1. I will take my stand to watch and station myself on the tower and look forth to see what I am told and

rejoice in anything but in God. The ungodly, however, must take solace from their works and their power.

That is their god. They cannot do otherwise.

The prophet wishes to say: "What a fine god you have! Your net, your own might, is your god. But, after all, you derived this might from none other than from our God." At the same time he reproves their blasphemy, their failure to accord God the honor. He accuses them before God of such ingratitude and of such false and blasphemous idolatry. It is as though he were saying: "This is the fruit of Your failure to punish them and of granting them such good fortune that they not only oppress people but also attack You and give Your honor to their net, to the power which they have from You. That is why 'his portion has become so fat and his share so rich,' that is, he has come into such great possessions and into the kingdom by means of such might; he is well fattened." But to be well fattened makes for idolatry. Thus Moses says in his song (Deut. 32:15): "He has waxed fat, he has grown thick, he has become sleek; therefore he has become refractory." The two items of worship, to sacrifice and to burn incense, are practically identical in Scripture. They derive from the law of Moses. But the question whether also the Babylonians had these two, or whether the prophet merely wanted to refer to their worship in general with these names, I shall leave to everybody's own opinion. It is quite indifferent.

17. Therefore he keeps on casting out his net and does not want to cease slaying people.

The more money acquired, the greater the greed. Man can never be sated with wealth; but his appetite for it grows and grows. The same is true of all other evil human lusts. The more honor a man receives, the more he covets. The more land and power, the greater the desire to increase these. The heathen writers23 report that Alexander the Great was not satisfied with the conquest of only one whole world. For when he heard a philosopher speak of the existence of many more worlds than just one, he sighed and declared:

"And I have not yet conquered one!" Thus Habakkuk here reproves the insatiable greed of the king of Babylon. He rebukes him because he will not content himself but keeps on casting his net to conquer more countries and nations, even though his portion is so fat. He calls this "slaying people." For the conquest of countries and people always involves the slaying of people. But murderous greed does not worry about that so long as it can become rich and fat. Here you can see for yourself that the net symbolizes his power, by which he slays people and takes over their possessions.

1. I will take my stand to watch and station myself on the tower and look forth to see what I am told and what I will answer him who chides me.

HERE Habakkuk really takes up the subject of which I spoke earlier,1 namely, that the prophet not only engages in a struggling faith for himself over against the great good fortune of the Babylonians but that he must also contend against and combat the unbelief of the people to whom he is preaching. He must comfort them and strengthen them. Therefore, before he prophesies against the Babylonians and announces their downfall, he must first chide the unbelieving people to induce them to stay and listen to his sermon. It is as if a pastor today preached about a present or future evil and the people began to despair and ran away as though the situation were hopeless. He would indeed have to be bold, praise his office, and admonish the people to make them stay and hear him to the end and discover how things would develop and how God would again punish such wickedness and deliver them. That is what Habakkuk, too, must do here for the sake of those who would experience and live to see the advent of the Babylonian tyranny of which he spoke. Otherwise they would despair, as if all hope were gone. God had promised the people that the Christ would come and establish a magnificent kingdom in Jerusalem. They were persuaded of that and were awaiting it now. Therefore they also assumed that Jerusalem would have to remain before the whole world and that they would also have to abide in the country. Consequently they could not believe Habakkuk's prophecy concerning the coming of the Babylonians. But when the latter did appear and they experienced the fulfillment of the prophet's prophecy, they believed this too thoroughly. Now they also despaired of the future kingdom of the Christ, since this did not appear while

Jerusalem was intact and while they dwelled in the country. Then these and similar words must have been current: "Alas, where are the prophets now who promised us the Christ? How nicely they have duped us!

Indeed, let him who will believe that He will come! How could He come? Jerusalem is reduced to ashes, and we are led away to strange countries. Fie upon you prophets, on all of you! After all, you are nothing but rascals who deceive the country and its people."

- 79 That is how reason carries on when God fulfills His words differently than it had imagined. For reason always presumes to dictate measure, time, and manner to God for keeping His promise; otherwise it refuses to believe any longer. Therefore God cannot but fulfill His words strangely and far differently than we expect. Thus it happens that man refuses to believe God at any time. When He threatens, our present good fortune and the fact that we do not yet feel the coming misfortune keep us from believing His threats. When He promises mercy, the present misfortune and the fact that we do not yet feel His future mercy keep us from believing also His promise. Then the prophets have to devote their attention first of all to the faint-hearted, unbelieving people. For how could God have initiated Christ's promised kingdom more foolishly and strangely than by having Jerusalem, where His kingdom was to be, destroyed by ungodly scorners and by His enemies and while He had His own people led away into exile? How could they believe that Jerusalem lying in ashes could at the same time become the most magnificent kingdom?

Here reason had to sink and despair. And whoever could have sustained himself would have had to soar above all his senses and his reason to adhere solely to God's Word, beholding a new Jerusalem which was as yet not visible anywhere. He would have had to be so assured of an invisible Jerusalem as though it were standing where the visible one lay in ashes before his eyes. A very fine illustration of this is found in Jer. 32:24 f. There the prophet is very surprised that it might be possible for God to have Jerusalem devastated and simultaneously be raised again, enabling people to buy and trade there. Read that chapter, for it serves as a true commentary on this.

For that is what Habakkuk is also doing here: he proclaims destruction and yet promises that all prophecies pertaining to the Christ will be fulfilled, contrary to and beyond all senses and reason.

Therefore he says now: "I will take my stand to watch and station myself on the tower." He acts the part of a soldier who stations himself on a tower for the purpose of defense. But to whom does this waiting and watching pertain? Against whom does he contend? Against the unbelief and the impatience of the people, as though he were saying: "You are grumbling, you are impatient; and you also make many others unbelieving so that they do not believe me and all the other prophets, but despair of the promised Christ.

All right! But despite that I shall not cease, but I shall prepare and oppose you and preach all the more, so that at least a few might be preserved in faith. Therefore I am like one standing guard on a fortress and fighting. Thus I am guarding and fighting valiantly and staunchly for the weak in the faith against you unbelieving and depressed people. I am standing so firmly that you shall not push me over, for I 'station myself on the tower,' that is, I have God's Word on my side. I rely on it and believe it. Therefore I am talking and preaching to the others." When the people are faint-hearted, it is very necessary, as I said before, for the prophet to stand firmly on his word, to cling to it strongly, and not yield and not swerve because of misfortunes, unbelief, murmurings, and blasphemies among the people. For if he who is to administer the Word and dispense comfort yields and swerves, all goes to pieces, the banner lies in the dust, and the watchman is dead. But if he stands his ground, at least a few will adhere to him and look to him.

He says: "I look forth to see what I am told and what I will answer him who chides me," that is to say, "I am awaiting the blows of the unbelievers and blasphemers to see how I must answer those who pervert and dishearten the weak and who chide me and all the prophets as though we were liars, because God's

Word takes a course different from what they thought. For if I did not answer them and did not preach against them but suffered their rebuke in silence, they would completely divert the whole nation from God's Word, and no one would any longer look forward to Christ's future kingdom, but all would despair of it. Therefore I will obstinately attend to my office and protect whom I can." Here you see that the prophets were so intent on preserving the people's faith in the advent of Christ. They adhered to Christ with the Word so that they believed in Him as we now adhere to Him and believe in Him. Therefore the prophet is disinclined to bear the chiding and the slander, although we, to be sure, must endure shame and slander gladly for God's sake. We are to suffer it when it pertains to us; but when it relates to the doctrine, we must answer and defend it as Christ did in John 8:14 ff. and before the priest Annas (John 18:19 f.).

For he who permits doctrine and the Word to be slandered, when he can defend these, contributes to making the weak fall prey to unbelief. Therefore it behooves us always to be on guard, to teach, to admonish, to reprove, to preach, and to emphasize in order to preserve the elect. But as St. Paul declares in Titus 3:10, those who will not believe we let go their way after two or three admonitions.

