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HIS book is called in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac verfions, the prophecy of Habakkuk. Of this prophet, ben Ezra and Kimchi fay, we know neither his age, nor his family; which fhows they paid no regard to a tradition of their nation, mentioned by fome of their ancient writers *, that he was the fon of the Shznamite, whom Elifba raifed from the dead; and find the etymology of his name in the words of the prophet to her, about this feafon, according to the time of life, thou fhalt embrace a fon, 2 Kings xiv. 16. where the root of his name is ufed; and they account for the doubling of the laft radical in his name, becaufe of the two embraces of him, one by his mother, and the other by the prophet. His name indeed fignifies an embrace”; or as tome, an embracer*; and the laft letter being doubled, it is with others interpreted, the be/t embracer*; to which name his character and conduct agree; who in the moft tender manner embraced the people of God as parents their children, and comforted them with the affurance of their prefervation, notwithftanding their captivity, and with the promife of the Meffiah’s coming; fuggefting to them, they fhould live by faith, to which he led them the way by his own example, ch. i. 12. and ti. 3, 4. and iii. 17, 18, 19. but as this is placing him too early, to put him in the times of £ii/ba; fo it is fixing him too late, to make him to be in the times of Daniel, and to feed him in the den of the lions, as Fofeph ben Gorion *, and the author of the apocryphal book of Bel and the Dragon, fay he did, which was after the Babyloni/h captivity was ended; whereas it is certain this prophet prophefied of it, and muft have lived fome time before it; for he fpeaks of the Chaldeans by name coming again{t the Fews, and carrying them captive, ch. i. 6,9. The learned Huetius ‘ and others think, there were two prophets of this name; one of the tribe of Simeon, who lived before the captivity; and another of the tribe of Levi, who lived after it. The Yew chronologers * generally place this our prophet in the times of Manaffeb, with which well enough agrees the defcription of the times the prophet lived in, given in ch. i. 2, 3, 4. tho’ fome think he lived in the later times of Fo/fab, or the beginning of feboiakim‘; and it is probable he was a cotemporary. of the prophet Yeremiab, with whom he agrees in many things, and prophefied of the fame. However, there is no room to doubt of the authority of this book, being always received by the Fewifh church, and agreeing with other parts of {cripture, and efpecially with the prophecies of Feremiah; and may be further confirmed and eftablifhed by the quotations out of it in the New Teftament, as ch. i. 5. in 4s xiii. 47. and ch. ii. 4. in Rom. i. 17. Gal. iii. 11. Heb. x. 38. The general defign of the prophecy is to. comfort the people of God under the afflictions that were coming upon them, and to encourage them to the exercife of faith and patience, in the hope and view of the coming of the Meffiah. Pfeudo-Epiphanius * fays, that Habckkuk died two years before the people of the Fews returned from Babylon, and was honourably buried in his own native place, which he fays was Beth-focber, in the tribe of Simeon. With whom S/dore ' agrees, as to the time of his deatii, but the place of his birth, he fays, was Betbacat; and of his death Sadarta. Sozomen ™ reports, that in the days of Theodofius, the grave of Habakkuk was found in Cele, formerly the city Cela. So Eufebius fays it was fhewn at Kela, eight miles from Eleucheropolis, tho’ in another place, he fays, it was to be feen at Gabatha, twelve miles from the fame place; which may be reconciled, by obferving that it might be between them both, and be feen from each, ‘fince they were places near to each other". But the Cippi Hebraici ° fay it was at a place called Fakuk in Gelilee, not far from Sephetta, where was an academy of the Fews; and this feems to agree with what Sanderfon, a countryman of ours, as quoted by Van Till®, obferves; that in his journey from Damafcus to Ferufalem, between Sephet and Chapber- Chittin, he found a village, in which the ews report, Habakkuk the prophet dwelt and died, the name of which is ‘feakoke. But thefe things are not to be depended on.
