For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the width of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are feared and dreaded. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour. All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand. Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it. Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.”
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Habakkuk 1:6-11 sits inside this longer paragraph.
“Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvelously; for I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told you. For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the width of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are feared and dreaded. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour. All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand. Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it. Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.”
Parallel Translations
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For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the width of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are feared and dreaded. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour.
All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand.
Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it.
Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.”
-
For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
Show all 3 translations
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For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful; their law and their majesty proceed from themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the wolves of the desert; and their horsemen spread themselves; yea, their horsemen come from far, they fly as a vulture that hasteth to devour.
They come all of them for violence; their faces are set eagerly as the east wind; and they gather captives as the sand.
And they scoff at kings, and princes are a derision unto them; they deride every stronghold, for they heap up earth, and take it.
Then their spirit doth pass over and transgress, and they become guilty: even they who impute their might unto their god.
Cross-references (61)
- 2 Kings 24:2 (v6) Yahweh sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon,…
- Jeremiah 4:13 (v8) Behold, he will come up as clouds, and his chariots will be as the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! For we are…
- 2 Chronicles 36:6 (vv6, 10) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17 (v6) Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had…
- Jeremiah 5:15 (v6) Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a…
Show all 59 cross-references
- Jeremiah 25:9 (vv6, 9) behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says Yahweh, “and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my…
- Deuteronomy 28:49-52 (v6) Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not…
- Isaiah 23:13 (v6) Behold, the land of the Chaldeans. This people didn’t exist. The Assyrians founded it for those who dwell in the wilderness. They set up…
- Jeremiah 4:6 (v6) Set up a standard toward Zion. Flee for safety! Don’t wait; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.”
- Jeremiah 39:5-9 (v7) But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. When they had taken him, they brought him up to…
- Zephaniah 3:3 (v8) Her princes within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing until the next day.
- Deuteronomy 28:49 (v8) Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not…
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 (v10) At the return of the year, king Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of Yahweh’s house, and made…
- Isaiah 14:16 (v10) Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms,
- Isaiah 39:6-7 (v6) ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to…
- Jeremiah 1:15-16 (v6) For, behold, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says Yahweh. “They will come, and they will each set his throne at…
- Jeremiah 4:8 (v6) For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Yahweh hasn’t turned back from us.
- Jeremiah 5:6 (v8) Therefore a lion out of the forest will kill them. A wolf of the evenings will destroy them. A leopard will watch against their cities.…
- Jeremiah 6:22-23 (v6) Yahweh says, “Behold, a people comes from the north country. A great nation will be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth. They…
- Jeremiah 21:4 (v6) ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king…
- Jeremiah 32:24 (v10) “Behold, siege ramps have come to the city to take it. The city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of…
- Ezekiel 17:3 (v8) and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to…
- Daniel 5:20 (v11) But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they…
- Hosea 8:1 (v8) “Put the trumpet to your lips! Something like an eagle is over Yahweh’s house, because they have broken my covenant, and rebelled against…
- Genesis 41:49 (v9) Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.
- Deuteronomy 5:19 (v7) “You shall not steal.
- Deuteronomy 5:27 (v7) Go near, and hear all that Yahweh our God shall say, and tell us all that Yahweh our God tells you; and we will hear it, and do it.”
- Deuteronomy 28:51-52 (v9) They will eat the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed. They also won’t leave you grain, new wine,…
- Judges 7:12 (v9) The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels…
- 2 Kings 24:12 (v10) and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers;…
- 2 Kings 25:6-7 (v10) Then they captured the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they passed judgment on him. They killed Zedekiah’s…
- Job 29:18 (v9) Then I said, ‘I will die in my own house, I will count my days as the sand.
- Psalms 139:18 (v9) If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.
- Isaiah 5:26-28 (v8) He will lift up a banner to the nations from far away, and he will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come…
- Isaiah 18:7 (v7) In that time, a present will be brought to Yahweh of Armies from a people tall and smooth, even from a people awesome from their beginning…
- Isaiah 27:8 (v9) In measure, when you send them away, you contend with them. He has removed them with his rough blast in the day of the east wind.
- Jeremiah 4:7 (v9) A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations. He is on his way. He has gone out from his place, to make your land…
- Jeremiah 4:11 (v9) At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my…
- Jeremiah 4:11-12 (v11) At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my…
- Jeremiah 5:15-17 (v9) Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a…
- Jeremiah 15:8 (v9) Their widows are increased more than the sand of the seas. I have brought on them against the mother of the young men a destroyer at…
- Jeremiah 33:4 (v10) For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken…
- Jeremiah 34:22 (v9) Behold, I will command,” says Yahweh, “and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it, take it, and burn it with fire. I…
- Jeremiah 52:4-7 (v10) In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his…
- Jeremiah 52:9-11 (v7) Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he pronounced judgment on him. The…
- Jeremiah 52:25-27 (v7) and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in…
- Lamentations 4:19 (v8) Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky. They chased us on the mountains. They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.