- 80 The words "what I am told" could perhaps be interpreted thus: "I will see what God will say to me," because the Hebrew reads: "what someone in me will say." Consequently, this phrase may be understood to refer to God's Word and the following one to the words of the blasphemers. But it seems to me that both refer to the blasphemers, who talk and chide in Habakkuk, that is, who speak against him and against his words and accuse him of lying. Thus we also read in Zech. 3:2: "The Lord chide against you, O

Satan!" That is to say, "May the Lord interrupt your words, interfere with your plans, and resist you." For since Habakkuk has taken his stand to watch, and stationed himself on the tower, he already has God's

Word, on which he is based. And because he looks about him to see what is said to him, it is well to note that such looking and seeing is directed to men who talk against him and that he stands and looks in order to console and preserve the weak over against those who contradict and rebuke him. This is followed by the Word of God, which he must hold before both the weak and the rebukers. He says:

2. And the Lord answered me: Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so that he who runs past may read it.

He introduces the name of the Lord in order to frighten his detractors and to strengthen the weak the better, since not he himself but God was saying and commanding this. Since in divine matters everything proceeds so profoundly and strangely, it must be noted here that senses and reason must be dismissed here and that a person must cling solely and only to God's Word; otherwise God's plans will be sheer tomfoolery and folly, I Cor. 2:4 ff. To strengthen faith, God usually adds an external feature or sign to the Word, which is similar to attaching a seal to a letter. Thus Jeremiah had to carry a wooden chain about his neck. This accompanied the words which proclaimed captivity to all countries, which the king of Babylon would bring about, as Jer. 28:10 ff. tells us. Isaiah was obliged to go about naked when he proclaimed that Egypt would be despoiled (Is. 20:2). Likewise Jeremiah in chapter 32:8 relates that he had to purchase a field from his friend in conjunction with his announcement that Jerusalem would be rebuilt. And so on in many other passages. Also in the New Testament Baptism and the Sacrament were instituted as visible signs in addition to the Gospel. That is what Habakkuk, too, is doing here by divine command. In addition to the words which proclaim the advent of the promised Christ and of His kingdom and the restoration of Jerusalem, he enacts the external sign or feature as he takes a tablet and inscribes on it with clear and large letters these same words, which tell that the prophecies of the Christ are certain and will be fulfilled; they will not be hindered by the king of Babylon, though he reduce Jerusalem to ashes and lead the people away into exile. This tablet had to hang in a public place such as the temple or the marketplace, enabling all to see it and read it. In that way the detractors' tongues were silenced, and the faith of the weak was preserved as much as possible.

That is the meaning of his words "write the vision; make it plain upon tablets." What sort of a vision?

Not the one Habakkuk beheld, but the vision of all prophets who foretold of the Christ. For in the Hebrew tongue prophecies are called "visions," and prophets are called "seers," or "beholders." That is clearly shown by 1 Sam. 9:9.2 In Dan. 9:24 Gabriel, too, says that the vision and prophecy would be fulfilled, as though he were saying: "All the prophets' visions and prophecies point to the Christ; therefore, when He appears, the vision is fulfilled." We gather from this that among the common people the prophecies of the Christ were generally termed "visions." Thus Habakkuk's words here mean to say: "Take a tablet and write the vision on it," that is, "inscribe something about the prophecy of the Christ on it, what one is to think regarding it, since the Jews are so timid, thinking that all is at an end." For Habakkuk was unable to write the vision, that is, all the prophecies of all the prophets who spoke of the Christ, on the tablet. That would have required an exceedingly large tablet, especially since he is to record it in such large letters that a person could read it on the run. "Writing the vision" means writing an opinion regarding it, namely, the words that follow. And to make it plain or to interpret it means nothing else than that he should inscribe it clearly and plainly and distinctly, so that one need not stand in front of it and gape, recite the letters and fit them together, as is done with small or abbreviated script. The letters should be very large so that one can survey and read it at a glance and comprehend everything on the run—although not on a fast run, but so that a person should still be able to recognize the letters when he is running. For it is possible for a person to run so fast that he could not read the letters though they be as huge as the pillars in a church.

It is all-important to the prophet that this be seen and read with certainty. He wants to indicate that with the words "make it plain," that is, "make it clear, distinct, and intelligible." He wishes to signify that, just as this tablet can be clearly, surely, and distinctly read and seen, being intelligible also to one hurrying

- 81 past, so it will also be certain that the Christ will come, in accord with the prophets' visions and words regarding Him. He says this, lest they be too terrified by the destruction of Jerusalem and by the captivity they will suffer at the hands of the king of Babylon. Therefore he writes:

3–4. For still the vision will come true in its own time; it will finally act freely, and it will not fail. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. But if anyone resists it, his soul will succeed in nothing, for the righteous lives by his faith.

This is the text that was clearly and distinctly inscribed on the tablet. For that is what Habakkuk was to write about the vision. And we note that these are beautiful, consolatory words and promises for the weak touching the future fulfillment of all prophecies in the Christ. Here the belief in the Christ, who was to come, is stored and preserved, lest one accuse God of lying in His prophets, as though His promise were false. For although Jerusalem was destroyed and the people were led away into captivity, the Jewish kingdom still survived, comprehended in the Word of God; and prophets remained who encouraged and exhorted the people to endure such a penalty for a season. This did not happen to the Jews later in the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when they were also driven away. Then there was no prophet to comfort and encourage them to endure such a penalty for a season. Nor was their kingdom comprehended in the Word, but they were completely forsaken, both by prophets and by royal personages. That was not the case in the Babylonian destruction.

Thus Habakkuk is here saying: "The prophecies or visions of the advent of the Christ and of His kingdom are not at an end, even though we are being destroyed for a time, but they still stand and remain firm, just as they were spoken by the prophets. However, this involves a definite time, which is known to no one but is committed to God. And when this vision comes to pass in its own time, it will act freely and not fail, or lie." The Hebrew reads: "It will act freely and not lie." I translated that: "It will not fail to come." That is what Habakkuk, too, wants to express when he says that "it will not lie or fail." And his words "to act freely" have no other meaning than the same words3 used in Ps. 12, where we read (Ps.

12:6): "I shall raise up a salvation which shall act freely in them." All of this is tantamount to saying:

"When the prophecies of the Christ are fulfilled, that which now lies concealed will be free and come into the open, so that it will be preached and proclaimed in all the world and no one will be able to hinder this, even though the gates of hell set themselves against it." For the Hebrew word for "to act freely" connotes to burst out freely and openly with one's speech, to speak confidently and boldly of a thing and without regard for anyone. Thus Luke reports of Paul, Apollos, and others that they acted cheerfully and boldly, speaking "quite openly and unhindered"4 of Christ (Acts 28:31; 18:26; 4:13).

And then Habakkuk exhorts the weak who find it hard to believe the promise. They might be inclined to say: "Indeed, I do hear that this will come to pass in the course of time. However, when will this time come? This is lasting too long. We are constantly being put off, and people tell us what Is. 28:13 says:

'Wait, and wait once more. Here a little, there a little.' One is told that it will be now, one is told it will be then. After all, when will it be? I realize that if we listen and wait long, we will finally be engulfed and destroyed." To such and similar remarks, which all prophets had to hear in abundance from unbelievers or from the weak in faith, Habakkuk replies: "All right, even if it is delayed a little, wait for it; it will surely come and not delay or tarry long." In addition to such promises and exhortation Habakkuk also resorts to threats, as he seeks out every method by which they might be sustained and preserved in the faith. For more methods for strengthening faith cannot be found than these three inscribed on this tablet, namely, promise, exhortation, and threat. If these do not help, nothing will. But in keeping with good order, threat is the last and promise the first. For if we promise good things and then implore and exhort, we must let anyone go his way who will not abide by that. Only as a final measure do we resort to threats. So one says to the disobedient: "All right, go your way; you will find out." That is a correct, godly, and natural pedagogical method. For also Christ and the apostles, as well as Moses and all the prophets, observe these three items.

These are the threatening words: "But if anyone resists it, his soul will succeed in nothing." The Hebrew word הלָָפְְּּעֻ, which is translated contentio et pertinacia in Latin, signifies resistance, such as the stiff-necked employ who set themselves against God's Word and will simply not be told. In Rom. 2:8 St.

