MB K4 B17 r^ o EXCHANGE TOntvcrsitis of Cbfcaoo FOUNDED BY JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTIES OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS OF ARTS, LITERATURE, AND SCIENCE, IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (DEPARTMENT OF OLD TESTAMENT LITERATURE AND INTERPRETATION) BY FRED T. KELLY CHICAGO Gbe TflniversitE of Cbfcago press 1902 ZIbe TUniversits of dbtcago FOUNDED BY JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTIES OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS OF ARTS, LITERATURE, AND SCIENCE, IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (DEPARTMENT OF OLD TESTAMENT LITERATURE AND INTERPRETATION) BY FRED T. KELLY CHICAGO TllntversitE ot Cbicago {press 1902 Kf EXCHANGE THE STKOPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK. In the following study an attempt is made to discover the original strophic division of the book of-Habakkuk, or cf the parts of which it is composed. As the question of the source, of the material is somewhat closely related /to tbe.strcphi'j ar?ang3- ment, it will be necessary to consider the integrity of the book before discussing the strophes in detail. The greatest diversity of opinion obtains with regard to how much of the book may be attributed to the prophet himself. Some credit him with the whole of the book, while others credit him with a minor portion of it; e. g., Stade, ZATW., Vol. IV, pp. 154-9, gives him 1:2 to 2:8, or only 28 verses out of 64 (66). Others, admitting the authenticity of some parts rejected by Stade, reject a part of that accepted by him. Thus Wellhausen, followed by Nowack, throws out 1:511 as an earlier oracle. In speaking of the integrity of the book, it will simplify matters to discuss the authenticity of the third chapter first. This chapter treats the subject of the oppression of the righteous from a wholly different standpoint from that taken in the rest of the book ; the style is quite different, and the expected deliver- ance is to be wrought out in a wholly different manner. So that even the most energetic supporters of the unity of chaps. 1 and 2 express their doubts about chap. 3. Many put it late in the Babylonian exile. However it may be viewed, it seems hardly probable that Habakkuk wrote it. The passage that causes so much trouble in all attempts at finding a logical connection for the material in chaps. 1 and 2 is the section 1:5-11. As noted above, Wellhausen disposes of the matter summarily by cutting it out. Giesebrecht, recognizing that it is out of place in the MT., places it before vs. 2, but this is unsatisfactory. Budde, followed by Cornill and G. A. Smith, places it after 2:4, but this has not been generally accepted. 4 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK At present we may say that, in general, there are two lines of interpretation of the two chapters, as represented by Driver, with the order of the MT., on the one hand, and as represented by Budde, on the other. There are slight differences of detail, due in large part to differences in emendations of text, etc., but these two views may be said to be representative. According to the view represented by Driver (in Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible and his Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament), in 1:2-4 the prophet views with dismay the lawlessness *j:pd; violence now reigning in Judah, and expostulates with "fahweh for^atfewing this to go on unchecked. In 1:5-11 ^^wefr'-a^weirs Jl^&t'tke punishment is near at hand. He is raising up the tfliardgeans, that bitter and hasty nation that marches through the land to take possession of dwelling-places not its own ; whose advance is swift and irresistible ; whose law is its own imperious will ; who, subduing one country after another, deifies its own might. But the answer raises a fresh difficulty in the mind of the prophet, as he contemplates the rapacity and inhumanity of the Chaldeans as they overcome the other nations ; the thought is forced upon him (1:12-17) : "Can this be God's method of recti- fying injustice?" That is, if He has ordained the power of the Chaldseans for judgment, is it possible that it can be a part of "His pure and holy purpose" that they should so exceed the bounds of their commission by trampling upon all nations in such a reckless manner? Is not this a greater wrong than that which it was intended to correct? In 2 : 1-4 the prophet places himself in imagination upon his prophetic watchtower (c/. Isa. 21:6), and waits for the answer of Yahweh to his complaint, or impeachment of God's justice in governing the world. The significance of the answer is indicated by the fact that it is to be inscribed on tablets that may be easily read by all. It is this: "The soul of the Chaldean is elated with pride, but the righteous shall live by his faithfulness." The moral distinction indicated carries with it the different des- tinies of the Chaldean and the righteous destruction, sooner or later, for the one and life for the other. After dwelling for a moment (vs. 5) upon the ambitious designs of the Chaldseans, the prophet develops at length the ruin destined to overtake them. This is put dramatically in the THE STROPHIC STRUCTUEE OF HABAKKUK O mouths of the subjugated peoples in the form of "taunting proverbs," denouncing in turn the insatiable lust of conquest shown by the Chaldseans, their suicidal policy pursued in estab- lishing their dominion, the dishonesty and cruelty by which the magnificence of their cities is kept up, their wild and barbarous triumph over the subdued