- Ezekiel 17:10 (v9) Yes, behold, being planted, will it prosper? Won’t it utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it…
- Ezekiel 17:12 (v8) “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and…
- Ezekiel 19:12 (v9) But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off…
- Daniel 4:30-34 (v11) The king spoke and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, by the might of my power and for the…
- Daniel 5:3-4 (v11) Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of God’s house which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords,…
- Hosea 1:10 (v9) Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; and it will come to pass that,…
- Hosea 13:15 (v9) Though he is fruitful among his brothers, an east wind will come, the breath of Yahweh coming up from the wilderness; and his spring will…
- Habakkuk 1:6 (v9) For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the width of the earth, to possess dwelling places…
- Habakkuk 2:5-13 (v9) Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. An arrogant man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and…
- Matthew 24:28 (v8) For wherever the carcass is, that is where the vultures gather together.
- Luke 17:37 (v8) They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”
- Romans 9:27 (v9) Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;
59 distinct cross-references across this passage (61 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv6–11 This verse is added by the Prophet as an…
This verse is added by the Prophet as an explanation; for it was not enough to speak generally of God’s work, without reminding them that their destruction by the Chaldeans was nigh at hand. He does not indeed in this verse explain what would be the character of that judgement which he had mentioned in the last verse Habakkuk 1:5; but he will do this in what follows. Now the Prophets differ from Moses in this respect, for they show, as it were by the finger, what he threatened generally, and they declare the special judgements of God; as it is indeed evident from the demonstrative adverb, “Behold.” How necessary this was, we may gather from the perverseness of that people; for how distinctly soever the Prophets showed to them God’s judgements, so that they saw them with their eyes, yet so great was their insensibility, that they despised denunciations so apparent. What, then, would have been done, if the Prophets had only said in general, ‘God will not spare you!’ This, then, is the reason why the Prophet, having spoken of God’s terrible vengeance, now declares in express terms, that the Chaldeans were already armed by Him to execute His judgement. The rest we leave for tomorrow.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv7, 9, 10, 11 They themselves shall be your judges in this cause,…
They themselves shall be your judges in this cause, and none shall have authority over them to control them.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv6–11 Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans,…
Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, [that] bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces [that are] not theirs.
Ver. 6. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation] The Chaldeans were anciently the philosophers of the Babylonians: Babylon was a province of the Assyrian empire; but not the same with Nineveh (only walled about by Semiramis, and by her called Babylon), as Suidas noteth. Nineveh was the metropolis, Babylon ruled by prefects. One of whom, viz. Merodach-Baladan, rebelling against Esarhaddon, King of Nineveh, translated the whole kingdom to the Babylonians, using the help and counsel of the Chaldeans, famous for their wisdom and authority; which yet was not done without the Lord, who then stirred them up, and now sent them against the Jews, to avenge the quarrel of his covenant. In like manner God hath in these last times raised up the Turks, "that bitter and hasty nation," bitter and bloody, hasty and headlong, υηδεν αναβαλλομενην, pursuing their victories and subduing in a short time many nations and kingdoms to their empire. Hence the Jews are in the former verse called upon to view among the heathen what havoc the Chaldeans had made; that is, should shortly make by overrunning Syria, the greater part of all Asia, and some part also of Africa. In the greatness of the Turkish empire is swallowed up at this day both the name and empire of the Saracens, the most glorious empire of the Greeks, the renowned kingdoms of Macedonia, Peloponnesus, Epirus, Bulgaria, Servia, Bosnia, Armenia, Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, Judaea, Tunis, Algiers, Media, Chaldea, with a great part of Hungary; as also of the Persian kingdom, and all the Churches and places so much spoken of in Scripture (the Roman only excepted, which yet he daily threateneth), and, in brief, so much in Christendom, as far exceedeth that which is thereof at this day left. In fine, no part of the world is left untouched by the Ottoman monarchy but America only; not more happy in her rich mines than in that she is so far from so great and dangerous an enemy. The King of Spain, of all other princes, Mahometan or Christian, that border upon the Turk, is best able to wage war with him. How far and with what bitterness and haste he hath carried on his Catholic monarchy is better known than that it need here to be related. Queen Elizabeth put a stop to him. Captain Drake and his soldiers, when they took Saint Domingo, A.D. 1585 (where his arms were to be seen in the townhall with this inscription, Non sufficit orbis The world is not enough), derided his avarice and ambition; but the poor Indies groan heavily under his cruelty: and Grynaeus commenting upon these words, "that bitter and hasty nation," Tribuuntur illis duo, saith he, Two things are here attributed to the Chaldees’ bitterness and swiftness in undertaking and despatching conquests: quibus dotibus Iberos nostra aetate praeditos, proh dolor, experimur, this by woeful experience we find today too much verified of the Spaniards.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv6–11 For lo: now the prophet declares particularly what it…
For lo: now the prophet declares particularly what it is that the Lord will work.