Paul calls these "factious," saying, "those who are factious and do not obey the truth but obey wickedness, etc." With these words he identifies the same people whom Habakkuk here describes with the word

הלָָפְְּּעֻ. They always cavil at God's Word, lest they be constrained to believe—a vexatious people that - 82 heeds neither promise nor exhortation nor threat. And Habakkuk does not conceal what they gain thereby.

He says: "His soul will succeed in nothing." Isaiah utters a similar threat against them (Is. 7:9): "If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established." And Moses declares in many passages that they will not succeed if they fail to obey God. And that is exactly what happened and always will happen. Christ

Himself declares (Mark 16:16): "He who does not believe will be condemned." For how can anyone do well who contends against God and does not regard God faithful and truthful? Such a person condemns

God, and God condemns him in return. And even though he prospers for a season, his loss and his condemnation will be all the greater in the end.

Habakkuk concludes this inscription on the tablet with a masterly statement: "For the righteous lives by his faith," that is, "If anyone is to be righteous and live, he must believe God's promise." There is no other way. On the other hand, the ungodly dies of his unbelief. Thus this applies also here: "If you wish to abide and be preserved, you must believe this inscription on the tablet, which says that the Christ will come with His kingdom. You dare not be confused by the fact that matters appear far differently externally, since you are being troubled. For such is the way of God's Word, that it projects matters that are absurd and profounder than all the senses and reason can comprehend and experience can perceive.

You behold and perceive the ruin of your kingdom; therefore you must soar above your perception by means of your faith and be persuaded even in the midst of ruin that your kingdom will come and will be gloriously established." Here we see that the prophets preached and stressed faith in the Christ as much as we do in the New Testament; here we see that Habakkuk is so bold as to condemn all other works and attribute life exclusively to faith. For he states plainly enough that the unbeliever will succeed in nothing.

Let him pray and wear himself and work himself to death. His works already stand condemned as counting for nothing at all; nor will they help him. And the believer shall live by faith without works.

St. Paul quotes this verse in Rom. 1:17, and very pertinently. For this is a general saying applicable to all of God's words. These must be believed, whether spoken at the beginning, middle, or end of the world,

The Epistle to the Hebrews cites many examples of faith since the beginning of the world (Heb. 11) and applies this verse to them all. Habakkuk quotes it with regard to faith in the writing on the tablet. Paul quotes it (Gal. 2:16) with regard to faith in the Gospel. In Gen. 15:6 Moses says the same thing in different words when he declares: "Abraham believed the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." What else does that say than that Abraham lived as a righteous person by reason of his faith? I am saying this because of the Jewish objections to which some devote themselves so zealously. They want to be smart and condemn Paul as quoting Habakkuk incorrectly, as dragging him in by main force, because Habakkuk is speaking about his tablet and not about the Gospel, even though this tablet is also speaking about the Gospel, but of the future Gospel, whereas Paul, they say, is speaking not of the tablet but of the present

Gospel. Still it is one and the same Gospel, which was future and has now appeared, just as there is one Christ, yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8); the only difference is in the mode in which He is proclaimed before and after His advent. However, that makes no difference; it is nevertheless one faith and one spirit that believes in Him.

But they act still smarter when they drivel that St. Paul did not translate Habakkuk correctly. For they allege that Habakkuk is not speaking about faith, but about truth, because he says: "The righteous lives by his הנֱא מּו ָ ." And הנֱא מּו ָ, they say, means "truth," and truth and faith are not the same. I reply: It is true, in Hebrew the two words ֱא ֶמ ת and הנֱא מּו ָ sound very similar; moreover, both are derived from the same stem, which is ָא ֵמ ן. Therefore, they say, since ֱא ֶמ ת means truth, הנֱא מּו ָ must also mean truth, as the Greek and Latin Bibles have translated it from the Hebrew.5 But that is not correct. Paul translated

הנֱא מּו ָ differently and correctly, namely, "faith," For even if we would admit that הנֱא מּו ָ also means "truth" in Hebrew (which they cannot prove), the common usage of Scripture shows everywhere that ֱא ֶמ ת means truth in the sense that a pious person is truthful and faithful and keeps his word. הנֱא מּו ָ, however, is the truth a person has in his heart, the truth with which he clings to another person's truth and fidelity. Therefore those are called יםנֱא מּו ִ who trust and believe, or who rely on and cling to another person's truthfulness. Ps. 31:23 says: "The Lord preserves the יםנֱא מּו ִ ," that is, those who trust and believe Him. Now I will let anyone who insists on being so contentious say "truth" or whatever he will for that sentiment of the heart which clings to another as to a faithful and truthful person and relies on him.

- 83 Paul and we do not know what else to call that state of mind but "faith," and those who harbor it "the faithful." For thereby they also become truthful, that is, righteous, faithful, pious people. So God is sometimes called Deus ֱא ֶמ ת ("God of truth") in Scripture, as in Ps. 31:5, sometimes Deus הנֱא מּו ָ ("God of faith"), as in Deut. 32:4. For both are His, both His truth and our faith. But enough of that.

5. But wine is treacherous to an arrogant man, so that he cannot abide, which opens his soul as wide as hell and is like death, which cannot be satisfied but gathers all heathen to himself and collects all peoples to himself.

In the first chapter the prophet threatened the people of Israel and proclaimed destruction. There he complained bitterly about the destroyer, the king of Babylon. In the second chapter he again consoled them by words and external signs with the advent of the Christ and of His kingdom. And now in the third chapter6 he utters many threatening words and verses against the king of Babylon and his empire. All of this is done to keep the Jews from despairing, as if their captivity were to last forever, and to console them with the news that their enemy will, in turn, be destroyed, and that they will be delivered and attain far more glory, as indeed he will encourage them in the fourth chapter by pointing to the past miracles of God. For, as already said,7 it is the purpose of Habakkuk and of all the other prophets to comfort the people and to preserve them in faith and in hope for the advent of the Christ. They should be taught not to despair just because they are faring so badly and all seems irretrievably lost. Similarly, the apostles also encourage us Christians even amid our afflictions to hope for and firmly believe in an eternal life and a kingdom in heaven.

Earlier8 Habakkuk compared the king of Babylon to a fisher who gathers everything to himself and eats and devours it. Here he compares him to a drunkard who gorges himself to the point of vomiting. He wishes to say: "At first the wine goes down so smoothly and sweetly, especially when the drunkard is a show-off and wants to be praised as being a beer-hero or a wine-knight. When the drunkard wants to achieve a prize with his guzzling, it is easy to drink the wine down. But finally the guzzled wine will attain the mastery in the head; now it hurls the tippling knight under the bench and makes him a filthy pig.

Now he vomits and soils everything, so that house and yard reek. Now the proud man and fine hero lies there like a dumb, senseless beast, as a sow might lie, with no trace of the human being remaining except his human form. And that is a disgrace to behold and to hear. The more decent he should have been, the greater the disgrace. So the wine betrayed him." In Hebrew this reads: It disgraced him so that he is despised and no one has any regard for him. Not even a child fears him any longer, indeed, not even the sows, though they eat his vomit round about him. For what could a drunk person do? Bereft of all senses, speech, reason, and strength, he can neither speak nor work. There he lies like a log. Even though he had shortly before been gruesome Hector or Achilles, now he is nevertheless the object of the children's mockery and songs. They point at him with their fingers, laugh at him, and ape him with jeering words as they wish. Thus also the Latin sages wrote that a drunkard is neither alive nor dead.

The king of Babylon, too, is a great and arrogant drunkard—not one who guzzles wine but, as Habakkuk himself interprets, one who opens his mouth as wide as hell and, like death, cannot be sated, who grasps and guzzles and devours every country and nation. Good and well, the wine goes down sweetly; for it feels soothing and good to subject such great countries and nations and to become so mighty, that is, so full and drunk. But in the end it is most disgraceful when he must spew them all out and release them again, when he really comes to grief and retains no kingdom, country, people, or city. That is what happened to the king of Babylon when he was destroyed by the Persians. Then came to pass what

Habakkuk records here: He was obliged to spew forth again so disgracefully what he had guzzled down.

For he had to surrender all the countries and peoples, and he himself had to perish too. That is what is meant with the words "wine is treacherous to an arrogant man, so that he cannot abide." For the term "is treacherous" is what we mentioned earlier, in chapter 1:14, ֵגֵג דבֹּ.

