pause!' [With] rivers Thou dost
cleave the earth.
Thy bow was made quite naked,.... It was took out of
its case, and arrows out of their quiver, and these made use of against the
enemies of his people: this is put for all weapons of war; the sword was
unsheathed, and all military weapons employed, and the power of the Lord was
exerted; or, as the Targum,
"the
Lord was revealed in his power;'
fighting
the battles of his people, as in the times of Joshua:
according to the oaths
of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. That is, to fulfil his
word of promise, to which he had annexed his oaths, he at several times swore
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to the fathers of the Israelites, that he
would put them in possession of the land of Canaan; and which being worthy of
notice, and to be remarked, the word "Selah" is added. So the Targum,
"in
revealing thou art revealed in thy power, because of thy covenant which thy
word made with the tribes for ever.'
The
"bow" here is an emblem of the Gospel, with which Christ the Captain
of our salvation, the antitype of Joshua, went forth, more especially in the
first ages of Christianity, conquering and to conquer, Revelation 6:2. The
arrows of this bow are the doctrines of the Gospel, which are sharp in the
heart of Christ's enemies, his elect; who are so in a state of nature, whereby
they are brought into subjection to him, Psalm 45:5 and
hereby the promises of God confirmed by his oaths are accomplished, that the
spiritual seed of Christ shall endure for ever; or he shall never want a seed
to serve him, Psalm 89:35,
Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers; which is
generally supposed to allude to the smiting of the rock, from whence waters
gushed out, and ran in dry places like a river; for which channels or canals
were made in the earth, in which they flowed and followed the Israelites
wherever they went, and supplied man and beast with water. So the Targum,
"for
thou didst break strong rocks, rivers came forth overflowing the earth;'
see
Psalm 105:41 but
this seems to be going back in the history; rather therefore this refers to the
rivers formed in the land of Canaan, whereby it became fertile; hence it is
called a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, that spring out of
valleys and hills, Deuteronomy 8:7.
This may respect, in futurity, either the provisions of grace, and the large
abundance of the blessings of it, made for the supply and satisfaction of the
children of God in times of distress and difficulty, Isaiah 41:17 or
that help and assistance against, protection and deliverance from, the flood of
persecution, cast out after the church by Satan, in order to overwhelm her, by
the earth opening its mouth, and swallowing up the flood, Revelation 12:15.
Habakkuk 3:10 10 The
mountains saw You and trembled; The overflowing of the water passed by. The
deep uttered its voice, And lifted its hands on high.
YLT
10Seen thee -- pained are
mountains, An inundation of waters hath passed over, Given forth hath the deep
its voice, High its hands it hath lifted up.
The mountains saw thee, and they trembled,.... At the
power and presence of God, as Sinai of old; See Gill on Habakkuk 3:6 by
which are signified mighty people and nations, kings and great men, struck with
terror at the amazing providence of God in the world, on the behalf of his own
people, and against their enemies; see Revelation 6:14,
the overflowing of the water passed by; which is
usually referred to the overflowing of the river Jordan at the time of the
passage of the Israelites through it, when the waters above stood and rose up
as a heap, and those below failed, and were cut off, and passed away into the
salt sea, Joshua 3:15 but
perhaps it may refer to the times of David, when he conquered all his enemies
round about, who were like an overflowing flood; but now passed away,
particularly the Philistines, who had always been very troublesome to Israel,
but now were overcome by David at Baalperazim; where the Lord, on the contrary,
broke forth upon his enemies as the breach of waters, from whence the place had
its name, 2 Samuel 5:20 and
as this respects time that was then to come, when this prayer was made, it may
regard the flood of persecution, which ceased in Constantine's time, when
Paganism was abolished, and Christianity established; concerning which it might
be said, "the winter is past, the rain is over and gone", Song of Solomon 2:11
and the wordF14זרם "nimbus",
Tigurine version; "impetus", Munster; "imber aquosus",
Cocceius, Van Till; "inundatio aquarum", Burkius. here used signifies
a large shower of rain, causing an inundation, a storm, a tempest; and so fitly
expresses the violence of persecution, now at an end:
the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up hands on high; language very
poetical, exceeding striking, very beautiful and elegant. It is generally
understood of the deep waters of the Red sea, or of Jordan, or both, when
divided for the Israelites to pass through; at which time, when they rose up,
they made a great noise, and stood on a heap; and so the phrases are expressive
of the roaring and raging of them as they rose up, which was as if they had
spoken; and of the position in which they were, standing up on high, as if they
had hands, and these lifted up: but rather they figuratively refer to the
mighty nations conquered by David, who asked favour and mercy of him, and
signified their subjection to him; and, having respect to times to come, may
denote the subjection of the multitude of people and nations in the Roman
empire to Christ, when heathenism was abolished in it; and the joy and
rejoicing of Christians upon it, and the ceasing of persecution in it, even
high and low, rich and poor, all ranks and degrees of men; height and depth,
men in high or low circumstances, signified by the depth uttering his voice,
and the height lifting up its hands, in token of praise and thankfulness; for
so the latter clause may be rendered, "the height lifted up his
hands"F15רום ידיהו
נשא "altitudo manum suam sublevavit",
Munster; "tudo manus suas tulit", Burkius. ; and answers to the deep
in the preceding clause; agreeable to this sense is Jarchi's note,
""the
deep uttered his voice": the inhabitants of the earth praised him;
"the height lifted up his hands"; the host of heaven confessed unto
him;'
every
creature in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, ascribed
blessing, honour, glory, and power, to the Lord on this occasion, Revelation 5:13.
