Habakkuk 3:17 - Exposition

The prophet depicts the effects of the hostile invasion, which are such as to make the natural heart despair. Although the fig tree shall not blossom. The devastations of the enemy leave the country bare and uncultivated. The Chaldeans, like the Assyrians and Egyptians, cut down and burnt the fruit-bearing trees of the countries which they invaded (comp. Deuteronomy 20:19 ; Isaiah 9:10 ; Isaiah 37:24 ; Jeremiah 6:6 ). The trees most useful and abundant in Palestine are mentioned (comp. Deuteronomy 6:11 ; Hosea 2:12 ; Joel 1:7 ; Micah 4:4 ; Micah 6:15 , etc.). The labour of the olive shall fail; literally, shall lie . The "labour" is the produce, the fruit. Though the yield shall disappoint all expectation. The use of the verb "to lie" in this sense is found elsewhere; e.g. Isaiah 58:11 ; Hosea 9:2 . So Horace, 'Carm.,' 3.1, 30, "Fundus mendax;" and ' Epist.,' 1.7. 87, "Spem mentita seges." The fields; the cornfields ( Isaiah 16:8 ). The flock shall be cut off from the fold. There shall be no flocks in the fold, all having perished for lack of food. " Omnia haec ," says St. Jerome, " auferentur a populo, quia inique egit in Deum creatorem suum ."