Habakkuk 1:5-11
Summary for Hab 1:5-11: 1:5-11 a God’s answer to Habakkuk’s question is startling. God would send a violent people—the Babylonians—to deal with the violence in Judah. The Babylonian army, well-trained and battle-hardened, was an unstoppable force. 1:5 b Look ... look: Two different Hebrew verbs, both of which are here translated look, are translated as see and watch in 1:3 c. This forms a literary link between Habakkuk’s questions in 1:3 d and God’s reply in 1:5-11 e.1:7 f do whatever they like: No relief from injustice would come from the Babylonians. They were a law unto themselves, which added to the prophet’s perplexity at God’s decision to use them to punish Judah.
1:8 g The vivid images of cheetahs, wolves, and eagles depict the speed, ferocity, and predatory nature of the Babylonian attacks against Judah (see Jer 4:13 h; 48:40 i; 49:22 j).
1:9 k The Babylonians indeed took many captives from Judah into exile between 605 and 586 BC (see Dan 1:1-3 l).
1:10 m The ancient battle tactic of building ramps of earth against the walls of cities under attack is widely attested in the ancient Near East (e.g., 2 Kgs 19:32 n; Nah 2:1 o).
1:11 p their own strength is their god: The Babylonians worshiped many false gods. The arrogant confidence they placed on their military strength amounted to one more idol in the mix.
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