The Targum is,
"the
powers on high stood wondering;'
amazed
at what was done, and lifted up their hands with astonishment.
Habakkuk 3:11 11 The
sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they
went, At the shining of Your glittering spear.
YLT
11Sun -- moon -- hath stood
-- a habitation, At the light thine arrows go on, At the brightness, the
glittering of thy spear.
The sun and moon stood still in their habitation,.... This is
generally thought to refer to the miracle in the times of Joshua, Joshua 10:12 but a
different word is there used, especially of the standing still of the sun; nor
are the sun and moon said there to stand in their habitation; nor will the
series of the history of times past, or the thread of prophecy of things to
come, admit of this reference; nor do the words express the clear shining of
the sun and moon at their standing still, but the reverse; for the phrase,
"in their habitation", may be rendered, "within their tent"F16זבלה "intra habitaculum", Cocceius, Van Till,
"vel in tugurio", ib. , or pavilion; See Gill on Psalm 19:4; which
is no other than their being encompassed and covered with clouds; which is just
such a pavilion as God is said to be in, when "darkness was his secret
place; his pavilion round about him dark waters and thick clouds of the
skies", Psalm 18:11 and so
is expressive of the dark times of antichrist, which followed, when the Pagan
persecutions were over, Christianity supported by secular powers, and the
Christian churches raised to the height of riches and honour; and then the man
of sin showed himself, the pope of Rome took upon him the title of universal
bishop, and introduced false doctrines, strange worship, and bad discipline,
into the church, and obscured the glorious light of it; and Mahomet also arose
with his locusts, the Saracens, out of the bottomless pit opened, from whence
came a smoke which darkened the sun and air, Revelation 9:1,
at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining
of thy glittering spear; the commonly received sense of the words is, either at the light
and shining of the sun and moon, when they stood still in Joshua's time; the
arrows of the Almighty, and the lightning of his spear, that is, hailstones
mingled with fire, and thunder, and lightning, which the heathens call
Jupiter's arrows; these steered their course, being directed against the
enemies of the Lord's people, and fought for them, Joshua 10:10 or at
the light of these, which looked very bright and dazzling through the rays of
the sun upon them, the Israelites marched against their enemies, and avenged
themselves on them: but these bright arrows and glittering spear, and the light
and shining of them, seem to design no other than the weapons of the Christian
ministry or warfare; the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; the light of which
broke forth at the Reformation, the same that is meant by the "morning
star", Revelation 2:28
irradiated by which, the ministers of it especially went forth with courage
against their antichristian enemies, and prevailed, and spread the Gospel in
many countries. It may be rendered as a petition, "let them walk at the
light"F17יהלכו "ambulent ad
lucem", &c. Van Till. , &c.; a prayer of faith that it might be,
and which is a prophecy that it would be.
Habakkuk 3:12 12 You
marched through the land in indignation; You trampled the nations in anger.
YLT
12In indignation Thou dost
tread earth, In anger Thou dost thresh nations.
