EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Habakkuk 1:5
5‘All of you, look carefully at the other nations. You will be very surprised at what is happening. While you are still alive, I will do a very surprising thing. You would not believe it even if someone told you.
Habakkuk 1:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
- New International Version (NIV)“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
Context of Habakkuk 1:5
3You cause me to see many things that are not right. You do not punish people who are doing wrong things. Why do you let that happen? People do cruel things and there is violence everywhere. They argue and they fight and they quarrel. 4The law has no power to make things right. There is no justice in the courts. Instead, wicked people win against good people. The judges decide that bad people are good. ‘All of you, look carefully at the other nations. You will be very surprised at what is happening. While you are still alive, I will do a very surprising thing. You would not believe it even if someone told you. 6I will give more power to the Babylonians. They are a cruel nation with brave soldiers. They march across the whole earth. They take cities that do not belong to them. 7They cause people to be very afraid. They obey no laws except their own rules.
Read all of Habakkuk 1Habakkuk 1:5 word by word
רְא֤וּ בַגּוֹיִם֙ וְֽהַבִּ֔יטוּ וְהִֽתַּמְּה֖וּ תְּמָ֑הוּ כִּי־פֹ֙עַל֙ פֹּעֵ֣ל בִּֽימֵיכֶ֔ם לֹ֥א תַאֲמִ֖ינוּ כִּ֥י יְסֻפָּֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Beholdרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- ye among the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- and regardנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
- and wonderתָּמַהּtâmahh · to astoundedH8539
- will workפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
- a workפֹּ֫עַלpô‛al · workH6467
- in your daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- ye will not believeאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
- though it be toldסָפַרsâphar · to recountH5608
Cross-references for Habakkuk 1:5
- Deuteronomy 4:27The Lord will send you out of that land to live among other nations. Only a few of you will continue to be alive.
- Jeremiah 9:25The Lord says, ‘Be careful! Very soon I will punish all people who do not respect me. Those people may be circumcised, but if they do not respect me, I will punish them.
- Jeremiah 25:14Many nations and great kings will have power over the king of Babylon and his people. The Babylonians will become their slaves. In that way, I will punish the Babylonians for all the bad things that they did to my people.” ’
- Isaiah 29:14So now I will surprise these people again. I will surprise them with great miracles! Wise people will not seem wise any more. Clever people will no longer seem to be clever.’
- Lamentations 4:12The kings in the other cities on earth could not believe it. None of the people on earth could believe it. They thought that no enemy could go through Jerusalem's gates.
- Daniel 9:12So you have done what you promised to do to us and to our rulers. You have caused us to have terrible trouble. You have punished Jerusalem with more trouble than has ever happened to any other city.
- Acts 13:40Be careful then! Remember what God's prophets spoke about long ago. Do not let that happen to you. This is what one of them wrote:
- Isaiah 28:21But the Lord will do a great thing, like he did at Mount Perazim. He will be very angry, as he was in the Gibeon Valley. He will do something that is very wonderful and strange.
- Jeremiah 5:12They have told lies about the Lord. They have said, “He will not punish us! No trouble will come to us. There will be no war. There will be no famine.
- Jeremiah 18:18Then some people said, ‘We must find a way to stop Jeremiah. We do not need him. The priests will still be here to teach us. Wise men will still be here to give us advice. The prophets will still be here to give us God's messages. We should speak bad things against Jeremiah. Then we will not have to listen to him any more.’
- Ezekiel 12:22‘Son of man, you have this proverb in the land of Israel: “A long time passes and visions never truly happen.”
- Zephaniah 1:2‘It is the Lord who is speaking now. I will remove everything from the ground.
- Acts 6:13Then they brought in some men to say bad things about Stephen. The things that these men said were not true. They said about Stephen, ‘This man is always saying bad things about the temple. He says bad things against God's Law.
Commentaries on Habakkuk 1:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Behold ye among the heathen - Instead of בגוים baggoyim, among the nations or heathen, some critics think we should read בגדים bogedim, transgressors; and to the same purpose the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic have read; and thus it is quoted by St. Paul Acts 13:41. But neither this, nor any tantamount reading, is found in any of the MSS. yet collated. Newcome translates, "See, ye transgressors, and behold a wonder, and perish." I will work a work in your…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Behold ye among the heathen - The whole tone of the words suddenly changes. The Jews flattered themselves that, being the people of God, He would not fulfill His threats upon them. They had become like the pagan in wickedness; God bids them look out among them for the instrument of His displeasure. It was an aggravation of their punishment, that God, who had once chosen them, would now choose these whom He had not chosen, to chasten them. So Moses had…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Look … observe: Two different Hebrew verbs are also translated as see and tolerate in Habakkuk 1:3. This creates a literary connection between Habakkuk’s questions in Habakkuk 1:3 and God’s reply in 1:5–11.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Behold ... marvellously ... a work--(Compare Is 29:14). Quoted by Paul (Ac 13:41). among the heathen--In Ac 13:41, "ye despisers," from the Septuagint. So the Syriac and Arabic versions; perhaps from a different Hebrew reading. In the English Version reading of Habakkuk, God, in reply to the prophet's expostulation, addresses the Jews as about to be punished, "Behold ye among the heathen (with whom ye deserve to be classed, and by whom ye shall be…Read the comment
Topics related to Habakkuk 1:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Habakkuk 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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