A prayer of Habakkuk: This prayer is divided into three parts. The first part, extending through “Mount Paran—Selah” in verse 3, is a prayer concerning the period of exile, asking that God not hide His face from His people; it concludes with the word Selah. The second part, from “His glory covered the heavens” through “You laid bare the foundation to the neck—Selah” in verse 13, concerns God’s governance during the exile and His revelation at the time of redemption, when He will go forth to save His people; this part likewise concludes with Selah. The third part, from verse 14 through the end of the chapter, concerns the period when Israel will become prey to its enemies and experience the travail preceding the Messiah. It explains that these sufferings and afflictions will themselves be a sign that redemption is approaching.

O Hashem, I heard Your report: That is, after I heard the message You revealed to me—“There is yet a vision for the appointed time, and another will speak concerning the end”—by which You disclosed that another exile would follow the redemption from Babylon and that this second exile would endure for a very long time, as stated, “Though it tarries, wait for it”—“I became afraid.” He feared that during such a lengthy exile, Israel might disappear among the nations, and therefore prayed concerning this exile. “O Hashem, Your work”: He prayed that the work God had performed for Israel in ancient times—performing miracles and wonders for them, setting them apart as His portion, and watching over them with special Providence—should not cease during the long years of exile. This Providence would continue in two ways. First, it would sometimes operate secretly: the world would appear to proceed according to nature, while Providence’s activity remained concealed. Nevertheless, it would remain alive and enduring. Concerning this, Habakkuk prayed, “O Hashem, preserve Your work alive in the midst of the years.” Even when Your activity is hidden and concealed during the years of exile, preserve it alive; do not allow this Divine activity to die—that is, to cease and disappear entirely. Let it remain alive, like a living being whose power remains present and contained within it even when it is not acting or visibly revealing its deeds. Second, this Divine activity should not remain hidden continually, but should awaken from one visitation to another, occasionally performing miracles for Israel even during the years of exile. In this way, everyone would see Hashem’s work and recognize that He watches over Israel “through the windows,” and that even while they dwell in the land of their enemies, He does not reject them or break His covenant with them. Concerning this, he says, “In the midst of the years make it known”—at times, reveal Your work so that everyone will know that You watch over them. “In anger, remember mercy”: Even when You are angry with them because of their sins, remember to have compassion upon them so that they will not be utterly destroyed or lost.

God will come from Teman: This form of providential governance will continue until the time of redemption arrives, when God will come from Teman to redeem Israel. The prophet portrays the final exile as divided between two kingdoms: the kingdom of Edom, represented by Teman, which is located in the land of Edom, and the kingdom of Ishmael, represented by Mount Paran, as it is written concerning Ishmael, “He dwelled in the wilderness of Paran.” From these places, God will come to redeem them. The prophet adopts the imagery used in Moses’ blessing: “He shone forth from Seir for them; He appeared from Mount Paran.” Moses foresaw that the nations of Edom and Ishmael would arise and pride themselves upon religions resembling Divine revelation. The Sages figuratively described God as having offered the Torah to Seir and Paran, which refused to accept it, for the religions they later accepted were not the Torah that God came to give at Mount Sinai and that they had refused. In the future, God will come again from these places to demonstrate the truth of the true religion. All humanity will then recognize it, and God will transform the peoples to speak a pure language, so that all will call upon the name of Hashem. Since the religion associated with Seir attributed improper qualities to the Deity and ascribed to Him things unworthy of Him, the verse says, “God will come from Teman”—He will come to establish the truth concerning His divinity, unity, and incorporeality. The religion associated with Paran, however, did not impugn the nature of the Deity; therefore, the verse says, “the Holy One will come from Mount Paran.” The meaning is: until the time of redemption, when God will come from Teman, I ask You to continue Your work of Providence over Your children so that they will not perish during their exile—sometimes secretly, as expressed by “preserve it alive,” and sometimes openly, as expressed by “make it known.” Selah: With this word, the prophet concludes the first part and begins another prayer.

Covered: In this second prayer, the prophet explains at length the three matters stated briefly in the first prayer. First, he explains the words “Preserve Your work alive in the midst of the years,” continuing through verse 5. Second, he explains “In the midst of the years make it known” in verse 5. Third, he explains “God will come from Teman,” continuing through verse 14. “When the heavens cover His splendor”: This refers to a time when Hashem’s splendor is concealed and invisible to His creatures. The heavens—that is, the governance of nature and the celestial order—cover God’s splendor, so that His Providence is not openly revealed and the world appears to proceed according to the natural order. Nevertheless, “His praise fills the earth”: although the nations do not see His splendor, they will begin to recognize and praise God and will know that He governs everything.