Thou didst march through the land with indignation,.... Not the
land of Canaan, fighting against the inhabitants of it, dispossessing them to
make room for the Israelites, whatever allusion may be to it; but the
antichristian land, the whole Romish jurisdiction, and all the states of it,
through which the Lord will march in wrath and fury, when he pours out the
vials of it upon them; or this is desired, and prayed for; for it may be
rendered, "do thou march through the land"F18תצעד "progredlaris", Van Till. , &c.;
foreseeing and believing that he would:
thou didst thresh the heathen in anger; or, "do
thou thresh"F19תדוש
"tritures", Van Till. , &c.; these are the Papists, called
heathens and Gentiles in Scripture, because of the heathenish customs and
practices they have introduced into the Christian religion, Psalm 10:16 these
are the nations that will be gathered together like sheaves of grain on a floor
to be threshed; and when Zion the church of Christ, and Christian princes, will
be called upon to arise, and thresh them; and the Lord by them will do it,
namely, separate his own people from them, which are like wheat, and utterly
destroy them, as chaff and stubble, Micah 4:12.
Habakkuk 3:13 13 You
went forth for the salvation of Your people, For salvation with Your Anointed. You
struck the head from the house of the wicked, By laying bare from foundation to
neck. Selah
YLT
13Thou hast gone forth for
the salvation of Thy people, For salvation with Thine anointed, Thou hast
smitten the head of the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation unto
the neck. Pause!
Thou wentest forth for the salvation of that people, even
for salvation with thine anointed,.... Or, "thy
Messiah"; which Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret of Messiah the son of
David; and read and give the sense of the words thus,
"as
thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, by bringing them into the
land of Canaan, so do thou go forth for salvation with thy Messiah.'
God
of old went forth in his power and providence for the salvation of his people,
whom he chose above all people to be his special and peculiar people; making
use of Moses and Aaron in bringing them out of Egypt, and leading them through
the wilderness, and of Joshua to introduce them, and settle them in the land of
Canaan; who were all types of Christ in the salvation of the chosen people.
Joshua particularly was a type of Jesus; they agree in their name, which
signifies a Saviour the salvation of God, or God the salvation; and in their
character, office, and usefulness to the people of God, Jesus is the Lord's
"anointed"; anointed with the Holy Ghost, the oil of gladness, above
his fellows, which he received without measure; anointed to the office of
Prophet, Priest, and King; and from whom his people receive the unction, and
are denominated Christians, or anointed ones: and the "people" of
God, for whose salvation he went forth with him, are not all mankind, who are
not all saved; nor the people of the Jews only, or all of them; but a peculiar
people, out of Jews and Gentiles, loved with a special love; chosen to
salvation, secured in the covenant of grace, and given to Christ as his portion
and people, and so saved by him, Matthew 1:21. The "salvation"
of them is a spiritual one, a salvation from all their sins; from the power and
dominion, pollution and guilt, the damning power of them, and at last from the
very being of them; as well as from Satan, the law, death, hell, and wrath to
come: it is perfect and complete, and endures for ever. Jehovah the Father
"went forth" with Christ his Son for this salvation, in his purposes
and decrees concerning it; in his council and covenant relating to it; in the
mission of him into this world to effect it; and by helping and assisting him
in it, as man and Mediator. The words may be rendered, "thou wentest
forth"; or, "thou goest forth"; thou wilt do so; and mayest thou
do so, "to save thy people, to save thy anointed"F20לישע עמך לישע
את משיחך "ad salutem
populi tui, ad servandum unctum tuum", De Dieu. ; and so respect not the
salvation of Israel by Moses or Joshua; nor the spiritual and eternal salvation
of God's elect by the Messiah; but the salvation of the Lord's people from
mystical Babylon, from the oppression and tyranny of antichrist, and from all
his false doctrines, superstition, and idolatry, and ruin by them; and
particularly the salvation of the two witnesses, the two olive trees, the two
anointed ones that stand before the Lord of the whole earth; the singular being
put for the plural, "anointed" for "anointed ones"; and so
the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint version, and the Arabic version, render
it, "thy Christs", or "thy anointed ones"; now this will be
done when the Lord shall go forth in his power and providence, and quicken and
raise their dead bodies, when they have lain three days and a half, and shall
cause them to ascend to heaven in the sight of their enemies; see Zechariah 4:14,
thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked; not the
princes of the families of the land of Canaan, as some; nor the first born of
Pharaoh's family in Egypt, or him and his host at the Red sea, as, others; nor
Goliath of Gath, smitten by David, as Burkius; nor Satan and his principalities
and powers by Christ on the cross; but antichrist the man of sin, that wicked
and lawless one, who is at the bead of a wicked house or family, the
antichristian party; who received a wound at the Reformation; and ere long the
kings of the earth will hate the whore, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire;
and Christ, will utterly consume and destroy this wicked one with the breath of
his mouth, and the brightness of his coming, Revelation 13:3 see
Psalm 110:6. Kimchi
and Ben Melech interpret this of the head of the army of wicked Gog, the king
of Magog, taking it to belong to future time; and so some render all those
phrases, "thou wilt go forth, thou wilt wound"F21יצאת "egredieris"; so some in Vatablus. מחצת "transfiges"; so some in Drusius. , &c.:
by discovering the foundation unto the neck; or
"razing the foundation", as in Psalm 137:7. There
seems to be a double metaphor in the words, expressing the utter ruin and
destruction of antichrist and his party; who, being compared to a building,
will be demolished, and razed to the very foundation; that will be dug up, and
laid bare, and no trace of an edifice to be seen any more; and, being compared
to a human body, will be plunged into such distresses and calamities, as to be
as it were up to the neck in them, from whence there is no escape and
deliverance. Some understand this of the princes of this head, or of his
friends, and those of his family that are nearest to him, as the neck is to the
head; or of the whole body of the people under him, of which he will be
deprived; and so be as a head without a body, and who cannot long survive them.
