Grace Theological
Journal 1.1 (Spring 1980) 43-69.
[Copyright © 1980
Grace Theological Seminary; cited with permission;
digitally prepared for use at
Gordon and
INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES
RELATING TO HABAKKUK 2:4b
GEORGE J. ZEMEK, JR.
THE
worthy reputation of Hab 2:4b in both Jewish and
Christian
circles is well attested. For example, "the
Talmud records the
famous remark of R. Simlai (Makkot 23b), 'Moses gave
commandments. David reduced them to
10, Isaiah to 2, but Habak-
kuk to one: the righteous shall live by his faith.'"1
New Testament
theology is also built upon that text's firm
foundation. Concerning
Paul’s
utilization, Johnson appropriately asserts: "'The
just shall live
by faith,'--it is, without question, near the soul
of Pauline the-
ology."2 Historically, the testimony
of the text as a theological
benchmark continued to grow. The preeminent
illustration of this
phenomenon was the text's catalytic effect in
leading to the Reforma-
tion: "Habakkuk's great
text, with his son Paul's comments and
additions, became the banner of the Protestant
Reformation in the
hands of Habakkuk's grandson, Martin Luther."3
Consequently,
Feinberg's
appraisal of Hab 2:4b should not be regarded as an
overstatement: "The key to the
whole Book of Habakkuk. . . the
central theme of all the Scriptures."4
In spite of this reputation, the text has
occasioned many critical
investigations. These studies range
from those immediately associated
with the text to those which are tangential; in
terms of result, they
range from those which are destructive to those which
are construc-
tive. This endeavor is
intended to be a general survey of the most
significant challenges relating to Hab 2:4b.
Since the text is particularly strategic, every
conservative student
of the Word of God has the theological
responsibility of sharpening
his focus on the tensions manifested by these
studies. Also, this
*The
author would like to thank Mr. William D. Barrick for
his labors in
reference to the revision of the format of this
paper for publication.
1 S. M. Lehrman,
"Habakkuk," in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino
Books of the
Bible, ed. by A. Cohen (London: Soncino, 1948) 219.
2 S. L. Johnson, Jr., "The Gospel
That Paul Preached," BSac 128 (1971) 327.
3 Ibid., 328.
4 C. L. Feinberg, The Major Messages of the Minor Prophets: Habakkuk. Zephaniah,
and Malachi (New York: American Board of Missions to the Jews, 1951)
23.
44
GRACE THEOLOGICAL
JOURNAL
responsibility cannot be avoided
merely because an ultimate resolu-
tion of all the tensions is
improbable.5
The occasion of these tensions is related
primarily to the "
tual, hermeneutical,
exegetical, and theological problems raised by
the use of Hab 2:4 in the
New Testament."6 A corollary to this
central concern is the alleged Paul/James
antithesis between faith and
works. However, when all the scriptural data is
synthesized, the
arguments are found to be complementary, and a
biblically balanced
approach emerges.7
A larger, concentric corollary involves the
scriptural data which
may be systematized within the doctrine of the
perseverance of the
saints. Larger yet is the concentric corollary of
divine sovereignty and
human responsibility. In all of these cases and from
the reference
point of an exegetical, systematic theology, the issues
are not illumi-
nated by an either/or
methodology but by a both/and sensitivity. The
key word of biblical and systematic studies in
theology must be
"balance. "
INTERNAL CHALLENGES
It is expedient to examine the text of Hab 2:4b first. There are at
least two good reasons for this tack: textual
variants are minimal, and
consequently, the line becomes a
poetical reference point which
provides important clues concerning the
interpretation of the more
difficult lines within the immediate context.8
Textual considerations9
The major textual problem concerns the third
masculine singular
suffix attached to hnAUmx<. Brownlee summarizes
the pertinent data:
5 Concerning a tangentially but yet vitally related discussion on
the significance of
the genitive qeou? in
the phrase dikaiosu<nh qeou? within
its context (i.e., Rom 1:17a; cf.
Hab 2:4b quotation in Rom 1:17b), Cranfield honestly concludes that "the last word in
this debate has clearly not yet been spoken. It
would therefore be irresponsible to claim
that the question has been conclusively decided
either way" [italics added]. C. E. B.
