V. 1 [This is the burden which the prophet Habakkuk beheld].
"The Prophet." Apparently a hopeful title. For apart from this, almost no other prophet calls himself a prophet.
V. 2. How long shall I cry for iniquity?
(vim patiens)?
As if he wanted to say: I do not cease to call, to preach and to reveal their godlessness to the people. I admonish the people against violence and injustice, but I do everything in vain, nothing happens less than that they should listen to me. This seems to me 1) to be the opinion, because Jerome and those who followed him think that this must be referred to the king of the Chaldeans, which does not have my approval. Whoever wants to, may follow Jerome, I do not follow him. For this is absolutely the rule (canonicum), which I also reminded above several times, that God, when he wants to punish the godless people, sends his prophets before the plague, who proclaim the word, reveal the sin and indicate the future wrath of God because of the sins, if perhaps there are some who convert. Moreover, I am also moved by the circumstances of the text that I cannot subscribe to Jerome's opinion, which I will indicate in its place later, where the passages occur.
V. 3. Why do you let me see toil and labor?
The holy scripture often uses these two words, which it also almost always tends to connect. But the Latin interpreter, who delights in an ill-applied abundance of words, has almost everywhere rendered them differently, while in Hebrew the same words are there. So it is also said in the 90th Psalm, v. 10: "Thus it has been toil and labor." The same is said elsewhere [Ps. 55, 10. 11.]:
1) Instead of mög, midi will be read.
"Under their tongue is toil and labor." The same words are here; the meaning is, What is it that thou hast sent me to preach? I accomplish nothing, they do not repent, and so I must see only misery and misfortune, since I preach in vain, since they persist so blinded in their sense; "I see nothing but misery and misfortune".
Why do you show me robbery and iniquity around me?
This I understand from the injustice of the people, as I have said, to whom I refer all this, not to the king of the Chaldeans. What now follows from this place, up to the place where he says: "Violence goes over right", is to be erased, since it does not stand in the Hebrew; perhaps it is added by a clever one. 2) Therefore, we read what is written in the Hebrew text (codicibus).
Force prevails over law.
As if he wanted to say: No matter is judged and spoken about according to the laws, no matter is heard, no matter is discussed, but they rule and abuse all laws and courts that are powerful according to their will. Through quarrels and disputes they hold up the court; there is not equal justice for all; even everything is violent and tyrannical, as he adds:
V. 4: Therefore, it is done differently than it should be.
That is, the laws do not take place, there are no people who adhere to the laws, there are none who speak equal law, but the tyrants make laws according to their arbitrariness, and repeal them again.
And cannot win any right thing.
He speaks according to the Hebrew way [Vulg.: "Therefore judgment does not come to an end"], as also in the Psalm is a similar way of speaking, the
2) In the Hallic manuscript, the keyword: Huars rsspieis follows here with the note: These four verses are not here in Hebrew. - In our Vulgate this addition is not.
means, no one carries out what is established by the laws. All this cannot be understood by the king of the Chaldeans. For what do the weapons have to do with the laws? The laws must be silent under arms, as he said: And by force the cause is carried on; the terrible warrior is loved, with the sword they claim their right etc.
For the wicked overpowers the righteous.
(Instead of praevalet in the Vulgate) the Hebrew verb should more correctly be translated thus: For the wicked overpowers the righteous etc. For it actually means to surround, to go around, to catch, as it is also in the 22nd Psalm, v. 13: "Great bullocks have surrounded me, fat oxen have surrounded me." Here he gives the reason why wrong judgments go, and the law does not stand right or waver (as is actually read according to the Hebrew); for, he says, the tyrants act with violence, they do not keep to the law, they oppress the righteous, therefore the judgments cannot be other than wrong and abominable. Justice is not pronounced rightly, but the tyrants make their pronouncements as they please. Therefore they err, just as someone on the wrong track is wont to err, as is also to be read according to the Hebrew. Namely, everything that follows is quite appropriately related to our view. It is impossible for this to happen with Jerome's opinion. But this can be seen not only in this passage of Jerome, but everywhere in all prophets, yes, almost in every single chapter of each. Since they (Jerome and his successors) twist them in their own way, I do not know how, it happens that they treat everything fragmentarily and the preceding is in no way connected with the following, and again.