Selah is added as a mark of attention, something of moment and
importance being observed.
Habakkuk 3:14 14 You
thrust through with his own arrows The head of his villages. They came out like
a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in
secret.
YLT
14Thou hast pierced with his
staves the head of his leaders, They are tempestuous to scatter me, Their
exultation [is] as to consume the poor in secret.
Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages,.... Of his
warriors, mighty men, princes; so the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, Syriac, and
Arabic versions; or of his armies, as Jarchi and Kimchi; which some interpret
of Pharaoh and his host, who were destroyed by the steps and methods which they
themselves took, going into the sea of themselves, and so were struck through
with their own staves: others of the princes and armies of the Canaanites, who
destroyed one another with their own weapons of war, as the Midianites did;
though we have no instance of it on record: others of Goliath, as Burkius,
called before "the head out of the house of the wicked", with respect
to his rise from Gath; here, "the head of his Pagans", as he renders
it, or Gentiles, with respect to his preeminence over the common soldiers, and
all the Philistines: others of Sennacherib and his army, as Jarchi; but
Kimchi's sense is much better, who interprets it of Gog and his army; and
which, if understood of the Turk, the eastern antichrist, is not amiss; and so,
as the western antichrist and his destruction are pointed at in the preceding
verse Habakkuk 3:13, the
ruin of the other is intimated here; whose armies are expressed by a word which
sometimes has the signification of villages; because he said, "I will go
up to the land of unwalled villages", Ezekiel 38:11 in
the land of Judea about Jerusalem, where he will distribute and quarter his
soldiers; and where he and they at the head of them in these villages will be
cut to pieces with their own weapons; as it is said, "every man's sword
shall be against his brother", Ezekiel 38:21,
Cocceius and Van Till render the words, "thou hast designed", marked
out, or expressed by name, "in his tribes, the head of his villages";
and understand them, not of the enemy, but of Christ the anointed One, and his
people; the Protestants, or reformed churches, who, being separated from
antichrist, are represented as divided into tribes, and as dwelling in villages
alone, and in separate states and kingdoms; and suppose that God has designed
in his purposes and decrees some particular place, called the head or beginning
of these villages, where his great and glorious work in the latter day will
first appear; but what and where that place is is not said:
they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me; the prophet
representing the true Israel, or the whole church of Christ: it is not unusual
for mighty armies to be compared to a whirlwind coming forth with great force,
suddenly and swiftly; see Jeremiah 4:13 and
particularly it is said of the army of Gog or the Turk, which shall invade
Judea, in order to dispossess the Jews of their land, when converted and
returned to it; "thou shall ascend and come like a storm, thou shall be
like a cloud, to cover the land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with
thee", Ezekiel 38:9 who
will think to scatter the people of the Jews again among the nations, as they
have been:
their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly; the poor
people of the Jews, to strip them of their substance, to carry off their gold
and silver, their cattle and their goods; and which they thought they should as
easily accomplish as a rich man gets the mastery over a poor man, and ruins
him, that has none to help him; and that they should do this in a still,
private, secret manner, so as that the Christian princes should have no
knowledge of it, and come in to their assistance; and this they rejoiced at in
themselves, and pleased themselves with it; see Ezekiel 38:10. The
above interpreters render this clause as a prayer, "let them tremble for
fear": or be filled with horror, who come "to scatter me, whose
rejoicing is as to devour the poor in secret"; which is interpreted of the
Papists being terrified by some Christian princes, since the Reformation, from
carrying some of their designs into execution; and of the clandestine arts and
secret methods the Jesuits particularly use to do injury to the interest of
Christ and true religion.