And a radiance shall be like light: Nogah, radiance, refers to something that possesses no light of its own but receives the light shining upon it and reflects that light. The moon, for example, has no light of its own, but possesses radiance by receiving the sun’s light. Figuratively, although God’s own light will not be openly revealed upon the earth because the heavens cover His splendor, leaving only a reflected radiance from that light, nevertheless, “the radiance shall be like the light itself.” Human beings will perceive God’s praise and light through it as though they had perceived the original light itself. Even Divine Providence while hidden and veiled will be sufficient for people to recognize Hashem’s light and His governance. “Rays stream from His hand”: The light will emanate rays upon the radiance, so that the radiance itself will shine and flash with a great light visible to everyone. That is, even concealed Providence will send forth rays and flashes of illumination through which everyone will recognize God’s Providence. “And there is the hiding place of His strength”: Although God is then hidden in concealment, unseen and unrevealed, He remains present within that radiance, alive and enduring. This corresponds to “Preserve it alive in the midst of the years”: although He conceals Himself and is not openly known, His Providence remains alive and active.

Before Him: Nevertheless, pestilence will proceed before that hidden Divine power to subdue and kill His enemies, and fiery plague will go forth at His feet—that is, because of Him—to destroy and annihilate them. Although Divine Providence remains concealed, veiled, and hidden away, it is nevertheless alive and powerfully active in secret, subduing Hashem’s enemies through apparently natural calamities—pestilence and fiery plagues.

He stood: The prophet now explains the words “In the midst of the years make Your work known.” When that hidden Divine power stands forth and awakens to govern miraculously through openly revealed Providence, “He measures the earth”—He changes the boundaries of kingdoms, raising kings and removing kings, and measures the territories of the earth with a line in order to apportion them among those who conquer them. “He looked”: When He no longer closes His eyes, but looks and exercises visible Providence, “He makes the nations leap”—He dislodges them from their places and carries them into captivity. Then “the everlasting mountains are shattered, and the eternal hills bow down.” This is a metaphor for bringing down the powerful, tyrannical rulers and mighty foundations of the earth from their thrones and lands. At that time, He will make His work known in the midst of the years, for everyone will see that “the ways of the world belong to Him”—that the governance and course of the world are attributable to God Himself and His particular Providence, not to the stars and constellations of heaven.

Under: The prophet now begins to explain the words “God will come from Teman,” describing what will occur when the time of redemption arrives. God will then raise a banner and perform signs and wonders transcending the natural order. The wonders will begin when He says to those in darkness, “Reveal yourselves”—that is, when the Ten Tribes exiled beyond the rivers of Cush return to their stronghold, as it is written, “From beyond the rivers of Cush, My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering.” Affliction and destruction will then begin among the people of Cush, who live near those exiles. From there, the Ten Tribes will go forth to fight the nation of Ishmael, for they will have to pass through the Ishmaelites’ lands on their way back to their own country. Concerning this, the prophet says, “I saw the tents of Cushan under affliction.” When the tents of the Cushites are subjected to suffering and destruction, “the curtains of the land of Midian will tremble.” The prophet calls the land of the Ishmaelites “the land of Midian,” because Ishmaelites are also called Midianites. Thus, regarding Joseph, Scripture says, “Midianite men passed by,” “they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites,” and “the Midianites sold him.” Similarly, Judges chapter 8 describes the Midianites as Ishmaelites. The lands of Ishmael will tremble because the returning tribes will wage powerful wars against them.

