Habakkuk 1:7-11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Habakkuk 1:5-11

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Habakkuk 1:7

They are terrible and dreadful ,.... For the fierceness of their countenances; the number and valour of their troops; the splendour of their armour; the victories they had obtained, and the cruelty they had exercised; the fame of all which spread terror wherever they came: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves ; they will not be directed and governed by any laws of God and man, but by their own; they will do according to their will and pleasure, and none will be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Habakkuk 1:8

Their horses also are swifter than the leopards ,.... Creatures remarkable for their swiftness: these are creatures born of the mating of a he panther and a lioness, and not of a lion and a she panther, as some have affirmed; and which adultery is highly resented by the lion; nor will he suffer it to go unrevenged, as Pliny F21 Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 16. and Philostratus F23 De Vita Apollonii, l. 2. c. 7. observe: those thus begotten differ from common lions in this, that they have... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Habakkuk 1:9

They shall come all for violence ,.... Or, "the whole of it" F19 כלה "illa teta", Junius & Tremellius; "sub. gens", Pagninus, Piscator; "totus exercitus", Vatablus; "populus", Calvin. ; the whole army of the Chaldeans, everyone of them; this would be their sole view, not to do themselves justice, as might be pretended, or avenge any injuries or affronts done to them by the Jews; but purely for the sake of spoil and plunder: their faces shall sup up as the east wind : their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Habakkuk 1:10

And they shall scoff at the kings ,.... Or, "he shall" F21 והוא "et ipse", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Tarnovius, Grotius, Cocceius. , Nebuchadnezzar king of the Chaldeans, and the army with him; who would make a jest of kings and their armies that should oppose them, as being not at all a match for them; as the kings of Judah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, they carried captive, and all others confederate with them, in whom they trusted, as the king of Egypt particularly;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Habakkuk 1:11

Then shall his mind change ,.... The mind of the king of Babylon; not that, when he had taken Jerusalem, he altered his purpose, and laid aside his designs of attacking other nations, and returned to his own country; where he became guilty of gross idolatry, in setting up the golden image in the plain of Dura, which he required all his subjects to worship, and to which he ascribed all his victories; for, five years after this, Josephus F23 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 9. sect. 7. says, he led... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 1:7

Their judgment - shall proceed of themselves - By revolting from the Assyrians, they have become a great nation. Thus, their judgment and excellence were the result of their own valor. Other meanings are given to this passage. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 1:8

Their horses also are swifter than the leopards - The Chaldean cavalry are proverbial for swiftness, courage, etc. In Jeremiah, Jeremiah 4:13 , it is said, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, "His chariots are as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles." Oppian, speaking of the horses bred about the Euphrates, says, "They are by nature warhorses, and so intrepid that neither the sight nor the roaring of the lion appals them; and, besides, they are astonishingly fleet." The leopard, of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 1:9

Their faces shall sup up as the east wind - This may be an allusion to those electrical winds which prevail in that country. Mr. Jackson, in his overland journey from India, mentions his having bathed in the Tigris. On his coming out of the river one of those winds passed over him, and, in a moment, carried off every particle of water that was on his body and in his bathing dress. So, the Chaldeans shall leave no substance behind them; their faces, their bare appearance, is the proof that... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 1:10

They shall scoff at the kings - No power shall be able to stand before them. It will be only as pastime to them to take the strongest places. They will have no need to build formidable ramparts: by sweeping the dust together they shall make mounts sufficient to pass over the walls and take the city. read more

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