nations, and their irrational idolatry. At the close of the last "woe" the prophet passes from the con- templation of dumb and helpless idols to the thought of the living God enthroned in his heaveanly place. Budde, in Theologische Studien und Kritiken, 1893, pp. 383 sqq., and Encyclopaedia Biblica, starting on the theory that 1:5-11 forms a break, as many are willing to admit, between 1:2-4 and l:12sgg., joins 1:4 to 1:12, deleting vs. 12c, d (also deleted by others who do not accept his arrangement of the material), because it furnishes a premature solution of the problem. Then 1:511 is put after 2:4 and interpreted as fol- lows : The prophet complains that he is left to cry in vain for help against the oppression and tyranny of the wicked (Assyria), on whose account law and justice are suffering (1:24). The prophet cannot see how Yahweh, holy and just Himself, can permit the wicked to destroy the righteous (Israel), how he is allowed to take men and peoples like fish with hook and net, and then deify the instruments by which he maintains his wealth and greatness (vss. 12-17). In 2 : 1 the prophet takes his stand upon his watchtower and awaits the answer to his complaint. In vss. 2-4 the prophet is bidden to write on tablets, and set up where all may read them, the joyous news that help is coming in due time, and that the just who waits patiently shall live by his faithfulness. Then, according to Budde, 1:5-11 follows, announcing the coming of the Chaldseans whom Yahweh is about to raise up against the wicked (Assyria) to destroy them. The writer char- acterizes these Chaldseans as bitter, impetuous, irresistible, sub- duing one country after another, i. e., as the Assyrians have used violence on other peoples, so they themselves shall be subjects of violence. Then the prophet returns in 2:5 sqq. to the violent one (Assyria), who has preyed upon other nations and puts in the mouths of these nations 1 taunting proverbs, developing in five i In his notes Budde deletes 2: 6a, 6, thus making the prophet utter the woes. 6 THE STEOPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK woes the ruin destined to be meted out to their oppressor (Assyria). It will be noted in the above summaries that in the first case the prophet starts with oppression within Israel itself, relief comes from the Chaldseans, they exceed their commission, and justice is outraged more than before ; then the answer comes that this can- not last, because wickedness cannot endure and relief will surely come. In the other case Israel is oppressed by an. outside nation, and relief is to come from another outside nation. Both views are beset with difficulties. In the first case, in 1:5, the raising up of the Chaldaeans is looked on as something almost incredible, yet in vss. 13-16 the author speaks of their treatment of conquered nations, and the moral problems involved, in a manner that seems to imply that he and his countrymen were well acquainted with their methods. Again, if he complains of injustice in Israel in 1:2-4, how can he consistently complain of the injustice of those called to avenge this injustice in Israel? Further, the subject of complaint in 2 : 1 ought to be the same as in 1:2-4, but according to the first view it is not. In other words, only 1:2-4 refers to Israel, and this is to serve as a sort of introduction to a prophecy against Babylon. So the question arises : Why speak of Israel's oppression of each other at all, in a prophecy directed against the Chaldseans? In addition, the wicked and righteous in 1:13 ought to be the same as in 1 : 2-4 ; whereas, according to the first view, the wicked and the righteous in one case are the Chaldeans and Israelites, and in the other the wicked and righteous are both in Israel itself. Driver gets rid of a part of these difficulties by saying that 1:2-11 is earlier than the rest of the prophecy, the rest having been written after the Chaldaeans had begun devastating the country. Budde maintains that the pictures of 1:12 sqq. and 2:5 sqq. do not suit the Babylonians, as they appear in history, so well as the Assyrians. Davidson, however, claims that it suits the one as well as the other. The main objections raised to Budde's theory are: (1) Can the misplacement of 1:5-11 from what he calls their original position be accounted for? (2) Why, in a prophecy of two chapters, is Assyria not named? (3) How can the methods of warfare of the Chaldseans have become so well known at the time THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 7 Budde places the prophecy (626-621) ? (4) Did Assyria at this time (626-621) have any considerable hold on the western provinces? If not, then 1:2-4 presents a greatly exaggerated picture. (5) It seems hardly probable that deification of means of warfare should be spoken of with regard to two nations. Budde answers (1) by saying that the rCle assigned to the Chaldseans in the original prophecy, of liberators of Israel from Assyria, seemed so little verified in history that at a later time, when the Chaldeans had become the oppressors, an editor of the book attempted to remove the seeming difficulty by making the prophecy refer to the Chaldseans. With regard to (2) it has been said that the people well understood whom the prophet had in mind, but it was impolitic to mention names. Budde disposes of (3) by saying it is imaginative like Isa. 5:26-30. Yet it seems as realistic as vss. 12-17. With regard to (4) it may be said that, while Assyria was undoubtedly greatly weak- ened, yet, in a period of change and doubt as to the final issue of the struggle to