Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Habakkuk 1:9
They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up [as] the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
9. they shall come ] they come all of them for violence. To rob and harry is their object.
Their faces shall sup up ] R.V. paraphrastically: their faces are set eagerly as the east wind. The clause is obscure in sense, and in all likelihood the text is faulty. Two tentative senses have been suggested: (1) the word rendered in A.V. “sup up” has been connected with the term used of the war-horse, Job 39:24, he swalloweth the ground, i.e. appears to do so in his eagerness and swiftness; cf. Gen 14:17, “Let me drink” (the same word). From this sense of swallowing or gulping up might come the more general one of straining or striving after (as in Neo-Heb.), giving some such sense as the striving of their faces is &c. Such a meaning is rather indefinite and flat, and the form of word is not easy to connect with that used in Job 39:24. (2) Others, as Gesen., would connect with the Arab. word signifying a crowd, assemblage, and render: the mass, crowd, of their faces.
as the east wind ] The term properly means eastward, but as the spectator when reckoning the quarters of the heavens faced the east, it is supposed that eastwards became equivalent to forwards or onwards. The whole clause would mean: the striving (or, the crowd) of their faces is forwards; the impetuosity and rapidity of their movement being indicated. Such a sense is rather lame, even if it could be legitimately reached.
shall gather the captivity ] and they gather captives like the sand. The sand is innumerable, Gen 22:17; Gen 41:49; 2Sa 17:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
They shall come all for violence – Violence had been the sin of Judah Hab 1:3-4, and now violence shall be her punishment. It had been ever before the prophet; all were full of it. Now should violence be the very end, one by one, of all the savage horde poured out upon them; they all, each one of them come for violence.
Their faces shall sup up as the east wind – occurs else only in Eze 11:1, and Eze 11:16 times in Ezek. 4048 of the ideal city and temple as Eastwards. But except in the far-fetched explanation of Abarb (mentioned also by Tanchum) that they ravaged, not to settle but to return home with their booty, Eastwards would have no meaning. Yet forwards is just as insulated a rendering as that adopted by John and D. Kimchi, A. E. Rashi, Oh. Sip., Sal. B. Mel. Arab Tr. (following Jonathan) the East-wind; standing as a metaphor instead of a simile the being regarded as paragogic, as in . So also Symmachus anemos kauson. Jerome: ventus urens.) As at the breath of the burning wind all green things dry up, so at sight of these all shall be wasted. They shall sweep over everything impetuously, like the east wind, scorching, blackening, blasting, swallowing up all, as they pass over, as the East wind, especially in the Holy Land, sucks up all moisture and freshness.
And they shall gather the captivity – i. e., the captives
As the sand – countless, as the particles which the East wind raises, sweeping over the sand-wastes, where it buries whole caravans in one death.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind] This may be an allusion to those electrical winds which prevail in that country. Mr. Jackson, in his overland journey from India, mentions his having bathed in the Tigris. On his coming out of the river one of those winds passed over him, and, in a moment, carried off every particle of water that was on his body and in his bathing dress. So, the Chaldeans shall leave no substance behind them; their faces, their bare appearance, is the proof that nothing good shall be left.
Shall gather the captivity as the sand.] They shall carry off innumerable captives.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They, Chaldeans, and in particular these fierce and swift horsemen, shall come all, with one purpose, on the same design, to enrich themselves by making a prey of all.
Their faces shall sup up as the east wind: either thus, their very countenances shall be as blasting, pestiferous, and dangerous as is the east wind in those countries; or thus, all they can sup up, or lay hold on, they will carry eastward; or thus, when you are devoured, they shall set their faces eastward to devour others in those coasts.
They shall gather the captivity; prisoners or captives, called here the captivity, to express the extremity thereof.
As the sand, both for easiness of gathering, and the multitudes of captives gathered.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. all for violenceThe soleobject of all is not to establish just rights, but to get all theycan by violence.
their faces shall sup up asthe east windthat is, they shall, as it were, swallow upall before them; so the horse in Job39:24 is said to “swallow the ground with fiercenessand rage.” MAURERtakes it from an Arabic root, “the desire of theirfaces,” that is, the eager desire expressed by their faces.HENDERSON, with SYMMACHUSand Syriac, translates, “the aspect.”
as the east windthesimoon, which spreads devastation wherever it passes (Isa27:8). GESENIUStranslates, “(is) forwards.” The rendering proposed,eastward, as if it referred to the Chaldeans’ return homeeastward from Judea, laden with spoils, is improbable. Their”gathering the sand” accords with the simoon being meant,as it carries with it whirlwinds of sand collected in the desert.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They shall come all for violence,…. Or, “the whole of it” s; the whole army of the Chaldeans, everyone of them; this would be their sole view, not to do themselves justice, as might be pretended, or avenge any injuries or affronts done to them by the Jews; but purely for the sake of spoil and plunder:
their faces shall sup up [as] the east wind: their countenances will appear so stern and fierce, that their very looks will so frighten, as to cause men to sink and die through terror; just as herbs and plants shrivel up and wither away, when blasted by a nipping east wind. So the Targum,
“the reception or look of their faces is like to a vehement east wind.”