It describes a person who is completely ruined and despised, convincing us at once that he is nothing and is esteemed as nothing. Also, when the prophet says, "he cannot abide," this means that he is driven from his kingdom, retaining neither house nor habitation.

We Germans have a proverb which is very much akin to this statement of Habakkuk. We say: "A drunk house spews out its owner."10 If we would now apply that, as Habakkuk does, to a tyrant who flays and skins the people as several bishops and princes are doing today, we would be tempted to say: "Alas!

He guzzles and drinks himself full. The drunk house will spew out its owner." This means that he robs and - 84 oppresses so severely that he is despised and must finally also come to ruin. Indeed, he is not only despised, he is also hated. No one is well disposed toward him, all are hostile to him. But kingdoms which are maintained by malevolent tyrants through fear and force and not also through the love and the good will of the subjects cannot endure. All of history bears witness to that, and every experience proves it. And Habakkuk is borne out in his pronouncement that wine brings arrogant tyrants into contempt and spells their ruin when they guzzle too much and gorge themselves with the property of country and people. For the neighbors find a tyrant's might intolerable; they fear that it might grow too strong also over them.

Therefore they put their heads together and set themselves against him. That marks the end of his might.

Because his own nation, country, and people are against him and hostile to him, they wish for other masters. And his foes rely on that. Thus he is without esteem within his country and outside his country, and he must spew forth what he has guzzled down. That is what happened to the king of Babylon. His neighbors, the Medes and the Persians, set themselves against him and destroyed him, much to the delight of many of his countries and nations.

But note the sharp and bitter words with which the prophet upbraids the king's tyranny. First he calls him "an arrogant man." For that is what tyrants are. They act so arrogantly with their might that the common man must hate them; for they do not only flay him and oppress him, but, in addition, they treat people most arrogantly and haughtily and with obvious malice. In the second place he compares the king of Babylon to the jaws of hell, which are wide enough to devour the whole world and still do not close.

Death is similar. It is not satisfied though it swallow the whole world. These words speak eloquently of the insatiable greed of tyrants. And at the same time the prophet also shows the disposition of the human heart when it covets goods and honor; namely, the more it has, the more it wants. If it possessed the entire world, it would like to have two worlds; if it had two, it would like to have ten. In short, when hell and death are sated, then a greedy heart, too, will have enough, but not before. Therefore we must not give thought to finding ways to satisfy greed, death, and hell, giving them so much that they will say:

"Enough!" No, greed must be killed as death and hell are killed. But as no one but Christ alone can kill death and hell, so no one but Christ can kill greed as well as all other sins; except that physical death carries the miser away so that he can no longer practice his greed. As the saying goes: "Greed can be satisfied only with a load of earth."11 And yet greed accompanies the miser and remains with him, just as other sins do. As the heathen say: "A miser can do no good on earth except when he dies."12

6. Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, in scoffing derision of him, and say.

The prophet continues his comparison to a drunkard, showing how he comes to shame and, as was said before, how people point their fingers at him who was once so strong that everybody feared him but is now so drunk that he lies there like a sow; or when he walks, he totters and reels so comically that people have to laugh at him. He wants to do so much but can hardly stand on his legs. That is what in the end also happens to the glory of tyrants. They not only lose their might and their goods and, like drunkards, cannot stand and abide anywhere, but over and above this they are taunted and derided with both open and veiled sneers: "Where are you now, sir? Where is your wrath?" In short, people taunt them with an obscenely clenched fist.13 Now he is despised as much as he was feared before. That is, as we observe, the way of the world. That is what is also happening to the pope and his ilk today. Now everybody who formerly did not dare to mumble or mutter sings, rhymes, laughs, jeers, and mocks. Here Habakkuk proclaims a similar taunting and deriding of the king of Babylon in all the countries in which he appears so awesome now.

However, if anyone had told him that, he would have thought this impossible and foolish. But this is being proclaimed as consolation to the Jews, although but few believed it.

God often acts in the strangest way. He says that people will laugh at the tyrants, and yet these are established so firmly and are rooted so deeply, as Jer. 12:2 declares. In agreement with Ps. 2:4, Jeremiah also says that God laughs and scoffs at the heathen, at princes, and at kings who set themselves against His

Christ. But is that laughing and scoffing at them when they gain a mighty victory and crucify Christ, persecute and kill all His disciples, and still abide in the country in the possession of their power? Indeed, that is why this calls for faith. These are sermons of faith which do not display what they state but promise it for the future; they run counter to whatever presents itself to the eye now. Christ's Gospel prospered most where it was least tolerated. For when the hour struck, the tyrants perished, and the Word carried the day. Jerusalem and Rome serve to illustrate that. And also today, where princes and bishops oppose the Gospel most vehemently, there it must take root and flourish most. And then people will taunt and say:

"What has now become of those who would not tolerate it? They are reposing in their graves, the worms are consuming them, and the Word of God still remains and abides in their dominion." Thus Annas and Caiphas were obliged to let Christ abide with the Word in Jerusalem, and they had to take the taunts in the bargain. But wherever Christ's Word is and abides, there Christ's victory and kingdom abide. He, of course, holds the field with His doctrine, and other doctrines must remain silent as mice. This we see from experience.

Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—for how long?—and loads himself with much mud.

Here Habakkuk enumerates some of the taunts against the Babylonian tyrant that will be current in the countryside. There are four of them; the fifth, I suppose, is added by Habakkuk himself. And the fact that he makes so much of the mockery and that he taunts the most powerful king must mean that his heart is set on consoling the Jews, lest they despair of the advent of the Christ. For, as I have already said, the foremost purpose and aim of the prophet is to comfort and to sustain the weak in view of the destruction of Jerusalem, etc.

The first satire that will be spoken and sung of this impotent, drunk tyrant in all countries touches his greed, with which he has wrung great wealth from all countries. For this is the way and order of the world: first it strives for money and goods; then it begins to build; then joy and pleasure are sought; and finally might and honor. We shall also note these four items, one after the other, here in the satire on the drunken tyrant. The prophet says that he increased his goods, not with God's blessing and as His gift, as the kings of Israel and Judah did in their own countries, but he wrested the goods from others by force, that is, he conquered all countries and imposed tribute and all kinds of assessments until he had taken possession of everything in the country. And he did not do this by command of God (although with God's sufferance), but he was prompted by avarice and pride. That is the way of tyrants and all kingdoms that rise up, through war and violence without God's command. For that reason such kingdoms are also called

"mountians of prey" in Ps. 76:4.

"For how long?" This means that he acts as though this would last forever. People would never have dared to sing such satires while the king occupied the kingdom; he would not have tolerated this. For the tyrants claim that they are in the right, and they deny that it is the property of others they gained in that way. But now that he is gone, people sing this song freely, and they confidently and to his great shame make fun of his greed, saying that he perished justly as a manifest robber of land and that he has held the property of others so long, which to his great disgrace he now has to return. And Habakkuk calls such possessions much thick mud, not only with a view to the possessions, but also in view of the fact that he thereby burdens himself with the hatred, the envy, and the enmity of all people. Under this burden he must choke and smother, unable to turn it aside or cast it off. For in the mud a person can move neither backward nor forward; he is stuck fast. Therefore, whoever forfeits the prayers and the favor of the people is lost and devoid of all comfort.

7. Oh, how suddenly will those awake who bite you, and those arise who thrust you aside. Then you will be booty for them.

Habakkuk speaks of this as pertaining to the future; and yet these words are to be the mockery of those who will See Babylon destroyed. These people will have to say: "Behold, how soon have they who bit you appeared!" But since this had not yet happened, Habakkuk uses this to console the Jews and to threaten the king. He describes what happens when a tyrant is securely established and is then suddenly overtaken by misfortune. This he illustrates with a sleeping, snoring person. He lies sleeping securely and does not stir. But if something appears to bite or sting him sharply, for instance, a hornet or a worm, he is startled from his sleep, is frightened, and jumps up as though the country were filled with enemies. That is what the king of Babylon also experienced. When he felt secure, ate, drank, and was of good cheer, as Daniel writes, the Persians and Medes suddenly appeared, conquered Babylon, and killed the king in the same night, according to Dan. 5:30. Then the king stirred and awoke, and, as the text states here, he was "thrust aside." He was chased from the safe camp and yet could not escape but had to "be booty for them." The Persians and the Medes divided his possessions, the countries and peoples, between themselves. It pains most grievously to try to escape and to be unable to do so and to become the booty of the enemy. In that way he is paid back for what he did to others. This we see from what follows.

8. Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you for the blood of men and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell therein.

- 86 The fact that the tyrant plundered other heathen and subjugated them with his might Habakkuk appraises as of least significance. But for the consolation of the Jews he mentions particularly that he destroyed the country of Judah and the city of Jerusalem with its inhabitants in order to increase his possessions. For when he says "for the blood of men," he refers to all the other heathen who were not Jews but were like other people. To defeat these, he had to spill much human blood for no other reason than to become a rich and great lord. With these words Habakkuk calls him a gruesome murderer because of his shameful avarice. Thus worldly bishops and princes even today care not how much human blood it costs so long as they can become rich and great lords. Such is the course of the world and the rule of the devil.

But Habakkuk regards the iniquity perpetrated on the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem as greater because God had His abode, His worship, His people, His temple, and His Word there. Therefore the king sinned most grievously there with his desecration, that is, with violence and injustice against divine and sacred things. Therefore Habakkuk does not mention the country, the city, and the people with a specific name, but only with generic terms, as though there were no country or city or people left which the king had not destroyed. For what he did to other, ungodly countries is insignificant by comparison with what he did to this country. Histories also relate that all acts of desecration committed against sacred objects are as a rule soon and quickly avenged. That gave rise to the proverb: "It is imprudent to trifle with saints. They are apt to perform miracles." Also: "One does not believe saints unless they perform miracles." Thus it is said of Cn. Pompey, the luckiest person in Rome, that he never succeeded in anything after he desecrated the temple in Jerusalem.14 And Babylon, too, reached its peak when the king destroyed

Jerusalem. Soon thereafter the decline set in. He himself became a brute beast. No one attained the same power again. And in the third generation, following his son's reign, the kingdom collapsed entirely, as For God guards His name so zealously that He will not even have it blasphemed in the idols, since all idols bear the name "god." They let themselves be called gods. Yet they who mock the false gods or blaspheme them are often punished, as pagan books report. This inspired people with such awe that they feared also the false gods. This does not imply that idolatry is right and blameless, but it shows that a heart which is coarse and insolent enough to mock a false god will be just as prone to mock the true God because of the name "God." For it is not actuated by faith, as Christians are, but by a wicked disposition and by arrogance. So God permits the devil to punish and to plague them. Thus in our own day St.

Antony, St. Valentine,15 and others like them have often plagued such blasphemies, that is, the devil did it with God's sufferance, because such blasphemers and offenders would be just as ready to do this to the true saints and to God Himself as they do it to those whom they only regard as saints. Therefore, as I said, this gave rise to the proverb: "The saints are apt to perform miracles." For whatever is regarded as holy, even though it is not holy in itself, is nevertheless holy to him who regards it as such. For he takes God's name, which alone is holy, and misuses it, blasphemes Him and sins against it. But enough of that.

9. Woe to him who is greedy to the detriment of his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm.

The second satire that will be sung pertains to his firm building. For this is what happens: After a person has gained much money and property, land and people, he is intent on ways and means of guarding and retaining these. Here greed first really begins to bestir itself, indeed, just as much as in gaining it or even more. Now it busies itself with the construction of solid and strong rooms, castles, and cities to be safe from the enemies. For since they did not acquire these possessions from God by faith but by avarice, they are also unable to commit and commend them to God. No, they themselves have to try to preserve and defend these with great ingenuity, with wise deliberations, and with great skill. Thus miracles upon miracles are recorded about kings who erected strong cities. For instance, in Judith 1:2–4 Arphaxad, king of the Medes, built Ecbatana. The walls were 30 cubits thick and 70 cubits high. The towers were 100 cubits high. That surely required many people and, I suppose, much work. But far greater things were reported about this Babylon. It was such a magnificent and incredible piece of work that Aristotle16 declared that the walls encompassed not merely a city but an entire country. For as Pliny17 writes, the encircling wall was 60,000 paces long. This is approximately equal to 15 German miles. But 15 miles within the encircling wall contain a city which is, I suppose, 5 miles long and wide. Thus the wails were

50 feet thick and 200 feet high. One foot is reckoned as nearly the length of an elbow, that is, as long as - 87 three large fingers. And there were 600 city halls in it, and many more other things. Therefore Babylon was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world.18 It is indeed a miracle that man was capable of such a structure.

Now the king and the Babylonians defiantly relied on such a city. They were arrogant, and they were convinced that it would be impossible to conquer it or to destroy the kingdom. Thus Is. 47:8 relates how

Babylon boasted, saying: "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children, etc." And it is not surprising that a human heart would rely on such great power and possessions, since it, in fact, defiantly relies on lesser possessions. But it was hard for the Jews to believe that they would ever return from Babylon, being captured, despoiled, and destroyed by such a great power. Therefore also the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk here cry out against this city with all their might in order to comfort the people and preserve their faith in the advent of the Christ. For who could believe the proclamation now that such a mighty kingdom would easily be destroyed and the captives would be delivered? That was so far above and beyond all reason and senses.

Even if God performed no miracles otherwise, He would still have proven amply by this city and this kingdom that no might or power whatsoever avails if He removes His hand and that no structure or fortress can stand if He ceases to protect it. Thus Ps. 127:1 declares: "Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." There He has surely proved that He must be feared also by all the great lords on earth and that they should not be proud of their possessions and might. For if Babylon was unable to survive, how will the Turk, how will our emperor, kings, and princes survive, who could hardly qualify as citizens in Babylon? On the other hand, this also brings consolation to all who are persecuted, taken captive, and plagued by tyrants. For if He was able to deliver the Jews from Babylon, which contained such arrogant, mighty, and evil tyrants, why should He not be able to deliver from far lesser tyrants? And this is how Habakkuk is here consoling the Jews with their future deliverance, taunting the tyrant in Babylon and singing: "Just as the great possessions in Babylon, wrested from all the heathen, were dispersed and destroyed, so the huge, solid, and precious structure will be destroyed and razed when the hour strikes."

Now the satire reads: "Woe to him who is greedy to the detriment of his house," that is, "Oh, how badly this will end! How you will be taunted because of the avarice with which you built your house and made the city of Babylon so firm and strong! What will it avail you? Nothing more than that you incur all the greater misfortunes for yourself and your house. For if you build much, much will be broken down; if you invest much, you will lose much. Your disgrace and your loss will be the greater since you are being destroyed together with such a beautiful building. You will have built in vain, and all the world will taunt you now and say: 'Where is that fine building now? Where is that strong city which claimed to be secure against the entire world? Of what use were expenses and labor? How nicely the city was preserved!

Boastfully it defied the whole world, and it was conquered and destroyed so shamefully. It would have been less unfortunate and disgraceful if they had not built so firmly, if they had not been so avaricious and skinned and flayed to fortify themselves.' " Was that not the way things developed also in the recent insurrection?19 There were castles and houses which, prior to that, would have defied the Turk. However, when the peasants but rapped at their door, they were laid waste. Why? Were they not strong enough? To be sure, they were. But the true Builder and Protector was absent; He was not at home. Therefore no structure and no defense sufficed. And yet the human heart is so stone-blind and so hard that it will not recognize this.

But with the words "who is greedy" Habakkuk indicates that the king of Babylon did not erect his building with lawful possessions but that he greedily seized these from other countries and people, that is, he did not content himself with the fair and just income from countries and people, but he imposed taxes

—construction money; he levied assessments of various kinds here and there. That is what is usually done when lords undertake the construction of huge buildings; then they get after the common man. Therefore the following inscription might well be painted over all such buildings: "Woe to him who is greedy to the detriment of his house!" For whatever is built with unjust goods comes to an evil end, especially if one also presumes to rely on this and fails to keep God in mind as the true Protector. When Habakkuk says,

"To set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm," he indicates that this structure was erected as a fortress against enemies. For in his conscience [the builder] surely felt that not many good prayers were spoken for him by the common people in view of his tyranny, his avarice, and his taxation. Therefore he

- 88 had to be afraid, and he could trust no one. He had to worry about mishaps on all sides. To forestall these and ward them off, he begins to invoke wood and stone. He builds and fortifies himself with these; they are to protect him. Yet wood and stone provide but a wretched cover and protection for a man when God and man forsake him and hate him. Tyrants themselves have often admitted that.