overcome its adversaries, its representatives might endeavor to conceal the signs of weakening by a show of greater force. Evidently, if we put the prophecy at the time to which Budde assigns it, it would seem that Judah must have been sub- ject to Assyria, and we might compare with this the readiness with which Josiah, later, goes out against Necho of Egypt, an enemy of Assyria. Budde disposes of (5) by saying that the last line of vs. 11 goes back to the Assyrian, and thus forms a transition to 2:5. On the whole, the arrangement of Budde seems to present fewer difficulties than that of the MT., though whether one can be as definite as he is with regard to naming the oppressor seems doubtful. Professor Gr. A. Smith, as stated above, follows his arrangement of the material, but does not venture to be so definite with regard to the identity of the oppressor. Because of the realistic way in which the ChaldaBans are spoken of, betokening an acquaintance with Chaldsean warfare hardly probable during the Assyrian supremacy, he suggests Egypt as the oppressor. But with our present knowledge of the historical situation, as he says, it seems impossible to fix definitely on the oppressor. However, it seems quite probable that it was a heathen power outside of Israel, rather than the wicked in Israel. Otherwise, as stated above, why should a prophet try to comfort his people by introducing a 8 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK prophecy against their enemies, with a short plaint of only three verses, calling for vengeance on the wicked in Israel itself ? As it has no essential bearing on the great problem of 1:5-11, and its position, the question of the authenticity of the "taunt songs" has been deferred until after that matter was discussed. Stade questioned all but the first of these songs, and was followed by Cornill and Kuenen. The second is questioned because it cannot well be said of the Chaldaean (Budde's Assyrian) that he places his nest on high to deliver himself from evil. But, as Davidson says, the evil need not imply present danger, but prospective or possible calamity. The fourth song, it is said, can hardly be Habakkuk's, because nothing is known of the devastation of Lebanon by the Chaldsean. Budde, however, calls attention to the fact that the Assyrians were constantly drawing on this region for timber to carry on their building ; hence it is thoroughly appropriate. The more conservative admit that there is more ground for questioning the third and fifth "woes." The third, because it contains reminiscences of other passages, viz., Mic. 3:10; Jer. 51:58, and Isa. 11:9. Further, it has been questioned on the ground that it repeats, in a measure, the preceding woe, or, at least, the preceding presupposes the building process spoken of here. The fifth woe is questioned because it treats of idolatry, a subject not mentioned elsewhere in the book, except in an indirect way, and then the allusion is not to carved images, as here. This, coupled with the fact that these two do not quite correspond in form to the other three, renders both of them questionable, to say the least. The book as a whole has not been considered as poetic, though it is conceded that the third chapter is a psalm, and hence is in poetic form. But on a closer examination of the other two chap- ters we find the characteristics of Hebrew poetry, for in these chapters are found the peculiarities of poetic style, viz., parallel- isms, archaic and poetic forms, alliterations, unusual words, chi- asms, and the inverted order of words, as well as the rhythmical flow of the language in a definite number of words to each line. Further, as we shall see later, these lines may be arranged in a regular scheme of strophes for each section. Taking up the matter of parallelism, we find that these two chapters (with the exception of prose connecting links) may be THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 9 set off in the form of lines of approximately the same length, these lines bearing definite relations to other lines, and thus giving rise to the so-called "parallelism of members." The three chief classes of parallelism are represented in these two chapters, as well as some of the more complex forms or combinations. Of the synonymous parallelisms we may note 1 : 10, lines a and b; l:12a, b; l:13a, 6, and c, d; l:15a, b; 2: la, 6, and c, d; 2:5c, d, and e, f. Of the antithetic the most marked is 2:4a, b, and of the synthetic, l:6a, 6, and c, d; l:10c, d; 2:26, c; 2:3c, d, and 2:9a, b, furnish examples. Of the complex forms we may note 2:7, where the first two lines are synonymously parallel in their relation to each other, but both are in synthetic relation to the third line; the same seems to be true of 1:9. In 2:1 the first two lines are synonymous, and so are the second and third, but the two groups are synthetic in their relation to each other. Further, the number of synonymous parallelisms in these chap- ters (at least fourteen) is quite at variance with the usage of the ordinary prose style ; in prose so much repetition, instead of emphasizing, would weaken and render the discourse burdensome. Of archaic and poetic forms the following are worthy of note : PT, 1:9 and 15, for the masculine suffix 1 : +rP)T for +nrp, 2:17; tfib, 2:7, a poetical form so frequently used in the Psalms; *IT, used as a relative, 1 : 11, a form used only in poetry, and the poetic rribsSJ with a suffix Vl'bsSt , 1:11, this being the only case of its occurrence. Then of the alliterations the following are examples : b?B b?S, 1:5; ib-tfb , 1:6 and 