Cranfield, A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (ICC;
Cranfield represents only one facet of the tension
related to the present study.
6 Johnson, "The Gospel That Paul
Preached," 338, n. 31.
7 Cranfield
carefully describes the Protestant/Catholic tensions over dikaiou?n. His
recognition of both distinction and concord with
regard to justification and sanctifica-
tion is noteworthy. Cranfield, Romans,
1. 95.
8 In the light of the
textual complications of vv 2:4a and 2:5a, the latter reason is
particularly significant. Cf. D. E. Gowan, The Triumph of Faith
in Habakkuk (
John
Knox, 1976) 45; C. F. Keil, Minor Prophets, in vol. 10 of Commentary on the Old
Testament
in Ten Volumes, by C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch (
n.d.), 2. 73;
Adams, and Co., 1845) 303.
9 For extended discussions,
see: W. H. Brownlee, "The Placarded Revelation of
Habakkuk,"
JBL 82 (1963) 322ff.;
J. A. Emerton, "The Textual and Linguistic
ZEMEK: HABAKKUK 2:4b 45
Instead of vtnvmxb in Hab.
2:4, G, Aq., and Old Latin read ytnvmxb
It is no loss that the word in vii. 15 [i.e. 1QpHab]
is no longer extant,
for in the script of the
scroll v
and y
could not have been distinguished.
The interpretation Mtnmx ("their
faith") at viii. 2, however, fortunately
confirms the 3rd per. suffix.
T's NvhFwvq interprets also the 3rd
sing.
suffix--the plural number
being merely a part of the translator's free
representation of the thought. The
Palestinian recension reads
en
pis[e]i
autou with MT against G's ek
pi<stewj mou . . . . In the
N.T. neither suffix is attested (Rom.
the interpretation is
consonant with the 3rd pers.10
Semantic considerations
pertaining to
qyDica
1. General
considerations. With the introduction of the semantics
of the qdc words, the battle for
balance in this study commences. To
a greater or lesser degree, every scholar's
presuppositions color his
interpretation of the data. Generally
speaking, Hill's treatment demon-
strates commendable balance.
Dodd's treatment is based upon a
legitimate footing; however, at times, he becomes
eccentric to the
right. His footing is worthy of citation:
It is evident that this study of the Greek
renderings of qdc has an
important bearing upon the uses
of diakiosu<nh, di<kaioj,
dikaiou?n in
the New Testament. In
particular, the Pauline use of these terms must
be understood in the light
of Septuagintal usage and the underlying
Hebrew. The apostle wrote
Greek, and read the LXX, but he was also
familiar with the Hebrew
original. Thus while his language largely
follows that of the LXX, the
Greek words are for him always coloured
by their Hebrew
association.12
Problems of Habakkuk II. 4-5," JTS 28 (1977) 10ff. [note pp. 17-18 for
further
bibliography]; P. J. M. Southwell, "A Note on Habakkuk ii. 4," JTS 19 (1968) 614-16
[a good synopsis of the data with the texts conveniently
printed]; F. Delitzsch,
Commentary on the
Epistle to the Hebrews, trans. by T. L. Kingsbury (2 vols.,
reprinted;
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1964) 272-73 and nn. 195,
196. In n. 196, Bruce outlines the various
ways that the LXX witnesses position the possessive mou with di<kaioj.
Ibid., 273 n. 196.
10 W. H. Brownlee, The Text of Habakkuk in the Ancient Commentary from
(JBLMS
11; Philadelphia: Society of Biblical Literature, 1959) 44-45. Concerning the
mou
of the LXX,
it "could mean either 'because of my [sc. God's] faithfulness' or
‘because of his faith in me.'" Cranfield,
Romans, 1. 100. It is obvious that
the active
and passive options of pi<stij
contribute to this ambivalence. For further comment on
the diversity of the possessive pronouns in
J.
Eadie, A Commentary on the
Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians
(Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1869) 244.
11 For an excellent discussion of the root qdc, with generally credible syntheses,
D.
Hill, Greek. Words and Hebrew Meanings:
Studies in the Semantics of Soterio-
Logical Terms (SNTSMS 5; Cambridge:
Cambridge University, 1967) 82-162 [i.e., chap.