(8–9) Against the rivers: The prophet presents two sublime and opposing images. On the one hand, he portrays the seas and rivers along every route traveled by Israel becoming dry and desolate so that the redeemed can cross them; this is depicted in verses 8–9. On the other hand, he portrays the rivers throughout the Ishmaelites’ territories rising in pounding waves, covering the mountains and sweeping everything away; this is depicted beginning in verse 10. He says, “Is Hashem angry against the rivers?” At that time, the rivers and seas will be divided and become dry land, as it is written, “Hashem will destroy the tongue of the Egyptian Sea, wave His hand over the river with the might of His wind, strike it into seven streams, and cause men to walk through in shoes.” The prophet depicts this as though God were angry with the rivers and had poured His wrath upon the sea, causing Him to destroy them and dry up their waters. The verse should be understood as follows: “Is Hashem angry against the rivers when You ride upon Your horses, Your chariots of salvation? The earth will split the rivers.” The words “Your bow shall be made completely bare; the oath to the tribes is the utterance—Selah” form a parenthetical statement. The prophet personifies salvation as a living being that rides upon God’s horses and chariots, coming swiftly to save Israel. When salvation rides upon God’s chariot and proceeds to Israel’s deliverance, “the earth will split the rivers”—the earth will divide the rivers into sections and form a path through them for the redeemed to cross. When the prophet mentions the destruction of the waters of the seas and rivers—the subjugation of the power of rushing, overflowing waters—the image of the rainbow arises in his mind. The rainbow is the sign of the covenant given to restrain the element of water so that it will not rise and inundate the earth with another flood. It is as though the rainbow appears over the waters, and before Hashem’s bow, which He established as a covenantal sign, the waters retreat and no longer presume to cover the earth. Therefore, the prophet inserts the parenthetical statement, “Your bow shall be made completely bare.” God’s rainbow, which subdues the waters, will awaken and appear completely exposed—that is, clearly and openly visible. The rainbow appears when God remembers His oath, for it is the sign of a covenant and oath, as it is written, “The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will see it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature.” The rainbow that will then appear over the waters to dry them up, however, will not recall the oath concerning the Flood and the covenant with Noah. Instead, it will recall another oath: God’s oath to redeem the tribes of Israel at the end of days, which is compared to the oath concerning the Flood. Thus it is written, “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me: as I swore that the waters of Noah would never again pass over the earth, so I have sworn not to be angry with you.” This is the meaning of “the oath to the tribes is the utterance”: through the rainbow, the Divine utterance containing the oaths made to the tribes and divisions of Israel will be remembered. The word Selah indicates that this is a parenthetical statement.

They saw You: The prophet now presents the second image: the waters rise above the summits of the mountains and inundate the world in order to execute vengeance upon the nations, until the element of earth trembles before the element of water overpowering it. Thus he says, “The mountains saw You and trembled,” because the waters rise to ascend above the everlasting mountains. “A torrent of water passed by; the deep gave forth its voice and raised its hands on high” to ascend the mountains and cover them. The prophet portrays the deep as issuing its voice and command to the passing, surging torrent of water. At the deep’s command, the torrent raises its “hands” upward. Figuratively, the deep calls out to the waters, as it is written, “Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your channels,” and in response to the deep’s voice, the waters rise above the mountain peaks. This image directly contrasts with the preceding one: along the route traveled by Israel, the earth will prevail over the rivers and dry them up; in the territories of Israel’s enemies, however, the waters will prevail over the earth.

The sun and moon stood in their habitation: The prophet further portrays how, in the future war that God will wage against Israel’s enemies on the day of battle, the sun and moon will stand still in their dwelling as they did in Joshua’s time. Hailstones will likewise fall, as they fell upon the Canaanites. Concerning this, he says, “By the light of Your arrows they shall go”: God will send forth His arrows and scatter them, and His lightning will confuse and terrify them. The sun and moon will not stand still so that the combatants may proceed by their light, as occurred in Joshua’s time, when he said, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon,” until the nation had avenged itself upon its enemies. In the future, they will proceed not by the light of the sun and moon but “by the light of Your arrows.” Figuratively, the sun, moon, and heavenly host will then cease operating in their ordinary celestial courses, for the battle will belong to God and everything will proceed directly from Him, without any intermediary.

In fury You shall march through the earth: On this side, salvation will not ride upon God’s chariot to deliver; rather, God Himself will march through the earth in fury and with the attribute of judgment, and in anger He will thresh the nations.

You went forth: This will occur at the time of redemption, when You go forth to save Your people and to save Your anointed one. The Messiah will then be revealed and wage Hashem’s wars, and God will save him. “You crushed the head of the house of the wicked”: Even if You merely strike the wicked man’s head with a small blow, “You will lay bare the foundation as far as the neck.” That slight blow will expose and uproot the foundation of his body—the skull and brain—down to the neck. Selah: This concludes the second part of the prayer.

