the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Habakkuk 1:12
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Lord , you are the one who lives forever! You are my holy God who never dies! Lord , you created the Babylonians to do what must be done. Our Rock, you created them to punish people.
Are You not from time everlasting, LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, LORD, have appointed them to deliver judgment; And You, O Rock, have destined them to punish.
Lord , you live forever, my God, my holy God. We will not die. Lord , you have chosen the Babylonians to punish people; our Rock, you picked them to punish.
Are not you from everlasting, O Yahweh my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment; and you, O Rock, have established him for correction.
[Art] thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, My Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment, And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise.
Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord , you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
Aren't you from everlasting, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die. Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish.
Whether `thou, Lord, art not my God, myn hooli, and we schulen not die? Lord, in to doom thou hast set hym, and thou groundidist hym strong, that thou schuldist chastise.
Art not thou from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction.
Holy Lord God, mighty rock, you are eternal, and we are safe from death. You are using those Babylonians to judge and punish others.
Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.
Are you not eternal, O Lord my God, my Holy One? for you there is no death. O Lord, he has been ordered by you for our punishment; and by you, O Rock, he has been marked out to put us right.
Adonai , haven't you existed forever? My God, my holy one, we will not die. Adonai , you appointed them to execute judgment. Rock, you commissioned them to correct us.
—Art thou not from everlasting, Jehovah my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast appointed him for correction.
Art not Thou from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, Thou hast ordained them for judgment, and Thou, O Rock, hast established them for correction.
Art thou not from euerlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy one? we shall not die: O Lord, thou hast ordained them for iudgement, and O mightie God, thou hast established them for correction.
Have You not lived forever, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O Lord, You have chosen them to judge. You, O Rock, have chosen them to punish us.
Are you not from of old, O Lord my God, my Holy One? You shall not die. O Lord , you have marked them for judgment; and you, O Rock, have established them for punishment.
Art thou not of olde, O Lorde my God, mine holy one? we shall not die: O Lord, thou hast ordeined them for iudgement, and O God, thou hast established them for correction.
Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? Art thou without a law, O LORD? For thou hast ordained them for judgment, and thou hast created us for chastisement.
Art not, thou, from of old, O Yahweh, my God, my Holy One? Thou diest not! O Yahweh, to judgment, hast thou appointed him, and, O Rock, to correction, hast thou devoted him:
Wast thou not from the beginning, O Lord my God, my holy one, and we shall not die? Lord, thou hast appointed him for judgment: and made him strong for correction.
Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established them for chastisement.
Art not thou of olde, O Lord my God, my holy one? we shall not dye, O Lord thou hast ordeined them for iudgement, and O God thou hast established them for correction.
Art not thou from the beginning, O Lord God, my Holy One? and surely we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast established it for judgment, and he has formed me to chasten with his correction.
Lord , from the very beginning you are God. You are my God, holy and eternal. Lord , my God and protector, you have chosen the Babylonians and made them strong so that they can punish us.
Are you not from eternity, Lord my God?My Holy One, you will not die.Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment;my Rock, you destined them to punish us.
Aren't you from everlasting, LORD my God, my Holy One? We will not die. LORD, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish.
Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord , thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
Are you not from of old, O Yahweh my God, my Holy One? You shall not die. O Yahweh, you have marked them for judgment; O Rock, you have established them for reproof.
Are You not from aforetime, Jehovah our God, my Holy One? We shall not die, Jehovah, for You have appointed him for judgment. And, my Rock, You have established him for correction.
Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it.
But thou o LORDE my God, my holy one, thou art from the begynnynge, therfore shal we not dye. O LORDE, thou hast ordened them for a punyshmet, and set them to reproue the mightie.
God , you're from eternity, aren't you? Holy God, we aren't going to die, are we? God , you chose Babylonians for your judgment work? Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline? But you can't be serious! You can't condone evil! So why don't you do something about this? Why are you silent now? This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous and you stand around and watch!
Lord , you have been active from ancient times; my sovereign God, you are immortal. Lord , you have made them your instrument of judgment. Protector, you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment.