2:6; faBTDB , *I3BE , 1:7; 11DB runs, 1:8; n i, 2:9, and DTabx Drsrb,Y:i8. As uncommon words found in this passage we may note : riESE, 1:9; tTtia*, 2:6; 0"B5 , 2:11; WE, 2:15; flbp-p , 2:16. These are found only in these two chapters quite an unusual number for so short a passage. JTOElDE , 1:15, 16, appears elsewhere only in Isaiah (once), and there in the form rn'EpE . To these may be added words occurring only here and in the poetical books, viz., ""ifO , 1:4; pfilEE , 1:10, and TJ~P, 2:5, while D^DT"! and words from the root bp2 occur only here, in the poetical books, the Song of Deborah, and Isaiah (one case of each in the last two named). Examples of the chiastic order are: IDEE fcttfi , 1:7; VlZTB Vans 1 ! ,1:8; 81H ib , 1:9; h nbtf mrr , 1:12. Note the same arrangement of phrases in l:13a, b, and of verbs in 1:8 ; 1:15 ; 10 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 2:1, etc. Then, closely connected with the chiastic order, and sometimes dependent upon it, is the unusual order of words, of which we have a number of examples in this passage. Let it suf- fice to consider the order of the substantive subject and its verb. In prose, with the exception of the circumstantial clause, the order, in the great majority of cases, is : verb, substantive, the number of instances in which the reverse order occurs being relatively small. Take some examples of the ratio of these two cases in some pas- sages, i. e., of the ratio of the number of times the verb precedes the substantive to the number of times it follows the substantive : Prayer of Solomon, 1 Kings 8 : 23-53, as 14 to 1 Book of Ruth (exclusive of genealogy at close), as 77 to 6 Story of David and Goliath, 1 Sam., chap. 17, as 61 to 6 Farewell address of Joshua, Josh. 24 : 2-15, as 10 to 1 Story of Rebekah, Gen., chap. 24, as 37 to 8 First oration of Moses, Deut. 1 : 64 : 40, as 18 to 7 Song of Deborah, Judg., chap. 5, as 23 to 13 Song of Moses, Deut. 33 : 1-43, as 8 to 5 Hab., chap. 3, - as 16 to 7 Hab., chaps. 1, 2, as 17 to 10 Isa., chap. 5, as 16 to 13 Pss. 1-5, as 5 to 4 Taking all these lines of evidence into consideration we have good reasons for classing these two chapters as poetry. Then, granting the poetic form as far as the language and lines are concerned, the question remains : If poetic, has it a definite strophical arrangement of the material, and what is that arrange- ment? In other words, what are the smaller unities that go to make up the larger unity of the passage or of the parts of which it is composed ? For the solution of this question we shall follow the arrangement of material adopted by Professor Budde and Professor G. A. Smith, viz., 1:2-4; 1:122:4; 1:5-11 ; 2:5-20. 1. Hab. 1:1-4; 1:12 2:4: The Plaint and the Answer. aran pipnn j-irn nina awran (i) bi WHO mrr msr (2) i -pa "Daw rtab (3) -n^b rani wi 2 Read with Syriac t3"OK instead of t2"On , unless with Ewald, Syntax, 122, we allow a causative force for EPSD . Elsewhere it does not seem to have the meaning "cause to see." LXX apparently read t2"On has been omitted as a gloss, inserted to explain the unusual &02 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 11 mm man -p-b? (4) n mrr mpa nna ibn (120,6) in 7 man 6 xb h iznp nbx DT* IIFTD (13a,6) barbx trim nab (i8c,d) iv Tizn ?bnn ipbn (i6a) (i6&) vi p h T "-p-b? (17) *WeUhausen for TriDtt reads ^UD'a; cf. vs. 15. Nowack suggests n^Dtt But may mean "surround" in a hostile sense. 5 The "p~by of MT. in 1. 4 seems unnecessary, as the expression occurs in 1. 1, and seems to add little to the emphasis. By its omission the measure is rendered more regular. 6 We probably have a D"HSD "JlpH in the HIED tfb of MT. i The latter half of vs. 12 of MT., nn^io BSDiuttb mm irnoi mDinb -nn furnishes a premature solution of the problem, and breaks the connection between the first half of vs. 12 and vs. 13. It is probably due to a later hand; so Wellhausen, G. A. Smith, and Nowack. If it be retained, read with LXX 1"^S instead of "flS 8 The MT. has ID'Q'Q at close of second line ; LXX and Syriac omit it. The line is full without it, and the idea of comparative guilt does not seem to be emphasized elsewhere in the book. 9 Perhaps in the third line it is better to read with Wellhausen and Nowack, following LXX, waw conjunctive rather than consecutive. Wellhausen and Nowack also change to ntO!T" l 1 and refer to the tyrant's view of men, i. e., he treats them as fishes, etc. ; but leaving it in the second person it continues the complaint ; not only is Yahweh silent, but he makes men " a swarming disorder," so that they are easily preyed upon. 10 Omit "TD"b37 1 as it appears in the preceding line and adds no strength to this one. Besides, the line is over-full without it, and, further, by its omission 1. 4 is made like 1. 2. 11 With Kautzsch (HSAT.) omit H from before "p"^ in 1. 3, and 1 from before T^f! Both may have arisen from dittography. Giesebrecht, Budde, Rothstein, Well- hausen, G. A. Smith, and Nowack read Obl^n in 1. 