Wednesday 11 November 2015

Habakkuk 1 - ultra-violent

This is very close to modern day news. I have ascribed the utter destruction (ban) חרם to what it is rather than disguising it as a fishnet, but the fishnet is the metaphor. The worship of violence (חמס) is clearly here as well. Perhaps those who study the psychology of radicalization should take a look at Habakkuk. I wonder what his solution will be. Similarly the cravings (כמר) could be read as a dragnet.

There be patterns here, one moment while I find them. Possibly verses 1 to 9 form a pattern that is followed in the extended fishing metaphor (based on Psalm 8).

Here's the focused similarity with Psalm 8
ותעשׂה and you make
HAB 1:14עשׂה
כדגי as the fish of
HAB 1:14דג
הים the sea
HAB 1:14ים
משׁל a governor
HAB 1:14משׁל
תמשׁילהו you give it reign
PSA 8:7משׁל
במעשׂי over what .. make
PSA 8:7עשׂה
ודגי and fish of
PSA 8:9דג
הים the sea
PSA 8:9ים
ימים the seas
PSA 8:9ים
Here's the repetition within Habakkuk 1, omitting verses 1, 10, 11, 17 and restricting the words to those listed.
ולא and not
2לא
ולא and not
2לא
למה why
3למה
תביט you make me notice
3נבט
ולא and fails
4לא
רשׁע wickedness
4רשׁע
והביטו and take note
5נבט
לא not
5לא
לא not
6לא
ממנו from this
7מן
כלה all
9כל
ויאסף and it gathers
9אסף
לא not
12לא
והביט and you notice
13נבט
לא not
13לא
למה why
13למה
תביט do you notice
13נבט
רשׁע wickedness
13רשׁע
ממנו than itself
13מן
לא without
14לא
כלה all of it
15כל
ויאספהו and it gathers them
15אסף

And here is the ultra-violence of the text itself. (When I finish 2 and 3, let's see if there is an offered solution. I think I can anticipate it.)

