Habakkuk chapter 1
1:1-4 Burden (Hebrew masa, "heavy load" or "oracle") also describes the prophecies of Nahum (Nahum 1:1) and
Malachi (Malachi 1:1) as that which the Lord has entrusted to His prophet. It was a sentence of divine judgment.
1:6-11 The prophet describes the mighty Chaldeans who ruled Babylon from 625 to 539 B.C. They were Semitic
nomads who were descendants of Chesed, the son of Abraham's brother Nahor (Genesis 22:20-22). They gradually
populated southern Babylon and were under Assyrian authority until Nabopolassar destroyed Nineveh in 612 B.C.
and founded the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which reached its greatest height under Nebuchadnezzar. (see the note on
Daniel 1:1) The success of the Chaldeans is attributed to their swiftness and violence. To heap dust refers to building
ramparts of earth to scale the walls of enemy cities. His god is Marduk, god of war and the patron god of Babylon.
1:12-17 The prophet appeals to God not to look on Babylonia's iniquity approvingly, and calls on Him to judge the
mighty nation which has caught the other nations in its fish net.
Habakkuk chapter 2
2:2, 3 Write the vision...upon tablets refers to the common practice of writing public notices with such large characters
on the clay tablets that someone running by could easily read them. If the notice was a warning it would also cause
the reader to run quickly to prepare for what was coming. An appointed time indicates a specific future fulfillment of
Habakkuk's prophecy of the fall of Babylon. See Daniel 5:30, 31.
2:4 Two classes of people are contrasted: (1) the proud, haughty Chaldeans who will be the victors in the forthcoming
conflict; and (2) the righteous ones of Judah who will appear to be defeated in the forthcoming conflict, but in reality
will be the victors because of their faith in the Lord. The just shall live by faith is often quoted in the New Testament in
support of the doctrine of justification by faith. (See Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38) Thus, this Old
Testament prophecy anticipates the New Testament gospel which shall ultimately conquer the nations and bring them
to Christ.
2:5 Hell (Hebrew Sheol, "the unseen world of the dead") can be understood both as a reference to the grave and as
the residence of the departed dead.
2:8-11 The proud and seemingly impregnable city on Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C., due as much to its
own inner corruption as to the presence of the great conqueror. According to the reports of the ancient world, Cyrus
was hailed as a liberator (Isaiah 45:1-3).
Habakkuk chapter 3
3:1, 2 A prayer (Hebrew tepilah, "prayer" or "song of praise"): It was written to be used as a part of the public worship
services of Israel. It was set to Shigionoth, which refers to the kind of music with which the psalm was to be
accompanied. The following song, a victory ode, was to be sung triumphantly and with great excitement.
3:3-15 These verses contain two poems (verses 3-7 and 8-15) recounting God's deliverance of His people in the days
of Exodus. The poems emphasize His preservation in the wilderness and His triumphal leading into the Promised
Land. Selah: This expression is thought to be equivalent to a musical rest, in which the reader of singer was instructed
to stop and think about what he just sang or read.
3:16-19 The instructions in the postscript indicate that this psalm was used as a part of the temple liturgy. It is a great
psalm expressing obedience and praise to God, and trust in Him.