FAITH TRIUMPHANT OVER DOUBT § 118. Faith Triumphant over Fear and Doubt, Hab. 3 Hab. 3 2I have heard, O Jehovah, thy fame," I have seen, O Jehovah, thy work; In the midst of the years declare it, In the midst of the years make it known, In wrath remember thy mercy. § 118 This is one of the most powerful hymns of the O.T. It has also suffered more in translation than any other. The VSS. present a confusing variety of variant readings. The tense in the Heb. also frequently changes so that it is not entirely clear whether the poet is portraying a past or present experience. On the whole the context favors the present tense. The poet uses the language of Dt., II Sam., Is., Mic., and Jer. He evidently has in mind earlier crises, such as that recorded in Judg. 5, when Jehovah was believed to have come from his sacred mountain in the Arabian wilderness southeast of Palestine to deliver his people. It is evident, however, that a later and even greater crisis is on the poet's mental horizon. Such passages as 12-14 find their most perfect counterpart in the earlier persecutions and victories of the Maccabean era although the poem may come from an earlier and lesser crisis. It was probably given the title, The Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet, and appended to the writings of that pre-exilic prophet because he was the first to present the problem of doubt and the solution of faith, 214, which are central in the ps. The rest of the superscription, which may be translated with the aid of the Gk., On the stringed instruments, and the postscript, To the musical director. On the stringed instruments, indicate that it was interpreted as a collective ps. and was used and probably originally written for use in the temple service. 32 Lit., report of thee. 32 Slightly correcting the Heb., as the context requires. The scribe has here mistaken the word see for the very similar Heb. word meaning fear. b34 Revising with Ward (Hab., 26) the corrupt and impossible Heb. 34 This line is very doubtful. The VSS. differ. Gk., he maketh, lit., putteth. 435 Lit., flame. It is a poetic designation of the plague which spread like a flame, consuming its victims. 35 Lit., goeth forth at his feet. 136 Following the Gk. and context in translating the Heb. 836 Possibly Duhm is right in emending so as to read rocks; for this is more consistent with the context. h36 So Gk. supported by context. 136 Lit., the ways of old to him. Many commentators regard this line as secondary. The VSS. differ widely. 137 Correcting the Heb. with the aid of the context. A scribe had added I saw. k37 Lit., land of Midian. This is the poetic way of picturing the effect of Jehovah's advance through the Arabian wilderness where dwelt the Cushites and Midianites. Exordium Jeho vah's advent Its effect upon the world His appear ance as a warrior His achievements in behalf of his people Effect Art thou wroth, O Jehovah, with the mountains?m Is thine anger against the rivers, Or thine indignation against the sea, That thou mountest thy chariots of victory," Thou cleavest the earth with torrents, 16I have heard, and my body trembleth, 138 So Gk. m38 With G. A. Smith (Bk. of Twelve, II, 155), correcting the Heb., which has rivers (repeated in the next line), and substituting the very similar Heb. word mountains demanded by 6. 138 I. e., the clouds. The verb implied has been supplied in the translation. 39 Correcting the corrupt Heb. by the aid of certain. Gk. texts that are rather strongly supported by the context. P39 The selah suggests that here a new stanza begins. 4310 Ps. 7716 contains an echo of this vs., but the variations are too wide to justify its use in reconstructing radically the present text, as do Duhm and Ward. 311 The Heb. adds moon, but it is evidently a scribal gloss appended by one who had in mind Josh. 1012, 13, for the and is lacking and the pronominal suffix at the end of the line is singular and its gender does not agree with that of the Heb. word for moon. 8313 Supplying the verb implied by the context and required to complete the measure. +313 The Heb. in the latter part of the vs. is almost hopelessly corrupt. The above reading is based on certain Gk. MSS. Heb. adds out of the house of the. u314 Dividing the vs. as the metre and parallelism demand. The meaning of the rare word translated champions is doubtful. 315 The position and interpretation of this vs. are doubtful. Some commentators place it after 8 and others after 11. In any case the Heb. word translated heap or surge is best regarded as a verb (so Gk.) and translated as in Ps. 463. w316 Slightly emending the Heb., as the Gk. and context suggests, so that it reads, lit., steps. FAITH TRIUMPHANT OVER DOUBT Though the flock be cut off from the fold, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. And he maketh my feet like the hinds', And will make me to walk on my high places! x316 Many commentators revise so as to read, I moan in view of the day of trouble, but the VSS. support the Heb. and it is simpler to regard this line as marking the transition from fear to faith. y317 So Gk. Heb., blossom, but this is apparently due to the scribal misreading of one letter. The triumph of faith PRAYERS I. PETITIONS FOR DELIVERANCE FROM CRUEL, REMORSELESS FOES Pss. 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 17, 22, 69, 311-8, 9-24, 54, 55, 571-4, 6, 64, 25, 28, 4013-17 (70), 71, 120, 140-14411 II. PETITIONS FOR DELIVERANCE FROM HEATHEN OPPRESSORS Pss. 44, 59, 60, 74, 79, 80 III. IMPRECATORY PSALMS Pss. 35, 58, 109, 129, 83, 137 IV. PETITIONS FOR VINDICATION AND RESTORATION Pss. 26, 277-12, 41, 67, 122, 86, 88, 1021-11, 23-27, 123 V. PRAYERS FOR JEHOVAH'S FORGIVENESS AND FAVOR Pss. 38, 51, 85, 39, 90 |