V. 5 Look among the Gentiles, behold and be amazed.
Lucas has quoted this passage in the Acts of the Apostles Cap. 13, 41. according to the Septuagint translation, because he adds many words that are not in the Hebrew. And what is read here: "Look among the
Gentiles," he translated, "Behold, ye despisers." This error could easily be produced in Hebrew by a single letter, and perhaps it happened by a mistake of the scribes that a letter was changed. But because nowadays all Bibles agree, so we also read, "Among the Gentiles." Perhaps it was also badly translated by the seventy interpreters, in whose translation, as they were negligent and careless, there are also many other errors, which must necessarily happen where there is not a careful and attentive interpreter. Next, what we read: Admiramini et obstupescite, is in Hebrew only one word, but twice shredded: "Be astonished, be astonished!" For this is the nature of the Hebrew language, that it often repeats the same expression, either for the sake of emphasis or distributionis, as: rejoicing I will rejoice, rejoicing I will be glad etc., that is, I will rejoice greatly. And Moses used to repeat distributive (distri- butive), as he says: take the man and the man, that is, the individual men. The same (figure of speech of) distribution is also in this place.
For I will do something in your days etc.
(Quia opius factum est in diebus vestris etc.).
Here is what 1) moves me, why I think that this prophet prophesied before the time of the Babylonian captivity, because he speaks clearly about the king of the Chaldeans, who will come etc. And the opinion is: Your sins have the upper hand, my preaching you despise, I produce no fruit among you, therefore look among all the Gentiles around, be amazed! A new thing will happen, the vengeance will not be postponed, the greatest misfortune threatens you. But you do not believe this, since it is now
tig hold. The Weimar offers: UM est nie wovet, by which the editor wants to point to the kuotuln 68t in the Vulgate. Luther cannot possibly conclude from the kuotuw 68t that the prophet prophesied before the Babylonian captivity. Rather, in the Zwickau manuscript, he corrects the Vulgate reading by translating: tzuiu kueiuln OPU8 6t6.
is said. Thus, this saying applies in general to all unbelievers who do not believe until they fall into misfortune; they despise all threats as well as the promises of God. And so the question that could be raised here can be answered: why did Lucas cite this passage about Christ and the grace of Christ, while the prophet from whom he quoted had something quite different in mind, namely the king of the Chaldeans, of whom he threatens that he will come upon them. For how does Christ agree with the Chaldeans? It is to be wondered at how Jerome did not consider this question, who is otherwise in the discussion of such questions extraordinarily tormented, what one can see enough, if nowhere else, but in the epistle of Paul to the Galatians. Now I answer thus: that Christ and the apostles have this way, that they put on certain general sayings, which serve not only for the purpose (propositum) undertaken, but also in many similar things. Such is the saying, One blind man leads another [Luc. 6:39]; likewise [Luc. 14:11], "He that exalteth himself shall be humbled." This saying teaches humility
and Christ referred it to the guests of hope, as the Gospel story teaches. Namely, all the works of God are such that the understanding of the flesh does not believe them at all, does not understand anything about them at all; they are higher than all understanding of reason, but this is to our great misfortune etc.
V. 6 For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and quick people.
Thus, the Lord is all in all. Without his will, nothing happens; it is he who awakens both the good and the bad to avenge himself.
Which will draw as far as the country is.
It indicates the immense quantity and power of the Chaldeans.
To occupy apartments that are not his.
This is what he opposes to the false prophets, who distracted the people so that they would
which announced the future destruction. And this they did by scriptures and promises of the Scriptures, which were given by God to this people, namely the Lord would not leave his people, to whom he had promised that he would be in their midst. Likewise, because he had promised them an everlasting kingdom, it would not happen that they would be led away into captivity, etc., which I have reminded above almost in all other prophets.
V. 7. 1) The one who gives and forces as he wills (Ex ipsa judicium ejus et onus ejus).
That is, you have neglected judgment, you have perverted the law according to your arbitrariness, you have not given equal justice, but have done everything by force. Because you have therefore not wanted to judge rightly, therefore the judge will finally come upon you, who will teach you to judge: from him will proceed justice and compulsion (onus); because you do not follow justice, therefore the judgment and compulsion of the Chaldeans will occur; so that, as it were, it is said mockingly: if you do not want to judge, then he will judge.
V. 8 Their horses are swifter than the horses of the parade; they are also more biting than the wolves of the evening.
I know that I have read this of the wolves in the evening, as translated by our interpreter (lupis vespertinis), in two places in Scripture: in Zephaniah [Cap. 3, 3.] and in this prophet. But it is an ambiguous word, and there is dispute among grammarians as to whether it should be translated: Evening wolves or: wolves of the desert. Jerome has replaced it with evening wolves, namely, for this reason, because the hungry wolves in the evening, having suffered hunger all day, rage more among the herd into which they fall than others, and do not go away, because they are satiated. Who does not see that this is cold? Therefore I will rather accept the other opinion, that I translate: Wolves of the desert, that is, wild and not tamed. For so also the Germans use to say: "That the wild wolves
1) This verse number is missing in Weimar's.
tear!" And Christ calls the wolves "ravening" [Matth. 7, 15.]. So he indicates the heat and the impetuosity of the Chaldeans.
