Messianic Prophecy in Habakkuk

Before I continue my exegesis of Habakkuk 2:4, I want to share an interesting find a little further on in this extraordinary book.

Habakkuk 3:13 is perhaps the most explicit case of what Christians would interpret to be Messianic prophecy in Habakkuk, prompting even the Orthodox canon of Paschal matins to include a reference to Habakkuk's vision of the Messiah. Most interesting in this verse is the ambiguity that exists in the Hebrew text which is translated differently by the various versions (LXX, Targum, Vulgate, etc.)

The Hebrew text reads as follows:
יצאת לישע עמך לישע את-משיחך
yaṣā'ṯā lyēša' 'āmmekā lyēša' 'et-mšīḥekā
"You went out to save your people, to save (with) your Anointed."

The issue revolves around the particle את, which, depending upon context, may signify two different particles which have fallen together in Hebrew orthography and pronunciation. The first is the common definite direct object marker. When a direct object is definite, i.e. possesses a definite article, a possessive pronoun, or is a proper noun, it may take this particle to signify it as the direct object. The first verse of the Bible says that God created את-the heavens and את-the earth. The second particle is the (somewhat rare) preposition meaning "with." Both are written and pronounced exactly the same when written without pronominal suffixes. So, which one is it?

The LXX opted for the former by simply giving the accusative of χριστος. However, strangely enough, it gives the plural τους χριστους instead of the singular as we might expect. The translation of the LXX would read "to save (his) anointed ones." (note: this reading is supported by a few Hebrew mss. as well as codes Vaticanus and Siniaticus of the LXX. Because I do not have a full LXX critical apparatus with me at the moment, I cannot give a more complete analysis of the extant sources. Perhaps my good friend Gabriel can supply me with the official Orthodox LXX reading.)

The Aramaic Targum agrees with the LXX by giving the equivalent of את, which, in Aramaic is the rare particle ית, a derivative of the same proto-Semitic particle.

The Latin Vulgate, reads the particle to be the preposition, giving "cum christo tuo."

( I would also give the Syriac text, though I do not currently have it with me, though I will supply it when I get it.)

The Hebrew text itself is ambiguous. The translations, on the other hand, offer (roughly) three different interpretations:

• The LXX (B,S) appears to generalize the statement and place it in closer parallelism with "to save your people." As "people" is a collective reference to a plurality of individuals, the translator of the LXX thought it appropriate to supply a plural term in the second parallel colon.
• The Aramaic Targum states that the Lord will "save his anointed." From a Christian perspective, this is entirely congruent with other Messianic prophecies where the resurrection is pictured as the Lord's salvation of the Messiah from corruption, death, etc.
• The Vulgate gives the most explicit Messianic interpretation that the Lord will "save with his Anointed."

Which one is correct? Perhaps there is room for all three to be correct and offer different perspectives on the salvific work of the Messiah and the subsequent "anointing" of all who follow him in faith and obedience.

Habakkuk 2:4

I'm going to attempt something a bit treacherous, and do some exegesis of a section of Scripture, as I have run across it in my daily reading - an oft quoted passage in the NT, and one of great importance for theology as well as practical spirituality (though there should really be no difference in the two).

Habakkuk 2:4

I will first give a grammatical analysis of the Hebrew (MT) and secondly, in the next post, the LXX. Subsequently, in the following post, I will attempt to describe the difference between the two texts and what the difference might entail regarding the intended meaning of the text.

Hebrew Text:

הנה עפלה לא ישרה נפשו בו / וצדיק באמונתו יחיה

hineh `upplāh lo'-yashrāh nafšō bō / wṣaddīq be'emūnātō yiḥyeh

Behold, his soul is haughty (lit. swollen, presumptuous), not upright within him, but the righteous will live by his faith.

Analysis:

The two cola of this poetic bicolon feature semantic and grammatical parallelism that help establish meaning. Each colon begins with a particle to introduce each statement, הנה and ו. This construction establishes a strong contrast between the cola - "behold...X. But...Y."

In the first colon, the terms עפלה and לא ישרה are appositional and therefore complementary. A sort of straw man is created, such-and-such a person possesses a character (נפשו), which is haughty (עפלה) and not upright (לא ישרה). This reading understands both terms to be verbs in the perfect conjugation (which conforms to the Masoretic reading). The literal translation of these verbs would be "His soul is haughty, it is not upright." The word order of this colon is a bit difficult, which no doubt created some problems for translators. However, the grammar allows little room for variation. Both עפלה and לא ישרה are feminine singular verbs. עפלה is a pu``al (factative/intensive medio-passive), lit. "it has been made / become haughty." לא ישרה is a stative verb "to be upright" and therefore performs a function similar to an adjective.

The second colon contains contrastive semantic parallelism, although its grammatical structure is different. צדיק, is an adjective meaning "just, righteous." Semantically, it is in parallel with לא ישרה, one being a positive term and the other negative. These two parallel terms are set in chiasm - a, b, b', a'. The outer terms of the chiasm include עפלה and אמונתו. Haughtiness is contrasted with faith. Both terms, however, are set within a verbal context. One "has become haughty." The righteous one "lives by faith." The second term comes complete with an instrumental preposition, ב, and the verb יחיה "will live."

