Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Habakkuk condemns the invader who has made his own strength into his god. The Greek Septuagint reads the difficult line the opposite way, so the conqueror repents, makes atonement, and confesses that his power comes from God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Habakkuk 1:11
Hebrew Bible
10 They mock kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every fortified city; they build siege ramps and capture them. 11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on. But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.” 12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; my sovereign God, we will not die35. Lord, you have made them your instrument of judgment. Protector, you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment.
LXX Habakkuk 1:11
Septuagint
10 And he will delight in kings, and tyrants will be his toys; and he will mock at every fortress, and throw up a mound and conquer it. 11 Then the spirit will have a change and pass through and will make atonement. This is the strength of my God.” 12 Are you not from the beginning, O Lord, my holy God? And we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed him for judgment, and he formed me to decide his chastisement.
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Notes and References
... The Lord announces that they will live to see the unbelievable in their days, something which will astonish them and which they did not expect from God. The subsequent lines indicate that the punishment will be inflicted by a formidable Gentile nation that only obeys its own laws and is bent on violence. After the description of these horrors, however, the Septuagint version provides a totally different description of this nation: in verse 11 its disposition suddenly changes; it does penance and confesses that its power derives from God. ...
Van de Sandt, Huub
"The Minor Prophets in Luke-Acts" in Menken, Maarten J. J., and Steve Moyise (eds.) The Minor Prophets in the New Testament
(p. 71) T&T Clark, 2009
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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