A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. Ver. 1. _A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet_] Habakkuk signifieth a wrestler, that by closing striveth to get the better, as hath been before noted on Habakkuk 1:1. To close with the adversary is the best way to supplant him, or to avoid the blow: so... [ Continue Reading ]
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, [and] was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Ver. 2. _O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid_] _Audivi auditionem tuam._ I have heard (not thy _fume_ or thy report, as so... [ Continue Reading ]
God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. Ver. 3. _God came from Teman_] The prophet alludeth to that of Moses in his swan-like song, Deuteronomy 33:2, and allegeth God's benefits of old, for his own and their... [ Continue Reading ]
And [his] brightness was as the light; he had horns [coming] out of his hand: and there [was] the hiding of his power. Ver. 4. _And his brightness was as the light_] The glory of the Lord was as a devouring fire on the top of the mountain, Exodus 24:17; the noonday light, the sun in his strength wa... [ Continue Reading ]
Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. Ver. 5. _Before him went the pestilence_] _Dever,_ the word signifieth such a disease as cometh by a Divine decree, θεηλατον. So Hippocrates call the pestilence το θειον, because sent by God in a spiritual manner, a stroke of... [ Continue Reading ]
He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways [are] everlasting. Ver. 6. _He stood, and measured the earth_] Not Joshua, but God, brought his people into the promised land, and divided... [ Continue Reading ]
I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: [and] the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Ver. 7. _I saw the tents of Cushan_] King of Mesopotamia, who tyrannized over Israel eight years after Joshua's death; God selling his people to him for nought, and not increasing his wealth by their pric... [ Continue Reading ]
Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? [was] thine anger against the rivers? [was] thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses [and] thy chariots of salvation? Ver. 8. _Was the Lord displeased against the rivers?_] As Xerxes, that brutish man, was against the Hellespont,... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy bow was made quite naked, [according] to the oaths of the tribes, [even thy] word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. Ver. 9. _Thy bow was made quite naked_] _sc._ Out of the case. He meaneth, thy power was clearly manifested and powerfully exerted against the nations above mention... [ Continue Reading ]
The mountains saw thee, [and] they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, [and] lifted up his hands on high. Ver. 10. _The mountains saw thee, and they trembled_] _sc._ At the promulgation of the law, Exo 19:17 Psalms 114:4; Psalms 114:6, when God came with te... [ Continue Reading ]
The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, [and] at the shining of thy glittering spear. Ver. 11. _The sun and moon stood still in their habitation_] viz. In the days of Joshua, and upon his prayer, Joshua 10:12,13, whereupon one crieth out, _O admir... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. Ver. 12. _Thou didst march through the land in indignation_] Heb. Thou didst walk in pomp, as a conqueror, through the land, _sc._ of Canaan, in contempt of the opposite forces, treading upon the necks of thin... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, [even] for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. Ver. 13. _Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people_] _q.d._ Thou wast _Generalissimo_ g... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing [was] as to devour the poor secretly. Ver. 14. _Thou didst strike through with his staves, the heads of his villages_] Heb. Thou didst pierce, or bore through, as with an... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, [through] the heap of great waters. Ver. 15. _Thou didst walk through the sea, &c._] _q.d._ Shall they thus prevail by iniquity? and did they carry the ball upon the foot till they had gotten the goal? Hath ever any waxed fierce against God, and pr... [ Continue Reading ]
When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Ver. 16. _When I heard, my belly trembled, &c._] Heard what? T... [ Continue Reading ]
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls: Ver. 17. _Although the fig tree shall not blossom_] Here th... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Ver. 18. _Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation_] This joy of the Lord was the prophet s strength, and kept his head above all waters of affliction, Nehemiah 8:10. So it was David's at the sack of... [ Continue Reading ]
The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Ver. 19. _The Lord God is my strength_] And hence his joy of faith, and ability to bear up under pressures of afflictions, a... [ Continue Reading ]