Their riders move along with large piles from afar.
Here is the same word diffundentur == XXXX,1 ) - which also Moses [3rd book, 13, 5.] is wont to make frequent use of when describing the leprosy which has spread on the skin of a man.
V. 9: They all come to harm.
The prophet remains with the description of the power and the troops of the Chaldeans, namely they would come so armed and equipped that nobody could escape them. But I translate after the Hebrew thus: All will come to violence against their face, like the east wind. As if he wanted to say: No one can hope to resist the Chaldean, because he comes with violence like the wind; he will exercise violence and steal everything. And he compares him to the east wind. It does not only indicate that the Chaldeans have their residence in the east, but also their power and violence, as that wind is a violent one. Moses calls it everywhere in the Vulgate 2 Mos. 10, 13.] a burning wind, as can be seen in the second book of Moses. For it tends to dry up, just as the south wind tends to be rainy, as the Latin poets also call it Pluvius.
Where they want to go, they will tear through like an east wind; and will gather prisoners like sand.
Just as no one can hold back the wind from rushing through, so the Chaldean will rush in with such great troops and forces that you will not be able to resist, that he will gather all the people together as the wind gathers the sand of the sea. Thus he describes the innumerable and infinite multitude of the captives.
1) In this remark, [proudly step in] is confused with XXX [sjch spread out].
V. 10. They will mock the kings.
That is, not only the Jews, but also any kings he will lead away captive and display them in triumph.
And of the princes they will laugh.
That is, his power will be so great that he will easily overcome all, and he will laugh at those who try to resist him.
All fortresses will be a joke to them.
No city will be so fortified that he should not destroy it with easy effort.
For they will make rubble and yet win.
Jerome writes that Nebuchadnezzar made Tyre a peninsula, which before was a complete island. This has certainly made him great work, required extremely large crews and caused costs. However it may be, it is already quite certain from Ezekiel that he fought very fiercely against Tyre, as can be seen from the 26. 2) chapter of Ezekiel. For it was a very strong and rich city, so that it is also called "the strong" in Joshua [Cap. 19, 29]. And the prophet seems to allude to this here as well.
V. ii. Then they will take a new courage, will continue and sin (Tunc mutabitur spiritus et pertransibit).
This passage is dark [in the Vulgate translation]. I translate the same after the Hebrew thus: Then his heart will rise and go on and sin. This is how it tends to happen in human affairs. The human heart is too weak to make humble use of the good. It cannot be other than unruly, for well-being overpowers even the heart of the wise, as all the histories of all pagans and the exceedingly fine poems of the poets show:
Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis [The hearts are mostly luxuriant in well-being]; likewise: 3)
3) Virgil, lib. X, v. 501 8y.
Nescia mens hominum fati sortisque futurae, Et servare modum, rebus sublata secundis.
(The human heart does not know its future fate and destiny, and does not know how to measure up, puffed up by happiness]. The Scripture also indicates this, since it says [Ezek. 28, 2.], "Your heart arises as a heart of God." This is seen in the Romans, the Persians, the Medes, and all very powerful empires. The prophet says the same here of the king of the Chaldeans, as if to say: in the progress of all things so great and exceedingly blessed, he will boast of his power, he will be defiant, he will not be able to make use of victory (which the prophet required above all things in the case of the king), but will attribute the attainment of victory to his idol. Therefore he will sin, as he adds here:
Then their victory must be of their God.
This is how the prophet distinguishes the idol of Nebuchadnezzar from the true God. An idol is a conceit of the true God, but nevertheless false, since we want to please him with our intentions and our works. The true God, however, is the one who wants to do us good. He does not demand our goods or our works, as I have abundantly said above in Nahum about idolatry. For all pagans, however godless they are, boast of the name of God and the service of God, but they err etc. And so our opinion is an idol for us.
V. 12. But you, O Lord, my God, my Holy One, who are from eternity.
Also here the prophet speaks in his special way of speaking, by which he differs from the other prophets. But here he 1) contrasts two Gods, the true and the false God, as if he wanted to say: He attributes the victory to his God, while in the meantime he does not know you, the true God, my God, so that the emphasis and the force lies in the words "his God" and "my God". And so the prophet speaks in the person of the people. For it was to him
1) In our template: uMes, for which we have assumed aMem.
so to the meaning: Lord, why do you suffer that the godless enemy tramples on your people, who are far better than he, since he does not acknowledge you as the leader and the author of this victory of his. Are you not my God? Thus the Scriptures use to call God the God of Israel and the Holy One in Israel, as the prophet also calls Him here, that is, the One who is holy and sanctifies Israel. Therefore the opinion is: Of course you give salvation to the godless kings, although you are my God and my holy one, so that we can already see from this that there is neither salvation nor victory, except from heaven. For the Lord hath no pleasure in the strength of rust, nor in the legs of any man etc. [Ps. 147, 10.) "Neither do grates help" [Ps. 33, 17.].