You pierced: This begins the third part of the prayer, which concerns the periods when Israel would undergo numerous severe calamities and the presumptuous waters would sweep over their heads. During the exile, this would occur in two ways. First, nations would assemble to destroy and eradicate the name of Israel, killing Jews everywhere through cruel and severe forms of death. Likewise, when the prophet of the Ishmaelites arose, they assembled to swallow up and destroy Israel through religious persecutions and annihilation. Second, even when they did not attempt to destroy Israel through a general persecution, they nevertheless devoured them privately, seizing their property and wealth. Concerning this, the prophet says, “You pierced”—that is, when You spoke and issued the decree—“with his staffs the head of his warriors.” This refers to the times when the nations extended the staffs of their wings and their armies—when the heads and multitudes of their forces spread outward from the unwalled towns, and vast crowds marched against Jerusalem to conquer the Land of Israel. It likewise refers to the time when the Ishmaelite forces spread out to wage war for their faith. Then “You decreed that they would storm forth to scatter me.” You pronounced the decree that these forces would storm against Israel to disperse them, drive them from the land, and destroy them. Indeed, whenever great multitudes assembled to wage war for their faith, they inflicted widespread slaughter upon Israel. Alternatively, even when they did not openly destroy them, “their rejoicing was like devouring the poor in secret.” Their entire delight consisted in finding an opportunity to consume a single poor Jew privately. Although they did not kill everyone openly, they secretly preyed upon the poor, harmed individuals, and robbed them of their possessions.

You trod: At that time, when You ride Your horses through the sea, the sea will not divide before You as it did in ancient times. On the contrary, there will be “a surging of mighty waters”: the waters will roar and churn, and the sea will rage and heave. This figuratively describes a time when the presumptuous waters rise at God’s command and, instead of subsiding in fear before Him, rage with crashing waves in order to drown Israel. It also symbolizes the time when the nations assemble for the war of Gog and Magog like vast, mighty waters. They will not abate from their fury; their waters will roar and churn in an attempt to swallow up and destroy Israel.

I heard: The verse should be understood as follows: “I heard, and my belly trembled; decay entered my bones, and I trembled beneath myself at the sound that made my lips resound: ‘I shall rest on the day of distress.’” Israel possesses a tradition that redemption cannot arrive except through great and severe afflictions—the birth pangs of the Messiah, which resemble the pains of a woman giving birth. The more intense those pains become, the greater the hope that salvation is near and that the child is about to be born. Thus it is written, “As a pregnant woman approaches childbirth, writhes, and cries out in her labor pains … so have we been; we conceived, we writhed, as though we had given birth to wind.” During the greatest afflictions, a spirit of hope and trust is born within Israel, for they recognize that these troubles are signs of approaching salvation and redemption. This is the meaning of “at the sound that made my lips resound: ‘I shall rest on the day of distress.’” The nation’s lips will then utter a profound declaration that reverberates in the ears. What is that declaration? “I shall rest on the day of distress”: when the day of distress arrives, I will soon rest from the exile, for the distress itself is a sign of approaching rest and redemption. “When he goes up against the people who raid us”: The distress is prepared to fall upon the people who organize themselves into armies and assemble for the war of Gog and Magog. The calamity will come upon them, while I will find rest. These are the words that will resound from the nation’s lips during its suffering, providing it with consolation. Therefore, the prophet says, “I heard the sound that made my lips resound, and my belly trembled, and decay entered my bones.” His belly and all his limbs trembled at the message ringing in their ears—that Israel could not be saved except through great afflictions, slaughter, and the birth pangs of the Messiah.

For: This too is part of the declaration resounding from the nation’s lips. The voice says that when people see the entire world desolate and everything destroyed, they should then anticipate salvation. Thus the Sages taught that in the generation when the son of David comes, numerous new calamities will continually arise; the vine will not yield its fruit, famine will prevail, and many other afflictions will occur. This is the meaning of the declaration: when you see that the fig tree does not blossom, there is no produce on the vines, the olive’s yield fails, and the fields produce no food; and when you likewise see that the flock has been cut off from the fold—that both the plants of the field and the flocks and cattle have disappeared—then this is a sign that redemption is approaching.

But I: Then I will exult in Hashem, for Hashem’s power will awaken, and I will rejoice with a new joy in the God of my salvation—that is, in His special Providence over me.

Hashem: At that time, Hashem will be my strength, and He will make my feet like those of deer, so that I may run swiftly to the Land of Israel. There, He will guide me upon my high places—Mount Zion and the Land of Israel, which is elevated above all other lands. There, I will lead with my melodies, singing songs and praises before Him in His Temple.