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Introduction
to Habakkuk
INTRODUCTION TO HABAKKUK
This
book is called
in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions
"the Prophecy of
Habakkuk". Of this prophet
Aben Ezra and Kimchi say
we know neither his
age nor his family; which shows they paid no regard to a tradition of their
nation
mentioned by some of their ancient writersF1Zohar in Gen.
fol. 6. 3. Vid. Shalshelet Hakabala
fol. 12. 2.
that he was the son of the
Shunammite
whom Elisha raised from the dead; and find the etymology of his
name in the words of the prophet to her
"about this season
according to
the time of life
thou shalt embrace a son"
2 Kings 4:16 where
the root of his name is used; and they account for the doubling of the last
radical in his name
because of the two embraces of him
one by his mother
and
the other by the prophet. His name indeed signifies "an embrace"F2qwqbx
"amplexus"
Hillerus; "amplexatio"
Hieronymus. ; or
as
some
"an embracer"F3"Amplexans"
ibid. ; and
the last letter being doubled
it is with others interpreted "the best
embracer"F4"Optimus amplexator"
Tarnovius. ; to
which name his character and conduct agree; who
in the most tender manner
embraced the people of God
as parents their children
and comforted them with
the assurance of their preservation
notwithstanding their captivity
and with
the promise of the Messiah's coming; suggesting to them they should live by
faith
to which he led them the way by his own example
Habakkuk 1:12
Habakkuk 2:3 but as
this is placing him too early
to put him in the times of Elisha; so it is
fixing him too late
to make him to be in the times of Daniel
and to feed him
in the den of the lions
as Joseph ben GorionF5Hist. Heb. l. 1. c.
11. p. 35
36.
and the author of the apocryphal book of Bel and the Dragon
say he did
which was after the Babylonish captivity was ended; whereas it is
certain this prophet prophesied of it
and must have lived some time before it;
for he speaks of the Chaldeans by name coming against the Jews
and carrying
them captive
Habakkuk 1:6. The
learned HuetiusF6Demonstr. Evangel. Prop. 4. p. 284
301.
and
others
think there were two prophets of this name; one of the tribe of Simeon
who lived before the captivity; and another of the tribe of Levi
who lived
after it. The Jewish chronologersF7Seder Olam Rabba
p. 55. Seder
Olam Zuta
p. 105. Tzemach David
fol. 15. 1. Juchasin
fol. 12. 2. generally
place this our prophet in the times of Manasseh; with which well enough agrees
the description of the times the prophet lived in
given in Habakkuk 1:2 though
some think he lived in the latter times of JosiahF8Bedford's
Scripture Chronology
p. 674.
or the beginning of JehoiakimF9Usher.
Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3395. ; and it is probable he was a contemporary of
the Prophet Jeremiah
with whom he agrees in many things
and prophesied of the
same. However
there is no room to doubt of the authority of this book
being
always received by the Jewish church
and agreeing with other parts of
Scripture
and especially with the prophecies of Jeremiah; and may be further
confirmed and established by the quotations out of it in the New Testament
as Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41 and Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17. The
general design of the prophecy is to comfort the people of God under the
afflictions that were coming upon them
and to encourage them to the exercise of
faith and patience
in the hope and view of the coming of the Messiah. Pseudo
EpiphaniusF11De Prophet. Vit. & Interit. c. 18. says that
Habakkuk died two years before the people of the Jews returned from Babylon
and was honourably buried in his own native place
which he says was
Bethsocher
in the tribe of Simeon. With whom IsidoreF12De Vit.
& Mort. Sanct. c. 47. agrees
as to the time of his death; but the place of
his birth
he says
was Bethacat; and of his death
Sabarta. SozomenF13Hist.
Ecclesiast. l. 7. c. 29. reports
that
in the days of Theodosius
the grave of
Habakkuk was found in Cele
formerly the city Ceila. So Eusebius says it was
shown at Kela
eight miles from Eleutheropolis; though
in another place
he
says it was to be seen at Gabbatha
twelve miles from the same place; which may
be reconciled
by observing that it might be between them both
and be seen
from each
since they were places near to each otherF14Vid. Reland.
Palestina Illustrata
tom. 2. p. 772. . But the Cippi HebraiciF15P.
63. Ed. Hottinger. say it was at a place called Jakuk in Galilee
not far from
Sephetta
where was an academy of the Jews; and this seems to agree with what
Sanderson
a countryman of ours
as quoted by Van TillF16Habakkuk
Illustratus
p. 214.
observes; that in his journey from Damascus to
Jerusalem
between Sephet and Chapherchittin
he found a village
in which
the
Jews report
Habakkuk the prophet dwelt and died
the name of which is Jeakoke.
But these things are not to be depended on.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version
Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.