4,
"The Background and Meaning of DIKAIOSUNH and Cognate Words"];
note
especially pp. 82-98.
12 C. H. Dodd, The Bible and the Greeks (London: Hodder
& Stoughton, 1935) 57.
46 GRACE THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
It
will be seen that Barr's slightly left-of-center polemic will help to
check indiscriminate extensions of the aforementioned
principle,
regardless of the specific words involved (e.g., qdc, Nmx, etc.).
After an etymological survey of the root qdc (cf. Ugaritic,
Phoenician, and Arabic).13 Hill
concludes:
On the basis of these illustrations of early
usage it is difficult to
assert with confidence a
single primary meaning of the root qdc. The
most we can say is that they
suggest that the fundamental idea of qdc
available to us is that of
conformity to a norm which requires to be
defined in each particular
case.14
Turning
to the Old Testament, it is first necessary to note that there is
a "two-fold application of the qdc-terms"15:
""The application of
qdc-words to Yahweh" and
""the application of the qdc-words to
Cranfield's survey adequately
presents the most significant data
and exposes the judicial and ethical subcategories:
Where sedek is used in connexion with
the conduct of persons, it refers
to the fulfillment of the
obligations arising from a particular situation,
the demands of a particular
relationship. As far as
cerned the supremely important
relationship was the covenant between
God and His people; and sedek in the OT is to be
understood in the
context of the Covenant. The
adjective saddik
is used to describe those
whose conduct and character,
whether specifically in relation to the
administration of justice or quite
generally, are characterized by sedek.
But [italics added] there are passages in which saddik used of
of the individual
Israelite, refers to status rather than to ethical
condition (see, for example, Ps.
32:11 in the light of vv. 1, 2 and 5; Isa.
60:21). The cognate
verb used in the Qal, can mean (i)
"be just," "be
righteous" (e.g. Job 35:7;
Ps. 19:9 [MT:10]; 51:4 [MT:6]); (ii) "be in
the right" in the
sense of having a just cause (e.g. Gen. 38:26); (iii) "be
justified," "be
declared righteous" (e.g. Ps. 143:2; Isa.
43:26). In the
Hiph’il (and occasionally in
the Pi’el), it means "justify,"
"declare
righteous,"
"acquit" (e.g. Exod. 23:7; Deut. 25:1; Prov.
also one place (Dan. 12:3),
where the Hiph’il seems to mean "make
righteous," "turn to
righteousness.”17
13 Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings, 82-83.
14 Ibid. Cf. Cranfield, Romans,
1.
94.
15 Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings, 86-96. This data should be carefully
surveyed. For treatments of a popular nature,
see: A. B. Davidson, The Theology of the
Old Testament, ed. by S. D. F. Salmond (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907)
264-82;
R. B. Girdlestone, Synonymns of the Old Testament (reprinted;
Eerdmans, 1973) 158ff.;
L. J. Kuyper, "Righteousness and
Salvation," SJT 30 (1977)
233-52.
16 Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings, 86-92 and 93-96.
17 Cranfield,
Romans, 1.94.
ZEMEK: HABAKKUK 2:4b 47
The existence of an ethical sense in some
occurrences of qyDica in
the Old Testament must not be disputed: "On
many occasions. . . the
'righteous' are those who, in humility and faithfulness,
trust in
Yahweh,
despite persecution and oppression: those who seek to live
uprightly and without pride of heart, depending on
Yahweh for
protection and vindication."18
However, the question remains
whether
it is valid to categorize qyDica in Hab 2:4b as "just, righteous, in
conduct and character. . . towards God."19
2. hqAdAic; in
Genesis 15:6. As previously intimated, the judicial
implications concerning the nature
of any man who is designated qyDica
are not always given due credence. To Habakkuk or
any godly Jew, the
background of God's dealings with Abraham would be
foundational:
"Then
he [i.e., Abraham] believed [Nmix<h,v;] in the LORD; and He reck-
oned it to him as
righteousness [hqAdAc;
Ol. hAb,w;H;y.ava]" (Gen 15:6).20
Of
particular significance to this study is the observation that the roots
of the two key words of Hab
2:4b (i.e., qyDica and it hnAUmx<) are associated
in this important verse from the Pentateuch. Also
related to this
judicial phenomenon is the delocutive
employment of the Hiphil of
qdc (i.e., qyDic;hi, to "pronounce in the right,"
"justify").21 These observations
are germane to a balanced understanding of qyDica (and hnAUmx<) in Hab
2:4b.
