Habakkuk Chapter 1 verse 9 Holy Bible
They come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and they gather captives as the sand.
read chapter 1 in ASV
They are coming all of them with force; the direction of their faces is forward, the number of their prisoners is like the sands of the sea.
read chapter 1 in BBE
They come all of them for violence: the crowd of their faces is forwards, and they gather captives as the sand.
read chapter 1 in DARBY
They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
read chapter 1 in KJV
read chapter 1 in WBT
All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand.
read chapter 1 in WEB
Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity.
read chapter 1 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 9. - They shall come all for violence. All, every one of the invaders, come for violence - to repay that violence of which Habakkuk complained (ver. 2). Septuagint, Συντέλεια εἰς ἀσεβεῖς ἥξει, "An end shall come upon the impious;" Vulgate, Omnes ad praedam venient. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind. The word translated "shall sup up" occasions perplexity, being an ἅπαξ λεγόμενον. The Anglican rendering is virtually supported by other versions, e.g. Symmachus, Chaldee, and Syriac. The Vulgate, too, gives, facies eorum ventus urens, which Jerome explains, "As at the blast of a burning wind all green things dry up, so at the sight of these men all shall be wasted." This is the meaning of the Anglican Version, which, however, might be improved thus: The aspect of their faces is as the east wind. The Revisers have, Their faces are set eagerly as the east wind, which does not seem very intelligible. Other renderings are, "the endeavour," or "desire of their faces is directed to the east," or "forwards." (This rendering has the support of Orelli and others.) "The crowd of their faces," as equivalent to "the multitude of the army" which is not a Hebrew phrase found elsewhere. Septuagint, ἀνθεστηκότας (agreeing with ἀσεβεῖς in the first clause) προσώποις αὐτῶν ἐξεναντίας, "resisting with their adverse front." The effects of the east wind are often noted in Scripture; e.g. Genesis 41:6, 23; Job 27:21; Hosea 13:15. They shall gather the captivity as the sand. "He collects the captives as sand" - a hyperbolical expression to denote the numbers of captives and the quantity of booty taken. The mention of the east wind brings the thought of the terrible simoom, with its columns of sand.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) Their faces shall sup up as the east wind.--Literally, if we could accept this interpretation, the eagerness of their faces is eastward. The passage, however, is beset with philological difficulties. If the word kadimah could be translated "east wind," the invading Chaldaean host would be compared to a blast from the east, passing over the land, and leaving it scorched and blighted. The captives ("captivity," Authorised Version) whom the invader carries off would then be likened to the cloud of dust, sand, &c., which accompanies this withering blast. This gives a good sense. Unfortunately, however, according to all analogy, kadimah must mean either "eastwards" or "forwards." The meaning of m'gammath (used here only) is probably either "crowd" or "eager desire." Two plausible renderings are thus presented for our choice--"There is a crowd of their faces pressing forwards;" "Their faces turn eagerly forwards." For other interpretations, we must refer the Hebrew student to the critical commentaries.