3, but Kautzsch's emendation is simpler and makes a smoother passage. Giesebrecht, Kautzsch, Wellhausen, G. A. Smith, and 12 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 2:i vn (2:2a) mnbmb? nani -pm nniD (26, c) vm in *oip yrr -p>b TPYab -Jim 113? ^ (3a,6) " bi ypb "msi rrarrarr DX (3c) ix mr The writer in 1 : 2 sq. bemoans the wretched condition of an oppressed people. He expresses his thought in a strophe of four lines of the pentameter movement (secured by emending a line that is questioned by Nowack and others on entirely different grounds than that a shorter line is required by the measure). This pentameter movement, 3 + 2, has been called the Qlnah measure by Budde, as he first observed it in the book of Lamenta- tions ; it is the regular form used in the lamentation (Hebr. Qinah) or dirge. Here it well accords with the thought expressed and seems to have been chosen for that purpose, for, having made his complaint, the author, in dealing with the details, drops into a Nowack read "Qin for TEIM of MT. in the third line. All but Giesebrecht avoided the reading ll^n in vs. 16 because in*1'J3D l 53 is so near it. Giesebrecht reads for this irnDTQ a word of uncertain meaning ; c/. Gen. 49 : 5. The difficulty lies in the fact that some weapon seems required both in vss. 16 and 17. But it is just as well to leave the matter indefinite in a poetical description, i. e., general rather than specific. 12 11213 , in 1. 2, WeUhausen connects with "^ ; others with 11^ . Ewald reads TllSTQ "citadel;" Nowack suggests nSllfc'E) as being in accord with the context ; Gesenius- Buhl Dictionary suggests "TS'S 13 Read with Syriac and Targ. nTttT rather than 3TJD8 . Bredenkamp, Wellhausen, Budde, Kautzsch, and Nowack follow Syriac. Davidson says it would be as weU to change, but thinks it is not absolutely necessary. i* Bredenkamp, Budde, Kautzsch, Wellhausen, and Nowack read, with the LXX, rHSPI instead of riD" 1 "! of the MT. So, literaUy, "sprout," or, better, "blossom," here not only shall it blossom (or sprout), but the blossoming shall not deceive ; the fruit shall come. 15 L. 3 is rather long ; besides, there seems to be a difficulty with the text. Syriac has JJo!> (Hebr. b"l50, followed by Wellhausen and Nowack. At any rate, we expect a sub- stantive as the counterpart of p^132 in next line. LXX A. has rwxeXevo^voVi which suggests Bredenkamp's reading Db^DH ; LXX O', tav VTroffTetXyrcu otf/c euSo/cet, etc. Vulg. has incredulus. Targ.: "Behold the wicked say, all this shall not happen, etc." So, probably, as above, following the Syriac. THE STKOPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 13 different measure, which is maintained throughout this division. From this point on the movement is trimeter or a close approxi- mation to the same. The slight variations from the movement are apparently due to a desire to make the form correspond, in some measure, to the thought, whether short, concise, and emphatic, or long drawn out, though the longer lines in some cases may be due to the exigencies of the language, the writer being unable to express his thought in the usual number of words. But, doubtless, some of the long lines are long only in appearance, as some of the constructs and unemphatic words were probably considered as part of the following words for accentual purposes. At least we may infer some such a state of affairs as this, since the great majority of lines show the trimeter movement. This is accomplished quite frequently in the Masoretic text by the use of the maqqSph. However, these maqqephs are only traditional, and are used at times where the measure would be more regular without them. But to return to the strophes, having given voice to an outcry of distress in the first strophe, in the second (vs. 4) the author treats of the ethical and moral results of so much unrequited oppression great moral disorder prevails. (Here, as in the following strophes of this division, there are four lines to the strophe.) This moral disorder prevalent on all sides raises the question in the prophet's mind whether this can be in accord with the character of God His purity, unchangeableness, and utter abhorrence of all that is evil. He gives expression to this thought in the third strophe, 1 : 12a, fr, 16 13a, b. Then in the fourth strophe (vss. 13c, 14) he further gives utterance to his perplexity in the presence of the facts of experience. God, being so pure and just, how is it that He seems unconcerned in the presence of violence, has even made men, such as they are, helpless in the presence of the oppressor ? Passing from the idea of the helpless- ness of man before the tyrant, the prophet pictures, in the fifth strophe (vss. 15, 16a), the exultant tyrant who has dragged down men and nations, and who then deifies the means by which this was accomplished, or, perhaps better, the might which made use of the means. Thereupon the reason why the tyrant does this suggests itself to the mind of the writer a reason he gives in the fifth strophe (vss. 166, 17). 16 It will be noted that if vs. 12c, d be retained here, between 126 and 13, the lines mar the picture the prophet begins to speak of the attributes of God, then interrupts himself to say that someone is ordained for judgment, and then returns to contemplate the attri- butes of God. Hence omit vs. 12c, d with Wellhausen, G. A. Smith, and Nowack. 