Habakkuk 2:4
Hebrew Bible
3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass—it will not arrive late. 4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness. 5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol’s; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples. 6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: ‘Woe to the one who accumulates what does not belong to him (how long will this go on?)—he who gets rich by extortion!’
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
LXX Habakkuk 2:4
Septuagint
3 Because there is still a vision for the time, and he will appear at an end, and not in vain; if he is late, wait for him, because one coming will be present, and he will not tarry. 4 If he draws back, my life does not find pleasure in it, but the righteous one will live by my faith. 5 The scorner, being conceited, may achieve nothing; he who widened his spirit like Hades, even this one, like death, not being satisfied, will also collect on himself all the nations and will gather to himself all the peoples. 6 Will not all these things take up a parable about him and a riddle for his tale? They will say, ‘Woe to the one who is increasing for himself the things that are not his —until when?—even making his bond heavy harshly.
Date: 1st Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Notes and References
"... The earliest known interpretation of this passage is found in the Septuagint. The interpreter or translator presents us the third and fourth verses in the following language: 'For the vision [is] for a set time, and will come forth at last and not in vain. If he tarry, wait for him, for he will surely come, and will not linger. If he shrink back, my soul has no pleasure in him; but the just shall live by my faith.' The Septuagint translator quite misconceived the true meaning of the passage and seems to have had for the basis of a part of it another Hebrew text. His idea evidently was that if the Chaldean should shrink back from carrying out God's will in invading the territory of the Jewish people, he would certainly forfeit the divine favor. In sharp contrast with him, a righteous person would save himself, would endure by being faithful to the requirements of his God. The "my faith" is probably an error for "his faith," for the real difference in the Hebrew is exceedingly small ..."
Price, Ira Maurice
The Just Shall Live By Faith: Habakkuk 2:4
(pp. 39-45) The Biblical World, Vol. 35, No. 1, 1910
* 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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