6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, "Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them? 8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. 14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! 21 16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: "drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. 17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. 18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? 19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. 23 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. 12 Or, gaineth an evil gain. Nahum 3. 1. 13 Heb. palm of the hand. 16 Ezek. 24. 9. 17 Heb. bloods. 18 Or, in rain. 21 Or, more with shame than with glory. 22 Jer. 2. 26. 25 Psal. 11. 4. 26 Heb. be silent all the earth before him. 23 Jer. 10. 8, 14. Zech. 10. 2. 24 Heb. the fashioner of his fashion. Verse 2. Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables.'-Ewald is of opinion that the prophet here refers to the tables which were in ancient times openly exhibited in the market-places, on which public announcements were graven in large and clear characters, in common use among the people. 11. The stone shall cry out of the wall,' etc.-The sure revelation of those deeds of shame and darkness which the perpetrators would fain conceal, is in almost every country expressed by a similar form of speech, declaring that the very walls have a voice to make known the things which they have witnessed. Does the beam out of the timber,' answering to the stone out of the wall,' imply that beams of timber were used by the Hebrews to unite and strengthen the mass of masonry? Walpole, in his Memoirs of Turkey, is of this opinion; and his statement renders it probable. "The ancient architects of Egypt, Syria, and Italy used wood to unite and bind the stones together. The French, during their expedition to Egypt, observed, at Ombos and Phila, that pieces of the sycamore had been formed for that purpose into a dovetail shape; at Ombos they appear to have been covered with bitumen. Fastenings made of wood, of similar forms, were used in the ancient buildings of Italy, and were seen and described by F. Vacca. The Greeks, as we learn from Jerome, expressed this mode of binding stones together by the word iμávrwos. In the prophet Habakkuk ii. 11, the Hebrew term bearing a similar meaning is caphis. In the first Bible printed in English, by Coverdale, the passage is rendered "like as the bond of wood bound together in the foundation of a house." We should add, that the word in question (D') occurs only in this text; and the explanation suggested by the above statement is corroborated by the author of the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus:- Timber girt and bound together in a building cannot be loosened with shaking' (xxii. 16). And conformably to the same view, Jerome renders the present text Lignum quod ad continendos parietes in medio structuræ pouitur.' 17. The violence of Lebanon.'-The lofty summits of Lebanon were formerly, as now, the chosen haunts of various beasts of prey; the print of whose feet Maundrell and his party observed in the snow: but they are not confined to these situations. A recent traveller continued descending several hours, through varied scenery, presenting at every turn some new feature, distinguished either by its picturesque beauty or awful sublimity. On arriving at one of the lower swells, which form the base of the mountain, he and his party broke rather abruptly into a deep and thick forest. As they traversed the bocage the howlings of wild animals were distinctly heard from the recesses. To these savage tenants of the desert the prophet Habakkuk seems to allude. The violence of Lebanon' is a beautiful and energetic expression, denoting the ferocious animals that roam on its mountains and lodge in its thickets; and that, occasionally descending into the plain in quest of prey, ravage the field or seize upon the unwary villager. CHAPTER III. 1 Habakkuk in his prayer trembleth at God's majesty. 17 The confidence of his faith. A PRAYER of Habakkuk the prophet 'upon Shigionoth. 2 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. 3 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. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand and there was the hiding of his power. 5 Before him went the pestilence, and "burning coals went forth at his feet. 6 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. 7 I saw the tents of 'Cushan in affliction : and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 8 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? 9 Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled the overflowing of the water passed : 12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. 13 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. 14 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. 15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters. 16 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. 