14 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK The prophet has now stated his plea, and there is a pause, during which he forms a resolution as to what attitude he shall take in regard to the matter. He expresses this resolution in the seventh strophe (2:1) whatever may be the outcome, he will watch and wait. While in this attitude of expectancy, a voice is heard bidding him inscribe the expected answer plainly on tablets so that all may read, for the fulfilment of the answer is certain, though not immediate (Strophe VIII, 2:26-36). (The prose intro- duction of vs. 3 may not have been in the original poem.) At the close of the eighth strophe, it was suggested that, though the vision might not be fulfilled immediately, it should certainly come to fruition. In the first two lines of the ninth strophe (2:3c, 4) he is admonished to be patient, and then, in the third and fourth, follows the answer to the prophet's plaint in the form of a general principle : "The soul of the wicked is not upright (level, natural, or normal) in him (and from the nature of the case cannot endure), but the righteous shall live by his faithfulness," i. e., his loyalty and steadfastness toward God and right. The variations from the trimeter movement in the division already considered are not very marked. Among the long lines may be noted the third line of 1:4, perhaps to emphasize the weariness of the continued oppression, and something of the same idea must be back of the second line of vs. 15, while the first of vs. 16 is drawn out as a sort of echo of the long line in vs. 15. The short line, vs. 16c, belongs to a class of parallelisms very common in the Psalms e. a slight variation from Wellhausen's correction, in place of H1"1 of text. Numerous other readings have been suggested. But none are very satisfactory; the above is given with hesitancy. The use of "OS? in this line is unusual, too ; probably the text is corrupt. For the use of the perfect after TfcS cf. Gesenius-Buhl, Dictionary, under TX . 16 THE STROPHIC STRUCTUEE OF HABAKKUK The second division, 1:511, may be considered as an address to the oppressors, threatening them with violence for their deeds, though some would have us take 1:611 as the message to be inscribed on the tablets rather than vs. 4 of chap. 2 (vs. 5 of chap. 1 being taken as an interpolation rendered necessary by the transposition of this section from its original position to its present place in the Massoretic text). In that case they would consider the announcement of 2:4, the enunciation of a great moral prin- ciple, given for the uncertain interval before the facts are realized in history. One very serious objection to this view is that 1:6-11 would make a rather long inscription for the busy man, "running" (cf. 2:2) hither and thither, to read. So it would seem better to take 2:4 as the inscription (not quite so short and striking, perhaps, as Isaiah's inscription, Isa., chap. 8, yet terse enough to attract attention); then the whole passage, 1:5-11, is the prophet's message of relief to the oppressed, perhaps delivered later as an unfolding of the message inscribed. This section is not so regular in its strophic arrangement as the one already treated. There are twenty-four lines, and the flow of thought in these determines in favor of the division into strophes of 4 + 6-J-4 + 4 + 6 lines, or, deleting vs. 5, four strophes of 6 + 4 + 4 + 6 lines quite symmetrical, to be sure, but 1 : 6 does not attach itself very readily to 2:4, while it does to 1:5 ; other- wise the strophic structure would argue strongly in favor of throwing out 1:5. Hence it will be as well to retain vs. 5 as an introductory strophe. This strophe of four trimeter lines announces to the oppressors that God is about to do a work that will astonish them, a work that seems incredible, in view of present conditions. How this section is connected with that already considered can only be inferred from this opening of the address. Possibly after the people have had time to ponder over the inscription, and have become inquisitive about it, the prophet comes forward and in a dramatic manner addresses the tyrants who are supposed to be before him. The remainder of the section up to vs. 11 contains the announcement of that which is to be the cause for astonishment. The next strophe of six lines, No. II (1:6, 7) announces who is to appear as the avenger of present wrongs, and gives a charac- terization of the coming Chaldsean bitter, hasty, covetous, inspiring terror, imperious. Then the third strophe of four lines THE STKOPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 17 (l:8a d) apparently describes the rapid approach of cavalry and baggage train, while the fourth, also of four lines (vss. 8e, 9) indicates the object the Chaldsean has in view, and the avidity with which he pursues it. Following this is the fifth strophe of six lines (vss. 10, 11), describing the ease with which the Chal- dsean carries on his operations, and, in the last line, probably returning to the oppressor, who, by deifying his might, has brought on himself guilt, and hence doom. If we were to argue merely from the standpoint of strophic arrangement, we might decide to throw out the section 1:5-11 entirely, as Wellhausen does on the ground that it does not fit logically after 1:4, but in the same manner we might throw out 2:5-20, as there is no return to the four-line strophe in that sec- tion. Again, it has been urged, against the assumption that the two sections, already considered are by the same author, that there are too many parallels in the two sections. May it not be that the artist makes use of these parallels to accentuate his message : as the oppressor has done to others, so shall he himself be treated, or even with greater severity? There are no very long lines in the second section. The second line of vs. 5 is short and alliterative, and so is the third line of vs. 8, evidently so chosen to intensify the impression to be made on the hearers. Otherwise, most of the lines are quite regular, and call for no special notice. 3. Hob. 2:5-20: The Downfall of the Tyrant. TO 28 3 ai (2:5) I tn s 28 This correction is somewhat doubtful, especially since ^1 is represented neither in the Greek nor in the Syriac version. Syriac : "A foolhardy and covetous man is insatiable," etc. LXX: " The haughty and contemptuous is a man wandering about." Vulg. : "Quomodo vinum potantem decepit sic vir superbus," etc. Bredenkamp and Giesebrecht, independently, emended thus : "pfc$3 03D&O J they are followed by Budde. 