Why do you make me see iniquity,
Habakkuk 1:3
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
Vivid language oozes out of this verse. Last week we looked at the first half. We’re examining the second half this time. As I wrote last time, Hebrew poetry often makes couplets that parallel one another. The second couplet of this verse pairs “destruction and violence” with “strife and contention”.
Destruction and Violence
The word “destruction” (שֹׁד, shod) comes from a verb (shadad) meaning to “devastate, lay waste, overpower”. The prophet Joel uses this word to describe the Day of the Lord: “Alas for the day! / For the day of the LORD is near, / and as destruction (shod) from the Almighty (Shaddai) it comes” (Joel 1:15). Notice the wordplay (See also Isaiah 13:6). God revealed himself to Abraham as El Shaddai (see Genesis 17:1, typically translated “God Almighty”), linked with a source of blessing, but he will be a source of destruction at the end.
Habakkuk has already cried out about the “violence” (חָמַס, hamas) around him in verse 2 (see notes). God is never the source of hamas. It can denote physical violence, but also psychological or relational. After Abram made Hagar pregnant, his wife Sarai exclaimed “May the wrong (hamas) done to me be on you” (Genesis 16:5). The people of Nineveh were instructed to turn from their evil way and violence (hamas) (Jonah 3:8). The man who divorces his wife “covers his garment with violence (hamas)” (Malachi 2:26). To have just courts, beware the “malicious (hamas) witness” in court (Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 19:16, Psalm 35:11).
These words are paired up in a few other passages, too. “For whenever I speak, I cry out (za’ak, see Habakkuk 1:2), / I shout, ‘Violence (hamas) and destruction (shod)!'” (Jeremiah 20:8) Ezekiel contrasts hamas and shad with justice and righteousness (Ezekiel 45:9). These are also paired together in Jeremiah 6:7 and Amos 3:10.
Strife and Contention
The word “strife” (רִיב, riv) can also be translated as “quarrel” or “dispute”. It is sometimes used in cases of law. For instance, “You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit (riv), siding with the many, so as to pervert justice” (Exodus 23:2). Proverbs warns to avoid quarrels: “Better is a dry morsel with quiet / than a house full of feasting with strife (riv)” (Proverbs 17:1). “A fool’s lips walk into a fight (riv) / and his mouth invites a beating” (Proverbs 18:6).
As a verb, riv means to strive or quarrel, often in a legal suit. God brings a sort of divine lawsuit in Jeremiah 2:5-9, which ends with the Lord saying “Therefore I still contend (riv) with you”. However, the Lord’s lawsuit has its limits: “For I will not contend (riv) forever / nor will I always be angry” (Isaiah 57:16). Job uses this word often. “let me know why you contend (riv) against me” (Job 10:2). When God answers Job, he starts “Shall a faultfinder contend (riv) with the Almighty (Shaddai)?” (Job 40:2).
The place Meribah derives its name from riv because of the quarreling there (Exodus 17:7, Numbers 20:13).
The word “contention” (מָדוֹן, madon) comes from the root din (דִּין), meaning to judge, plea a case, or quarrel. This is the root of the names Dan (judge), Dinah, and Daniel (God is my judge). The noun din (דִּין) is a legal claim or judgement. Madon is used primarily in Proverbs. While riv and madon both relate to legal cases, madon usually is used for domestic disputes outside the courts.
We learn that a wicked (aven) man sows discord (madon) (Proverbs 6:12-14). “Drive out a scoffer, and strife (madon) will go out, / and quarreling (din) and abuse will cease” (Proverbs 22:10). The book of Proverbs repeats how awful it is to live with a quarrelsome (madon) wife (Proverbs 19:13, 21:9, 19, 25:24, 27:15). Sowing madon is among the things the Lord hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). Nevertheless, it is possible to avoid such problems: “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife (madon), / but he who is slow to anger quiets contention (riv)” (Proverbs 15:18).
Jeremiah laments that he’s “a man of strife (riv) and contention (madon) to the whole land” (Jeremiah 15:10). It’s not that he’s trying to be difficult. He’s simply preaching an unpopular message which is producing friction with the people. Nevertheless, he would keep obeying the Lord, despite the struggle.
To Ponder…
If you’ve ever looked at the world and wondered why God tolerates how poorly we treat one another, you’re in good company with Habakkuk. We should never condone sin. If God cannot tolerate wrongs, should we?
While it’s easy to point the finger at the destructive, quarrelsome tendencies in others, it’s even more important to examine ourselves. How am I contributing to the strife in this world? How do I need to change?
Isaiah saw a day when the chaos would end. May it happen swiftly in our day!
Violence (hamas) shall no more be heard in your land,
Isiah 60:18
devastation (shod) or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation (yeshua),
and your gates Praise.
Until that time comes, may we have the courage to speak God’s truth to a hamas-filled world, the patient humility to defuse unnecessary conflict, and the wisdom to tell the difference.