I raise up; awaken to action, animate them in it, and strengthen them to accomplish their design.
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The Chaldeans, who had subdued other nations, and had already ruined the Assyrian monarchy.
Bitter; cruel, and without mercy, Jer 6:23; 21:7.
Hasty; speedy and quick in executing their merciless purposes, as Isa 5:26,27.
Which shall march, Heb.
walk without fear, and in order, as a conqueror doth in his conquests.
Through the breadth of the land; through all parts of the land, no corner shall escape his search or cruelty.
To possess; not to spoil and be gone, but to take and keep possession, as lord and proprietor in the right of conquest.
The dwelling-places; houses, towns, cities, Jerusalem itself, which they had no right to, till Jewish sins gave occasion for the dispossessing of the Jews, and the introducing of the Chaldeans.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv6–11 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans,.... A people…
For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans,.... A people still of late mean and low, famous only for their soothsaying, divination, and judicial astrology; but now become a powerful and warlike people, rising up under the permission of Providence to universal monarchy, and who would quickly add Judea to the rest of their dominions:
that bitter and hasty nation; a cruel and merciless people in their temper and disposition: "bitter" against the people of God and true religion, and causing bitterness, calamities, and distress, wherever they came: "hasty" and precipitate in their determinations; swift and nimble in their motions; active and vigorous in the prosecution of their designs:
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which shall march through the breadth of the land; or "breadths of the land" (t); through the whole world, as they were attempting to do, having subdued Syria, all Asia, and great part of Africa, through which they boldly marched, bearing down all opposition that was in their way; or through the breadth of the land of Judea, taking all the fenced cities as they went along, and Jerusalem the metropolis of it; see Isa 8:7,
to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs; the cities of Judea, and houses in them, as well as the palaces and dwellingplaces in Jerusalem, which they had no right unto, but what they got by the sword; what were the legal possessions and inheritances of others from father to son for ages past, these the Chaldeans would dispossess them of; and not only take them, and the spoil and plunder of them, for the present, but retain them in their possession, as an inheritance to be transmitted to their posterity. This may have some respect to the length of the captivity of the Jews, and their land being in the hands of their enemies for the space of seventy years.
(t) "latitudines terrae", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv6, 7, 9, 10 Bitter - Cruel, and without mercy. Hasty - Speedy…
Bitter - Cruel, and without mercy. Hasty - Speedy in executing their merciless purposes.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv6–11 Verse 6. That bitter and hasty nation] Cruel and…
Verse 6. That bitter and hasty nation] Cruel and oppressive in their disposition; and prompt and speedy in their assaults and conquests.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv6, 7, 10 Hab 1:6. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans…
Hab 1:6. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans — This is spoken of as a matter of great wonder and astonishment, because the Chaldeans, in the times of Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Josiah, were allies of the Jewish nation, and seemed linked to them in the greatest friendship; so that they had no fear on that side, but all their fear was from the Egyptians. Therefore the coming of the Chaldeans into the country is spoken of here as a thing entirely new, and as if that people had been called into existence for the very purpose of punishing the Jewish nation. There is a prophecy similar to this in Isaiah, with regard to the Assyrians, in whom the Jewish nation then placed their chief confidence, and thought of nothing less than of the evils which Isaiah threatened should be brought upon them by that nation: so weak and short-sighted often is human policy! see Isaiah 7. That bitter and hasty nation — That people cruel, in their disposition, quick in executing their purposes, and hasty in their marches, Isa 5:26-27; Jer 5:16-17. Which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess, &c. — This is spoken of the Chaldeans extending their conquests to a vast distance from the original seat of their empire.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv6–11 For lo - So God announces a future, in…
For lo - So God announces a future, in which His Hand shall be greatly visible, whether more or less distant. In His sight it is present.
I raise up - God uses the free will and evil passions of people or devils to His own ends; and so He is said to “raise up” those whom He allows to be stirred up against His people, since the events which His Providence permits, favor their designs, and it rests with Him to withhold them. They lift themselves up for some end of covetousness or pride. But there is a higher order of things, in which God orders their actions to fulfill His righteousness by their iniquities.
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The Chaldaeans, that bitter - מר. In Jdg 18:25; 2Sa 17:8, the less concise נפשׁ מר.
And hasty nation - נמהר as Isa 32:4. Jerome: “To its might and warlike boldness almost all the Greeks who have written histories of the barbarians, witness.”
Which shall march through the breadth of the land - rather, “the earth,” literally “to the breadths of the earth,” reaching to its whole length and breadth, all its dimensions as in the description of Gog and Magog Rev 20:8-9, “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea; and they went up on the breadth of the earth; unhindered, not pent up, but spreading abroad, where they will, over the whole earth.” All before it, is one wide even plain which it overspreads and covers, like a flood, and yet is not spent nor exhausted.