17 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: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 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 20stringed instru ments. hearing. 3 Or, preserve alive. 8 Or, under affliction, or, vanity. 11 Josh. 10. 12. 15 Heb. were tempestuous. 20 Heb. neginoth. Or, according to variable songs, or, tunes, called in Hebrew, Shigionoth. Heb. thy report, or, thy 4 Or, The south. 5 Or, bright beams out of his side. 6 Or, burning diseases. 7 Or, Ethiopia. 9 Or, thy chariots were salvation. 10 Or, Thou didst cleare the rivers of the earth. 12 Or, thine arrows walked in the light, &c. 13 Josh. 10. 11. 14 Heb. making naked. 16 Or, mud. 17 Or, cut them in pieces. 18 Heb. lie. 19 2 Sam. 22. 34. Psal. 18. 33. Verse 4. He had horns coming out of his hand.'-The word 'horns' here rather denotes pencils of rays, such as flow from the sun, and which are visible at its rising or setting. Henderson elegantly translates Rays streamed from his hand.' 5. Burning coals went forth at his feet. The word rendered burning coals' () has two leading senses, that of lightning, or flame, and that of a hot or burning fever. It may therefore either mean that flashes of fire went forth after him (which is the meaning of at his feet'); or that a burning pestilence followed him, and marked his path. The latter sense rather than the other is that which the connection seems to require; yet in some respects the other is preferable, and is equally significant if regarded as a metaphor. This combination of the ideas of fire and pestilence occurs in Eastern poetry, as the verses of a Persian poet, quoted by D'Herbelot : 'The pestilence, like an evening fire, runs through the ZEPHANIAH. THE time and parentage of Zephaniah are expressed in the first verse of his prophecy, which affords the only authentic information concerning him which we possess. The pseudo-Epiphanius, with whom Isidore agrees, says that he was of the tribe of Simeon, a native of mount Sarabatha, a place not mentioned in Scripture, and where he died and was buried. In this last particular they are however at variance with the author of the Cippi Hebraici,' who states that he was buried at Geba in Lebanon, in a cave shut up a place where flowing fountains abounded, and whence the clouds never departed language which appears to mean no more than that it was in an elevated region of Lebanon. With respect to the characteristic of Zephaniah's writings, the critics agree very generally in the opinion that the style of Zephaniah, without being low, is less sublime than that of many of the other prophets; and it has been observed that his elocution bears considerable resemblance to that of Jeremiah, who was his contemporary, and that his book exhibits several formulæ, which are common to him and to Ezekiel. Lowth observes that the writings of Zephaniah offer nothing uncommon either in the arrangement of the matter or the complexion of the style. De Wette finds that the style of this prophet is often feeble and trailing ('matt und schleppend'), and that his rhythm often descends to simple prose, although the language is pure. Even Eichhorn affords but a faint eulogy upon the poetic spirit and elocution of Zephaniah. The manner in which this prophet treats his subject,' he says, 'offers nothing remarkable, and demands no warm eulogy.' He attributes this comparative want of vigour in great measure to the late age in which he lived, and to the state of disorder in which society existed. The elder prophets had been accustomed to represent an idea in all its relations and under all its aspects, to the end that the required degree of high poetic colouring might be produced. And in this Zephaniah imitates them; but his descriptions are not always in proportion to the object he purposes to represent. After producing some examples of this, Eichhorn points to some expressions of Zephaniah which do not occur in any other sacred writer, such as 'to leap upon the threshold,' i. 9; to search Jerusalem with candles,' i. 12, etc. The authenticity of the book of Zephaniah has never been doubted or contested. The rationalists themselves acknowledge that this prophet flourished under Josiah, and that the subject of his prophecy as well as his style is admirably suited to the apparent character of the prophet, and to the age in which he lived. On Zephaniah there are commentaries by Luther and Martin Bucer, 1528; then follow Lareni Tuba Zephania, Medioburgi, 1653: Gebhardi Zephanias a pseudhermenia Abarbenelis aliorumque vindicatus, etc., Gryphiswald., 1701; Noltenii Dissertatio Exegetica præliminaris in P. Zephania, Traject., 1719; Crameri Scythische Denkmäler in Palästina, Hamb., 1777; Larsen, Commentarii Critico-Exegetici in quorundam prophetarum vaticinia Specimen primum, vaticinia Zephania complectens, Hauniæ, 1805; Coelln, Spicilegium Observationum exegetico-criticarum ad Zephaniæ vaticinia, Vratislav., 1818; Ewald, Der Prophet Zephanja übersetz und mit Anmerkungen, Erlang., 1827. 