Let us not die.
Above I said that in all prophets the same thing is to be seen, because all prophets envision that the people will still be saved, that the kingdom of Judah will last until the future Christ, as Jacob had promised, as it is written in the first book of Moses [Cap. 49, 10). But against these sayings of the prophets and against the promises of the eternal kingdom the captivity fought. For who could hope for an eternal kingdom, since all have been led away into captivity into very distant lands, and the tribes are perishing? Here the human reason could not believe GOtte. Therefore the prophets strengthen the people that they may not doubt that they shall be led back and remain unharmed even in the midst of captivity etc. Therefore, he also says here: In this you are our God and our Holy One, that even though we are afflicted, even though we are led away captive, yet we do not perish, but only for this reason you punish us, that you may show us our sin, not that you may destroy us, as he adds here:
But let them, O Lord, be only a punishment to us, and let them, O our refuge, chasten us only.
He calls the king of the Chaldeans a scourge of God, by which the Lord chastises them. So the scripture also calls in a suffering way (pas-.
sive) the kings whose service God has used in disturbing any kingdom, a rod or staff of the Lord. Thus, in Isaiah [Cap. 10, 5], He calls Assyria the rod of His wrath. But they themselves, who thus triumph through God, in that God drives them and works them, think, because they are godless, nothing less than that God works through them, but attribute the victory to their forces, their weapons, not knowing that they are not able to do more than the Lord allows them, but meanwhile crying out [Ps. 137, 7.]: "Clean off, clean off, down to their ground!" Habakkuk says the same thing here, as if to say, "However much the king of the Chaldeans may think that he will destroy us completely, he will not be able to do anything. We are to be restored to our land from which he takes us away, as if we were to be exiles forever. For you have set him only for chastening and judgment; he himself would not be able to do anything by himself. Nor will he be able to hold us back in captivity, because you, our refuge, have set him only for punishment. For other than in you we cannot stand. But all these things are known only by faith. The flesh believeth or knoweth nothing of these things, as he said above [v. 5.], "No man shall believe it, when it shall be told of it. "etc. For in temptation it cannot but despair; it cannot see and perceive life in the midst of death, not glory in disgrace etc. Only faith can do that.
V. 13. Your eyes are pure.
All this is connected with the foregoing, as if to say, The Chaldean sacrifices to his God, whereas he should sacrifice to thee, since thou givest us over to him to be chastened. Why then, O Lord, do you suffer that that wicked man should so exalt himself that one who is twice worse should prevail against us, who far surpass him in righteousness? We would bear it with greater equanimity if any godly king came against us. Because thine eyes are pure, and because thou canst not suffer evil, "why then lookest thou to the despisers, and holdest thy peace, that the wicked devour him that is more pious than he?" Then follows:
V. 14. 1) And let the people go like fish in the sea.
That is, you deal with Nebuchadnezzar in such a way that you make all other people before him as if they were fish and worms, that is, wandering about without a guide, given up to robbery. For as the fish are devoured, so thou offerest all men to him to be devoured.
V. 15: They do it all with the name.
He now remains in the image of the catch of fish until the end of the chapter. "All", that is, all kings, all peoples, he draws with the Hamen. Thus he makes a comparison between the fishing and the robbing of the king, as if he wanted to say: First of all he catches the most powerful among the people, then, when the kings, princes and nobles of the people are taken away, all the others are caught as the common fish (vulgus piscium) are usually caught.
V. 16. Therefore they sacrifice to their net.
From this it is quite clear what I said just before about the idol, that the prophets call that another God in which someone trusts, as the prophet says in such clear words that the king of the Chaldeans sacrifices to his net, that is, to the army with which he captures all nations, and said above [v. 11.] that he will sacrifice to his God. Therefore someone has that in God's stead in which he trusts, as power, troops, works etc.
Because through them their part has become so fat and their food so complete (electus).
That is, he does not attribute the attainment of victory to you, but to his army, to his forces. - "Completely", [that means fat and strong, that is, exceedingly powerful and rich kingdoms.
V. 17. For this reason they are still casting their net.
That is, attracted by the loveliness of the prey, he does not stop, but continues to rob and devour, he is insatiable. For the more he catches, the more he desires:
1) This verse number is missing in Weimar's.
everything he wants to subdue, with these very great kingdoms he is not satisfied. For so great is the ungodliness of the human heart and the urge or desire to obtain something, that it will never be satisfied.
can. It always desires to attain more and greater things, as Alexander was not satisfied with having subjugated the whole world, but still desired another world, and I don't know what else.