Hab 2:2–4 context: כְּתוֹב חָזוֹן and waiting

Says Habakkuk has complained about God's use of the Babylonians (1:12–2:1). God answers: כְּתוֹב חָזוֹן (ketov khazon, "write the vision," 2:2), for it is "for the appointed time," לַמּוֹעֵד (lammo'ed). אִם־יִתְמַהְמָהּ חַכֵּה־לוֹ (im yitmahmah khakkeh lo, "though it lingers, wait for it"), כִּי־בֹא יָבֹא (ki vo' yavo', "for it will surely come"). Verse 4 then sets the proud one, הִנֵּה עֻפְּלָה לֹא־יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ (hinneh 'uppelah lo' yasherah nafsho, "look, puffed up, his soul is not upright"), against the righteous who lives by אֱמוּנָה.

Says The Hebrew suffix in לוֹ and the verbs are masculine, agreeing with חָזוֹן (masculine): "it." The LXX reads ἐὰν ὑστερήσῃ, ὑπόμεινον αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ μὴ χρονίσῃ ("if it/he delays, wait for it/him, for the coming one will come and will not delay"). Heb 10:37 adds the article, ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει, and then quotes 2:4. Implies The masculine αὐτόν cannot refer to feminine ὅρασις ("vision"); it could take up καιρόν ("time"), but with ἐρχόμενος ἥξει it reads most naturally of a person.

Implies In its setting, 2:4b promises life to the one who keeps trusting God's word through delay and judgment. Paul (righteousness by faith) and Hebrews (endurance until Christ comes) draw on two sides of the same verse, and both are rooted in 2:3–4.

Uncertain It is uncertain whether the LXX's personal reading of 2:3 is messianic or simply personifies the vision's fulfillment. The MT reads naturally as "it." Hebrews applies the Greek form to Christ.