V. 1-3. This is the burden that the prophet Habakkuk saw etc.
"The Prophet", 1) this is a proud title which no other prophet has attached to himself. [Instead of: Vociferabor ad te vim patiens] it should be: "I call to you about iniquity", so that it is a speech of the prophet, which is directed against the people, as if he wanted to say: As much as I call and admonish from vices and wrong, nothing happens. See what
1) Instead of ki-yxlikMs in our original, the Vulgate reads kroxtiktu.
Jerome 2) says. First the sins are punished by the prophets, whether there are some who repent and want to turn away from evil.
How long shall I cry unto thee for iniquity; and thou wilt not help? Why do you let me see toil and labor? Why dost thou show me robbery and iniquity round about me?
2) In the Weimar: Iliei-ornE, in the Erlangen both have "Jer. 23, 33." in the margin. But it will be (according to both the Altenburg and the Hall manuscript) loro, that is, to read Jerome, who claims that this is directed against the Chaldeans.
*This writing is from the Zwickau manuscript No. 6, which contains the immediate college transcripts of Luther's lectures on Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai and large pieces on Zechariah. Stephan Roth also transcribed these. "The hand of Roth," says the Weimar edition, "is extremely difficult to read here." "In this Collegienhefte, too, the sentences are torn off and incomplete." First this writing is printed in the Erlangen edition, 6X6". opx., tom. XXVII, p. 117 and then, with many improvements, in the Weimar edition, vol. XIII, p. 396. According to the latter we have translated.
You let me look at the disturbance and violence around me etc. Labor et dolor ["toil and labor"). "Toil" [is] xxx, the other word [xxx] means "misfortune, that I must see misery and distress". They are such great ills, no faith. I preach, they do not get better. Trouble and sorrow and misfortune I see. "You show me", himself) "must be there that I see." He (Jerome) 1) understands the hostile disturbance and violence. But in very many places this is also attributed to tyrants and leaders of the commonwealth, who devour possessions and bodies, and devastate the land more than wars or enemies. We understand it from the iniquity of the people among whom the prophet sojourns. - Coram me, "around me", as far as I can see.
Force prevails over law.
The text, which is inserted here, must be deleted. Some Klügling or cheeky man has added it. 2) So it must stand like this: Why do you hear me speak, "and show me violence and iniquity? 3) There is violence over right". He seems to indicate that those disturbances and iniquities were in the people etc. In war the laws are silent. Those who fight take pleasure in disputes and cause them. As if to say: No matter will be dealt with rightly, nothing will be heard etc. Those instigators of strife etc. Contention has the upper hand; if there is any matter, those who are quarrelsome and love strife are victorious etc. Everything is tyrannical and violent to disturb the people of Israel; no right etc.
V. 4 (Damm gehet es gar anders, denn recht (propter hoc lacerata est lex).)
The Hebrew does not say lacerata lex. In the first book of Moses [Cap. 45, 26.) it says: uasi de gravi somno excitatus s "he thought much differently"). It means (^2) a movement
1) Inserted by us.
2) From the Hall manuscript we see that before the last keyword four verses were inserted, which are not in Hebrew.
3) "Violence and sacrilege" put by us instead of: ste. Similarly, immediately following: "violence over law" instead of: sto.
and a hesitation or a wavering. The law has no progress, it has no success in its administration, it is changeable, it has a waxy nose, it is bent everywhere, the law wavers, vacillates, it does not stand firm in its judgment. Not the law, but the violence of tyrants is to be seen, therefore "no right cause can win. In the sixteenth (?) Psalm [Ps. 17, 2. Vulg. (?)) is such a Hebrew expression. And no right thing comes to victory,' that is, what the law prescribes does not happen, (it) "comes to nothing." It is said of the people, not of the war, where the right is not in books, but in the weapons etc.
For the wicked overrules the righteous, therefore 4) wrong judgments go.
