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Commentary on Habakkuk 1 verses 5–11
We have here an answer to the prophet's complaint, giving him assurance that, though God bore long, he would not bear always with this provoking people; for the day of vengeance was in his heart, and he must tell them so, that they might by repentance and reformation turn away the judgment they were threatened with.
I. The preamble to the sentence is very awful (Hab 1:5): Behold, you among the heathen, and regard. Since they will not be brought to repentance by the long-suffering of God, he will take another course with them. No resentments are so keen, so deep, as those of abused patience. The Lord will inflict upon them, 1. A public punishment, which shall be beheld and regarded among the heathen, which the neighbouring nations shall take notice of and stand amazed at; see Deu 29:24, Deu 29:25. This will aggravate the desolations of Israel, that they will thereby be made a spectacle to the world. 2. An amazing punishment, so strange and surprising, and so much out of the common road of Providence, that it shall not be paralleled among the heathen, shall be sorer and heavier than what God has usually inflicted upon the nations that know him not; nay, it shall not be credited even by those that had the prediction of it from God before it comes, or the report of it from those that were eye-witnesses of it when it comes: You will not believe it, though it be told you; it will be thought incredible that so many judgments should combine in one, and every circumstance so strangely concur to enforce and aggravate it, that so great and potent a nation should be so reduced and broken, and that God should deal so severely with a people that had been taken into the bond of the covenant and that he had done so much for. The punishment of God's professing people cannot but be the astonishment of all about them. 3. A speedy punishment: "I will work a work in your days, now quickly; this generation shall not pass till the judgment threatened be accomplished. The sins of former days shall be reckoned for in your days; for now the measure of the iniquity is full," Mat 23:36. 4. It shall be a punishment in which much of the hand of God shall appear; it shall be a work of his own working, so that all who see it shall say, This is the Lord's doing; and it will be found a fearful thing to fall into his hands; woe to those whom he takes to task! 5. It shall be such a punishment as will typify the destruction to be brought upon the despisers of Christ and his gospel, for to that these words are applied Act 13:41, Behold, you despisers, and wonder, and perish. The ruin of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans for their idolatry was a figure of their ruin by the Romans for rejecting Christ and his gospel, and it is a very marvellous thing, and almost incredible. Is there not a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
II. The sentence itself is very dreadful and particular (Hab 1:6): Lo, I raise up the Chaldeans. There were those that raised up a great deal of strife and contention among them, which was their sin; and now God will raise up the Chaldeans against them, who shall strive and contend with them, which shall be their punishment. Note, When God's professing people quarrel among themselves, snarl at, and devour one another, it is just with God to bring the common enemy upon them, that shall make peace by making a universal devastation. The contending parties in Jerusalem were inveterate one against another, when the Romans came and took away their place and nation. The Chaldeans shall be the instruments of the destruction threatened, and, though themselves acting unrighteously, they shall execute the righteousness of the Lord and punish the unrighteousness of Israel. Now, here we have,
1.A description of the people that shall be raised up against Israel, to be a scourge to them. (1.) They are a bitter and hasty nation, cruel and fierce, and what they do is done with violence and fury; they are precipitate in their counsels, vehement in their passions, and push on with resolution in their enterprises; they show no mercy and they spare no pains. Miserable is the case of those that are given up into the hand of these cruel ones. (2.) They are strong, and therefore formidable, and such as there is no standing before, and yet no fleeing from (Hab 1:7): They are terrible and dreadful, famed for the gallant troops they bring into the field (Hab 1:8); their horses are swifter than leopards to charge and pursue, and more fierce than the evening wolves; and wolves are observed to be the most ravenous towards the evening, after they have been kept hungry all day, waiting for that darkness under the protection of which all the beasts of the forest creep forth, Psa 104:20. Their squadrons of horse shall be very numerous: "Their horse-men shall spread themselves a great way, for they shall come from far, from all parts of their own country, and shall be dispersed into all parts of the country they invade, to plunder it, and enrich themselves with the spoil of it. And, in making speed to spoil, they shall hasten to the prey (as those, Isa 8:1, margin), for they shall fly as the eagle towards the earth when she hastens to eat and strikes at the prey she has an eye upon." (3.) Their own will is a law to them, and, in the fierceness of their pursuits, they will not be governed by any laws of humanity, equity, or honour: Their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves, Hab 1:7. Appetite and passion rule them, and not reason nor conscience. Their principle is, Quicquid libet, licet - My will is my law. And, Sic volo, sic jubeo; stat pro ratione voluntas - This is my wish, this is my command; it shall be done because I choose it. What favour can be hoped for from such an enemy? Note, Those who have been unjust and unmerciful, among whom the law is slacked, and judgment doth not go forth, will justly be paid in their own coin and fall into the hands of those who will deal unjustly and unmercifully with them.
