Habakkuk 1:8 (DBY)

Passage

And their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more agile than the evening wolves; and their horsemen prance proudly, and their horsemen come from afar: they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:6 For behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation, which marcheth through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.

Habakkuk 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

Habakkuk 1:8 And their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more agile than the evening wolves; and their horsemen prance proudly, and their horsemen come from afar: they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.

Habakkuk 1:9 They come all of them for violence: the crowd of their faces is forwards, and they gather captives as the sand.

Habakkuk 1:10 Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a scorn unto him; he derideth every stronghold: for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "horses", "swifter", "than", "leopards", "agile", "evening", and "wolves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "horses" and "swifter", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "They are terrible and dreadful their judgment..." into verse 9's "They come all of them for violence...", so "horses" and "swifter" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "horses" and "swifter" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.