Commentary:

Putting all of this together, we see two different types of people generally characterized adjectivally by being either righteous (צדיק) or unrighteous (לא ישרה). These types of people are then characterized verbally by either being haughty (עפלה) or living by faith (באמונתו יחיה). Faith, then, in this verse, is directly contrasted by haughtiness. In other words, faith is defined as being the opposite of haughtiness. Here, then, faith is more than belief or trust, but also includes submission, humility, a willingness to be corrected.

These two types of people are described in detail in the surrounding context. Before this verse, Habbakuk states that he will sit himself on the rampart and watch to see what God will say to him, and how he will respond when he is corrected (v. 2). Afterwards, the haughty person is described in poetic detail in vv. 5 ff. characterized by a sort of unbridled greed and abuse of power. The context as well as the grammar indicate that the state of righteousness or unrighteousness is a function of a person's actions. The NT quotations of this verse further demonstrate this in the life of Abraham and his almost-sacrifice of his son Isaac. Abraham not only believed God, but humbled himself by submitting to the command of the Lord. He obeyed (St. James' emphasis) through his belief (St. Paul's emphasis) in the promise of the Lord. Belief characterized by obedience, faith and works operating together in unison to produce character that is pleasing to God. The contrast is also true - the haughty person will be characterized by action in accordance to his haughtiness.

In the next post, I will examine the LXX both as a translation of the Hebrew (not necessarily the Masoretic Text) and as a text in and of itself with an integrity and message entirely its own.

There and Back Again: A Pilot's Tale by Eric Jobe

First, a word about pilots.

Pilots are a simple folk but capable of great complexity. They are simple in that they love to play with very large and expensive toys, for that is about all that flying anything but airliners and fighter jets amounts to. However, they show a great acumen for handling multiple complex tasks at the same time such as operating a GPS while maintaining altitude during severe turbulence. Like their nautical ancestors before them, they are a fearless breed, willing to ride the fiercest winds and play chicken with thunderstorms. And though they may get struck by lightening now and then, their greatest pleasure is in calm, peaceful winds, and good paved runways.

*End spoof*

Today was a most strange and exciting day of flying, although very little of it actually consisted of being in the air. Happily, by the end of the day, I completed my first solo cross-country, that is my first time to go there and back again all by myself (the training wheels are off and Daddy let go of the seat). The pilot's greatest battle and constant foe is Mother Nature, who brings a never-ending onslaught of high winds, low clouds, fog, and thunderstorms. My day at the airfield began at 7:00 am waiting for overcast skies at 800 feet at my intended destination of College Station to lift. By 10:00, they were just beginning to lift, though, about that time, a new layer of low clouds were beginning to descend on my home field of Weiser. After a few moments of deliberating about the situation with my instructor, he cleared me to go on up and see how was. If the ceiling was such that I could fly at 1000 feet AGL and still remain clear of the clouds, I should go. I got up in the pattern and was greeted by clouds at 1100 feet with haze and poor visibility. I immediately turned base and returned to airport. The flight was not a waste, however, for I was able to make a near-perfect cross-wind landing, a skill I was needing some practice with. I was able to transition from my "crab" into the wind (essentially flying somewhat sideways with the nose of the aircraft pointed into the wind while flying straight ahead) into a wing-low and nose-straight attitude. The idea is to bank into the wind to keep from drifting but keep the aircraft from turning by applying opposite rudder. The airplane ideally touches down on one wheel first, and then the other main wheel. (If you pay attention, you will notice airliners doing this when they land). The whole maneuver takes place very quickly but involves a highly complex series of control movements that depends on the pilot being able to accurately sense and visualize the airplane in relation to the cross-wind. Good cross-wind procedures take a great deal of time and practice to perfect.

I spent the next hour again waiting at the airport for the clouds to lift. My instructor, who was going up with another student, gave me a PIREP (pilot report) from the air over the radio to report the cloud ceilings that he was observing (the best weather observations are by the pilots themselves). The clouds were at 1700, and I was clear to fly. Although I was clear of the clouds by flying at 1100 feet, the wind and turbulence was quite bad. I had trouble just steadying my hand to turn the nobs on the radio equipment. I actually ended up selecting the wrong option on the GPS and lost my course. I had to reset it in-flight, a task that diverted my attention from actually flying the airplane. I was not able to maintain my altitude or my heading, and consequently flew off course for a bit. Once the GPS was back as it should, I was able to correct and make my way toward College Station. Once I was in range, I contacted the tower and entered the pattern. My class delta ops went well, though I am still a bit cold and clumsy with my radio communications with the tower. Only more experience will change that.

The return journey went very well. I was able to hold my altitude and heading very closely. Without any trouble, I was back in the pattern at Weiser setting up for a rather strong cross-wind landing, which was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.

Thus was my journey there and back again - a major milestone in my flight training experience. In just a short week and a half, I will be taking my check ride and receiving my license.

And tomorrow, I will do it all over again.