To possess the dwelling-places that are not theirs - As God’s people had done, so should it be done to them. Spoiling and violence within Hab 1:2-4 attract oppression from without. The overcharged atmosphere casts down the lightning upon them. They had expelled the weak from their dwelling Mic 2:9; others shall possess theirs. Yet this scourge too shall pass by, since, although the Chaldaean did God’s Will, He willed it not, but His own (See Isa 10:6-7). The words, “not theirs,” literally, “not to him” stand with a mysterious fullness of meaning. The dwelling places not being his by right, shall not remain his, although given to him, while God wills.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv6–11 Chaldeans. Nabuchodonosor was the first of this nation who…
Chaldeans. Nabuchodonosor was the first of this nation who attacked Joakim, and having conquered all as far as the Nile, returned to succeed Nabopolassar. He afterwards came upon Jechonias and Sedecias, &c. The prophet might have all this in view, particularly the first invasion. (Calmet) --- Bitter; warlike, as all the Greek historians remark. (St. Jerome) --- The Chaldeans were not yet arrived at such greatness, and of course this is not the Habacuc specified [in] Daniel xiv. (Worthington) --- Yet the same prophet might foresee it. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv6–11 I raise up--not referring to God's having brought the…
I raise up--not referring to God's having brought the Chaldeans from their original seats to Babylonia (see on Isa 23:13), for they had already been upwards of twenty years (since Nabopolassar's era) in political power there; but to His being about now to raise them up as the instruments of God's "work" of judgment on the Jews (Ch2 36:6). The Hebrew is future, "I will raise up."
bitter--that is, cruel (Jer 50:42; compare Jdg 18:25, Margin; Sa1 17:8).
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hasty--not passionate, but "impetuous."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v9 9. Their purpose is to rob and to destroy.
9. Their purpose is to rob and to destroy.
For violence — They are without humane feelings; their only object is to do violence.
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Their faces shall sup up as the east wind — R.V., “the set of their faces is forwards”; margin, “the eagerness of their faces is towards the east.” A.V. attempts to get from the original the thought that the Chaldeans will devour everything like the destructive east wind (Hos_13:15); R.V., that their faces are set forward and cannot be turned aside; so also margin R.V. The Hebrew is obscure and the English translations all do more or less violence to it. The original has east, “but as the spectator when reckoning the quarters of the heavens faces the east, it is supposed that eastwards became equivalent to forwards or onwards.” The intention of the prophet is evidently to describe the fierceness of the advance, but it is not unlikely that the text has suffered in transmission. Nowack considers the corruption so hopeless that he does not even attempt a restoration; Marti reads, “They advance in the very face of those who rise up against them”; that is, they are without fear or hesitation. Their captives are “as the sand,” which means numberless. The Assyrian kings frequently boast that they took captives and booty “without number.”
The verbs of Hab_1:10-11 should be rendered, with R.V. in Hab_1:10, as present tenses. Kings and princes are objects of mockery to them, fortresses are taken with the greatest ease.
They shall heap dust [“he heapeth up dust”] — Refers to the casting up of embankments, so that the besiegers may be on a level with the defenders behind the walls (2Sa_20:15; Jer_32:24). This is done quickly, and the city falls.
In Hab_1:11 the translation of A.V. is not impossible, but the context favors R.V.: “Then he shall sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, even he whose might is his god.”
Then — With the fortresses leveled to the ground the victorious army rushes on like a wind to new triumphs.
He passeth over — Irresistibly they sweep through the lands overcoming all obstacles. The two verbs are used together in Isa_8:8, of the onward rush of the Assyrians, likened to an overwhelming flood. The translation of margin R.V., “transgresseth,” is not so suitable.
Be guilty (R.V.) — Through the acts just described, equivalent to “and thus he becometh guilty.” The cruelties and outrages constitute a part of their guilt. Another indictment is implied in the last clause.
Even he whose might is his god (R.V.) — This is not a literal translation, but it expresses the thought of the original: “His success intoxicates him, and in his pride of heart he deifies his own might.” Literally it is, “this his might becometh his god”; the construction is peculiar, and the text may be corrupt. For “and be guilty, even he whose might is his god,” Wellhausen, Nowack, and others read, with some changes in the text, “and he maketh his might to be his god,” which gives good sense.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv6–11 6. raise up the Chaldeans] The reference in “raise…
6. raise up the Chaldeans] The reference in “raise up” can hardly be to the first entrance of the Chaldeans upon the stage of history; it is rather to their advance against Israel. Some MSS. of Sept. add “against you.” On Chaldeans see after Hab_1:11.
bitter and hasty nation] Spoken of temper or disposition “bitter” is vehement and passionate, Jdg_18:25; 2Sa_17:8; and “hasty” is sudden in action, driven headlong by violent impulse.
