Habakkuk 1:8 - Exposition

Their horses, etc. Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 4:13 ) compares their horses to eagles (comp. Job 39:19 , etc.). The punishment predicted in Deuteronomy 28:49 , etc; is to come upon the Jews. We often read of the cavalry and chariots of the Chaldeans ( Jeremiah 4:29 ; Jeremiah 6:23 ; Ezekiel 23:23 , Ezekiel 23:24 ). Evening wolves. Wolves that prowl for food in the evening, and are then fiercest ( Jeremiah 5:6 ; Zephaniah 3:3 ). Septuagint (with a different pointing), "wolves of Arabia." Their horsemen shall spread themselves. The verb is also rendered, "bear themselves proudly," or "gallop." Septuagint, ἐξιππάσονται . The Anglican Version seems correct implying that the cavalry, like Cossacks or Uhlans, swept the whole country for plunder. The verbs throughout Deuteronomy 28:8-11 should be rendered in the present tense. From far . From Babylonia ( Isaiah 39:3 ). The preceding clause was of general import; the present one refers to the invasion of Judaea. As the eagle. This is a favourite comparison of Jeremiah, as quoted above (comp. also Jeremiah 48:40 ; Jeremiah 49:22 ; Lamentations 4:19 ).