Habakkuk 3:15 15 You
walked through the sea with Your horses, Through the heap of great waters.
YLT
15Thou hast proceeded through
the sea with Thy horses -- the clay of many waters.
Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses,.... And as
thou didst of old, so do again; as Jehovah walked through the Red sea in a
pillar of cloud and fire, which were his horses and chariots, and destroyed the
Egyptians; so may he walk through another sea by his instruments, and destroy
the enemies of his church and people; See Gill on Habakkuk 3:8. The
"sea" here signifies the world, compared to it for the multitude of
its people; the noise, fluctuation, and uncertainty of all things in it; and
particularly the Roman empire, the sea out of which the antichristian beast
arose, Revelation 13:1.
The "horses" are the angels or Christian princes, with whom the Lord
will walk in majesty, and in the greatness of his strength, pouring out the
vials of his wrath on the antichristian states:
through the heap of many waters; or "the clay",
or "mud of many waters"F23חמר מים רבים "in luto aquarum
multarum", Tigurine version; "calcasti lutum aquarum multarum",
Cocceius, Van Till; "lutum, aquae multae", Burkius. ; that lies at
the bottom of them; which being walked through and trampled on by horses, is
raised up, and "troubles" them, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions
render it: these "many waters" are those on which the whore of Rome
is said to sit; and which are interpreted of people, multitudes, nations, and
tongues, Revelation 17:1 and
the "mud" of them is expressive of their pollution and corruption,
with her false doctrines, idolatry, superstition, and immoralities; and of
their disturbed state and condition, through the judgments of God upon them,
signified by his horses walking through them; trampling upon them in fury;
treating them with the utmost contempt; treading them like mire and clay, and
bringing upon them utter ruin and destruction.
Habakkuk 3:16 16 When
I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness
entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of
trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.
YLT
16I have heard, and my belly
trembleth, At the noise have my lips quivered, Rottenness doth come into my
bones, And in my place I do tremble, That I rest for a day of distress, At the
coming up of the people, he overcometh it.
When I heard, my belly trembled,.... His bowels, his heart
within him, at the report made of what would come to pass in future time; and
not so much at hearing of the judgments of God that should come upon the
enemies of his Church, antichrist and his followers; though even these are
awful and tremendous to good men; see Psalm 119:120 but
upon hearing what troubles and distresses would come upon the churches of
Christ, previous to these, afterwards called a day of trouble in this verse,
and more particularly described in the next Habakkuk 3:17,
my lips quivered at the voice; at the voice of these
words, as the Targum; at the voice of the Lord, expressing and foretelling
these calamities, through fear and dread, consternation and amazement; under
which circumstances the natural heat of the outward parts of the body retires
to defend the heart, and leaves them trembling and quivering, particularly the
lips, so that they lose their use for a time; and a person in such a case can
hardly speak:
rottenness entered into my bones; he became weak and
without strength, as if he had long been in a wasting consumption; or was at
once deprived of all his strength, and it was turned into corruption; see Daniel 10:8,
and I trembled in myself; within himself, in all
his inward parts, as well as in his outward parts: or, "under myself"F24תחתי "subtus me", Drusius, De Dieu; "subter
me", Cocceius, Van Till. ; was not able to keep his place, could not stand
upon the ground that was under him; his knees trembled, as the Syriac version:
that I might rest in the day of trouble; rather, as
NoldiusF25Ebr. Concord. Part p. 108. No. 550. renders the particle,
"yet", or "notwithstanding, I shall rest in the day of
trouble"; which had been represented to him in vision; and which he had a
sight of by a spirit of prophecy, as coming upon the church of Christ, and had
given him that concern before expressed. The Syriac version of this and the
next clause, which it joins, is, "he showed me the day of calamity, which
is about to come upon the people". Here begins the prophet's expression of
his strong faith and joy in the midst of all the distresses he saw were at
hand; herein representing the church, and all true believers helped to exercise
faith in those worst of times. This "day of trouble" is the same with
the hour of temptation that shall come upon all the earth to try the
inhabitants of it; the time of the slaying of the witnesses, which will be such
a time of trouble as never was in the world; see Revelation 3:10.