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shall march … the land] which marcheth through the breadth of the earth. His operations extend over the world, and his object is conquest, to seize for a possession the dwelling-places of other peoples. Job_18:21; Jer_9:19; Jer_30:18; Isa_32:18. The phrase “that are not his” again ch. Hab_2:6; cf. Deu_6:10-11.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv6–11 (6) I raise up the Chaldeans—i.e., I am bringing…
(6) I raise up the Chaldeans—i.e., I am bringing up the Chaldæan or Babylonian armies into Judæa. The phrase implies that the Chaldæans were not yet in Judæa, but there is no occasion to find an allusion to the recent rise of the Chaldæan nation. We notice this point because an ethnological theory (now generally abandoned) has regarded the Chaldæans of the prophetic period as raised to national existence only a little time before the date of Habakkuk. It was supposed that they were a race distinct from the Chaldæans of earlier Scripture; being, in fact, an association of northern hordes who had but recently penetrated the lower Mesopotamian valley. Hab_1:6 and Isa_23:13 were therefore interpreted as illustrating the fact that these new nationalities “were on a sudden ‘raised up,’ elevated from their low estate of Assyrian colonists, to be the conquering people which they became under Nebuchadnezzar.” The confutation of this theory may be found in Rawlinson’s Ancient Monarchies, i. 57, 59. It appears that Babylon was peopled at this time, not, as was formerly supposed, with hordes of Armenians, Arabs, Kurds, and Sclaves, but with a mixed population, in which the old Chaldæan and Assyrian elements preponderated. The Chaldæans of the seventh century B.C. were, in fact, as legitimate descendants of the people of Nimrod’s empire as we are of the Saxons. Certainly, the rapidity with which Babylon rose from the position of an Assyrian colony to that of ruler of Asia was marvellous. But the work which is to make the Jews wonder is not God’s choice of an agent, but that agent’s proceeding; not the elevation of one Gentile power in the place of another, but the attack which that new power is to make upon the sacred city.
Bitter and hasty.—Better, fierce and impetuous. The association of these two epithets, mar and nimhâr, is the more forcible, because of their similarity in sound. With respect to the whole passage Hab_1:6-11, Kleinert well remarks, “The present passage is the locus classicus for the characteristics of this warlike people, just as Isa_5:26 seq. is for the characteristics of the Assyrians.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv6–11 The executors of the Divine vengeance are now plainly…
The executors of the Divine vengeance are now plainly announced. I raise up. God does it; he uses the power and passion of men to work out his designs (1Ki_11:14, 1Ki_11:23; Amo_6:14) The Chaldeans; Kasidim. By this appellation the prophets signify the soldiers or inhabitants of Babylon, which won its independence and commenced its wonderfully rapid career of conquest after the tall of Nineveh, between B.C. 626 and 608. At the time when Habakkuk wrote the Chaldeans had not appeared in Judaea, and no apprehension of danger from them was entertained. Bitter and hasty. The former epithet refers to their cruelty and ferocity. (comp. Isa_14:6; Jer_6:23 Jer_50:42) They are called "hasty," as being vehement and impetuous in attack and rapid in movement. Which shall march through the breadth of the land; which marcheth through the breadths of the earth. The statement explains the general character of the Chaldeans, and points to the foreign conquests of Nebuchadnezzar. LXX, Tomenon ejpi tath thv ghv. (comp. Rev_20:9)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v11 Hab_1:11. Then] Elated by victory. Change] Lit. the wind…
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Hab_1:11. Then] Elated by victory. Change] Lit. the wind passes by; the storm of violence like the wind sweeps over the land. Some refer it to the Chaldee nation, who change in mind, lose reason and moderation, and get proud. Power] is their god, or “(saying that) his power is his own, as one who is a god to himself” [Grotius]. Henderson gives—“Then it gaineth fresh spirit; it passeth onward and contracteth guilt, (saying,) Is this his power through his God.”
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Hab_1:12.] God now vindicated in opposition to the boast of the enemy. God eternal and holy. Die] The Chaldeans will not destroy, only correct us. Mighty] Lit. Rock (Deu_32:4). Thou] They are only thy instruments.
Hab_1:13. Look] inactively upon violence. Deal] Chaldeans once allies of the Jews, now violent oppressors (Isa_21:2; Isa_24:16). Right] Bad as Jews were, they were much better than their enemies.
Hab_1:14.] God made his people defenceless as the fish, left them in disorder, and without any to care for them.
Hab_1:15.] The enemy easily catches them and exults in his success.
Hab_1:16. Sacrifice] Idolize their military skill and power by which they gained success. Ancient Scythians offered yearly sacrifices to a sabre set up as a symbol of Mars [Keil].
Hab_1:17. Therefore] shall he empty] Lit. spread his net continually to destroy nations? Empty it and throw it in again for a fresh draught? It is implied that God will not permit such conduct to go unpunished, but the answer is reserved for the sequel.
Hab_1:5-11]. God’s answer to the complaint. Behold] prophet and people. God is about to act, and they will be terrified at its results (cf. Act_13:41).