29 Read with Wellhausen after Syriac PITY 1 instead of HID" 1 ; Syriac translates both this and JP^tET of 1. 3 by the same verb, ^ *->M ; Vulg. translates : " he shall not be honored." Targ., first two lines: " Woe to the robber, a man who is not able to quiet his desire," etc. r perhaps suggesting Wellhausen's conjecture, noted below (p. 20, note 43). 18 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK bra vb? dbiD nba aibn (60,6) ib rrrrn ra rntan in (&?,<*) n 30 trt:nr vab nar'i (8) r-bD -pbizr irrnb :?n y^n 3?^n ^n (9) m (io> (ii) (12) iv mp - n ^ibn (is) , ATT. Xey. C/. t3!iy " to pledge ;" Arab. ax.O "to hold fast, confirm," so, perhaps, a mass of pledges ; for formation cf. *TH30 " a heavy rain," Prov. 27 : 15 ; ^ISUD , Jer. 43 : 10. Some, following Hieronymus, have taken it as two separate words, and translate " thick clay ;" Syriac, " a thick mass of dirt or mire." But this does not suit the parallelism as well as " a mass of pledges." LXX, "Who makes heavy his collar (yoke ?) fitting closely " (LXX in vs. 7, "those biting him ;" vs. 8, Targ. adds to refrain " and of Jerusalem"). 31 " i n < 53'"ny breaks the connection if retained between 11. 1 and 2 above ; so place as 1. 3. 32 LXX and Syriac, followed by G. A. Smith and Nowack, read second singular masculine perfect of "T2p; then following line will be circumstantial, "at the same time sinning," etc. ; cf. Green, 309, la; Ewald, 3416, c; Driver, Hebrew Tenses, 161. 38 D^SD > ttTT. Aey. = (perhaps) "beam;" Syriac, "nail" or "peg;" LXX A, a "worm" or "beetle;" Aq. ^dfa K tf\ou; S. vvvdeaiws oi/co5o/A^s; Targ., "a piece of wood." In the Mishna the word means " a building stone." Grata would read here, 34 Read, with Syriac, Vulg., and LXX, HSH, instead of HSH' Kautzsch makes a hexameter of 1. 3 by adding, con jectur ally, ^TlbX- Syriac for 11. 3, 4, and 5 has: "These things, all of them, are from the Lord All-powerful, the nations are stirred up as a furnace, and peoples labor in vain." THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 19 n ^ ronb npica in qai "(ran "qoa 87 m7a iran -pEb pr ott 76* men brtn nn*TD3 nmn -pbp rearai (16) 7jn ^ (17) 38a -jivrr mona wi pa-cam ma ra rn (19) vi ran csi "bos b^in na as) ibos ^ ntaa ^ nrwb nin-^i (20) en 35 LXX has euJrorfs for Q1 . 36 L. 2 of the strophe is probably corrupt, nor do the versions help much; however, Wellhausen suggests the reading given above, also the change of QH to 1 . 37 Perhaps the plural form of the noun might have been retained. Of. Kautzsch's "zeige deine Vorhaut" in the following verse. 38 On the whole, it is better to read, with Wellhausen, after LXX, b^^Jl instead of f MT. ; then 1. 4 is, in a sense, parallel to 1. 2, and by a transposition, evidently required logically, 11. 1 and 4 run parallel to each other. In the same way 11. 3 and 6 are rendered parallel. 38a Read *j instead of "j with LXX. 39 n in 1. 3 is omitted before fcOH to avoid hiatus (Ewald, Syntax, 3246). 40 UDISn in 1. 4 is doubtful ; after analogy of Tn&$ in 1 Kings 6 : 10, perhaps, " overlaid." *! If vs. 18 is not a later addition, it should come after vs. 19, i. e., after the woe has been pronounced. Stade calls vs. 18 (11. 6-10) the pious ejaculation of a reader ; cf. ZATW., 1884, pp. 18-20. Rothstein, Studien und Kritiken, 1894, says it rounds off the thought of vs. 19, so makes it follow vs. 19, as above. 42 In 1. 9 omit one form of 1^1 and point the other as a participle with a suffix, with Wellhausen and Nowack. One form probably arose by dittography. 20 THE STBOPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK The third division, 2:520, consists, in the main, of trimeter lines, the variation from this measure being slight, as in the divisions already discussed. This division, in the main, like the first, has the oppressor for its subject, but treated from a different point of view. Here there is an exultant note running through the section a feeling that the oppressor is soon to be over- thrown. This feeling of exultancy breaks out in the so-called "taunt songs," of which there are five ; these, with an introductory strophe of six lines, 2:5, in which the author moralizes on the action of the tyrant in general, constitute the whole section. The strophic arrangement in this section is more complex than in the first, but still very clearly indicated by the introduc- tory word in case of the "taunt songs,' 5 and, as there is only one other strophe, that can easily be set off. But when we come to the authenticity of the section, that is a matter not so easily dis- posed of. It was stated above that Stade attributes only the introductory strophe and the first taunt song to Habakkuk. But perhaps this is too sweeping a statement. Others of the "taunt songs" show close relation both in structure and thought to the first (Strophe II), and one other (Strophe V), like the first, has a refrain following it. The fourth strophe (vss. 12-14) is con- sidered doubtful by Professor G. A. Smith and others, as it seems to be a composite of three other passages, viz., Mic. 3:10; Jer. 51:8, and Isa. 11:9, though this might be earlier than some of them. Professor Smith also thinks the sixth strophe (vss. 18, 19, 20) is too much like the language of the later prophets to be Habakkuk's ; in this view he is supported by many others ; in fact, but few of the latest commentators maintain that Habakkuk was the author of this strophe. Before discussing further the authenticity of these "taunt songs" let us consider their form and content. As stated above, the introductory strophe has six lines in which the writer muses over the rapacity of the tyrant, and this, if our interpretation of the last line in 1:5 be the correct one, attaches itself in a manner to the final thought there, and also leads up to the outburst of the prophet in "taunt songs" against the oppressor. 