2.A prophecy of the terrible execution that shall be made by this terrible nation: They shall march through the breadth of the earth (so it may be read); for in a little time the Chaldean forces subdued all the nations in those parts, so that they seemed to have conquered the world; they overran Asia and part of Africa. Or, through the breadth of the land of Israel, which was wholly laid waste by them. It is here foretold, (1.) That they shall seize all as their own that they can lay their hands on. They shall come to possess the dwelling-places that are not theirs, which they have no right to, but that which their sword gives them. (2.) That they shall push on the war with all possible vigour: They shall all come for violence (Hab 1:9), not to determine any disputed right by the sword, but, right or wrong, to enrich themselves with the spoil. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind; their very countenances shall be so fierce and frightful that a look will serve to make them masters of all they have a mind to; so that they shall swallow up all, as the east wind nips and blasts the buds and flowers. Their faces shall look towards the east (so some read it); they shall still have an eye to their own country, which lay eastward from Judea, and all the spoil they seize they shall remit thither. (3.) That they shall take a vast number of prisoners, and send them into Babylon: They shall gather the captivity as the sand for multitude, and shall never know when they have enough, as long as there are any more to be had. (4.) That they shall make nothing of the opposition that is given to them, Hab 1:10. Do the distressed Jews depend upon their great men to make a stand, and with their wisdom and courage to give check to the victorious arms of the Chaldeans? Alas! they will make nothing of them. They shall scoff (he shall, so it is in the original, meaning Nebuchadnezzar, who being puffed up with his successes, shall scoff) at the kings and commanders of the forces that think to make head against him; and the princes shall be a scorn to them, so unequal a match shall they appear to be. Do they depend upon their garrisons and fortified towns? He shall deride every stronghold, for to him it shall be weak, and he shall heap dust, and take it; a little soil, thrown up for ramparts, shall serve to give him all the advantage against them that he can desire; he shall make but a jest of them, and a sport of taking them. (5.) By all this he shall be puffed up with an intolerable pride, which shall be his destruction (Hab 1:11): Then shall his mind change for the worse. The spirit both of the people and of the king shall grow more haughty and insolent. Those that will not be content with their own rights will not be content when they have made themselves masters of other people's rights too; but as the condition rises the mind rises too. This victorious king shall pass over all the bounds of reason, equity, and modesty, and break through all their bonds, and thereby he shall offend, shall make God his enemy, and so prepare ruin for himself by imputing this his power to his god, whereas he had it from the God of Israel. Bel and Nebo were the gods of the Chaldeans, and to them they gave the glory of their successes; they were hardened in their idolatry, and blasphemously argued that because they had conquered Israel their gods were too strong for the God of Israel. Note, It is a great offence (and the common offence of proud people) to take that glory to ourselves, or to give it to gods of our own making, which is due to the living and true God only. These closing words of the sentence give a glimpse of comfort to the afflicted people of God; it is to be hoped that they will change their minds, and grow better, and ripen for deliverance; and they did so. However, their enemies will change their minds, and grow worse, and ripen for destruction, which will inevitably come in God's due time; for a haughty spirit, lifted up against God, goes before a fall.
