Habakuk 1:15
Konteks1:15 The Babylonian tyrant 1 pulls them all up with a fishhook;
he hauls them in with his throw net. 2
When he catches 3 them in his dragnet,
he is very happy. 4
Habakuk 3:9-10
Konteks3:9 Your bow is ready for action; 5
you commission your arrows. 6 Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. 7
3:10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
The torrential downpour sweeps through. 8
The great deep 9 shouts out;
it lifts its hands high. 10
[1:15] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.
[1:15] 2 tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.
[1:15] 3 tn Heb “and he gathers.”
[1:15] 4 tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
[3:9] 5 tn Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”
[3:9] 6 tn Heb “sworn in are the arrow-shafts with a word.” The passive participle of שָׁבַע (shava’), “swear an oath,” also occurs in Ezek 21:23 ET (21:28 HT) referencing those who have sworn allegiance. Here the
[3:9] 7 tn Heb “[with] rivers you split open the earth.” A literal rendering like “You split the earth with rivers” (so NIV, NRSV) suggests geological activity to the modern reader, but in the present context of a violent thunderstorm, the idea of streams swollen to torrents by downpours better fits the imagery.
[3:9] sn As the
[3:10] 8 tn Heb “a heavy rain of waters passes by.” Perhaps the flash floods produced by the downpour are in view here.
[3:10] 9 sn The great deep, which is to be equated with the sea (vv. 8, 15), is a symbol of chaos and represents the Lord’s enemies.
[3:10] 10 sn Lifting the hands here suggests panic and is accompanied by a cry for mercy (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19). The forces of chaos cannot withstand the Lord’s power revealed in the storm.