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.
Are You not from everlasting,O Yahweh, my God, my Holy One?We will not die.You, O Yahweh, have placed them to judge;And You, O Rock, have established them to reprove.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
thou not: Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalms 90:2, Psalms 93:2, Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 57:15, Lamentations 5:19, Micah 5:2, 1 Timothy 1:17, 1 Timothy 6:16, Hebrews 1:10-12, Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 1:8, Revelation 1:11
mine: Isaiah 43:15, Isaiah 49:7, Acts 3:14
we: Habakkuk 3:2, Psalms 118:17, Isaiah 27:6-9, Jeremiah 4:27, Jeremiah 5:18, Jeremiah 30:11, Jeremiah 33:24-26, Jeremiah 46:28, Ezekiel 37:11-14, Amos 9:8, Amos 9:9
thou hast ordained: 2 Kings 19:25, Psalms 17:13, Isaiah 10:5-7, Isaiah 37:26, Jeremiah 25:9-14, Ezekiel 30:25
mighty God: Heb. Rock, Deuteronomy 32:4, Deuteronomy 32:30, Deuteronomy 32:31, 1 Samuel 2:2, Psalms 18:1
established: Heb. founded
for: Isaiah 27:9, Isaiah 27:10, Jeremiah 30:11, Jeremiah 31:18-20, Jeremiah 46:28, Hebrews 12:5, Hebrews 12:6
Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 4:11 - when wicked 2 Samuel 20:1 - a man 2 Chronicles 22:12 - Athaliah 2 Chronicles 24:24 - So Job 6:10 - the Holy One Job 34:12 - surely Psalms 94:10 - he correct Psalms 97:12 - give thanks Psalms 99:9 - for the Psalms 102:24 - thy years Psalms 104:1 - O Lord Ecclesiastes 5:8 - matter Isaiah 37:23 - the Holy One Isaiah 43:13 - before Jeremiah 32:18 - the Great Daniel 7:9 - the Ancient Amos 5:7 - turn Habakkuk 2:1 - and will Revelation 15:4 - thou only
Cross-References
God called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And that is what happened.
Then God said, "Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals." And that is what happened.
Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground."
The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.
The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.
A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes.
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
[Art] thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine holy One? .... The prophet, foreseeing these calamities coming upon his nation and people, observes some things for their comfort in this verse; and expostulates with God in the following verses Habakkuk 1:13 about his providential dealings, in order to obtain an answer from him, which might remove the objections of his own mind, and those of other good men he personates, raised against them; being stumbled at this, that wicked men should be suffered to succeed and prosper, and the righteous should be afflicted and distressed by them: but for his own present consolation, and that of others, in a view of the worst that should befall them, he strongly asserts,
we shall not die; meaning not a corporeal death, for that all men die, good and bad; and this the Jews did die, and no doubt good men among them too, at the siege and taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldean army, either by famine, or pestilence, or sword: nor a death of affliction, which the people of God are subject to, as well as others; is often their case, and is for their good, and in love, and not wrath: but a spiritual death, which none that are quickened by the Spirit and grace of God ever die; though grace may be low, it is never lost; though saints may be in dead and lifeless frames, and need quickening afresh, yet they are not without the principle of spiritual life; grace in them is a well of living water, springing up to everlasting life; their spiritual life can never fail them, since it is secured in Christ: and much less shall they die the second, or an eternal death; they are ordained to eternal life; Christ is come, and given his flesh for it, that they might have it; it is in his hands for them; they are united to him, and have both the promise and pledge of it: and this may be argued, as by the prophet here, from the eternity of God, art "thou not from everlasting?" he is from everlasting to everlasting, the Ancient of days, that inhabits eternity, is, was, and is to come: therefore "we shall not die"; none of his people shall perish, because he loves them with an everlasting love; has made an everlasting choice of them; has set up Christ from everlasting as their surety and Saviour; entered into an everlasting covenant with them in Christ; is their everlasting Father, and will be their everlasting