Gowan believes that the term
has a judicial nuance, based upon
the occurrence of qyDica in antithetical
contexts: "The word. . . is used
in a situation of controversy and contrast, to
denote those whom God
favors."22 This argument does favor a
non-ethical employment of
qyDica in Hab
2:4b, but it presents a slightly different perspective, one
which cannot be ignored in the light of the larger
context:
18 Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings, 94. Hill's discussion of
the ethical usages
of qyDica is excellent. He points out that
such usages are inextricably related to
the attributes of the Lord associated with the qdc-group of words [cf. the same
phenomenon in reference to the Nmx-group] (ibid., 92). Furthermore, "the suggested
threefold development in the history of the qdc-words may be of guidance in the
understanding and interpretation of
other religious and theological terms. This devel-
opment takes the word from an
association with man and his life (in this case, the
‘righteousness’
of the king) to an association with Yahweh, and back again to man,
with a richer content and colour
drawn from its relation to deity" (ibid., 97).
19 BDB 843. For an extended
development of this ethical category, see: Dodd, The
Bible and the Greeks, 42ff.
20 For an important discussion of Hab 2:4 as it presupposes the foundational truths
of God's dealings with Abraham (e.g., Gen 15:6)
along with Paul's "Christian
Midrash" see: E.
E. Ellis, Paul's Use of the Old Testament
(
1957) 117, n. I;
119-20. Cf. W. B. Wallis, "The Translation of Romans
Motif
in Paulinism," JETS 16 (1973) 22.
21 R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax.. An Outline (2nd edition;
22 Gowan, The Triumph of Faith in Habakkuk, 42. It is
fair to assume, however, that
Gowan’s thesis and conclusion concerning qyDica in Hab 2:4b have been
affected to a
degree by his desire to demonstrate an antithetical substantive
in hlAP;fu (2:4a). Ibid.
48
GRACE THEOLOGICAL
JOURNAL
The
just (Hebrew, tsaddik),
the righteous one, is the one who has
been vindicated, whom God
has declared to be right. There is a legal
background to this word; it
denotes the winner in a case at law in some
of its Old Testament uses.
So it is not restricted in its reference to a
purely internal quality of
goodness which one may possess. It is used in
situations of controversy to
denote the side which is right. Its opposite
is wicked (Hebrew, rasha’), and we saw the two words paired in
1:4 and
3. The
Greek renderings.24 An
important generalization is noted
by Dodd:
Where the Hebrew conception of righteousness
differs from the popu-
lar Greek conception we may
put it thus, that whereas for the Greek
dikaiosu<nh is always being pulled over from the broad sense of
"righteousness"
to the narrower sense of "justice," the pull in Hebrew
is in the opposite
direction.25
In
the light of this, it is obvious that the Septuagint's renderings of
the qdc-words modified the di<kaioj words. These changes
primarily
reflect divine and covenantal influences found
in the Hebrew word.
NT
usages basically follow this pattern:
That
Paul's use of the words di<kaioj,
dikaiosu<nh and
dikaiou?n (and
also of dikai<wma
and dikai<wsij) reflects his
familiarity with, and is to
a very considerable
extent molded by, the LXX use of them to render
words of the sdk ( group is
clear, and is generally agreed. . . . But, in
spite of the general
agreement on the importance of the LXX here,
there is far from being
general agreement as to the precise significance
which these words have in
Paul.26
Ironically,
it would seem that these observations and clarifications
magnify the interpretive challenges relating to Hab 2:4b.
Semantic considerations
pertaining to
hy,Hyi
This kind of life must be understood within its
biblical frame-
work:
To live
is not merely to exist, in Hebrew thought. One is not really
alive when sick, weak, in
danger or with a damaged reputation. To be
alive is to have vigor,
security and honor. So this verse does not merely
tell us how we can barely
hang on to some feeble thread of existence in
23 Ibid., 41.
24 See: Hill, "di<kaioj and Related Words in
Greek Usage," in Greek Words and
Hebrew Meanings, 98ff.