HOMILETICS
SUCCESS ABUSED.—Hab_1:11; Hab_1:16
Elated with success, the Chaldeans pass over all bounds and restraints. In pride and arrogance they attribute all glory to themselves or their gods, deify their own power, and incur the Divine displeasure. They were intoxicated with their success and abused it. Success is abused—
I. When it is over-valued. Men cry, “Nothing succeeds like success,” and aim at it, for its own sake. In anticipation and possession it is over-estimated. It creates pride, and sometimes overturns reason. “The human heart,” says Volney, “is often the victim of the sensations of the moment; success intoxicates it to presumption, and disappointment dejects and terrifies it.”
II. When it is thought to cover sins. If sinful acts are crowned with success, they are considered proofs of prowess, matters of boasting and exultation. The end is thought to justify the means. The Chaldeans rejoiced in conquests gained by the miseries of the Jews, grew haughty and insolent, and prepared themselves for ruin by worshipping their own power. Speed in the wrong direction is construed into providence; favour to sinful projects and success in evil courses are taken as signs of God’s approval. Thus, because God suffers mischief to prosper, men forget their guilt and rejoice in iniquity. But they prosper only to die, and like beasts fatten to fit them for slaughter. Fat may be their portion and plenteous their meat (Hab_1:16), but “he slew the fattest of them” (Psa_89:31).
III. When it is ascribed to wrong sources. Men render Divine honours to themselves and their idols rather than to God, who alone gives skill and success.
1. They attribute success to idols. “Imputing this his power unto his god.” The Chaldeans ascribed success to Bel and Nebo, and blasphemously argued that because they had conquered his people, Jehovah was inferior to their gods. Ancient Romans deified their standards and arms. Savage nations have made idols of their implements and arrows. There is no truth in that religion which dishonours the true God, and no stability in that prosperity which is attributed to idols. “He shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished” (Dan_11:36).
2. They attribute success to their own power. “They sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag.” When men deny God, they deify themselves, and adore their own skill. Ajax called his sword his god, and thanked it for all its brave achievements. Belshazzar said, “I will be like the Most High” (Isa_14:14); the Prince of Tyre said, “I am a god” (Eze_28:22); and Antichrist “exalts himself above all that is called God” (2Th_2:4). Nebuchadnezzar was proud of the might of his power, and the Assyrian declared, “By the strength of my hand I did it; and by my wisdom, for I am prudent” (Isa_10:13-15). Sad are those events in life which minister pride, and give occasion to men to deprive God of honour and exalt themselves. “He who boasts of a thing,” says Luther, “and is glad and joyous on account of it, but does not thank the true God, makes himself into an idol, gives himself the glory, and does not rejoice in God, but in his own strength and work.”
“To our own nets ne’er bow we down,
Lest on the eternal shore,
The angels, while our draughts they own
Reject us evermore” [Keble].
GOD’S CHARACTER A GROUND OF CONSOLATION IN DISTRESS.—Hab_1:13
The prophet turns again to God in sublime contrast to the deifying of human power—vindicates the character of Jehovah as opposed to idols, and declares entire confidence in him as the true ground of consolation in distress—“Art thou not from everlasting?” &c.
I. God is Eternal. Go back as far as possible in thought, God was before thought. In the beginning God. “From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” Hence,
1. God is unchangeable in his purpose. He is a rock firm and immovable. From the eternity of his nature the prophet infers the eternity of his purpose. “My God.” He has delivered in the past, and will deliver in the present and in the future (2Co_1:10). Whatever changes he never changes. His people lay hold of his covenant, claim a special interest and express a strong hope in it. “Therefore we shall not die.”
1. Temporally we shall not die. God will reserve a remnant of the Jews to return from captivity to the land of their fathers, to build his temple and enlarge his Church. 2. Spiritually we shall not die. He will keep his promise, and we shall not lose an interest in a better life.
3. Eternally we shall not die. God having loved once will love to the end—will never cast off his people. In eternal wisdom God hath given eternal redemption, and an eternal inheritance.
2. God is unchangeable in his providence. The prophet might be distressed at the description of the enemy—the condition of his people might perplex and seem to contradict the covenant, but present judgment was only temporary chastisement. Their enemies would not destroy, but only correct them. The rod was in the hands of God. Because God lived, they would live (Joh_14:19). Men might be wicked, cruel, and perverse, but he was always the same. Clouds may hide the light, but do not destroy the sun. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” &c.
“Now thou array’st thine awful face
In angry frowns, without a smile;
We, through the cloud, believe thy grace,
Secure of thy compassion still.”