The "rest" the people of God will have then, which the prophet had
faith in for them, will lie in the Lord's protection and keeping of his people;
his perfections, power, and providence, are the chambers of rest and safety he
will call them unto, and the shadow of his wings, which they will make their
refuge till these calamities and indignation be overpast, Isaiah 26:20
when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his
troops; or rather "him"; not "the people"; the
people of God, "he" the Lord or Christ comes unto; but the enemy of
them: this is the ground of the prophet's faith and confidence before
expressed, or of the church's he personated; namely, that when Christ, Michael
the great Prince, should come up to his people, appear for them, and stand on
their side, he would lead his troops and march his army against their grand
enemy antichrist; and "cut him to pieces"F26יגודנו "ut excidat eum", Calvin; "succidet
eum", Vatablus. , as some render the word: so Christ is represented as a
mighty warrior, marching at the head of his troops, the armies of heaven
following him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, who
are the called, chosen, and faithful; and with these he will fall upon the
beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the earth, gathered together at
Armageddon, and utterly destroy them, Revelation 16:14.
Habakkuk 3:17 17 Though
the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of
the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut
off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—
YLT
17Though the fig-tree doth
not flourish, And there is no produce among vines, Failed hath the work of the
olive, And fields have not yielded food, Cut off from the fold hath been the
flock, And there is no herd in the stalls.
Although the fig tree shall not blossom,.... Or
rather, as the Septuagint version, "shall not bring forth fruit";
since the fig tree does not bear blossoms and flowers, but puts forth green
figs at once. This was a tree common in the land of Canaan, and its fruit much
in use, and for food; hence we read of cakes of figs among the provisions
Abigail brought to David, 1 Samuel 25:18 so
that, when there was a scarcity of these, it was a bad time:
neither shall fruit be in the vines; no grapes, or
clusters of them, out of which wine was pressed; a liquor very refreshing and
reviving to nature; and is said to cheer God and man, being used in sacrifices
and libations to God, and the common drink of men, Judges 9:13 so
that, when it failed, it was a public calamity:
the labour of the olive shall fail; or "lie"F1כחש ψευσεται,
Sept.; "mentietur", V. L. Piscator; "mentiebatur",
Pagninus. ; disappoint the expectation of those who planted and cultivated it
with much toil and labour, it not producing fruit as looked for. This tree
yielded berries of an agreeable taste, and out of which oil was extracted, the
Jews used instead of butter, and for various purposes; so that, when it failed
of fruit, it was a great loss on many accounts:
and the fields shall yield no meat; the grass fields no
herbage for beasts; the grain fields no grain for man; the consequence of which
must be a famine to both; and this must be very dismal and distressing:
the flock shall be cut off from the fold; flocks of
sheep; either by the hand of God, some disease being sent among them; or by the
hand of man, drove off by the enemy, or killed for their use; so that the folds
were empty of them, and none to gather into them:
and there shall be no herd in the stalls; or oxen in
the stables, where they are kept, and have their food; or stalls in which they
are fattened for use; and by all these are signified the necessaries of life,
which, when they fail, make a famine, which is a very distressing case; and
yet, in the midst of all this, the prophet, representing the church, expresses
his faith and joy in the Lord, as in the following verse Habakkuk 3:18;
though all this is to be understood, not so much in a literal as in a
figurative sense. "Fig trees, vines", and "olives", are
often used as emblems of truly gracious persons, Song of Solomon 2:13
partly because of their fruitfulness in grace and good works, and partly
because of their perseverance therein; all these trees being fruitful ones; and
some, as the olive, ever green: of such persons there is sometimes a scarcity,
as is complained of in the times of David and Micah, Psalm 12:1 and
especially there will be in the latter day; for righteous and merciful men will
be taken away from the evil to come, Isaiah 57:1 and,