Habakkuk calls the kingdom "a nest" and speaks of a fortress "on high." The builder's security is described as "to be safe from the reach of harm." For the Hebrew language usually calls dwellings or houses "nests," which birds, especially large birds such as hawks, herons,20 and eagles, habitually build up high to make them safe for hatching, feeding, and protecting their young. That is what the rich and great lords also do, and so Obadiah says of Esau (v. 4): "Though your nest is set among the stars, thence I will bring you down, says the Lord." For even though we build and toil long, we have no more than a nest on earth, even though it comprised all the world's goods, in which we hatch, feed, and nurse the young.

Along comes a beast or some mishap and ruins nest and young, or it is torn clown with its young and everything. That is the way of temporal life and existence. It is temporal, and it must vanish as it came.

10. But your counsel will bring shame on your house.

This means to say that such building and such preparations are futile. As I have said, the damage and the disgrace will be the greater, since it is man's counsel and undertaking and is devoid of God and of His counsel. Habakkuk says, "Your counsel," as though he were to say: "Oh, you are undertaking this very wisely and devising good plans for building and fortifying. But they are still your own devices." We like to say: "This is an oaken device," whereas we really mean to say: "This is your own device." Similarly, one says: "Oaken foliage stinks," whereas one means to say: "Self-praise stinks."21 This is true because all of one's own counsels will certainly fail. And one's own counsels are those not given by God but suggested and devised by one's own reason. All of Scripture declares that these are vain, for example, 1

Cor. 3:20: "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile"; and I Cor. 1:19: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise." And all of Ecclesiastes rejects such "oaken" devices. For man is vain, that is, he is nothing; therefore his devices, too, are nothing.22 But "the counsel of the Lord stands forever" (Ps. 33:11).

Thus this device of the Babylonians failed disgracefully. For they supposed that this was an eternal kingdom. But before they knew it, it was reduced to ashes. The Romans, too, believed that their empire would endure forever. And they had many indications and plans for that. But all has vanished now. Even to the present day I behold no better Mardi Gras mummery than that which pope, emperor, and princes enact with their god, the devil, as they take counsel to wipe out the Gospel. How often have they failed in this? And they still fail, so that we can understand what is described in Ps. 2:2 f.: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Christ. But He who sits in the heavens has them in derision, etc." But although they are often given the lie and come to shame, they do not desist for all of that; so they will perish completely with sin and shame, as the same psalm says (v. 11): "His wrath is quickly kindled."

For you have battered too many nations, and you have sinned deliberately.

"Therefore," he says, "your strong building will not help you. For you have carried things too far. God and man are hostile to you, because you were so tyrannical and flayed the people with your might and seized and appropriated their property." With these words Habakkuk wants to move his conscience and frighten him with God's wrath. For the words "you have battered too many nations" indicate the magnitude of sin. He has carried things too far. "Battering them" here means that he plagued them in their possessions. He decreased and reduced their sustenance in order to enrich himself and acquire strong dwellings. That is the fate of people who are so harassed with compulsory labor and servitude that they cannot eke out an existence. Also their sustenance is reduced. It is just like being harmed and battered by robbers. And the words "You sinned deliberately" read in Hebrew: "You sinned with your soul." This means that a person sins purposely, venting his spleen on the people. And to indulge this haughtiness is such a pleasant and gentle sensation for him as if his soul, that is, his life's salvation, were involved. Ezek.

25:15 also expresses that thought: "The Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of heart," that is, they did so from the heart, to vent their spleen. Also Ex. 15:9: "My desire shall have its fill of them," that is, "I shall vent my spleen on them," The king, too, did that. When anyone resisted and refused to yield to his avarice and his imposition of taxes, he vented his spleen on him and exercised his wrath on him. That is what we witness also today in the treatment of the poor people by our bishops and tyrants.

11. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.

How does that happen? Is that the strong city and the high nest in which the stones and the beams crash and cry out against and about their lord? If even the house opposes the landlord, what, do you suppose, will the enemies do? One is inclined to interpret the stones and beams as representing the king's own people and subjects, who should really assist and help him but who, because of his treatment of them, are hostile to him, forsake him in his need, cry out about him, and join and aid the enemies. This is comparable to a house that cracks and snaps and frightens the occupants out of the house and makes them more afraid inside than outside the house. And precisely where they should seek protection and safety they find it necessary most of all to flee. Therefore it is not a good curse that reads: "May an old wall slay you!" But I believe that the prophet is appealing to the conscience of the king and his people and that he means to say that his best and strongest building will not only be lost and be useless but will also prove harmful to him and oppose him. For when his enemies fought against him, God gave him such a timid and disheartened spirit that not only his own building but the whole world became too confining for him. And whenever a beam or a pillar on the house snapped, he thought that the enemies were breaking in.

For God is a most efficient fighter. First he removes heart and spirit. Thus He has Ps. 76:12 say of Himself: "Who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is terrible to the kings of the earth." But after heart and spirit are gone, manliness is gone, and a man becomes cowardly and disheartened. Such a person serves no good purpose and is useful only for being struck like a log. Even if he had all the walls and ramparts and every kind of defense in front of him, this would not help him. Whenever he hears a beam snap, he is frightened and supposes that stone cannonballs are falling on him like hail. And Habakkuk wants to say here that the king will become so craven amid his destruction that his own building on which he relied will terrify and plague him when but a stone on the wall cries out, that is, snaps, and the beams respond, that is, when stones and beams snap alternately or together. Experience teaches all of this, that a timid, despondent man is so startled when he is alone in a house and then hears a piece of wood in the wall snap.

And at times he imagines that he hears or sees something which he in reality does not see or hear.

Is this not an amazing judgment of God, that conditions become so completely reversed in the life of such a great king? That he who had conquered the whole world and was an object of terror to all should be so dispirited when his hour strikes? That he should not only be unsafe in the country but also be terrified in his own building by the snapping of the beams? That surely is chasing a person with a dried bladder and three peas.23 Where is that strong "nest on high" now? How does all the money now help that was extorted from all the countries for the construction of a strong castle? I do believe that avarice is avenged, now that such fortresses turn about and do as much with snapping as enemies with weapons. Such is the fate of him who is avaricious and builds with disdain for God. Such a building cannot promote a person's welfare and good, but, as he says here, it must bring about his misfortune and disaster. That is what it means to presume to be strong but not "toward God" (Luke 12:21). If princes and lords wish to build solidly, they should lay a proper and good foundation, that is, they should first ask God for heart and spirit, which might sustain the building in time of need. Then a castle would stand firmly on a true foundation. But if no provision is made for the spirit but only wood and stone are erected, then things must finally develop as our text says here, and a snapping of the beams and a cracking of the stones will terrify them. I believe that we, too, experienced that this year when the peasants destroyed strong castles in the insurrection.24

12. Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity.

The third satirical song pertains to the beautiful building which adorns and beautifies the entire city and is delightful to behold. For since he had money and wealth in abundance, he first construtted his house, that is, his castle, making it strong and beautiful, as we have heard. Then he also adorned the city with many beautiful buildings. Much has been written about the king's constructions in Babylon. Among other things, it was hailed as a great miracle that he diverted the water of the river Euphrates through the city; the Greeks, to be sure, attribute that to the Queen Semiramis. But they have little reason for doing that, for Daniel records (Dan. 4:30) that the king boasted of having built the city of Babylon. There were also the great pleasure gardens which he had built for the queen on pillars high above the roofs. Josephus writes about this.25 When kings have too much money, they tend to erect many useless buildings; for instance, those constructions in Egypt with their great pinnacles, towers, and tombs. Habakkuk says that such a beautiful, magnificent, and costly building will become the object of scorn and shame. Why?

