Habacuc 3:17

Almeida Revista e Corrigida

Porquanto, ainda que a figueira no floresa, nem haja fruto na vide; o produto da oliveira minta, e os campos no produzam mantimento; as ovelhas da malhada sejam arrebatadas, e nos currais no haja vacas,

Parallel Translations

A Biblia Sagrada
Porque ainda que a figueira no floresa, nem haja fruto na vide; ainda que decepcione o produto da oliveira, e os campos no produzam mantimento; ainda que as ovelhas da malhada sejam arrebatadas, e nos currais no haja gado;par

Almeida Revista e Atualizada
Ainda que a figueira no floresa, nem haja fruto na vide; o produto da oliveira minta, e os campos no produzam mantimento; as ovelhas sejam arrebatadas do aprisco, e nos currais no haja gado,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the fig tree: Deuteronomy 28:15-18, Deuteronomy 28:30-41, Jeremiah 14:2-8, Joel 1:10-13, Joel 1:16-18, Amos 4:6-10, Haggai 2:16, Haggai 2:17

fail: Heb. lie

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:31 - the barley Exodus 15:2 - strength Leviticus 26:32 - And I Deuteronomy 8:8 - vines Deuteronomy 28:18 - thy land Deuteronomy 28:51 - which also 1 Samuel 30:6 - David 1 Kings 17:6 - the ravens 1 Kings 18:5 - grass Job 5:20 - famine Psalms 9:2 - I will be Psalms 25:17 - General Psalms 43:4 - my exceeding joy Psalms 73:25 - none upon Psalms 77:6 - my song Psalms 89:52 - Blessed Psalms 97:12 - Rejoice Psalms 104:34 - I will be Proverbs 3:26 - Lord Isaiah 15:6 - the grass Isaiah 16:10 - General Isaiah 19:15 - General Isaiah 24:15 - glorify Isaiah 32:10 - for Jeremiah 5:17 - And they Jeremiah 8:13 - there Jeremiah 12:4 - the beasts Jeremiah 14:22 - wait Joel 1:7 - laid Joel 1:12 - The vine Joel 1:19 - to thee Joel 2:23 - rejoice Micah 7:7 - I will look Haggai 2:19 - as Malachi 3:11 - neither Luke 1:46 - General John 16:22 - and your Romans 5:11 - but we Romans 12:12 - Rejoicing Philippians 3:1 - rejoice 1 Peter 1:8 - believing 1 John 1:4 - that

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,.... Or rather, as the Septuagint version, "shall not bring forth fruit"; since the fig tree does not bear blossoms and flowers, but puts forth green figs at once. This was a tree common in the land of Canaan, and its fruit much in use, and for food; hence we read of cakes of figs among the provisions Abigail brought to David, 1 Samuel 25:18 so that, when there was a scarcity of these, it was a bad time:

neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; no grapes, or clusters of them, out of which wine was pressed; a liquor very refreshing and reviving to nature; and is said to cheer God and man, being used in sacrifices and libations to God, and the common drink of men, Judges 9:13 so that, when it failed, it was a public calamity:

the labour of the olive shall fail; or "lie" a; disappoint the expectation of those who planted and cultivated it with much toil and labour, it not producing fruit as looked for. This tree yielded berries of an agreeable taste, and out of which oil was extracted, the Jews used instead of butter, and for various purposes; so that, when it failed of fruit, it was a great loss on many accounts:

and the fields shall yield no meat; the grass fields no herbage for beasts; the grain fields no grain for man; the consequence of which must be a famine to both; and this must be very dismal and distressing:

the flock shall be cut off from the fold; flocks of sheep; either by the hand of God, some disease being sent among them; or by the hand of man, drove off by the enemy, or killed for their use; so that the folds were empty of them, and none to gather into them:

and there [shall be] no herd in the stalls; or oxen in the stables, where they are kept, and have their food; or stalls in which they are fattened for use; and by all these are signified the necessaries of life, which, when they fail, make a famine, which is a very distressing case; and yet, in the midst of all this, the prophet, representing the church, expresses his faith and joy in the Lord, as in the following verse Habakkuk 3:18; though all this is to be understood, not so much in a literal as in a figurative sense. "Fig trees, vines", and "olives", are often used as emblems of truly gracious persons, Song of Solomon 2:13 partly because of their fruitfulness in grace and good works, and partly because of their perseverance therein; all these trees being fruitful ones; and some, as the olive, ever green: of such persons there is sometimes a scarcity, as is complained of in the times of David and Micah, Psalms 12:1 and especially there will be in the latter day; for righteous and merciful men will be taken away from the evil to come, Isaiah 57:1 and, however, there will be very few lively, spiritual, and fruitful Christians, such as abound in the exercise of grace, and are diligent in the discharge of duty; for, when the Son of Man cometh, he will not find faith on the earth; and he will find the virgins sleeping, Luke 18:8. The "fields not" yielding "meat" may signify that the provisions of the house of God will be cut off; there will be no ministration of the word, or administration of ordinances; the word of the Lord will be scarce, rare, and precious; there will be a famine, not of bread and of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord; one of the days of the Son of Man will be desired, but not enjoyed; so no spiritual food in the use of means to be had; a very uncomfortable time this will be, Amos 8:11