Habakkuk 1 Fn Min Max
הַמַּשָׂא֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָזָ֔ה חֲבַקּ֖וּק הַנָּבִֽיא 1 The load which Habakkuk the prophet gazed on. 3e 4B
עַד־אָ֧נָה יְהוָ֛ה שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע
אֶזְעַ֥ק אֵלֶ֛יךָ חָמָ֖ס וְלֹ֥א תוֹשִֽׁיעַ
2 How long please, Yahweh, will I cry and you will not hear?
Will I appeal to you of violence and you will not save?
3c 4B
לָ֣מָּה תַרְאֵ֤נִי אָ֙וֶן֙ וְעָמָ֣ל תַּבִּ֔יט וְשֹׁ֥ד וְחָמָ֖ס לְנֶגְדִּ֑י
וַיְהִ֧י רִ֦יב וּמָד֖וֹן יִשָּֽׂא
3 B Why do you show me mischief and misery you make me notice, and devastation and violence before me?
And there is contention and sentence borne.
3c 4C
עַל כֵּן֙ תָּפ֣וּג תּוֹרָ֔ה וְלֹֽא יֵצֵ֥א לָנֶ֖צַח מִשְׁפָּ֑ט
כִּ֤י רָשָׁע֙ מַכְתִּ֣יר אֶת הַצַּדִּ֔יק עַל כֵּ֛ן יֵצֵ֥א מִשְׁפָּ֖ט מְעֻקָּֽל
4 ~ Therefore numbed is instruction and lasting judgment fails to emerge,
for wickedness encircles the righteous one, therefore crooked judgment emerges.
3d 4C
רְא֤וּ בַגּוֹיִם֙ וְֽהַבִּ֔יטוּ וְהִֽתַּמְּה֖וּ תְּמָ֑הוּ
כִּי פֹ֙עַל֙ פֹּעֵ֣ל בִּֽימֵיכֶ֔ם לֹ֥א תַאֲמִ֖ינוּ כִּ֥י יְסֻפָּֽר
5 C See among the nations and take note and marvel with astonishment,
for he worked a work in your days you would not have believed though it were recounted.
3e 4C
כִּֽי־הִנְנִ֤י מֵקִים֙ אֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים הַגּ֖וֹי הַמַּ֣ר וְהַנִּמְהָ֑ר
הַֽהוֹלֵךְ֙ לְמֶרְחֲבֵי־אֶ֔רֶץ לָרֶ֖שֶׁת מִשְׁכָּנ֥וֹת לֹּא־לֽוֹ
6 For note me well, I raise up the Chaldeans, the bitter and swift nation,
to rush into the broad land to possess dwellings that are not theirs.
3e 4C
אָיֹ֥ם וְנוֹרָ֖א ה֑וּא
מִמֶּ֕נּוּ מִשְׁפָּט֥וֹ וּשְׂאֵת֖וֹ יֵצֵֽא
7 Horrible and feared it is.
From this its judgment and its forbearance will emerge.
3e 4A
וְקַלּ֨וּ מִנְּמֵרִ֜ים סוּסָ֗יו וְחַדּוּ֙ מִזְּאֵ֣בֵי עֶ֔רֶב וּפָ֖שׁוּ פָּֽרָשָׁ֑יו
וּפָֽרָשָׁיו֙ מֵרָח֣וֹק יָבֹ֔אוּ יָעֻ֕פוּ כְּנֶ֖שֶׁר חָ֥שׁ לֶאֱכֽוֹל
8 And slighter than leopards are its horses, and keener than wolves of evening, its cavaliers frisk about.
And its cavaliers come from afar. They fly like an eagle hurrying to eat.
3e 4B
כֻּלֹּה֙ לְחָמָ֣ס יָב֔וֹא מְגַמַּ֥ת פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם קָדִ֑ימָה
וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ף כַּח֖וֹל שֶֽׁבִי
9 All for violence it comes, their faces pumped up as the east wind,
and it gathers captives as in a dance.
3e 4B
וְהוּא֙ בַּמְּלָכִ֣ים יִתְקַלָּ֔ס וְרֹזְנִ֖ים מִשְׂחָ֣ק ל֑וֹ
ה֚וּא לְכָל־מִבְצָ֣ר יִשְׂחָ֔ק וַיִּצְבֹּ֥ר עָפָ֖ר וַֽיִּלְכְּדָֽהּ
10 And it, among sovereigns, ridicules them, and the rule-makers laugh at it.
Itself, at all enclosure it laughs and it accumulates dust and catches it.
3e 4C
אָ֣ז חָלַ֥ף ר֛וּחַ וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר וְאָשֵׁ֑ם
ז֥וּ כֹח֖וֹ לֵאלֹהֽוֹ
11 B Then it is renewed in spirit when it has passed through and been declared guilty.
This is its power for its god.
3d 4B
הֲל֧וֹא אַתָּ֣ה מִקֶּ֗דֶם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י קְדֹשִׁ֖י לֹ֣א נָמ֑וּת
יְהוָה֙ לְמִשְׁפָּ֣ט שַׂמְתּ֔וֹ וְצ֖וּר לְהוֹכִ֥יחַ יְסַדְתּֽוֹ
12 c Are not you from the east, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die.
Yahweh, for judgment, you have set it up, and for a rock of correction you have founded it.
3c 4B
טְה֤וֹר עֵינַ֙יִם֙ מֵרְא֣וֹת רָ֔ע וְהַבִּ֥יט אֶל־עָמָ֖ל לֹ֣א תוּכָ֑ל
לָ֤מָּה תַבִּיט֙ בּֽוֹגְדִ֔ים תַּחֲרִ֕ישׁ בְּבַלַּ֥ע רָשָׁ֖ע צַדִּ֥יק מִמֶּֽנּוּ
13 C Too clean of eyes than to see evil and you cannot notice misery?
Why do you notice the treacherous? You are silent when wickedness swallows one more righteous than itself.
3e 4C
וַתַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֖ם כִּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם
כְּרֶ֖מֶשׂ לֹא־מֹשֵׁ֥ל בּֽוֹ
14 And you make humanity as the fish of the sea,
as a creeper that has no governor over it.
3e 4B
כֻּלֹּה֙ בְּחַכָּ֣ה הֵֽעֲלָ֔ה יְגֹרֵ֣הוּ בְחֶרְמ֔וֹ וְיַאַסְפֵ֖הוּ בְּמִכְמַרְתּ֑וֹ
עַל־כֵּ֖ן יִשְׂמַ֥ח וְיָגִֽיל
15 All of it with a fishhook brought up, it gullets them in utter destruction, and it gathers them into its own cravings,
therefore it will be glad and it will rejoice.
3e 4B
עַל־כֵּן֙ יְזַבֵּ֣חַ לְחֶרְמ֔וֹ וִֽיקַטֵּ֖ר לְמִכְמַרְתּ֑וֹ
כִּ֤י בָהֵ֙מָּה֙ שָׁמֵ֣ן חֶלְק֔וֹ וּמַאֲכָל֖וֹ בְּרִאָֽה
16 Therefore it will offer its utter destruction and burn incense to its own cravings,
for in them is the oil of its share and its plenteous food.
3e 4C
הַ֥עַל כֵּ֖ן יָרִ֣יק חֶרְמ֑וֹ
וְתָמִ֛יד לַהֲרֹ֥ג גּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יַחְמֽוֹל
17 f Will it therefore empty its utter destruction,
and continually slay nations without pity?
3d 4B


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