Tortuosum [judicium], that is, unjustly rendered judgments. In this is the reason why the law is in disarray and does not gain a right thing: because the wicked surrounds (circumvenit) it. "Surrounded like a crown" means the word in the Psalm [Ps. 22, 13]: "Great ferns have surrounded me" (coronaverunt). This is how it is among the people; the wicked have such the upper hand that they surround the righteous with deceit. Therefore it cannot happen otherwise than that wrong or crooked or abominable judgments are passed, as the ways are apart from the right road or path. It is said more clearly in the book of Judges in the song [Cap. 5, 10.]: "You who walk in the way" etc. In the people there is absolutely no severity against sin and no care for sin, against which the prophet has often and sufficiently preached. This is followed by the threat.
V. 5. Look among the Gentiles, behold and be amazed etc.
Instead of obstupescite [et admiramini] it should rather read admiramini. Lucas (Apost. 13, 41.) refers to this passage. Following the Septuagint, he cites the text. He adds many words that are not in the Hebrew. Instead of "among the Gentiles" very many have: the despisers. Behold among the Gentiles, look and marvel or wonder. [In Hebrew
4) Instead of non in our original, the Vulgate reads xroxtnrsL.
is instead of admiramini et obstupescite] 1) only One word sackmiramini, but set twice). This language puts words twice, [as], veniens veniens. At times, however, it repeats for the sake of emphasis: Astonish yourselves, astonish yourselves! Sometimes this doubling has the meaning of distribution: "here and there". Virgam virgam, virum virum, that is, any rod [, any single man) etc.
For I will do something in your days which you will not believe when it is said.
Behold, you have sinned against the Lord, you have despised, therefore see your punishment. Among the Gentiles you will see it etc. Marvel at the new thing, for a great thing shall come to pass. "In your times", in a little while it will happen, this punishment of yours will no longer be postponed. But you do not believe that it will happen etc., although it is announced to you now. So do we all. This judgment is general for all unbelievers, because great things are proclaimed to them and they do not believe. The prophet speaks of the destruction by the king of the Chaldeans, Paul (Apost. 13, 37. ff.) of the resurrection of Christ. Paul makes a general statement, not a specific or particular one, as the prophet does here. Christ and the apostles often use general sayings and apply them to the case at hand, as that passage [Luc. 6, 39]: "One blind man leads another" etc. Likewise [Luc. 14, 11.], "He that exalteth himself shall be abased." Such is this saying, which we ought and may use in great things which are said to come to pass etc. So it happened in the resurrection' of Christ, as here in the disturbance of the king of the Chaldeans: no, it will not happen etc. They did not want to believe, since it was necessary to believe. What then is this great work? etc.
B. 6. For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans.
The text is clear. Consequently, the prophet worked before the time or around the time of the ver-.
1) Inserted by us according to the Altenburg manuscript.
The destruction or captivity of Judah and Benjamin. This saying must be applied to all the great works of God, which the flesh does not recognize; when it is proclaimed, it ridicules such. Thus Lot said in Sodom etc. The works of God are higher than all understanding of the flesh. Through its guilt the understanding of the flesh is deceived; even if it is proclaimed, it does not believe. This unbelief will finally turn out to our misfortune, but He continues to do what He has decided. Here you see that it is the Lord who works all things in all. Here he says that he will infuse his spirit into the king of the Chaldeans etc.
A bitter and quick people who will move as far as the land is.
It indicates the size and quantity of the army. As far as the land stretches, there pours out the army of the Chaldeans.
To occupy apartments that are not his.
He opposes this to those who in his people silently raised the objection against his prophecy: God has given us this land. He will defend us, we will stay. No, he says, rather these people will not only take your land, but also other lands etc.
V. 7. and will be cruel and terrible.
This is a terrible and terrifying people.
That there gebeut und zwinget, wie es will (Ex ipsa2 ) judicium ejus et onus ejus procedet).