(Verse 6 onwards) For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs. They are feared and dreaded; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence; their faces forward; they gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god. LXX: For behold, I will raise up the bitter and swift Chaldeans, who walk over the breadth of the earth to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are dreadful and renowned; their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and more fierce than evening wolves. Their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from afar; they shall fly as the eagle that hastens 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 to them; they shall deride every stronghold, for they shall heap up earth and take it. Then his spirit shall change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. What I have told you: Look among the nations, and see, and be amazed, and be astounded; for a work is being done in your days that you would not believe if you were told. This is what the following passage describes: Behold, I am stirring up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. And this is his work, not to exercise the land by plowing; but to live by plunder and sword, and to possess cities that are not his own: before he strikes his hand, before he breaks out into war, he carries terror on his face. And when he says, 'Judgment and burden will come out from himself,' as Symmachus interpreted, it means that he will judge for himself, and will go forth according to his decree, or it should be understood that he will appoint princes from his own people, and his power and the sword of other nations will not have guards, or certainly as he did, it will be done to him, and he will be devastated just as he devastated. The horses as well as the cavalry, who will come from far away, will be so destructive in pursuing and plundering everything, that they will surpass leopards and evening wolves. Indeed, wolves are said to be more fierce at night, and throughout the day they are driven to madness by hunger. So the cavalry will not fly to fight, because no one will resist them; but they will run like an eagle, to whom all things are subject in the air, hastening to devour. And just as green things wither at the breath of scorching wind, so everything will be devastated at their sight, and the number of captives and spoils will be so great that, by exaggeration, it could even equal the sand. He himself, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, will also reign in the whole world, and triumphing over the kings in his chariot, he will hold them up to ridicule and consider them among his delights. He will have such power and pride that he will strive to overcome nature and capture the most fortified cities with the strength of his army. For he will come to Tyre and, by throwing a causeway into the sea, he will turn the island into a peninsula and provide a land entrance between the waves of the sea into the city. For this reason, he will laugh at and tear down every barrier, and he will capture it, that is, the fortification, or Tyre; which is clearly demonstrated in Ezekiel, where it is said: Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, subjugated his army with great effort against Tyre. Every head is bald, and every shoulder is shaved, and no payment is given to him and his army against Tyre, and the work in which he served against it. But when he will have attained to the pinnacle of power, and nothing will stand in his way, then his spirit will change into pride: and thinking himself to be God, he will set up a golden image in Babylon, which he will force all nations to worship. And when he has done this, he will transform into the form of a beast, and afterwards he will fall: for which reason Aquila and Symmachus translated καὶ πλημμελήσει, that is, and he will transgress: the Holy Scripture having this custom, that it puts Vasam (), that is, he will transgress, in place of what it is, and it will cease to be what it was. Similarly, we have such phrases in our language, saying: The army was beaten, meaning that it was killed and slaughtered. And, the vineyard and field sinned, meaning that they did not produce a harvest of grapes and crops. And what is said at the end of the chapter: This is the strength of his God, is to be understood ironically, so that the meaning is: This is the strength he received from his god Beldeus. All nations were compelled to worship him, even through scripture and the threat of death under his cruel rule. According to the Hebrew: Now let us turn to the Septuagint, so that, with each sentence set forth, we may join together an allegorical interpretation. Behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, who march throughout the breadth of the earth to possess dwellings not their own. God threatens against those who despise and slander His providence, that He will raise up the Chaldeans, who are interpreted as demons or even as the worst angels, serving His fury, wrath, and the tribulation which He inflicts upon sinners; or as the souls of the worst men, through whom they deserve torment. But the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, do not spare and quickly fulfill what has been commanded to them. And they walk upon the breadth of the earth. For there is a wide and spacious road that leads to death ((Matt. VII, 13)): through which the rich man in the Gospel walked, who shone in purple (Luc. XVI), and those of whom it is said: Who sleep on ivory beds, and abound in delights on their couches. Who eat calves from the herds that are still suckling, and drink clarified wine, and anoint themselves with the best ointments (Amos. VI, 4): these, because they walk on the wide road, are called the breadth of the earth, which