Some render it,
“the look or design of their faces is to the east t;”
when the Chaldeans were on their march to Judea, their faces were to the west or south west; but then their desire and views were, that when they had got the spoil they came for, as in the preceding clause, to carry it to Babylon, which lay eastward or north east of Judea, and thither their faces looked:
and they shall gather the captivity as the sand; or gather up persons, both in Judea, and in other countries conquered by them, as innumerable as the sand of the sea, and carry them captive into their own land. Captivity is put for captives.
s “illa teta”, Junius Tremellius “sub. gens”, Pagninus, Piscator; “totus exercitus”, Vatablus; “populus”, Calvin. t “ad orientem”, Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; “orientem versus”, Junius Tremellius, De Dieu, Burkius so Abarbinel.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
By saying that they would come to the prey, he means that they would have no trouble or labor, for they would be victorious before they had any contest, or had any war with their enemies. The meaning then is, that the Chaldeans would not come to spend much time in warfare, as when there is a strong power to resist; but that they would only come for the booty, for the Jews would be frightened, and instantly submit themselves. And by these words the Prophet intimates, that there would be neither strength nor courage in a people so refractory: for God thus debilitates the hearts of those who fiercely resist his word. Whenever, then, men become strong against God, he so melts their hearts, that they cannot resist their fellow-mortals; and thus he mocks their confidence, or rather their madness. Lest then the Jews should still harbor any hope from the chance of war, the Prophet says that the Chaldeans would only come for the prey, for all would become subject to them.
He afterwards adds, that the meeting of their faces would be like the oriental wind. The word גמה, gime, means what is opposite; and its derivative signifies meeting or opposition ( occursus.) We indeed know that the east wind was very injurious to the land of Judea, that it dried up vegetation, yea, that it consumed as it were the whole produce of the earth. The violence of that wind was also very great. Hence whenever the Prophets wished to express a violent impetuosity, they added this comparison of the east wind. It was therefore the same as though the Prophet had said that the Jews would now in vain flatter themselves; for as soon as they perceived the blowing of the east wind, they would flee away, knowing that they would be wholly unable to stand against it. (15)
Hence follows what is added by the Prophets, He shall gather the captivity like the sand; that is, the king of Babylon shall without any trouble subdue all the people, and collect captives innumerable as the sand; for by the sand of the sea is meant an immense number of men. In short, the Prophet shows that the Jews were already conquered; because their striving and their contest had been with God, whom they had so often and so obstinately provoked; and also, because God had chosen for himself such servants as excelled in quickness, and power, and cruelty. This is the sum of the whole. He afterwards adds—
(15) This clause has been variously interpreted. The Targum, Vulgate, and Symmachus, countenance the view given here. There is no help from the Septuagint, as no sense is given. The word [ מגמח ], only found here, is rendered by Symmachus , προσοψις, sight, aspect. Targum explains it by a word which signifies “front.” Henderson and Lee regard this as its meaning. Others, as Newcome and Drusius render it, supping up, or absorption, and derive it from [ גמא ], to drink up, to absorb; and they regard the idea to be, that the very presence of the Chaldeans would absorb every thing like a scorching wind. But “the supping up of their faces shall be as the east wind,” which is Newcome’s version, is an odd phrase. The last word has [ ה ] affixed to it, which is never the case when it means the east wind. It is by all admitted, that “towards the east” is its proper construction. Hence the most probable rendering of this passage is, “The aspect of their faces shall be towards the east;” and with this corresponds what follows, that they should “gather captives as the sand;” that is, that they might carry them away to the place where they turned their faces.
The version of Henderson, which is essentially that of Symmachus, is the following,—
The aspect of their faces is like the east wind.
He owns the difficulty as to the last word, and views it here as in an irregular form. Dathius gives this paraphrase,—
It will have its face direct towards the east.
He says that the word [ קדום ], by itself never means the pestilential wind from the east; but that when it means this, it has another word attached to it.— Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) Their faces shall sup up as the east wind.Literally, if we could accept this interpretation, the eagerness of their faces is eastward. The passage, however, is beset with philological difficulties. If the word kdmh could be translated east wind, the invading Chaldan host would be compared to a blast from the east, passing over the land, and leaving it scorched and blighted. The captives (captivity, Authorised Version) whom the invader carries off would then be likened to the cloud of dust, sand, &c., which accompanies this withering blast. This gives a good sense. Unfortunately, however, according to all analogy, kdmh must mean either eastwards or forwards. The meaning of mgammath (used here only) is probably either crowd or eager desire. Two plausible renderings are thus presented for our choiceThere is a crowd of their faces pressing forwards; Their faces turn eagerly forwards. For other interpretations, we must refer the Hebrew student to the critical commentaries.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Their purpose is to rob and to destroy.
For violence They are without humane feelings; their only object is to do violence.