He wants to say: You have neglected the right, you have turned the law where you wanted, you have not wanted to judge right in peace, now finally the judge will come who will avenge etc. He is terrifying, he will come and teach you, and therefore the judgment will come (which he exercises, not which he suffers). It has not been administered by you, therefore another must administer it; you do not judge, therefore you will be judged. What is not done by you will be handled by him etc.
2) In our original ipso. But in the Vulgate Mus goes before, therefore ipsu is to be read.
V. 8 Their horses are swifter than the horses of the parades; they are also more biting than the wolves of the evening. Their horsemen move with great piles (et diffundentur).
[In the Vulgate it says: Leviores pardis equi ejus et velociores lupis vespertinis [their steeds are lighter-footed than the parades and faster than the wolves in the evening. It is ["wolves in the evening"] an ambiguous word. They are wilder than the wolves in the morning [, Jerome says, because they have suffered hunger all day]. 1) "Let it sound as well as [it] can," I like better: the wolves of the desert, as we say, "That the wild wolves tear you!" To make the thing great, we add this epithet, because this wild beast rages more than another. It can be outwitted at times etc. "For the pardes." This animal is unknown to us; we believe Scripture that its course is exceedingly swift. Here is an exaggerated speech. [Wolves] of the wilderness, or wolves in the forest. Et diffundentur sund they will spread out]. Since Moses [3 Mos. 13, 5? says of the leprosy that spread on the skin etc., he uses the same word. 2)
They move along from afar.
And it is true because the kingdom of the Chaldeans is far away. Nevertheless he will be there quickly etc. ["Like the eagles."] The eagle flies very fast, especially to the aase etc., to the food etc. Like an eagle to the food.
V. 9: They all come to harm.
The text is dark, but the meaning is clear. He sticks to the description of that great work, which nobody believes when it is said about it, namely the disturbance by the king of the Chaldeans etc. Entirely or "all together": he himself, the king, will come with all power to rob against their face, like the east wind. He wants to say: there is nothing that anyone can hope to resist; he will come with force to the attack.
1) Added by us according to the Altenburg manuscript. - The Weimar edition has a question mark at the end of this sentence.
2) Compare our note to the corresponding passage in the previous relation.
The face of those who will resist him. He will do violence with the great army, completely he will come to violence or to violence against the face of them, like 3) an east wind. Chaldea lies to the east of the Jews, that is, not only from that region of the world, but also with violence. Thus it is said in Moses [2 Mos. 10, 13. Vulg.]: "The Lord sent a burning wind" etc. In Hebrew it says: a wind from the east. It is dry, just as the others, especially the south wind, bring rain. 4)
Wherever they want to go, they will tear through like an east wind; and will gather captives like sand. 5)
Like the wind that no one can hold back, that army breaks through. Like sand on the sea is an exaggerated speech. He will come with exceedingly great force like a wind, sund will gather captives "like sand", 6) that is, innumerable and infinitely many. He wants to say: Not only the Jews will he take captive, but also any kings, and that so easily that it seems to be a game to him, because of the extraordinary quantity of the army.
V. 10 They will mock the kings, and the princes they will laugh at.
The kings will be a mockery to him, so great will be the might of his army, so certain will he be of victory, trusting in his multitude and his power.
All fortresses will be a joke to them.
No city will be so fortified that he should not laugh at it. "All fortresses," that is, any city, however fortified. There are some who think that (like
3) Here we have added similis.
4) Instead of portut we have assumed portunt.
5) Instead of this keyword placed by us, the Weimar one has already here the verse number "10." with the keyword: Lt ix>86. The Erlangen one has only Lt as keyword, which can be correct (complete: 6t eonAroMbit), but has made it wrong by the marginal note: "v. 10." This still belongs to v. 9.
6) In the original: uro, what the Erlangen correctly so ergäbt has urssuuml The Weimar offers ursuu. Also at the just preceding place arsrmm will have to be read.