Because [the builder] is doing all of this with the sweat and the blood of the poor, with unjust goods, - 90 acquired through imposition of taxes and through threats of physical harm. For as we have heard, he conquered such great countries and nations with much needless bloodshed and with injustice. That is why

Habakkuk here speaks of building the city through or with blood; the money was gained through the shedding of blood, and in that way he wronged the people. The prophet Micah uses almost the selfsame words against the kings of the Jews, saying in Micah 3:10: "You built Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong." It seems that this was a common saying among the prophets against tyrants.

13. Is it not so that this will happen by the Lord Sabaoth: What the toil of the nations gained for you will provide fire in abundance, and that on which the people became weary will produce empty cities aplenty?

For the erection of such huge and monstrous buildings requires the toil of many people. This work is of two kinds: first, it is the work of those who have to contribute the taxes used for building; second, it is the work of those who have to slave and labor with their own bodies. Both are hard for the people and weary them. Thus tyrants employ the people's labor for their own pleasure. However, you just go ahead and build boldly, make it beautiful, force the people and weary them. The time will come when we sing and say of you: "Behold, that pretty and costly building is erected solely to give the fire more to consume.

And the people had to weary themselves in constructing it to make that empty, desolate castle all the larger." For in Hebrew this reads: Que populi laboraverunt, in abundantia ignis erunt. Et in quo lassati sunt, in abundantia inanitatis erit.26 For if people want to ridicule a great work, they say that it was undertaken in vain and did not achieve the end contemplated for it. For instance, the papacy collected so much money for no other end than to make it possible to take so much more away from it; and it climbed so high only that it might fall so much lower. One is always tempted to sneer like that when a lord surrounds his castle with many bastions and walls and all of this proves labor lost, saying: "Good and well, let him build. It will furnish good fuel for a fire." That is tantamount to saying: "He is a fool; the more he builds, the more fuel he will provide for others."

Thus Habakkuk is here mocking the building of the great king. It is as though he were saying: "Oh, you are erecting something very costly here! But what a great fire will arise from the building on which so many people are laboring at present! How many fine, empty plots of land there will be where so many people are working themselves weary now! Your plan will be completely reversed. It will not materialize as you wish. You want it to adorn and embellish the city; but it will mar and disfigure it. Where you are now laying out pleasure-gardens, burnt-out and desolate areas will be found. But this will not be perpetrated by your subjects; there will be no rebellion. No, by the Lord Sabaoth. To be sure, He will find people to do this, namely, the Persians and Medes." And this is surely a fair, just, and proper judgment. He slew many people and reduced and lessened their sustenance in order to make his building large, filled, and strong. But he in turn will be reduced and lessened, and his building will lie in ashes, a scene of desolation and conflagration. And because he built it with blood and injustice, the Lord will not wash it off with water but will burn it out completely with fire, so that blood and injustice are no longer detected there. But how difficult it was to believe all of that when it was said and not yet seen, namely, that such a mighty thing would be laid waste by fire. Therefore the Spirit had to be present here to say it and also to instill faith in the Jews. If the Babylonians had heard this, they would have jeered, especially because such a punishment was said to come from "the Lord Sabaoth," that is, from the God of the Jews, whom they despised, since they had destroyed His people. Similarly, the Jews and the Romans derided the idea that Christ, the crucified God, whose saints they slew daily, would destroy them. And even today our junkers ridicule the thought that the God whose Word is being proclaimed now might harm them, since they persecute this Word daily.

14. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

The prophets borrowed this verse from Moses, who says of king Pharaoh in Ex. 9:16: "For this purpose I have let you live, to show you My power, so that My name may be declared throughout all the earth," that is, "You despise Me as an inept God of a wretched nation and as having no great reputation.

All right, I shall make an example of you, so that I will no longer be so condemned and despised. On the contrary, all the lands shall sing and speak of My power." Also Num. 14:21: "Truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord," that is, "You tempt Me and dishonor Me, but I Shall manifest

Myself on you and assail you so that the earth will be filled with My glory; that is, people will sing and speak of Me, praise, honor, and fear Me everywhere when they hear what I did to you who tempt Me so."

Thus Is. 11:9 also says of Christ's kingdom: "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the - 91 waters cover the sea," that is, that the whole world is hearing the Gospel of Christ richly and is learning to know God in it. We must get accustomed to this manner of speech. For to sing, preach, and speak about God is termed "to be filled with glory," as if we were to say of Alexander the Great or of Julius Caesar:

"The whole world glorifies the heroes, and the praise of their great deeds resounds everywhere."

Thus Habakkuk here also threatens the king of Babylon. He wishes to say: "You despise the Lord Sabaoth, our God, as though He were scarcely a feeble fly over against your god Bel. Because you are doing such great things, you assume that your god is giving you this and that our God has to suffer it in us.

But you shall discover very soon that our despised God will gain honor from you and your god and treat you in a manner that all the world will sing and speak about it, mock you and your god, but laud and magnify our God everywhere for having done this to you." And so it turned out too. For after Cyrus, the king of Persia, had destroyed Babylon, he professed publicly—and also had this published in writing in all the countries—that the God of heaven, who resided in Jerusalem, had granted him that victory, power, and kingdom. In gratitude, as Ezra 1:2 ff. reports, he had the temple in Jerusalem restored at his own expense.

This means that as the sea is full of water, so shall the earth be filled with the praise of the Lord Sabaoth.

This praise is not like the water in a brook, which may be drained or diverted; but it is comparable to the water in the sea, which no one can drain or divert. Similarly, the honor and the glory of the Lord shall prevail in all countries, so that no one can silence or hinder it. As I have said, all of this is proclaimed to console the Jewish people and to preserve them in the faith.

15. Woe to you who make your neighbors drink of the cup and mix your wrath into it and make them drunk to gaze on their shame!

This is the fourth satirical song. It deals with his arrogance and iniquity. A proverb states: "Wealth inspires courage."27 When tyrants are firmly entrenched, have wealth and honor in abundance, possess strong and beautiful homes, they are still not satisfied with all of this but soon grow arrogant and insolent and resort to all kinds of violence and mischief. They will not yield, and they will not listen. And when things do not come out as they wish, they rave and rage. Read Dan. 3:1 ff. There we find that the king erected a column of gold and forced the people to worship it. Also chapter 2:1 ff. There he asked the sages and scholars of Babylon to advise him and interpret his dream. Here we discover what a rogue he was—a fine, thorough tyrant, who wanted his will respected as the will of a king; moreover, a highly intelligent and clever man, who would not be refused with words nor led by the nose, but one who wanted to make short shrift of the scholars when these were unable to tell him the dream and pretended to be able to interpret it despite that. I suppose he thought this was trickery.

Here we must again get used to the Hebrew manner of speech. The Hebrew language is replete with figurative words and similes. Thus we heard earlier, in chapter one,28 that the king of Babylon was called a drunkard who drinks up all the countries. There guzzling means as much as taking, robbing, and seizing the property of others. Thus Christ also says of the Pharisees (Matt. 23:14) that they "devour widows' houses." Job also uses similar words.29 But here in this and other passages, drinking or guzzling means as much as suffering misfortune; and to pour out or to give to drink means as much as to punish, to torment, to torture, and afflict in all sorts of ways. The common expression in the Psalter, "the Lord's cup," derives from that.30 Also: "Their cup is full of brimstone" (cf. Rev. 14:10). Rev. 18:6 f. also speaks of the red whore, saying: "Mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed… . So give her a like measure of torment and mourning." Also read Jer. 25:15 f., where he bids all kings drink from the cup of the Lord, that they might become drunk, vomit, and fall, etc.