; this chapter, after the infcription, in which _are the title of the book, the name and character of the writer, ¥..1. there is a complaint made by the prophet, of his cry not being heard, and of falvation being deferred, which was long expected, y. 2. and of the wickednefs of the times he lived in; of iniquity and trouble, rapine and oppreffion in general; and particularly of corruption in courts of judicature, in which there were nothing but ftrife and contention, a dilatorinefs in proceedings at law, and juftice was {topped and fupprefled, y. 3, 4. then follows an anfwer to this, fhewimg that fome fore judgment, amazin and incredible, would foon be executed for fuch fins, ¥. 5. that the Chaldeans would be raifed up and fent againft the Yews, and fpoil them, and carry them captive; who are defcribed by the cruelty of their temper and difpofition; by the fwiftnefs and fiercenefs of their cavalry; and by- their derifion of kings, princes, and ftrong-holds; and by their victories and fuccefs, which they fhould impute to their idols, ¥. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. and then the prophet, in the name of the church, expreffes his faith, that the people of God, and his intereft, would be preferved, and not perifh in this calamity; which is urged from the eternity, holinefs, faithfulnefs, and power of God, and from his defign in this affliction, which was correction, and not deftruétion, ¥. 12. and the chapter is clofed with an expoftulation of the prophet with God, in confideration of his purity and holinefs; how he could bear with fuch a wicked nation as the Chaldeans, and fuffer them to devour men as fifhes, in an arbitrary way, that have no ruler; catch them in their net, and infult them, and afcribe all to their own power and prudence, and think to go on continually in this way, ¥. 13,
¥. 1. The burden, which Habakkuk the prophet did fee.] ‘This prophecy is called a burden, or fomething took up and carried, being what the prophet received trom the Lord, and went with to the people of the ews, and was a heavy, burdenfome prophecy to them; declaring the calamities that fhould come upon them by the Chaldeans, who would invade their land, and carry them captive; and Habakkuk, that brought this account, is called a prophet, to give the greater fanction to it; and it was what he had in vifion from the Lord reprefented unto him, and therefore fhould be credited. Abarbinel enquires why Habakkuk fhould be called a prophet, when none of the leffer prophets are, excepting Haggai and Zechariab,; and thinks the reafon of it is, to give weight to his prophecy, fince it might be fufpected by fome, whether he was one; there being none of thofe phrafes to be met with in this prophecy as in others, as the word of the Lord came, &c. or thus faith the Lord. 2. O Lord, how long fhall I crys and thou wilt not hear! &c.| The prophet having long obferved the fins and iniquities of the people among whom he lived, and being greatly diftreffed in his mind on account of them, had frequently and importunately cried unto the Lord to put a ftop to the abounding of them, that the people might be brought to a fenfe of their fins, and reform from them; but nothing of this kind appearing, he concludes his prayers were not heard, and therefore expoftulates with the Lord upon this head: even cry unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not fave! either of violence done to himfelf in the difcharge of his office, or of one man to another, of the rich to the poor; and yet, though he cried again and again to the Lord, to check this growing evil, and deliver the opprefied out of the hands of their oppreffors, it was not done; which was matter of grief and trouble to him. ¥. 3. Why doft thou foew me iniquity, and caufe me to bebold grievance? &c.] That is, wicked men, and fuch as give a great deal of trouble, vexation and grief to others, by their rapine and oppref fion; fuggefting that he could not turn his eyes any where, but fuch perfons prefented themfelvésto his view; and that their wicked actions were performed by them openly and publickly, in the fight of all, without any fhame or fear. So the Z “a gum, ‘* why do I fee oppreflors, and behold thofe ‘“* that do the labour of falfhood?” For fpoiling and violence are before me; in my fight and pre-~ fence, tho’ a prophet, and notwithftanding all my. remonftrances, exhortations and reproofs; fuch were the hardnefs, obftinacy, and impudence of this peo- _ ple; to fuch a height and pitch of iniquity were they arrived, as to regard not the prophets of the Lord, The Yargum is, ** fpoilers and robbers are “< before me:” or againft me, as in the text; thefe fins were committed againft him, he was injurioufly ufed himfelf; or they were done to others, contrary to his advice and perfuafion: and there are that raife up rife and contention; in the kingdom, in cities, in families; in one man, brother, friend, and neighbour againit another; which occafion law-fuits, and in them juftice is not done, as follows. It may be rendered, and shere fall be and zs a man of ferife; fo Faphet: and he fhall raife up contention; one man given to ftrife, will and does caufe great contention in communities, civil and religious.