Jerome) that the king 1) Nebuchadnezzar made Tyre a peninsula, which was an island before. It takes a lot of effort to make an island a mainland. Jeremiah says [Jer. 43, 10. ff.]: You have seen my servant Nebucadnezzar, "I will give him Egypt for a reward" etc. because he fought so valiantly against Tyre [Ezekiel Cap. 26]. Elsewhere it is called "the firm 2) city" [Jos. 19, 29.), likewise elsewhere Zur (Sur). He took it with great difficulty. He [the prophet) seems to allude to this city because it was fortified; but its fortification was nothing etc. The army "is too great and mighty".
V. 11 [Then they will take a new courage, will go on and sin].
Instead of corruet it should read "and sin". The text [in Latin) is dark. He wants to say: as it is wont to happen in human affairs. The human heart is much too incapable to keep itself in: Well-being could keep itself. It follows elevation of the heart; in Daniel: hopefulness. In prosperity the heart is hopeful, in adversity it is downcast. In such great prosperity it cannot be other than that its heart also rises up against God. See Daniel [Cap. 4, 27.]: "The great Babylon, which I have subdued." This "I" cannot stand God. - Mutabitur etc., his heart will rise up. In the book of Judges. 3) He will continue and not believe that heaven can resist him. He will attribute this victory to his idol, this his strength or victory is of his God, that is, he will assume that this victory came from his God. He distinguishes this from the true God. To have another God means to trust in our own presumption. An idol is nothing but a conceit of [the true] God, but still a false one. He errs by attributing this to his God etc. The true GOtt seeks what is ours, not what is His. They have devised services of God, of which they have
1) Instead of r[Aimius we have assumed r[Mm.
2) Instead of ilnmuuita we have assumed rnuuita.
2 Kings 18, 35, also Isa. 14, 13. In the Altenburg manuscript Ezek. 28, 2.
thought that they pleased God, but they were mistaken. The root of all idolatry is our delusion of God. They attribute it to their powers, as our princes do.
V. 12. But you, Lord, my God.
This prophet has his own way of speaking. He opposes these two gods, the false one and the true one. He wants to say: He will attribute his victory to his God, but you, my God, who are holy etc., is it not you who also gives victory to the wicked? He allows everything for the sake of sins. Now he fights with GOtte: Why do you allow the exceedingly ungodly king to destroy your people?
My Holy One, who you are from eternity.
As if to say: Rather, it is you who have always, from eternity, been my God and my Holy One. The Holy One in Israel is called God in the Scriptures because He is holy and makes His people holy. The Psalm says [Ps. 33, 17.]: "Neither do horses help" etc. You who also give victory to godless kings, it is you who gave the godless king this victory, which he nevertheless attributes to another God etc. For this you are our God etc.
Let us not die.
The prophets look to the people after this captivity, envisioning the future kingdom of Christ. Therefore, this captivity seems to be against the promises. Therefore, the prophets struggle to preserve the people so that they will not despair that the kingdom of Christ will come. They would return because in this tribe the Messiah would be born etc. In this you are our God, that we do not die. Though we may be caught and led away, though we may suffer, we shall not perish.
But let it be only a punishment for us, O Lord.
That is, thou hast set the enemy) to judge us, to chasten us, 1 Cor. 11:32.:] 1) "When we are judged." That is, chasten-
4) In the Weimar, "1 Cor. 11:13."
The king of the Chaldeans is laid upon our backs as a scourge, which he himself does not recognize. Isaiah says [Cap. 10, 7.], "Though his heart think not so." Note [the similitude] of the saw etc. [Isa. 10, 15.] "Purely off, purely off" ^say Ps. 137, 7.],eradicate this kingdom. No, says God, but for chastening and scourging I have set it. "I will chasten thee with measures, not that I make an end of thee" [Jer. 46, 28.]. He indicates that the people of Judah should be brought back for this reason, so that Christ might be born out of them according to the body, even though he is not concerned with measure and chastening, but with destruction.
And let them, O our refuge, chastise us only.
