habacuc-1:2-4-nvi

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:1-4

The cry of a good man under the perplexing procedure of God. "The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thee wilt not save!" etc. Of Habakkuk nothing is known for certainty. The fifth and sixth verses of the first chapter tell us that he prophesied before that series of invasions by the Chaldeans which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the people—probably between 640... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2

Shall I cry; Septuagint, κέκραξομαι . The Hebrew is taken to imply that the prophet had long been complaining of the moral depravity of Judah, and calling for help against it There is no reference here, as Ewald fancies, to acts of violence committed by the Chaldeans, who, in fact, are announced as coming to chastise the wickedness of the chosen people ( Habakkuk 1:6 ). And thou wilt not hear! The continuance of evil unchecked is an anomaly in the prophet's eye; and, putting himself... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2

The lamentation of a good man. I. OVER THE RELIGIOUS DEGENERACY OF HIS AGE . Not merely for himself, but as the representative of the godly remnant of Judah, Habakkuk expostulates with Jehovah concerning the wickedness of the times in which he lived. The picture he sets before Jehovah is one of deep national corruption, such as existed in the days of Jehoiakim ( Jeremiah 20:8 ; Jeremiah 22:3 , Jeremiah 22:13-17 ). A picture of wickedness. 1 . Great. 2 . ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2-4

2. The prophet complains to God of the iniquity of his own nation, and its consequence. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2-4

The elegy. In this brief and plaintive strain we have— I. AN EARNEST HEART REFLECTING UPON THE PREVAILING INIQUITY . Whatever may have been the exact date of this prophecy, it is clear that the writer stood connected with the close of the kingdom of Judah, the eve of the Captivity, and that he presents to us, in a few graphic touches, a vivid description of the depravity then prevailing in the land. He bitterly laments over: 1 . The insecurity of property. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:3

Why dost thou show me— Why dost thou let me see daily with my own eyes—iniquity abounding, the very evil which Balaam says ( Numbers 23:21 ) the Lord had not found in Israel? Cause me to behold grievance. This should be, Dost thou look upon perverseness? He asks how God can look on this evil and leave it unpunished. The LXX . and the Vulgate translate the word amal "trouble," or "labour;" Keil, "distress." In this case it means the trouble and distress which a man inflicts on... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:4

Therefore . Because God has not interfered to put an end to this iniquity, or because of the want of righteous judges, the following consequences ensue. The Law is slacked. The Law. Torah, the revealed code which governed the moral, domestic, and political life, "is chilled," is benumbed ( Genesis 45:26 ), is no longer of any force or efficacy, is become a dead letter. διασκέδασται "is dispersed"; lacerata est (Vulgate). Judgment doth never go forth; i.e. right is powerless,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Habakkuk 1:2

O Lord, how long shall I cry - Literally, “how long have I cried so intensely to Thee?” Because it is always the cry of the creature to the One who alone can hear or help - its God. Of this cry the Prophet expresses that it had already lasted long. In that long past he had cried out to God but no change had come. There is an undefined past, and this still continues.How long - as Asaph cries, “how long hast Thou been,” and, it is implied, wilt Thou be “wroth against the prayer of Thy people?” as... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Habakkuk 1:3

Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold - , or rather, “Why beholdest Thou grievance?” God seemed to reverse what He had said by Balaam Numbers 23:21, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, and hath not seen grievousness in Israel”; and in the Psalms Psalms 10:14, “Thou hast seen, for thou (emphatic) beholdest grievousness and wrong, to put it in Thy hand,” i. e., Thou layest it up in Thy hand, to cast it back on the head of the evildoer. Now He seemed to behold it and leave it... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Habakkuk 1:4

Therefore - i. e., Because God seemed not to awake to avenge His own cause, people promised themselves that they might sin on with impunity. Sin produces sin, and wrong produces wrong; it spreads like an infectious disease, propagating itself, and each, to whom it reaches, adds to its poison. At last, it reached those also, who should be in God’s stead to restrain it. The divine law itself is silenced, by the power of the wicked, by the sin of the judge, the hopelessness of all. When all around... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:2-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 1:4

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Habakkuk 1:2

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Habakkuk 1:3

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Habakkuk 1:4

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