II. God is holy. “Mine Holy One.” The prophet implores God as an individual and in the name of Israel. God in a special manner separated them from other nations, avowed and adopted them as his own. He therefore takes special interest in them, and will exercise special mercy towards them (Hos_11:9). The chastisement of the enemy confirmed his holiness and purified his people. The victorious heathen were unholy, imputed power to idols, but he was the Holy One of Israel whom they reproached (Isa_37:23). God’s holiness then is—
1. A guarantee of punishment to sin.
2. Of deliverance to his people: and,
3. Of justice and right to all men. Among his people, or in the wicked, God will not leave sin unpunished. “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”
GOD DOES NOT APPROVE OF SIN.—Hab_1:13
Men are tempted to think it is vain to serve God, when he permits the wicked to triumph over them. True views of God will check such thoughts. He cannot look upon sin with approbation. His eyes are too pure to behold evil and connive at it. We infer from this that God is holy, and will certainly punish sin.
I. The testimony of Scripture proves this. From beginning to end it sets forth the holiness of God. In rite and ceremony, in precept and doctrine, its constant voice is heard, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
II. The testimony of Providence proves this. In the expulsion of angels from heaven and our first parents from Eden—in floods and fire—in the history of Israel, and in the punishment of the wicked. We see justice written in actions, and God’s abhorrence of sin in the judgments he has inflicted. Evil may array itself in wit and grandeur, or in villany and success, but it is always the abominable thing which the Lord hates. Its perpetrators are hated, and will be punished by him. “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight; thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”
THE ENIGMAS OF LIFE.—Hab_1:13-17
Troubled thoughts are not easily driven away. Circumstances arise in which perplexities increase—in which God’s conduct seems at variance with his Word, and in which God’s people find it difficult or impossible to solve the enigmas of life. The prophet seemed astonished, and expostulated with God at his proceedings against the Jews by the Chaldeans. “Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously,” &c.
I. Why does God permit his people whom he loves to be persecuted? Why do the enemies who blaspheme thy name, deal cruelly and perfidiously with thy people?
1. They are devoured. “The wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he.” This has always been the lot of God’s people, from the days of Abel to the present time. “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” But this cruelty was great. They were hunted and devoured like prey.
2. They are destroyed. God permitted the weaker to be taken by the stronger. They were caught like fish in the sea, crushed like reptiles in the dust. They had no defender to protect nor avenge them. God was silent and held his tongue. This seems strange to those who trust in God. To punish the wicked may be the will of God, but to strike at the righteous is treason. Why then does God permit this? How can he love them? If God has fixed the times for executing his purposes why does he hide them from his people (Job_24:1)? “Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?”
II. Why does God, who is holy, permit sinners to prosper in wickedness? “Wherefore lookest thou,” &c.
1. Wickedness exulting over goodness. Rejoicing in its work of mischief and destruction. Men glory in their crimes.
2. Wickedness idolizing itself. “They sacrifice unto their own net.” Coarse forms of idolatry spring from a corrupt mind. When the idol is first set up in the heart, men will not be long before they worship their wealth and wisdom, their armies and navies.
3. Wickedness apparently perpetual. The enemy had gathered immense booty, and was rejoicing over it. They had caught the Jews like fish in a net. Will they devour what they have taken? Will they empty the net again, and unceasingly go on without check or punishment? asks the prophet. How perplexing were these things to his mind. They have been perplexing to the good in every age. The abnormal state of the world is a sore puzzle to most men. Ovid was tempted to say there were no gods. Brutus condemned virtue entirely when defeated, and Pompey declared that a mist had come over the eyes of Providence, when overcome by Cæsar. Thus men charge God foolishly. The Psalmist solved the problem in nearness to God (Psa_73:17)—saw that this life was only a state of trial and probation. Things may stagger the godly now, for we are brutish in knowledge, impatient in spirit, and incapable of comprehending God’s plans. Wait patiently, all will be cleared up before the great tribunal. “How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
“Fixed to the hold, so might the sailor aim,
To judge the pilot, and the steerage blame,
As we direct to God what should belong,
Or say that Sovereign Wisdom governs wrong.”
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Hab_1:12. Notice,
1. The grievous affliction of God’s people. They were ready to die, oppressed, and almost annihilated.
2. The Divine appointment of this affliction. “Thou hast ordained them for judgment.” The enemy had no power over Israel but what God gave them. Hence the affliction was
(1) Appointed in measure.
(2) Appointed in duration.
(3) Appointed in instrumentality. All power is derived from God, and is under his control (Psa_17:14). Men are in his hands, cannot destroy his people, nor frustrate his design.
3. The blessed design of this affliction. “Thou hast established them for correction.” Not for vengeance, not for their own ends and pleasure; but for correction. This correction is needed, and should be expected. “As threshing separates the corn from the chaff,” says Burton, “so does affliction purify virtue.” Michael Angelo saw in the rude block an angel form, and with a sculptor’s skill carved the image and revealed its beauty; so God “rough hews” his people, forms and fashions them by affliction into his likeness. “Blessed is he whom thou chastenest.”