portion; is the unchangeable Jehovah, and therefore they shall not be consumed: this may be concluded from their covenant interest in God, "O Lord my God"; they are his peculiar people, given to Christ to be preserved by him, and covenant interest always continues; he that is their God is their God and guide unto death: and also from the holiness of God, "mine holy One"; who has sworn by his holiness to them, and is faithful to his covenant and promise; and is the sanctifier of them, that has sanctified or set them apart for himself; made Christ sanctification to them, and makes them holy by his Spirit and grace, and enables them to persevere in grace and holiness: moreover, this may be understood of the people of the Jews, as a church and nation; who, though they would be carried captive into Babylon, yet would still continue as such, and be returned again as such, and not die, sink, and perish; since the Messiah was to spring from them; and they might be assured of their preservation for that purpose, from the perfections of God, his covenant with them, and their relation to him: nor shall the church of Christ in any age die and perish, though in ever so low a state; a particular church may, but the interest and church of Christ in general, or his spiritual seed, never shall. This is one of the eighteen passages, as Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech observe, called "Tikkun-Sopherim", the correction of the scribes, of Ezra, and his company; it having been written, in some copies, "thou shall not die" a; asserting the immortality of God, or his eternity to come; and that, as he was from everlasting, so he should continue to everlasting; and to this sense the Targum paraphrases the words,
"thy Word remaineth for ever;''
and so the Syriac version follows the same reading:
O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment: that is, the Chaldeans; either to be judged and punished themselves for their sins, as all wicked Christless sinners are, even righteously foreordained to condemnation for their sins; or rather to be the instruments of punishing the wicked among the Jews; for this purpose were these people ordained in the counsels of God, and raised up in his providence, and constituted a kingdom, and made a powerful nation:
O mighty God; or "rock" b; the rock and refuge of his people:
thou hast established them for correction; or "founded" c them, and settled them as a monarchy, strong and mighty for this end, that they might be a rod in the hand of the Lord, not for destruction, but for correction and chastisement; and from hence it might be also comfortably concluded that they should not die and utterly perish.
a לא תמות "non morieris", Vatablus, Drusius, Grotius. b צור "O rupes", Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Van Till "O petra", Drusius. c יסדתו "fundasti eum", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Cocceius, Van Till; "constituisti", Vatablus.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The prophet, having summed up the deeds of the enemy of God in this his end, sets forth his questions anew. He had appealed against the evil of the wicked of his people; he had been told of the vengeance by the Chaldaeans (Heading of Habakkuk 1:0). But the vengeance is executed by them who are far worse. How then? The answer is: “Wait to the end, and thou shalt see.” What remains are the triumphs of faith; the second chapter closes with the entire prostration of the whole world before God, and the whole prophecy with joyous trust in God amid the entire failure of all outward signs of hope. Here, like the Psalmists (Asaph, Psalms 73:0 Ethan Psalms 76:1-12) and Jeremiah Jeremiah 12:1, he sets down at the very beginning his entire trust in God, and so, in the name of all who at any time shall be perplexed about the order of God’s judgments, asks how it shall be, teaching us that the only safe way of enquiring into God’s ways is by setting out with a living conviction that they, Psalms 25:10, are “mercy and truth.” And so the address to God is full of awe and confidence and inward love. For “God placeth the oil of mercy in the vessel of trustfulness.”
Art Thou not - (the word has always an emphasis) “Thou” and not whatsoever or whosoever it be that is opposed to Thee (be it Nebuchadnezzar or Satan).
From everlasting - literally, from before? See the note at Micah 5:2. Go back as far as man can in thought - God was still before; and so, much more before any of His creatures, such as those who rebel against Him.