43 ' 44 *3 The beginning of this first (introductory) strophe is attended by a difficulty in the text which it seems almost impossible to clear up. Wellhausen sees in it a mutilated 11J1 , and so calls it another "taunt song" or "woe," but it does not correspond in form to the other "woes," and, if the present text is correct, the woes are not expected until after vs. 66. 4* Ruben, who does not follow Budde, after a series of interesting emendations (in the Jewish Quarterly Review, April, 1899, pp. 448-55), makes the whole of the second chapter take THE STEOPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK 21 The first of the "taunt songs," Strophe II (vss. 6c-8, the first part of vs. 6 being a prose introduction), consists of eight lines approximately of the trimeter measure, and has for its sub- ject the one who increases his wealth by spoiling others, threat- ening him with a like spoliation. This eight-lined strophe is followed by a refrain of two lines ; the same refrain occurs also after the fifth strophe ; indeed, it has been suggested that origi- nally the other "taunt songs" were followed by the same refrain. This "woe" (Strophe II) may have its lines divided thus: 3 + 3 + 2. Further, the woe is pronounced in the first group, the oppressor is addressed in the second, and the third is introduced by ^3 . This description of form and number of lines also applies to the third strophe (vss. 9-11), treating of covetousness or self-aggrandizement, and the vanity of building projects and other public works ; and also to the fifth strophe (vss. 15-17), dealing with the tyrant's contemptuous treatment of conquered kings and prostrate princes. Turning to the remaining "woes" or "taunt songs," we find that the fourth strophe (vss. 12-14), dealing with him who carries on building projects and public works by means of forced service, also has eight lines, but these lines are arranged in a different manner from those in the second, third, and fifth. Instead of 3 + 3 + 2 we have 2 + 3 + 3, and there is no direct address made to the oppressor, as in the other three "woes." So in the sixth strophe (vss. 18-20), which 'deals with the folly of idolatry, there is a difference of arrangement. To make the "^Fl stand at the beginning we should probably make vs. 18 follow vs. 19, as the verse cannot be connected logically with the pre- ceding strophe. Then we have a strophe of ten lines, with the groups 2 + 3 + 3 + 2, with the two lines following as a sort of antiphon. Here, too, there is no direct address to a tyrant ; in fact, there is nothing said of a tyrant, nor of oppression. The whole strophe deals with a subject hardly touched upon by the prophet, and hence probably belonging to a later time. The poetic arrangement also argues in favor of a later authorship. In the case of the fourth strophe the form argues somewhat also in favor of a later addition. This, in conjunction with the evi- dence brought forward above, and, in addition, the fact that the the form of a strophe (vss. 1-8) and antistrophe (vss. 9-17), followed by an epode (vss. 18-20). But, to obtain a logical order for the strophe, he makes some rather questionable changes of the text. On the whole, the smaller divisions seem simpler. 22 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF HABAKKUK last part of the third strophe presupposes the building processes spoken of in the fourth, renders the fourth quite doubtful. The logical connection in these woes, naturally, is not very close. Taking the three " taunt songs" that probably belong to Habakkuk, the tyrant is treated first as a spoiler and then threat- ened with spoiling ; in the third strophe the woe is pronounced upon him because he hopes to make his house secure by heaping up these unjust gains ; here even the very buildings he has erected must tell the story of his wrongs. Then in the fifth strophe the tyrant is denounced as severely for his treatment of the conquered princes as he was in the other two for his treat- ment of the workmen. The measure in this section is not quite so regular as in the other two, but in the main is trimeter. Of long lines we may note the first line of Strophe III, pronouncing the woe, and the long line (No. 3) in Strophe IV, where the question arises whether the last word ought to be omitted. Of the short lines we note T^J"^ , an emphatic pause in the second strophe ; also in the second line of the following verse a line like that in 1 : 16c, treated above. The short line in the third strophe (vs. 9c) is a circumstantial clause placed here abruptly to emphasize the idea intended to be conveyed. The irregularities of the lines, in the strophes whose authenticity is questioned, do not call for any special mention. 3. Hob. 3:1-19: Prayer of Habakkuk. mrM b? &ran pipnnb nbsn (3:i) TOE-ID mm (3:2) I mm Tferr irrn D-SID mpi om w mbs (3) n nbo 4* Ruben says the second D n DlD H^p2 n vs. 2 should probably be replaced by ; c/. LXX: tv r irapeTvai rbv Kaipdv. 46 Nowack would read, with the LXX, $^r\ instead of yniD of MT. But the paral- lelism is just as good with pointing of MT. Beginning with 1. 2, the LXX has : " I considered Thy works and was astonished; in the midst of two beasts (?) (or lives [?]) (6