In order to understand this fully and clearly, let us point out that a person who is drunk with wine in a physical sense typifies two other kinds of drunkenness excellently—first, to be drunk with great delight; second, to be drunk with great sorrow. These two types behave just like a physically drunk person. The latter staggers, falls down, vomits, talks silly and foolish stuff, and is unashamed, etc. Similarly, a person who feels too happy, has wealth and honor, pleasure and power aplenty, is really a drunk man. He does not know what to do in his exuberance. He staggers, falls down, vomits, chatters, acts unashamed; that is, even though he perpetrates something disgraceful and blasphemous, which does not at all become him and which is a shame, he is unabashed about that, he has no fear, no timidity and no moderation. He is uncovered in front and in back, that is, his vice and shame are visible everywhere. And yet he persists in this and pays no attention to it. That is what we are now witnessing also in our tyrants. In that way the king of Babylon, too, was drunk with sheer exuberance and delight, as I said earlier.31 It is very prudent to - 92 get out of the way of such a drunkard. As the saying goes: "Even a load of hay must make way for a drunkard," for "You cannot argue with a fool."32

On the other hand, anyone drunk with grief also conducts himself like a drunkard. He staggers, is confused, laments, screams, and behaves so badly that nothing but shame is seen in him. Some blaspheme both God and man, give vent to their impatience, also reveal all they are and all they know. Their whole behavior is foolish and irrational like a drunkard's. That is what Habakkuk is here saying about the king of Babylon, namely, that he made many drunk when he himself was full and drunk with exuberance; that is, he was a wicked tyrant and aggrieved many nations and oppressed particularly the Jewish people unmercifully. Therefore Is. 47:6 says to Babylon: "I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage; I gave them into your hand, you showed them no mercy." Also Zech. 1:15: "I am very angry with the large nations; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster"; that is, "I merely wanted to chasten, but they want to destroy My people utterly; they are carrying things too far for Me."

But it is in accord with God's judgment that he who is drunk in the first way must also become drunk in the second. Thus this prophet says that as the king became drunk with the possessions of all nations and made many drunk with sorrow, he, in turn will be mocked. In every country people will sing and say that he, too, became drunk. Thus Is. 14:10 declares of him: "You, too, have become as weak as we." That is what the heathen say. This means: "You have slain us. I believe that you have been struck and slain in return." Alas, if a person could await that in patience! This is especially remote and incredible when the tyrants occupy the nest.

This is what Habakkuk is saying here: "You poured out richly for your neighbor and made him drunk." And lest anyone doubt that he is speaking of the second drunkenness, the drunkenness with grief, he interprets himself and says: "You mix your wrath into it." That is stating clearly enough that he gave the people to drink of the cup of his wrath, that is, he saddened them grievously with deliberate tyranny and brought them to shame, so that their shame was seen; that is, he stripped them of all honor, so that they became poor, captive, afflicted people about whom nothing glorious is said. Here the prophet recalls the story recorded in Gen. 9:21. When Noah was drunk and lay uncovered, one could see his shame. This symbolizes nothing but shameful suffering and misfortune. For to be victorious, to attain wealth and honor is something glorious in the eyes of the world, but to succumb to the enemy, to become poor and disgraced is something shameful. That is why it is called "to gaze on the shame" when somebody is defeated, destroyed, and impoverished. Thus this king had brought the Jews and many countries to shame, while he, a hero, retained victory and honor.

16. You will be sated with contempt instead of glory.

This means: "You, in your turn, will be given to drink and made drunk, so that also your shame will be seen. For you, too, will be defeated, and your might will come to nothing and to shame. Then you will be filled and sated with shame 'instead of glory'; that is, instead of the great honor and glory you now have you will have nothing but contempt and no honor. And the people will sing all of this about you with great glee. In addition, they will mock and ridicule you. For everybody is wishing you that fate, and you surely also deserve it."

Drink, yourself, and stagger.

That is what drunkards do—they stagger and cannot stand up. Similarly, those who are full of pain and sorrow know not where to abide. The world is too confining for them. They are helpless and know not what to do. That is the fate he is wishing the king and announcing to him, namely, that the Persians and Medes would come and pour out grief and every misfortune for him, so that he must guzzle and then stagger, unable to remain upright. This is the way Ps. 60:3 speaks: "Thou hast made Thy people suffer hard things; Thou hast given us wine to drink that made us reel," so that we know not where to abide. And Is. 51:22: "Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering, the bowl of My wrath." Also v. 17 of the same chapter: "Rouse yourself, Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl of staggering." From these and similar verses one can easily gather what the prophets mean when they speak of the cup, of drinking, of staggering; it clarifies their manner of speaking.

For the cup in the Lord's right hand will surround you.

This means: "You will not be able to escape or ward off the cup and the disaster, for the Lord has become your cupbearer; He will present the cup to you to drink, and you must drain it. And there is no - 93 escape. Who can resist God? If it were a man's will and decision to make you drink thus, you might find help and means to resist. But now that the Lord Himself is sending this to you, you have to suffer it. The cup will hem you in on all sides, so that you cannot escape it anywhere." This is easily understood from what has preceded.

And you must shamefully vomit for your glory.

"As you violently guzzled down many countries and peoples and became drunk and raving, so you will be obliged to vomit them forth and return them again." The Book of Job speaks similarly (cf. Job

20:15). It says that the ungodly must spew forth again what they robbed and what tasted so sweet when they drank it and took it. For it is true that wine is sweet and pleasant to drink; but to vomit it forth again is bitter and painful. Thus robbery and every sin are sweet when they are committed but most bitter when they are punished. So Habakkuk wants to say that the king will not only be forced to vomit forth again what he robbed but that he will suffer disgrace in the bargain. That will be a shameful vomiting, with all the world standing by, mocking and ridiculing him because he has to give it all up again. The words "for his glory" mean to say: "As great as your glory now is while you are guzzling and robbing, so great will be your shame when you have to spew it forth again and lose it."

17. The Violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you; the destruction of the beasts will terrify you.

This means, as I said above,33 that he will not have heart or courage but be dispirited. He will sense that this is not the wrath of man but the cup of the Lord. For even his conscience will oppose him and chastise him because of "the violence done to Lebanon." Then Mount Lebanon will come to Babylon, regardless of the distance. Indeed, it, together will all the beasts he destroyed there, will come into his chamber and into his heart, and it will trouble his conscience and make him cowardly. How will that come to pass? In this way: The conscience feels this and thinks that Lebanon with all its beasts is present and that all whom he previously offended want to devour him. For when remorse makes its appearance, sin brings these along with it and puts, yes, presses all who were offended forcibly into one's heart. Some interpret Lebanon to represent the temple in Jerusalem, etc. But I believe that Habakkuk is applying this name to the entire country from the Lebanon Mountains, as Ps. 42:6 refers to it with Mount Hermon and the waters of the River Jordan, saying: "I remember Thee from the land of Jordan and of Hermon." For Lebanon and Mount Hermon are one and the same. Therefore this is the sense: "You have perpetrated much wickedness in the land of Lebanon, that is, in the Jewish country, and destroyed the beasts there, that is, the people and inhabitants. Therefore such wickedness will weigh heavily upon you and your conscience, and it will frighten you; and you, in turn, will have to suffer the same and much more."

For the blood of men and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell therein.

This text has been expounded above.34 For the prophet points out especially the sin and iniquity which the king committed not only on Lebanon and the entire country but chiefly on the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.

18. What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For the workman trusts in his own creation when he makes dumb idols!

The fifth satiric song deals with his worship. Here the prophet mocks the king very sharply and caustically. For these are very taunting and cutting expressions, which state that the king had made an idol image into a god and that he was the creator of this image and god; and yet he worships his own work.

How could anyone be a greater fool! Fie upon the god and the worship of god when the god is an image and the servant of god is the creator of the god whom he worships! Also, when he says that it is a false image, that is, a fraud and a lie with which the people are misled, thinking that they are serving God and relying on such lies and fraud as on the real truth. Also, that he worships dumb idols who cannot speak, much less do or make anything. Therefore he now says defiantly: "How nicely will your god forsake you when the Lord's cup 'will surround you.' How could he help you? After all, he is but an idol and an image. However, let him help, call upon him, let us see him appear to help you! Our God, though He chastens us for a season, will deliver us again, but your god will never help you." I believe that Habakkuk in this text refers, among other images and idols, to the chief idol in Babylon, called Bel. For Isaiah mainly mentions these two, Bel and Nebo (Is. 46:1). To this same Bel he erected the large golden image of which Dan. 3:1 says that it was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide. It was a lot of good and useless gold that those people owned. This was due to the fact that the empire was so large and so rich and that it had appropriated the wealth of all the countries.