686 CHAPTER I. God's severe judgment against Judah for divers sins. king of Judah. HE word in the days 2 T'I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. 3 I will consume man and beast, I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. 4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; 5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; 6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him. 7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GoD: for the day of the LORD is at hand for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath 'bid his guests. 8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit. 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. 11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. 12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are 'settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. 13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. 14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of 'wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be "devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. 2 Heb. the face of the land. Verse 4. The name of the Chemarims.'-In 2 Kings xxiii. 5, the word 'Chemarim' (D) is rendered 'idolatrous priests,' as applied to those that were put down by Josiah, in whose reign Zephaniah prophesied; and probably the very same persons, or certainly the same kind of persons, are here to be understood. This signification is perhaps derived from the Syriac, in which language the analogous word means a priest generally, and of course the Syrian priests were idolaters, and hence its use to express idolatrous priests. Might not the name be (1 Sam. v. 4, 5), never trod on it, but stepped or leaped over it, when entering or leaving the temple. Some however rather, and perhaps better, explain it of persons who, seeing houses rich and full of good things, entered them violently and insolently, taking what they pleased. If this be admitted, there may be no objection to allow the conclusion of Harmer, that the leaping over the threshold, to fill houses with violence and deceit, may refer to the custom for insolent spoilers and oppressors, in the East, to ride into the houses-that is, into the interior courtsof their victims; for which reason, as well as to prevent the interior wealth from being suspected, the gates towards the street are in general purposely made too low to permit a man on horseback to pass through. If the allusion does not exclusively refer to this practice, we may certainly understand it to be included in the general sense of a violent and dishonest entrance into other people's houses. 10. An howling from the second.'-What 'second ?' The word 'city' is probably to be understood, and then we have the second city' of Neh. xi. 9, that is, the second part or division of the city. This was probably what was afterwards called Akra, or lower city, which lay to the north of the ancient city on Mount Zion, from which it was separated by the Tyropœon, a valley which ran down between them to the present pool of Siloam. Ewald renders the word by Neustadt, or New-town. The same word is rendered college' in the Auth. Vers. of 2 Kings xxii. 3, and 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22. 11. Inhabitants of Maktesh.'-That Maktesh has the article in the original shews that it is not a proper name, but an appellative. It comes from a verb signifying to bray' or 'pound,' and hence a mortar. So the Vulgate, 'habitatore pilæ;' and Calmet's French-vous qui habitez au mortier; and Henderson's English-Ye inhabitants of the mortar.' This must be regarded as the name of a quarter of Jerusalem. Jerome seems to say that this name belonged to that part of the city near the pool of Siloam, at the end of the Tyropcon valley, on account of its peculiar shape and depth. Sometimes the name is applied generally, in a metaphorical sense, to Jerusalem itself, as a place doomed to be bruised and broken as in a mortar by the Chaldæans. This would be not unlike the texts in which Jeremiah (i. 13) and Ezekiel (xxiv. 3, 4) compare the city to a pot set upon the fire and full of meats. Micah in like manner (iii. 3) reproves the nobles of Israel for having, as for the pot, broken the bones and chopped the flesh of the people. Besides, the idea of pounding a person in a mortar, as suggested by a capital punishment of that kind, seems to have been familiar to the mind of the Hebrews, and has received some illustration in the note on Prov. xxvii. 11. They that bear silver.'-If 'silver' stands for 'money,' then money-changers are probably meant; or else, perhaps, silversmiths, or traders in general, residing in that part of the city. anger. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coasts, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: "for the LORD their 1 Or, not desirous, God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. 8¶ I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. 9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of |