Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
It portrays the Babylonians as a bitter, hasty and dreadful power raised up to sweep through lands, overrun Judah, overthrow Jerusalem and take captives. Its horses and horsemen picture exceptional military speed, ferocity and far reach, spreading in conquest and swooping like a bird of prey rushing to seize its food. That rushing bird explains the wings on the lion-like first kingdom in Daniel 7, marking Babylon and the rapidity of its conquests under Nebuchadnezzar and its earlier kings. Habakkuk's time and conditions mirror the present, so its destructive conquest depicts last-day violence, selfish competition, extravagant living and oppression of the poor by the rich. Such selfishness and disregard for the rights of others bring judgment, while the same swiftness urges haste in carrying the last message to every part of the world.
Setting and Plain Meaning
The verse describes the Chaldeans, that is the Babylonians, a bitter and hasty, furious, terrible and dreadful nation whom God would raise up to sweep over the land. They would overrun Judah, advance to overthrow Jerusalem, and take captives. Their cavalry was exceptionally swift and fierce, arriving from far away and rushing upon its prey like an eagle, portraying the speed and violence of the Babylonian invasion.
Habakkuk prophesied not far after Nahum's time in the reign of Josiah. He prophesied about 604 B.C. in Jehoiakim's reign and the middle period of Jeremiah's career, as contemporary with Jeremiah. The warning that the Chaldeans would be raised up to overrun Judah and take captives was fulfilled within the generation then living.
The invasion was God's judgment on the land for its wickedness. The people had persisted in merely formal worship and refused His warnings, and so judgment came upon Jerusalem. The verse reproves the oppressive and wealthy in Israel and warns them of the coming of the Chaldeans.
Its images mean exceptional military speed, ferocity, and far range. The horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than evening wolves. The horsemen spread themselves in conquest, come from far away, and fly as an eagle rushing to seize prey and eat. Near the end of Babylon's power its forces are still described as swift, fierce, and advancing rapidly to feed.
Prophecy and Scriptural Links
The flying like an eagle hastening to its prey explains the eagle's wings on the lion-like first beast of Daniel 7, identifying that empire as Babylon. The wings denote the rapidity with which Babylon extended its conquests, especially under Nebuchadnezzar and its earlier kings. The Chaldeans' horsemen advancing swiftly, spreading out in conquest, and coming from far away portray a rapid, far-reaching military power matching that symbol. Their speed and ferocity, swifter than leopards and more fierce than evening wolves and swooping to feed, support the wings as a sign of swift conquest.
The same wings also represent the soaring pride of Babylon's monarchs and the strength of Nebuchadnezzar. The swift and fierce Babylonian attack against disobedient Israel fulfills Moses' warning that a nation would come as swiftly as an eagle. The same symbolism of swift movement is applied to the four wings of the leopard representing the Grecian Empire. Those four wings mark the exceptionally swift campaigns of Alexander, just as the eagle image describes the speed of a conquering army in Babylon's rapid conquests.
Last-Day Warning and Application
Habakkuk's time is a type of the present time, and the description of the Chaldeans sweeping over the land on account of its wickedness clearly depicts last-day conditions. The prophecy is presented as foretelling signs of the last days, reproving the oppressive and wealthy in Israel and warning them of coming judgment. In that last-day reading it is associated with extravagant living, the accumulation of riches, and strife between labor and capital.
The portrayal of fierce, swift conquerors and of destructive conquest is applied to selfish competition in which the powerful prosper through the ruin of others. The swiftness, fierceness and far range figured by leopards, evening wolves and an eagle rushing to its prey is cited in connection with conflict between the wealthy and workers and the rise of socialism, as part of a warning about social strife. The same prophecy addresses the violence and injustice of the powerful and warns of perilous, unsettled times and violent upheaval arising from oppression of the poor and conflict between labor and capital. The wicked are thus seen devouring those more righteous than themselves, as the powerful prey on the vulnerable, and the warning is pressed home upon dangerous and harsh industrial conditions, including the coal miners with deaths, injuries, inadequate employment and reduced wages.
In that application selfishness and disregard for others' rights bring judgment. God has spoken about such times of injustice and oppression and will hold accountable those who could have improved conditions but failed to do so. The eagle's flight, representing swiftness and haste, is likened to the rapid movement of the armies represented in Daniel and, by comparison, to the urgency of carrying the last message to every part of the world. The evening wolves figure dangers threatening wandering sheep, with wolves seeking lambs lost in the wild while the Shepherd is entreated to call and guide them safely back to the fold.