25 Dodd, The Bible and the Greeks, 45. For specific comparisons and contrasts,
see:
Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings, 102-3.
26 Cranfield,
Romans, 1.95. Concerning the verb
(i.e., dikaiou?n), he especially notes
that "none of the occurrences. . . can be at
all tolerably explained on the basis of the
word's use in secular Greek." Ibid.
49 ZEMEK: HABAKKUK 2:4b
times such as Habakkuk
describes; no, it speaks of being richly and
fully alive. That
interpretation is confirmed by
Hill corroborates this interpretation, but with
an ethical emphasis:
Man's
life, however, is more than simply length of days and
abundance of possessions: it
consists rather in what he is by virtue of
his goals and ideals. . . .
The pessimistic outlook which characterizes
Ecclesiastes focuses attention on enjoyment, but
in Proverbs the ideal is
the good life, the life of
righteousness. “In the paths of righteousness is
life" (Prov.
life (3:2;
recall the utterance of Deut.
8:3, “Man lives (hy,H;yi) by everything
which proceeds from the mouth
of the Lord" Only by faithfulness,
that is, by loyalty to
Yahweh and his covenant, will the righteous man
live (Hab.
2:4). In these instances the verb hyAHA connotes not only
physical survival in a time of disaster,
but also living in right relation to
God.28
Ethical
responsibilities, however, must not be used to distort the
ultimate, theocentric
foundation of biblical life. The most significant
aspect of the Hebrew understanding of “life," is “its
dependence on
God."29 Consequently, it is
appropriate to classify the hy,H;yi of Hab
2:4b
under the heading of the “pregnant sense of fulness
of life in
divine favour."30
Semantic considerations
pertaining to
OtnAUmx<B,
The significance of hnAUmx< in Hab
2:4b and in its mediate
connection (i.e., through the Greek rendering pi<stij)
to the NT
references supersedes all the other hermeneutical
challenges of this
investigation.
1. The
usage of hnAUmx<.31 The feminine noun hnAUmx< in the OT
primarily connotes “firmness,
steadfastness, fidelity."32 Of particular
27 Gowan, The Triumph of Faith in Habakkuk, 42-43.
Cf. H. S. Bryant, “The
Meaning
of Habakkuk 2:4" (unpublished Bachelor of Divinity thesis, Grace Theologi-
cal Seminary, 1966) 27-29, 34-36. Against this
reference being merely an eschatological
one, see: R. C. H. Lenski,
The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle
to the Romans
(Minneapolis:
Augsburg, 1936) 87-88. Cranfield combines the abundant
and eschato-
logical life perspectives: Cranfield,
Romans, 1. 101.
28 Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings, 165.
29 Ibid., 168.
30 BDB 311.
31 See esp.: “’Faith' and -Truth'--an
Examination of some Linguistic Arguments,"
chap.
7 of: J. Barr, The Semantics of Biblical Language (
1961)
161-205. Also: ibid., 161, n. 1; and A. Jepsen, "NmaxA,” TDOT 1. 292ff.
32 BDB 53. For a helpful survey in
chart form listing every occurrence, the KJV
rendering, point of reference, and meaning, see:
Bryant, -'The Meaning of Habakkuk
2:4,"
20-24.
50
GRACE THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
significance is the employment of
the word in the sense of "faithful-
ness."33 When referring to God, this
usage reflects a divine attribute
often paralleled with his ds,H, or his qd,c, (cf. Pss 88:12; 89:2, 3, 6, 9,
25;
96:13; 98:3; 119:90; 143:1; Isa 25:1; Hos
from Hebrew Bible]). The word has a passive meaning
in the over-
whelming number of cases; note the following
excerpts from Light-
foot's research:
It will thus be seen that hnvmx properly represents the passive sense of
pi<stij, as indeed the form of the word shows. . . . Thus in its
biblical
usage the word hnvmx can scarcely be said ever to have the sense
"belief,
trust," though sometimes approaching towards it. . . . Unlike