O Lord - it is the proper name of God, Revelation 1:8, “Which is and Which was and Which is to come” - I am, the Unchangeable; my God, i. e., whereas his own might is (he had just said) the pagan’s god, the Lord is his;
Mine Holy One - one word, denoting that God is his God, sufficeth him not, but he adds (what does not elsewhere occur) “mine Holy One” in every way, as hallowing him and hallowed by him. Dion.: “Who hallowest my soul, Holy in Thine Essence, and whom as incomparably Holy I worship in holiness.” All-Holy in Himself, He becometh the Holy One of him to whom He imparteth Himself, and so, by His own gift, belongeth, as it were, to him. The one word in Hebrew wonderfully fits in with the truth, that God becomes one with man by taking him to Himself. It is fall of inward trust too, that he saith, “my God, my Holy One,” as Paul saith, Galatians 2:9, “Who loved me, and gave Himself for me,” i. e., as Augustine explains it , “O Thou God Omnipotent, who so carest for every one of us, as if Thou caredst for him only; and so for all, as if tbey were but one.” The title, “my Holy One,” includes his people with himself; for God was his God, primarily because he was one of the people of God; and his office was for and in behalf of his people.
It involves then that other title which had been the great support of Isaiah , by which he at once comforted his people, and impressed upon them the holiness of their God, the holiness which their relation to their God required, the Holy One of Israel. Thence, since Habakkuk lived, for his people with himself, on this relation to God, as my God, my Holy One, and that God, the Unchangeable; it follows,” We shall not die.” There is no need of any mark of inference, “therefore we shall not die.” It is an inference, but it so lay in those titles of God, “He Is, My God, My Holy One,” that it was a more loving confidence to say directly, we shall not die. The one thought involved the other. God, the Unchangeable, had made Himself their God. It was impossible, then, that lie should cast them off or that they should perish.
We shall not die, is the lightning thought of faith, which flashes on the soul like all inspirations of God, founded on His truth and word, but borne in, as it were, instinctively without inference on the soul, with the same confidence as the Psalmist says Psalms 118:18, “The Lord hath chastened me sore; but He hath not given me over unto death;” and Malachi Malachi 3:6, “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Jerome: “Thou createdst us from the beginning; by Thy mercy we are in being hitherto.” Thy “gifts and calling are without repentance.” Romans 11:29 “did we look to his might; none of us could withstand him. Look we to Thy mercy, Thine alone is it that we live, are not slain by him, nor led to deeds of death.” O Lord, again he repeats the Name of God, whereby He had revealed Himself as their God, the Unchangeable; “Thou, whose mercies fail not, hast ordained them for judgment,” not for vengeance or to make a full end, or for his own ends and pleasure, but to correct Thine own Jeremiah 10:24; Jeremiah 30:11 in measure, which he, exceeding, sinned (See Isaiah 10:5; Isaiah 47:6; Zechariah 1:15).
And O mighty God - literally, Rock. It is a bold title. “My rock” is a title much used by David , perhaps suggested by the fastnesses amid which he passed his hunted life, to express that not in them but in His God was his safety. Habakkuk purposely widens it. He appeals to God, not only as Israel’s might and upholder, but as the sole Source of all strength, the Supporter of all which is upheld , and so, for the time, of the Chaldaean too. Hence, he continues the simple image: “Thou hast founded him” . “Thou hast made him to stand firm as the foundation of a building;” to reprove or set before those who have sinned against Thee, what they had done. Since then God was the Rock, who had founded them, from Him Alone had they strength; when He should withdraw it, they must fall. How then did they yet abide, who abused the power given them and counted it their own? And this the more, since ...
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Habakkuk 1:12. Art thou not frown everlasting — The idols change, and their worshippers change and fail: but thou, Jehovah, art eternal; thou canst not change, and they who trust in thee are safe. Thou art infinite in thy mercy; therefore, "we shall not die," shall not be totally exterminated.
Thou hast ordained them for judgment — Thou hast raised up the Chaldeans to correct and punish us; but thou hast not given them a commission to destroy us totally.
Instead of לא נמות lo namuth, "we shall not die," Houbigant and other critics, with a little transposition of letters, read אל אמת El emeth, "God of truth;" and then the verse will stand thus: "Art thou not from everlasting, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? O Jehovah, GOD OF TRUTH, thou hast appointed them for judgment." But this emendation, however elegant, is not supported by any MS.; nor, indeed, by any of the ancient versions, though the Chaldee has something like it. The common reading makes a very good sense.