is pressed by the steps of the Chaldeans. For they did not want to walk on the narrow and tight road that leads to life, on which Paul was walking, glorifying God in tribulation and distress (I Cor. VI, 12). However, the Chaldeans walk over the breadth of the earth, in order to possess tents that are not their own. For every reasonable soul, although it has become a dwelling place of the Chaldeans through its vice and fault, is by nature a tent of God. And although in the Gospel the worst demon speaks: I will go to my house from where I came out (Matt. XII, 44), he should not be believed; for no rational creature was made for the purpose of being a dwelling place for a demon. It follows: He is terrible and illustrious: from him will come judgment, and his assumption will come forth from him. The Chaldean is terrible because of the many and varied punishments he inflicts on the contemptuous; illustrious, because he assumes for himself the glory of divinity. And through his own oracles and false responses, and the healings of the diseases which he himself had caused, he seems illustrious among the inexperienced and contemptuous of God. For the judgment and punishment of the contemptuous will come from him, that is, from himself or from the Chaldean. For they will be handed over to punishment, according to the Apostle, so that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Timothy I): from whomsoever shall repent and turn to God, he shall depart, after he had been held by his hands, and there had been a Chaldean assumption. If when we see someone having served the devil for a long time, and afterwards having been converted to God, let us say about him: And his assumption went forth from him. For whoever shall have done penance, and left behind the demons, to which like horses they previously offered their backs to be sat upon; and they shall have thrown off and shaken off their riders, the horsemen themselves, like leopards and wolves, in the evening, and having come with empty and light backs to carry him, who, meek and poor, ascends upon the foal of an ass (John XII), these, hastening as if from afar, and not satisfied with running and rushing, shall assume flight, and shall come as if an eagle, to feed on the flesh of God's word, and to satisfy the hunger of such a long time. For in that which is said, καὶ ἐξιππάζονται οἱ ἱππεῖς αὐτοῦ, and the Seventy have translated: And his horsemen shall ride, according to the sense which we have stated above, Symmachus has interpreted: His horsemen shall be poured out, that is, they shall fall and be dashed to the ground. But the wolves of Arabia, that is, the enemies of the evening and of the West, are rightly so called, by whom the worst intercourse has been sought; and being set before in darkness, they abandon the whole path of the evening. When they have abandoned it, and have flown forth ready, that they may devour the fleshly produce of the Word of God, then shall come the consummation upon the ungodly, that is, upon the Chaldeans who withstood the turning of the penitent to their Lord. Therefore, the consummation will come upon the wicked, opposing their faces from the front. But when they have been consumed and captivity has been snatched from their hands, then the divine word will gather together, like the sand of the Chaldean captivity, and it will delight in the kings, and the jokes of tyrants will be its amusement, seeing the once powerful devil and his kingdoms (which also, showing to the Savior, he says, 'All these things I will give you if you fall down and worship me') destroyed by his coming; for they are the delights of prudence and the pleasures of wisdom, when folly is destroyed, and the power of tyrants, once overcome and cast down, is turned into ridicule. For indeed the dragon was not formed alone for the purpose of being a plaything for the Lord, who is the beginning of its creation, but was made as a mockery to the angels. And God will not give him alone, as if to a little sparrow, but if anyone else is also cruel and of a tyrannical mind, he will be handed over to the word of God as a subject of ridicule. And He Himself says, He will mock at every stronghold. But what other stronghold is there except that of which the Apostle speaks: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but powerful with God for the destruction of fortresses, destroying imaginations and every exaltation that is raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Therefore, whatever things there may be, whether in speeches that claim to have height and greatness contrary to the truth, or in all glory and riches and strength that is praised in the world, all will be destroyed, and the word of God will mock every stronghold. And He will send a rampart and will prevail over it, and earthly things that it produces, exposing its fragility in those things where it seemed to have some strength before. But when this shall have been accomplished, then the spirit will be converted, and it will not punish as it had previously punished, but passing through sinners it will intercede for them, and it will reconcile them with their former Lord: in all of which the strength is shown, which has accomplished such great things, of our God. You see how precarious these places are, and how contrary they are to the truth of history. And how those things which we have interpreted literally concerning the Chaldeans, now seem to sound, according to tropology, the clemency and freedom of those who have escaped from the hands of the Chaldeans. Strict history is, and does not have the faculty of wandering. Free tropology, and only restricted by these laws, so that it follows the piety of intelligence and the context of speech, and does not violently connect things that are very different from each other.
