Habakkuk 3:2

Habakkuk 3:2 contains the prayer proper.

Thy speech R.V., “the report of thee.” Some understand “the report of thee” in the sense of “thy report,” that is, thy declaration, namely, the announcement, in chapters i, ii, of judgment upon Judah and upon the Chaldeans. But the expression seems to be used always in the sense of report concerning some one (Genesis 29:13; 1 Kings 10:1). It is the report concerning Jehovah’s mighty manifestations, described in 3-15; of these the prophet has heard. Margin R.V., rightly, “thy fame.” I…

was afraid The greatness and sublimity of these interferences filled the prophet with fear, not fear of destruction, but a feeling of awe and reverence, which accompanies the recognition of the omnipotence of Jehovah. Fear of destruction would have silenced him or would have wrung from him a cry of despair; the feeling of awe inspired confidence. If Jehovah could help in the past, surely he can help in the present crisis.

Revive thy work The work of deliverance described in Habakkuk 3:3-15. The present and the immediate future seem to reveal Jehovah as indifferent toward the best interests of his people. O that he would repeat the wonderful acts of the past, when again and again he became the saviour of his people!

In the midst of the years This expression has been variously interpreted; but if taken in connection with the divine manifestations of the past (13-15), and with the promise that at the “appointed time” (Habakkuk 2:3) he would manifest himself again in mercy, the right interpretation suggests itself. The words refer to the period between the two manifestations, to the prophet’s own days and the days of distress yet to come. The petitioner prays Jehovah to come near to his people even now, to hasten the “appointed time.”

Make known Thy work, which is now hidden. This is essentially a repetition of the thought of the preceding clause. LXX. reads, “make thyself known.”

In wrath remember mercy The announcement of judgment in Habakkuk 1:5 ff., seemed to be an indication of the divine anger. Unchecked it will accomplish the destruction of Judah. Troubled by these prospects, the prophet beseeches Jehovah to temper his wrath with mercy, even in executing judgment, and before the final deliverance promised for the “appointed time.” The thought becomes somewhat modified if we read, as is permitted by the Hebrew, “turmoil” for “wrath.”