He wants the people to wait for the promise to come to pass etc. Posuisti and fundasti [thou hast established and founded], that is, thou hast made him strong to chasten us, not to our destruction; "there belongs" faith "to", the flesh does not understand it. The flesh immediately imagines death, and as an eternal disturbance "took hold of [it]". 1) Faith says: It is only a temporal chastisement, the Lord is preserved in the midst of death.
V.13. Your eyes are pure, so that you cannot see evil, and you cannot see misery. Why then do you look to the despisers? etc.
He wants to say: He sacrifices his victory to his god, although you give it. Why do you do this? He is guided by a great movement of heart for the people; he looks at the lowliness of the people of God and the arrogance of the exceedingly wicked king. Why do you suffer that this godless one? etc. Why do you not take another, a godly one? This is what the weak consciences think: This one is two times worse than we; if a pious man punished me, I would put up with it. You have pure eyes, so that you cannot take pleasure in wickedness. And yet you act in such a way that it seems as if you take pleasure in this work of the godless king, as if you
1) In the original: "nam mans an, greiff".
"Lust" in it "habest". 2) "An arch rascal, [a] knave does this; what do you delight in it?" He is twice as angry as I am. "Why do you then look to the despisers?" Thou canst not see the wicked, and yet thou doest it here, and actest as if thou hadst pleasure in seeing them etc. For Nebuchadnezzar is ungodly, who serves idols etc. They do not see that it is a chastening of God upon them.
V. 14: And let the people go like fish in the sea.
So it is better because of the ambiguity sals in the Vulgate: Et facies homines quasi pisces maris]. Thus dealest thou with the king Nebuchadnezzar, that thou makest all nations before him as fishes etc., that is, as wanderers, having no king, but being swallowed up like fishes and worms, which only wander about to be caught. A great multitude without a head is only a multitude exposed to slaughter. Thus before this king all nations, especially the Jews, are given up to robbery etc.
V. 15: Pulling all things with their hams, and falling with their nets, and gathering with their gam.
"All", that is, the kings, the peoples. "With the Hamen" the great fish are pulled out, the common fish (vulgus) "with nets". "With the Hamen he draws all," that is, first he catches the first, the kings and the mighty among the people etc., afterward the rest of the common people of the fish are caught with yarn and nets. "Is this a pious GOtt", is this the work of GOtt? etc.
They rejoice and find joy.
That godless king will rejoice in his victory.
V. 16. Therefore they sacrifice to their net and burn incense to their yarn. 3)
The prophet is inflamed by this idolatry of the king Nebucadnezzar. He attributes inactivity to GOtte, the devil to the
2) In our template: "have lust".
3) Here, the Weimar edition has neither a new keyword, nor a new verse number, nor any distinction. The verse number "16th" is only placed before the last paragraph in this chapter, where "17th" should be.
Victory.-"Therefore", 1) because of these victories. That in which someone trusts, the prophets call another God, therefore he says: "his net". He says from the trust our works. He [the king] thinks that the victory came through his net, not through the Lord. He has great lands as his portion, but he attributes everything to his net.
Because through them their part has become so fat and their food so complete.
"Food", that is, riches, treasures, kingdoms and all that he devours, is since and strong. He speaks of the robbery and disturbance of the kingdoms that Nebuchadnezzar devoured.
1) Instead of tioo, according to the Vulgate, I^oxterSÄ should have been placed here as the keyword. Immediately following it should be suMvuk siius instead of suZSuuru snani.
V. 17. For this reason they are still casting their net.
Lured by the loveliness of the spoil, that he has taken so many nations, he does not desist. Isaiah says [Cap. 10:7], "His heart thinketh not of it." He says that this belly is not to be satiated: the more he takes, the more he desires etc. By all these things it is inflamed; so much is lacking that it would be satiated, "would gladly devour it altogether" etc. The whole world was not enough for Alexander, the young man of Pella, he was sorry etc. "Isn't it the devil" that the human heart is so insatiable? As our self-love grows etc. So also the lust for power grows, the more the power grows. So this king always continues to rob, attributing his victory to the idol etc.