4. The vigorous hope under this affliction. “We shall not die.” On the unchanging character and the eternal covenant of God, we ground our hope of deliverance, and our belief in the perpetuity of his Church. “Virtue,” says Dr. Moore, “can stand its ground as long as life; so that a soul well principled will be sooner separated than subdued.” “The Lord hath chastened me sore; but he hath not given me over unto death.” “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Let us thank God for discipline, and kiss the rod which smites us. It is not the stroke of a tyrant, but the chastening of a Father.
“Such sharpness shows the sweetest Friend,
Such cuttings rather heal than rend.”
The three titles of God in this verse are significant. “The God to whom the prophet prays is Jehovah, the absolutely constant One, who is always the same in word and work (see Gen_2:4); he is also Elohai, my, i.e. Israel’s God, who from time immemorial has proved to the people whom he had chosen as his possession, that he is their God; and the Holy One of Israel, the absolutely Pure One, who cannot look upon evil, and therefore cannot endure that the wicked should devour the righteous” [Keil].
Hab_1:14-15. The two figures (fish and reptiles) indicate the low and helpless condition of the Jews. The world is like a troubled sea, the weaker are caught and devoured by the stronger—the more venomous hurt and destroy the rest. Notice also the agencies of cruelty.
1. The angle;
2. The net; and
3. The drag. “Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans are a faint image of Satan, who casts out his baits and his nets in the stormy sea of this life, taking some by individual craft, sweeping others in whole masses to do evil; and whoso hath no ruler, and will not have Christ to reign over them, he allures, hurries, drags away as his prey” [Pusey].
Hab_1:15-16. Notice,
1. The instruments of wickedness.
2. The success of wickedness.
3. The insolence of wickedness. “Here is the growth of iniquity; for first they exercise all cruel inhumanity against the Jews, then they rejoice over them, and then doth the sin grow out of measure sinful, for they forbear not to provoke God himself by their pride of heart, robbing him of the glory of his own work, and ascribing it to themselves” [Marbury].
The career of a great conqueror has something intoxicating. Before Napoleon men degraded themselves and became idolaters. The sin of the world-power is two-fold; first, it deals with the property of God as if it were its own; secondly, it does not honour God for the success granted to it, but its own power [Lange].
Hab_1:17.
1. The question—“Shall they?”
2. From whence the answer. (a) reason? (b) philosophy? (c) experience? (d) it must be left where the Psalmist leaves it (Psa_74:22).
3. The right attitude in ch. 2.
Hab_1:13-17. There is a limit set to the power of the wicked.
1. God is holy.
2. But the work of the wicked is unholy. For, (a) It is a work of hatred against the righteous. (b) It is an abuse of the powers bestowed by God. (c) It does nothing for God, but everything for itself (Hab_1:15). (d) It does not give God honour, but makes itself an idol (Hab_1:16).
3. Therefore it must have an end (Hab_1:17) [Lange].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 1
Hab_1:12-17. Let us at all times cherish in our minds an unrelaxing certainty, that we shall always find the Almighty perfect in his justice to all, and in everything, and individually to each of us, as soon as we have sufficient knowledge of his operations with respect to us. Let us wait with patience until what we do not perceive or cannot comprehend shall be satisfactorily elucidated to us. We expect this equity in our intercourse with each other. Let us also so conduct ourselves, in all our thoughts and feelings with reference to Him, whatever may be his present or future dispensations personally to ourselves [Turner].
Shall they? Providence is often mysterious and a source of perplexity to us. Walking in Hyde Park one day, I saw a piece of paper on the grass. I picked it up; it was a part of a letter; the beginning was wanting, the end was not there: I could make nothing of it. Such is providence. You cannot see beginning or end, only a part. When you can see the whole, then the mystery will be unveiled. [Thomas Jones, 1871].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv8, 10 Their horses ... their horses
Their horses ... their horses
the horses of the Chaldean soldiers
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leopards
large, swift cats (See: Translate Unknowns)
the evening wolves
This refers to wolves that hunt their prey at night.
their horsemen
the Chaldean soldiers who ride the horses
they fly like an eagle hurrying to eat
Yahweh speaks of how quickly the Chaldeans move in order to conquer their enemies as if they were flying, like an eagle flies swiftly to capture its prey. (See: Metaphor)
their multitudes go like the desert wind
Yahweh speaks of how quickly the Chaldeans move as if they were a strong wind that blows in the desert. (See: Metaphor)
they gather captives like sand
Possible meanings are 1) the Chaldeans take people captive as easily as one would scoop up sand with his hand. AT: "they gather captives as one gathers sand" or 2) the Chaldeans take a great number of people captive, as if those people were as many as the grains of sand in the desert. AT: "they capture as many people as there are grains of sand" (See: Simile)
translationWords
horse
wolf
eagle
captive
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7–11 1:7 do whatever they like: No relief from injustice…
1:7 do whatever they like: No relief from injustice would come from the Babylonians. They were a law unto themselves, which added to the prophet’s perplexity at God’s decision to use them to punish Judah.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.