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SUMMARY
Habakkuk 1:6 presents a startling divine declaration to the prophet, revealing God's chosen instrument of judgment against unrighteous Judah: the formidable Chaldeans (Babylonians). This verse unveils the Lord's active sovereignty in raising up this "bitter and hasty nation" to sweep across the land, dispossessing its inhabitants and claiming their homes, a shocking and terrifying response to Habakkuk's lament over internal injustice.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Habakkuk 1:6 employs several powerful literary devices. The most prominent is Divine Irony, where God's response to Habakkuk's lament about injustice within Judah is to introduce an even more ruthless external force. This creates a profound theological tension that drives the rest of the book. The description of the Chaldeans as "bitter and hasty" employs vivid Adjectives that serve as Characterization, immediately painting a picture of a brutal and swift invading force. The phrase "march through the breadth of the land" is a form of Hyperbole or Exaggeration to emphasize the comprehensive nature of the invasion, suggesting an unstoppable and all-encompassing sweep. Finally, the entire verse functions as a Prophetic Oracle, a direct divine utterance revealing future events and God's sovereign plan, establishing the authoritative nature of the message.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Habakkuk 1:6 profoundly underscores the biblical truth of God's absolute sovereignty over all nations and history. Even when His people are disobedient, God remains righteous and just, using even pagan empires as instruments to bring about His purposes, whether for judgment or for the ultimate advancement of His redemptive plan. This verse demonstrates that God is not limited by human expectations of justice or by the wickedness of the instruments He employs. It reveals a God who is actively involved in the affairs of humanity, orchestrating events to bring about His will, often in ways that are initially perplexing or terrifying to His people, but always with a view towards His ultimate glory and their eventual restoration. The impending judgment on Judah, though severe, serves as a painful but necessary purification, preparing the way for a deeper understanding of faith and reliance on God alone.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Habakkuk 1:6 serves as a powerful reminder that God is always at work, even when His methods are beyond our comprehension or seem to contradict our immediate sense of justice. For believers today, this verse challenges us to cultivate a profound trust in God's ultimate sovereignty and wisdom, especially when we face difficult circumstances or witness injustices that seem to go unpunished. It urges us to remember that God's timeline and His instruments may not align with our expectations, but His purposes are always righteous and ultimately for His glory and our good. While we may lament the brokenness of the world, this passage assures us that God is actively involved, bringing about His will, and that there are indeed consequences for persistent sin and rebellion, both individually and corporately. It calls us to respond with humility, repentance, and unwavering faith, knowing that God's justice will prevail, and His plans will unfold.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why would a righteous God use a wicked nation like the Chaldeans to punish His own people?
Answer: This is a central theological tension in Habakkuk, and indeed throughout Scripture. God's use of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) was not an endorsement of their wickedness but a demonstration of His absolute sovereignty and justice. Judah had persistently rebelled against the Mosaic covenant, engaging in idolatry, injustice, and violence, despite repeated warnings from prophets. God, in His righteousness, could not allow such sin to go unpunished. By raising up the Chaldeans, God was exercising His judgment on His unfaithful people, using a powerful, ruthless empire as His instrument, much like a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove a cancerous growth. This act served to purify Judah, humble them, and ultimately lead them back to Him. It also showed that God is not bound by human limitations or expectations; He can use any means necessary to accomplish His righteous purposes, even if those means are themselves wicked and will later face their own judgment (as the Chaldeans eventually did). This concept is also seen in Isaiah 10:5-15, where God uses Assyria as His "rod of anger" against Israel, only to judge Assyria later for its own pride and cruelty.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Habakkuk 1:6 speaks of God's judgment through the Chaldeans, it ultimately points forward to a greater divine judgment and, paradoxically, a greater salvation found in Christ. The "bitter and hasty nation" was an instrument of temporal judgment for Judah's sins, but it foreshadows the ultimate judgment for the sin of the world that would fall upon Christ. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, willingly became the recipient of God's wrath, experiencing the ultimate "bitterness" of separation from the Father on the cross, as prophesied in passages like Isaiah 53:4-6. He "marched through the breadth of the land" not as a conqueror to dispossess, but as a servant to redeem, ultimately entering Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of atonement. Through His death and resurrection, Christ "possessed" not the dwelling places of men, but the hearts of all who believe, establishing His spiritual kingdom and offering eternal "dwelling places" in the house of the Father (John 14:2-3). The swiftness of the Chaldeans' invasion can be seen as a shadow of the "hasty" and decisive work of salvation accomplished by Christ, who, in one definitive act, conquered sin and death, providing a way for humanity to be reconciled to God, fulfilling the promise of a just God who is also a Savior (Romans 3:26).