Their faces shall sup up as the east wind R.V., “the set of their faces is forwards”; margin, “the eagerness of their faces is towards the east.” A.V. attempts to get from the original the thought that the Chaldeans will devour everything like the destructive east wind (Hos 13:15); R.V., that their faces are set forward and cannot be turned aside; so also margin R.V. The Hebrew is obscure and the English translations all do more or less violence to it. The original has east, “but as the spectator when reckoning the quarters of the heavens faces the east, it is supposed that eastwards became equivalent to forwards or onwards.” The intention of the prophet is evidently to describe the fierceness of the advance, but it is not unlikely that the text has suffered in transmission. Nowack considers the corruption so hopeless that he does not even attempt a restoration; Marti reads, “They advance in the very face of those who rise up against them”; that is, they are without fear or hesitation. Their captives are “as the sand,” which means numberless. The Assyrian kings frequently boast that they took captives and booty “without number.”
The verbs of Hab 1:10-11 should be rendered, with R.V. in Hab 1:10, as present tenses. Kings and princes are objects of mockery to them, fortresses are taken with the greatest ease.
They shall heap dust [“he heapeth up dust”] Refers to the casting up of embankments, so that the besiegers may be on a level with the defenders behind the walls (2Sa 20:15; Jer 32:24). This is done quickly, and the city falls.
In Hab 1:11 the translation of A.V. is not impossible, but the context favors R.V.: “Then he shall sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, even he whose might is his god.”
Then With the fortresses leveled to the ground the victorious army rushes on like a wind to new triumphs.
He passeth over Irresistibly they sweep through the lands overcoming all obstacles. The two verbs are used together in Isa 8:8, of the onward rush of the Assyrians, likened to an overwhelming flood. The translation of margin R.V., “transgresseth,” is not so suitable.
Be guilty (R.V.) Through the acts just described, equivalent to “and thus he becometh guilty.” The cruelties and outrages constitute a part of their guilt. Another indictment is implied in the last clause.
Even he whose might is his god (R.V.) This is not a literal translation, but it expresses the thought of the original: “His success intoxicates him, and in his pride of heart he deifies his own might.” Literally it is, “this his might becometh his god”; the construction is peculiar, and the text may be corrupt. For “and be guilty, even he whose might is his god,” Wellhausen, Nowack, and others read, with some changes in the text, “and he maketh his might to be his god,” which gives good sense.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Hab 1:9. Their faces shall sup, &c. A burning wind goes before them, and gathers captives as the sand. Houbigant. They shall carry desolation, destruction, and fire every where before them. The winds which blew from Arabia the Desert were extremely hot, and very dangerous, not only on account of their own heat, but on account of the dust and sand which they brought with them. See Jer 4:11; Jer 18:17. Eze 17:10; Eze 19:12.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Hab 1:9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up [as] the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
Ver. 9. They shall come all for violence ] That by force and violence they may carry all before them. Fit via vi, Cedit viribus aequum. They are set upon it, and will have it so.
Their faces shall sup up as the east wind
And they shall gather the captivity as the sand
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
all for violence: i.e. not for conquest, but for destruction.
faces = aspect, intent, or eagerness,
sup up, &c. = swallow up (as in Job 39:24), as the Palestine burning east wind withers up and destroys all green things.
as the sand. Figure of speech Paroemia. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
for: Hab 1:6, Hab 2:5-13, Deu 28:51, Deu 28:52, Jer 4:7, Jer 5:15-17, Jer 25:9
their faces shall sup up as the east: or, the supping up of their faces, as, etc. or, their faces shall look toward the east. Heb. the opposition of their faces shall be toward the east. Isa 27:8, Jer 4:11, Eze 17:10, Eze 19:12, Hos 13:15
they shall gather: Hab 2:5, Gen 41:49, Jdg 7:12, Job 29:18, Psa 139:18, Jer 15:8, Jer 34:22, Hos 1:10, Rom 9:27
Reciprocal: 1Ki 4:29 – as the sand Job 39:24 – He swalloweth Eze 1:4 – a whirlwind Oba 1:16 – swallow down Hab 1:17 – and Hab 2:6 – that increaseth Heb 11:12 – as the sand
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Hab 1:9. The pronouns “they” and “their” stand for the Chaldeans (or Babylonians) who will be using the horses in the action. Shall Come for violence means that when these forces come against Judah it will be with the intention of getting what they want even if they have to use violence in getting it. Sup up is from one word and it is explained in the lexicon to mean “to accumulate by impulse.” Gather as the sand indicates that the Chaldean army will sweep all before it as the east wind would drive the sand ahead of it and pile it up in great heaps.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1:9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up [as] the {f} east wind, and they shall gather the captives {g} as the sand.
(f) For the Jews most feared this wind, because it destroyed their fruits.
(g) They will be so many in number.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Babylonians loved violence. The faces of their warriors showed their love for battle as they moved irresistibly forward in conquest. They were as effective at collecting captives from other countries as the sirocco winds from the East were at driving dust before them (cf. Jer 18:17; Eze 17:10; Eze 19:12; Jon 4:8). This enemy was advancing like a whirlwind and gathering captives as innumerable as the sand.