חבקוק ג׳:י״ד-י״ט

נָקַבְתָּ בְמַטָּיו רֹאשׁ. סַנְחֵרִיב וְסִיעָתוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ סוֹעֲרִים בְּרוּחַ סְעָרָה לַהֲפִיצֵנִי, וְהוּא הָיָה מַטֶּה שֶׁהָיִיתָ רוֹדֶה בּוֹ אֶת הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. וּכְשֶׁבָּא וְסָעַר לַהֲפִיצֵנִי, נָקַבְתָּ רָאשֵׁי גֵּיסוֹתָיו בְּמַטָּיו שֶׁהָיָה בָּא לִרְדּוֹת בָּהֶם.

You pierced the heads... with war clubs Sennacherib and his company. they storm Who were storming with a tempest to scatter me. [Sennacherib] was the staff with which you chastised the nations. When he came and stormed to scatter me, You pierced the heads of his troops with his staffs, with which he had come to chastise me.

רֹאשׁ פְּרָזָו. רָאשֵׁי עָרָיו וְטִירוֹתָיו, כְּמוֹ ״פְּרָזוֹת תֵּשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם״ (זכריה ב:ח), ״עָרֵי הַפְּרָזִי״ (דברים ג:ה).

the heads of his villages The heads of his towns and his castles, as in (Deut. 3:5) “The open towns” and (Zech. 2:8) “Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls.”

עֲלִיצֻתָם. הָיוּ, כְּשֶׁהָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לֶאֱכֹל עָנִי בַּמִּסְתָּר. יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקְּרוּאִים עַם עָנִי.

their joy was when they could... devour a poor one in secret Israel, known as a poor people.

דָּרַכְתָּ בַיָּם. בְּחֵילוֹתָיו הַכְּבֵדִים כְּחוֹל הַיָּם.

You trampled in the sea You trampled upon [Sennacherib’s] hordes, which were as heavy as the sand by the sea.

חֹמֶר. תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן: בְּדִגּוּר. לְשׁוֹן ״חֳמָרִים חֳמָרִים״ (שמות ח:י).

a heap of many waters Jonathan renders. upon a heap, an expression of (Exod. 8: 10) “many heaps.”

שָׁמַעְתִּי וַתִּרְגַּז בִּטְנִי. תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן: ״אֲמַרַת בָּבֶל: שְׁמָעֵית וְזָעוּ מַלְכַיָּא מִן קֳדָם דִּינָא דִּי אִתְדָּנוּ מִצְרָאֵי״.

I heard, and my inward parts trembled Jonathan rendered. Said Babylon, “I heard, and the kings trembled before the judgement meted out upon the Egyptians.”

לְקוֹל צָלְלוּ שְׂפָתַי. לְקוֹל הַשְּׁמוּעָה אֲחָזַנִי רַעַד, עַד שֶׁשְּׂפָתַי נוֹקְשׁוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ וְקוֹלוֹ נִשְׁמָע.

my lips quivered at the sound At the sound of the report, trembling took hold of me until my lips knocked one against the other and their sound was heard.

צָלְלוּ. לְשׁוֹן ״מְצִילּוֹת הַסּוּס״ (זכריה יד:כ), טינטי״ר בְּלַעַ״ז.

quivered An expression of (Zech. 14:20) “The bells of the horses.” Tentir in O.F., to tinkle.

וְתַחְתַּי אֶרְגָּז. בִּמְקוֹמִי אֲנִי מִזְדַּעְזַעַת.

and I quaked in my place In my place, I quake.

אֲשֶׁר אָנוּחַ לְיוֹם צָרָה. אֲשֶׁר מְנוּחָתִי זֹאת מוּכֶנֶת לְיוֹם צָרָה.

that [the time] I would rest is destined for a day of trouble That this tranquility of mine is destined for a day of trouble.

לַעֲלוֹת לְעַם יְגוּדֶנּוּ. לְיוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר לְהַעֲלוֹת מִתּוֹכוֹ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְגוּדֶנּוּ עָקֵב, לָשׁוּב בִּגְדוּדָיו לְאַרְצוֹ.

to bring up a people that will troop back For the day that He said to bring up from there the people that He will cause to troop back, to return with its troops to its land.

כִּי תְאֵנָה לֹא תִפְרָח. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, וְיֵשׁ לְפָתְרוֹ כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ: שׁוּב אֵין הַצְלָחָה לְכָל מַעֲשֵׂה בָּבֶל מֵעַתָּה.

For a fig tree shall not blossom As the Targum renders. However, the phrase may be interpreted according to its simple meaning: From now on, none of Babylon’s deeds shall succeed.

וּשְׁדֵמוֹת. שְׂדֵה לָבָן.

the grain field a white field.

מִמִּכְלָה. דִּיר הַצֹּאן.

from the fold a stall for sheep.

וַאֲנִי. כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּה׳ אֶעֱלוֹזָה.

Yet I the nation of Israel, will rejoice in the Lord.

לַמְנַצֵּחַ בִּנְגִינוֹתָי. לְבֶן לֵוִי הַמְּנַצֵּחַ בַּשִּׁיר בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, אַנְעִים לוֹ בִּנְגִינוֹתַי, וְהַלֵּוִי יִתֵּן קוֹל כְּנֶגְדּוֹ בִּכְלֵי הַשִּׁיר.

To the conductor [to play] with my melodies To the Levite who conducts the music in the Temple. I will compose for him [the Levites’ conductor] with my melodies, and the Levite[s] will accompany him with musical instruments.

לַמְנַצֵּחַ. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (עזרא ג:ח) ״וַיַּעֲמִידוּ הַלְוִיִּם מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה לְנַצֵּחַ עַל מְלֶאכֶת וְגוֹמֵר״.

To the conductor As it is stated (Ezra 3:8) “... appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to superintend the work of the house of the Lord.”

בִּנְגִינוֹתָי. הוּא לְשׁוֹן נְעִימוֹת קוֹל לְהָרִים וּלְהַשְׁפִּיל, אורגנידור״ש בְּלַעַ״ז.

with my melodies This is an expression of a vocal melody to raise and lower, orgenedors in O.F.