¥. 4. Therefore the law is flacked, &c.}. Is not put into execution againft offenders: the civil magiftrates, whofe office it is to do juftice according ° to law, are dilatory, and don’t proceed with vigour and {pirit again{ft the tranfereffors of it, and in favour of honeft and good men oppreffed: or 7¢ intermits*, OF is intermitied; it is like a man whofe pulfe beats low, and is fcarce perceived, which is a fign that he is not in good health; as the body politick is not, when the law, which is the foul of it, is not fuffered to take place, and do its office. So the Targum, ‘* the law languithes;” lofes its force and vigour, and is ready to expire; which is a fad fymptom of the bad eftate of a commonwealth. And judgment doth never go forth; at leaft not right, to the juftifying of the righteous, acquitting the innocent, and giving the caufe on the right fide; condemning the wicked, and punifhing offenders as their crime deferves: it never appears as it fhould do; it is either not done at all, or done badly and perverfely: for the wicked doth compafs. about the righteous; to hurt him or enfnare him and by frauds and wicked artifices, and falfe witneffes, to carry a caufe again{t him: therefore wrong judgment proceedeth; the caufe is given on the wrong fide, againft a good man, and for a wicked > all thefe things the prophet faw with grief, and complained of to the Lord, from whom he has an anfwer in the following words:
¥. 5. Bebold ye among the heathen, and regard, &c.] This is the Lord’s anfwer to the prophet’s complaint, or what he direéts him to fay to the Fews, guilty of the crimes complained of, which fhould not go leng unpunifhed; and who are calle, upon to look around them, and fee what was doing among the nations; how the king of i overturned the A/fyrian empire, and was going place to place, jubduing one nation after another and their turn would be quickly: for thefe w are not addreffed to the heathen, to ftir them ur to obferve what was doing, or about to be done —— to the Fews; but to the Fews them{elves, to con- fider and regard the operations of the Lord, and the works of his providence among the nations of:
the earth. Thefe words are differently rendered in the Septuagint, Syriac and Arabic verfions, and which better agree with the quotation of them by the apoftle, és xiii. 41. fee the note there: and wonder marvelloufly; or wonder, wonder *; the word is repeated to exprefs the great admiration there would be found juft reafon for, on confideration of what was now doing in the world, and would be done, efpecially in Fudea: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, tho it be told you; which was the deftruction of the Fewi/h nation, city and temple by the Chaldeans, as is evident from the following words; and tho’ they were the inftruments of it, it was the work of | divine providence; it was done according to the} will of God, and by his direction, he giving fuceefs; and being thus declared, was a certain thing, and might be depended on, nothing fhould hinder it; and it fhould be done fpeedily, in that generation, fome then living fhould fee it; tho’ the thing was fo amazing and incredible, that they would not believe it ever would be; partly becaufe the. Chaldeans were their good friends and allies, as they thought, as appears by Fofah’s going out again{t the king of &gypt, when he was marching his army againft the king of Batylox; and partly becaufe they were the covenant-people of God, and would never be abandoned and given up by him into the hands of another people; and therefore when they were told of it by the prophets of the Lord, efpecially by Yeremiah, time after time; who exprefsly faid the king of Babylon would come againft them, and they would be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, yet they would give no credit to it, till their ruin came upon them, as may be obferved in various parts of his prophecy. The apoftle quotes this paffage in the place abovementioned, and applies it to the deftruction of the Yews by the Romans, for their contemptuous rejection of the Meffiah and his gofpel; which yet they would not believe to the aft, tho’ it was foretold by Chrift and his apoftles.
y. 6. For lo, 1 raife up the Chaldeans, &c.] A people till of late mean and low, famous only for their foothfaying, divination, and judicial aftrology; but now become a powerful and warlike people, rifing up under the permifiion of providence to univerfal monarchy, and who would quickly add Fades to the reft of their dominions: that bitter and bafty nation, 2 cruel and mercilefs people in their temper and difpofition: ditter againft the people of God and true religion, and caufing bitternefs, calamities and diftrefs wherever they came: hafty and precipitate in their determinations; fwift and nimble in their motions; active and vigorous in. the profecution of their defigns: which hall march thro the breadth of the land; or breadths of the land*; thro” the whole world, as they were attempting to do, having fubdued Syria, all Afa, and great part of Africa, thro’ which they boldly marched, bearing down all oppofition that was in their way; or thro’ the breadth of the land of Fudea, taking all the fenced- cities as they went
“along, and Feru/alem the metropolis of it; fee 7 viii.