however, there will be very few lively, spiritual, and fruitful Christians,
such as abound in the exercise of grace, and are diligent in the discharge of
duty; for, when the Son of Man cometh, he will not find faith on the earth; and
he will find the virgins sleeping, Luke 18:8. The
"fields not" yielding "meat" may signify that the
provisions of the house of God will be cut off; there will be no ministration
of the word, or administration of ordinances; the word of the Lord will be
scarce, rare, and precious; there will be a famine, not of bread and of water,
but of hearing the word of the Lord; one of the days of the Son of Man will be
desired, but not enjoyed; so no spiritual food in the use of means to be had; a
very uncomfortable time this will be, Amos 8:11 Luke 17:22. The
"flock" being "cut off from the fold" may denote that the
sheep of Christ will be given up to the slaughter of the enemy, or be scattered
abroad in this dark and cloudy day of persecution; so that there will be no
fold, no flock, no sheep gathered together; and perhaps such will be the case,
that there will not be one visible congregated church in due order throughout
the whole world; all will be broke up, and dispersed here and there: no
"herd" or "oxen in the stall" may signify that the
ministers of the Gospel, compared to oxen for their strength, industry, and
laboriousness in the work of the Lord, will be removed, or not suffered to
exercise their ministry, nor be encouraged by any in it: this will be the case
at the slaying of the witnesses, and a most distressing time it will be; and
yet the prophet, or the church represented by him, expresses an uncommon frame
of spirit in the following verse Habakkuk 3:18. The
Targum interprets all this figuratively of each of the monarchies of the world,
which should be no more;
"the
kingdom of Babylon shall not continue, nor shall it exercise dominion over
Israel; the kings of the Medes shall be killed; and the mighty men of Greece
shall not prosper; and the Romans shall be destroyed, and shall not collect
tribute from Jerusalem; therefore for the wonder, and for the redemption, thou
shalt work for thy Messiah; and for the rest of thy people who shall remain,
they shall praise, saying: the prophet said;'
as
follows:
Habakkuk 3:18 18 Yet
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my
salvation.
YLT
18Yet I, in Jehovah I exult,
I do joy in the God of my salvation.
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,.... In the Word of the
Lord, as the Targum; the essential Word of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ; in
his person, the greatness and glory of it; in his offices, as Prophet, Priest,
and King, the only Mediator and Saviour; in his relations, as head and husband,
father, brother, friend; in his fulness, grace, and righteousness; in his
spiritual presence, and comfortable communion with him, which may be expected
in a remarkable manner after the above day of trouble is over; and in his
personal appearance, which will shortly be, and when his tabernacle will be
with men on earth:
I will joy in the God of my salvation; in Christ,
who is God, and so able to save his people; to make everything he did and
suffered in human nature effectual and available to them; to supply all their
wants, and to keep what they commit unto him, and to preserve them safe to his
kingdom and glory: and who also joy in the salvation of their God, or which he
is the author of, both temporal and spiritual, especially the latter; which is
so great and glorious in itself, so suitable to their case, so complete and
perfect, and makes so much for the glory of all the divine perfections, and is
all of free grace, and lasts for ever: this salvation is peculiar to the people
of God; it is theirs, and theirs only; it is what they choose and prefer to all
other ways of salvation; it is brought and applied to them by the Spirit, and
which they appropriate to themselves under his witnessings; and then it is they
can and do rejoice: particularly salvation and deliverance from
antichristianism, in all the branches of it, may be chiefly pointed at as the
matter and ground of joy; and the enjoyment of Gospel privileges in the full extent
of them; the word and ordinances in their power and purity; and the presence of
Christ in them.
Habakkuk 3:19 19 The
Lord God[c] is my
strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me
walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
YLT
19Jehovah the Lord [is] my
strength, And He doth make my feet like hinds, And on my high-places causeth me
to tread. To the overseer with my stringed instruments!