Luke 17:22. The "flock" being "cut off from the fold" may denote that the sheep of Christ will be given up to the slaughter of the enemy, or be scattered abroad in this dark and cloudy day of persecution; so that there will be no fold, no flock, no sheep gathered together; and perhaps such will be the case, that there will not be one visible congregated church in due order throughout the whole world; all will be broke up, and dispersed here and there: no "herd" or "oxen in the stall" may signify that the ministers of the Gospel, compared to oxen for their strength, industry, and laboriousness in the work of the Lord, will be removed, or not suffered to exercise their ministry, nor be encouraged by any in it: this will be the case at the slaying of the witnesses, and a most distressing time it will be; and yet the prophet, or the church represented by him, expresses an uncommon frame of spirit in the following verse Habakkuk 3:18. The Targum interprets all this figuratively of each of the monarchies of the world, which should be no more;

"the kingdom of Babylon shall not continue, nor shall it exercise dominion over Israel; the kings of the Medes shall be killed; and the mighty men of Greece shall not prosper; and the Romans shall be destroyed, and shall not collect tribute from Jerusalem; therefore for the wonder, and for the redemption, thou shalt work for thy Messiah; and for the rest of thy people who shall remain, they shall praise, saying: the prophet said;''

as follows:

a כחש ψευσεται, Sept.; "mentietur", V. L. Piscator; "mentiebatur", Pagninus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Although - literally, For

The fig tree shall not blossom - The prophet repeats his confidence in God, premising his knowledge that all human hopes should fail. I know, he says, all stay and support shall fail; he numbers from the least to the greatest, the fruits of trees, the fig, vine and olive, for sweetness, gladness, cheerfulness Psalms 104:15. whereof the well-being of the vine and fig tree furnishes the proverbial picture of peace and rest. These shall either not shoot forth, or shall at time of fruit-gathering have no produce or having, as it were, labored to bring forth fruit shall lie and fail: yet further “the staff of life” itself shall fail; “the fields shall yield no meat;” all the fields, as though they were but one shall have one common lot, barrenness.

Yet more; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold; not those only, feeding abroad in fields and open plains, shall be driven away, but they shall be carried away by the enemy from the folds, where they seemed penned securely; and not these only, but “there shall be no herd in the stalls,” even the stronger animals shall utterly fail; every help for labor, or for clothing, or for food shall cease; he speaks not of privation, partial failure, but of the entire loss of all things, no meat from the fields, no herd in the stalls; and what then?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Habakkuk 3:17. Although the fig tree shall not blossom — תפרח tiphrach, "shall not flourish," shall not put forth its young figs, for the fig tree does not blossom. The young figs appear as soon as the old ones are ripe, as I have often had occasion to observe.

This verse most nervously paints the desolate state of the land of Judea during the captivity. In its hemistich form, it may be translated thus: -

For the fig tree shall not flourish,

And there shall be no fruit on the vines;

The fruit of the olive shall fail,

And the fields shall supply no food:

The flocks shall be cut off from the fold,

And no herds shall be found in the stalls:

Yet in Jehovah will I exult;

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Vulgate has: -

Yet I in the Lord will rejoice,

And will exult in Jesus my God.

The Targum countenances this version: -

ואנא במימרא דיי אבוע veana bemeimra dayai abua, "But in the WORD of the Lord will I rejoice," i.e., the personal, substantial Word of Jehovah.

These two verses give the finest display of resignation and confidence that I have ever met with. He saw that evil was at hand, and unavoidable, he submitted to the dispensation of God, whose Spirit enabled him to paint it in all its calamitous circumstances. He knew that God was merciful and gracious. He trusted to his promise, though all appearances were against its fulfilment; for he knew that the word of Jehovah could not fail, and therefore his confidence is unshaken.

No paraphrase can add any thing to this hymn, which is full of inexpressible dignity and elegance, leaving even its unparalleled piety out of the question.