Habakkuk 1:7-9

Habakkuk 1:7-9. Their judgment, &c., shall proceed of themselves They will judge themselves of what they shall do, without paying regard to any thing but their own will, and shall have power to put in execution whatever they resolve upon. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards “Leopards tamed and taught to hunt are, it is said, made use of [in Palestine] for hunting, and seize the prey with surprising agility. When the leopard leaps, he throws himself seventeen or eighteen feet at a time.” Harmer, 2:438. And are more fierce than the evening wolves Which, having fasted in the day, were wont to come forth in the evening fierce and ravenous. And their horsemen shall spread themselves Namely, all over the land; that is, they shall be very numerous. They shall come all for violence To enrich themselves by making a prey of all. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind They shall destroy every thing where they march, as the east wind blasts the fruits of the earth. And they shall gather the captivity [or, captives ] as the sand Not only in Judea, but in all the neighbouring countries which they conquer. Houbigant renders the clause, A burning wind goes before them, and gathers captives as the sand. They shall carry desolation, destruction, and fire, everywhere before them. The winds which blew from Arabia the Desert were extremely hot, and very dangerous, not only on account of their own heat, but on account of the dust and sand which they brought with them.