The Lord God is my strength,.... The author and giver
of natural and spiritual strength, as he is to all his people; he is the
strength of their hearts when ready to faint and sink, and of their graces,
faith, hope, love, patience, &c. and continues and increases them, and
draws them forth into lively acts and exercise; and of their lives, natural and
spiritual, which he supports and maintains, secures and defends; from him they have
their strength to perform the duties of religion; to oppose their spiritual
enemies, sin, Satan, and the world; and to bear them up under all trials and
afflictions, and carry them through them, and deliver out of them, and which is
principally intended here: the church, though in distress, and pressed with
sorrows, yet believed the strength of Christ would be made perfect in her
weakness, and she should be upheld by him under all, and brought out of it:
and he will make my feet like hinds' feet; swift as
they, as the Targum, which are very swift; and on account of the swiftness of
them is the comparison used: and which is to be understood, not barely of the
Jews being swift of foot to return to their own country, when the time of their
conversion is come; or to pursue their enemies, as Kimchi; that is, Gog or the
Turks, having got the victory over them: but of all Christians, whose feet will
be swift to run, in a lively cheerful manner, the way of Christ's commandments;
their souls being strengthened, and their hearts enlarged with the love and
grace of God; and to surmount with ease all difficulties and obstructions that
lie in their way: and chiefly this regards the ministers of the Gospel, and the
swift progress they will make in spreading it in the world; as the apostles and
first ministers of the word, having their feet shod with the preparation of the
Gospel of peace, went swiftly through all parts of the world, even to the ends
of the earth, with it; so in the latter day many will run to and fro,
everywhere preaching the everlasting Gospel to all nations; the knowledge of it
shall greatly increase; see Daniel 12:4 this
passage seems to be taken out of Psalm 18:33 and
there may be not only an allusion to the swiftness of those creatures, but to
the strength and firmness of their feet; so that they can go upon rocks and
mountains securely, and tread and walk, and even run upon them with safety; and
this sense is directed to, not only by what follows, concerning
"walking" on "high places"; but by the word here used,
which signifies to "make", or "set", fix, place, order, and
settleF2ושם κ'
ταξει, Sept.; "et ponet", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus,
Burkius; "qui disponit", Junius & Tremellius; "et
possuit", ; and this agrees with the nature of those creatures, whose feet
are not only swift, but firm; they tread sure and stable; hence hinds and harts
are by the poetsF3"Fixerit aeripedem cervam licet----"
Virgil. Aeneid. 6. prope finem. "Vincunt aeripedes ter terno Nestore
cervi." Ausonii Idyll. 11. called the "brasen footed hinds", or
"harts"; because of the firmness and stability of their going; and it
is an observation of Jarchi'sF4Comment. in Psal. xviii. 34. , that
the feet of the females stand firmer and more upright than the feet of the
males; wherefore, both here, and in Psalm 18:33, not
harts, but hinds, are made mention of; and so this may also denote the
stability of the saints in those times, both ministers and common Christians,
in the exercise of grace, and in the performance of duty; their hearts will be
established in the faith of Christ, and in love to him, and in the hope of
eternal life by him; all which they will be settled in, and will hold fast, and
not let go; and will be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord their God; and so in the Gospel of Christ, and in the ordinances of
it, their souls will be established in and with the doctrines of grace, and
will continue steadfastly in them, and abide by and keep the ordinances as they
have been delivered to them; nor will any difficulties, which may seem like
hills and mountains, and cragged rocks, deter or discourage them, or move them
from the hope of the Gospel, or from their duty; but they shall walk on
securely and firmly:
and he will make me to walk upon mine high places: meaning not
so much the high places of the land of Judea, some part of it being
mountainous, though there may be some reference to them; but it signifies the
exalted state of the church after the troublesome times, when it shall be
exalted above the hills, and established on the top of the mountains; when
Christ the Lamb, with his 144,000 sealed ones, shall stand upon Mount Zion with
harps in their hands, having gotten the victory over the antichristian beast
and his image; and when the saints shall have the dominion of the world; and
the kingdom and the greatness of it, under the whole heaven, shall be given to
them, Isaiah 2:2 as well
as they shall be in lively, spiritual, and heavenly frames of soul; mount up
with wings, as eagles; soar aloft in the exercise of faith; dwell on high in
the contemplation of divine things; have their affections set on things above;
and their conversation in heaven while they are on earth: especially this may
be said of them when they shall have the glory of God upon them in the New
Jerusalem state, and shall dwell in the new heavens and the new earth, with
Christ at the head of them; and when they shall possess the ultimate glory in
the highest heavens to all eternity; see Deuteronomy 33:29
and thus ends this prayer of Habakkuk; which serves to draw out the desires of
good men after the flourishing estate of the kingdom and interest of Christ; to
assist their faith in the belief, hope, and expectation of it; and to lead
their views to its summit and perfection, notwithstanding all the difficulties
and discouragements that may lie in its way: and being of so much moment and
importance, that it might remain and continue, and be of use to the church in
succeeding ages, the prophet delivered or directed it
to the chief singer, to be set to tune, and
sung by him, as David's prayers, and others, sometimes were, and to be
preserved for future usefulness; and this he would have sung (he says)
on my stringed instruments; which were either
invented by him, or used by him in the temple, or were his own property: or he
sent this prayer or ode to him who was over these instruments, had the care and
use of them; and which were such as were to be stricken with the hand, bone, or
quill; and are the same that are called "Neginoth" in the title of
the fourth Psalm Psalm 4:1, and
others.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)