Chapter 3: Prayer, Not Prophecy
The final chapter of Sefer Chavakuk opens with a single word that defines its entire character: "A prayer." What lies before us is not prophecy, but prayer, and the question immediately arises - a prayer for what? To answer this, we must first understand the meaning of these "shigyonot."
תְּפִלָּה לַחֲבַקּוּק הַנָּבִיא עַל שִׁגְיֹנוֹת׃ - A prayer of Chavakuk the prophet, upon shigyonot [erroneous deeds].
Rashi explains, as also emerges from Targum Yonatan, that "shigyonot" is related to shegagot (unintentional errors). Yet this still remains obscure: what prayer is this, and for which errors? Rashi begins by stating, "There is an explanation here according to its Targum," and the wording of the Targum is: "A prayer that Chavakuk the prophet prayed when it was revealed to him regarding the respite that the Holy One, blessed be He, grants to the wicked, that if they return to the Torah with a whole heart they will be forgiven, and all the offenses they committed before Him will be considered as unintentional sins." This reflects the well-known rule: one who repents out of fear, his willful sins are converted into inadvertent errors. It was concerning this revelation that Chavakuk prayed.
Rashi brings another explanation, "according to its plain sense": here Chavakuk asks for mercy upon himself. "A prayer of Chavakuk" - he is praying for himself, following the words he spoke in chapter 1: "Therefore the Torah grows numb," "And You make man like the fish of the sea." There, he raised the question of the righteous who suffer and the wicked who prosper, and his words sounded almost like a grievance against Heaven: Are human beings like fish where the big swallows the small, and is there no Divine providence? Furthermore, he said that because of this, "the Torah grows numb" - people will come to heresy upon seeing the injustice in the world. There was an element of challenging Heaven here, which Rashi defines as "caviling against the attribute of justice." It is for this inadvertent error that he now prays.
Three Prayers - Marked by Three Appearances of "Selah"
The Malbim divides the prayer into three parts, the marker for this division being the word "Selah." The Malbim's consistent approach everywhere is that "Selah" signifies a pause, the conclusion of a theme (commentators suggest other meanings, but this is his approach). In the prayer before us, the word "Selah" appears three times, indicating that Chavakuk divided his prayer into three petitions. The first part, up to "from Mount Paran, Selah," is a prayer for the period of exile, that the Holy One, blessed be He, not hide His face from Israel. The second part, from "His glory covers the heavens" to "laying bare the foundation unto the neck, Selah," addresses Hashem's guidance during the exile and His revelation at the time of redemption. The third part, from verse 14 to the end of the book, concerns the time when Israel will be plundered by the nations - the harsh birth pangs of Mashiach - and how the tribulations themselves will serve as a sign of the redemption.
יְהֹוָה שָׁמַעְתִּי שִׁמְעֲךָ יָרֵאתִי, יְהֹוָה פׇּעׇלְךָ בְּקֶרֶב שָׁנִים חַיֵּיהוּ, בְּקֶרֶב שָׁנִים תּוֹדִיעַ, בְּרֹגֶז רַחֵם תִּזְכּוֹר׃ - Hashem, I have heard Your report and was afraid; Hashem, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.
"I Have Heard Your Report and Was Afraid" - The Dread of Perishing in Exile
In its plain sense, "I have heard Your report" means I have heard the renown of the Holy One, blessed be He. Yet the Malbim departs here from the literal reading and explains: I have heard the report that You made known to me. Why is this interpretation necessary? Because the prophet speaks with Hashem, as it were, face to face. Saying "I have heard of your renown" applies to someone with whom one is unfamiliar; a person standing and conversing with the Holy One, blessed be He, does not merely hear reports about Him - he is in His presence. Therefore, the intended meaning is: I have heard the tidings You told me concerning the prolonged nature of the exile.
And what was that report? "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, and it speaks of the end." The Holy One, blessed be He, informed him that the redemption after Babylon would not be the final redemption: following Ezra and Nechemiah there would come another exile, far longer. The first exile lasted seventy years, while the second exile would last two thousand years - "The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." And then he was told, "Though it tarry, wait for it." At this point, Chavakuk was gripped by trepidation: "I was afraid" - this report filled me with dread.
And what was this fear? Lest Israel be lost during the protracted exile among the nations. This is the natural course of history: of all the nations that existed during that era, which one managed to preserve its unique identity, its name, and the purity of its lineage? Not a single one. His fear was genuine and well-founded, and therefore he came to pray that the Holy One, blessed be He, would not bring Israel to ruin, nor allow them to assimilate among the nations. And this came very close to happening: in European lands we were already in danger of total assimilation, were it not for the Holocaust, through which, to our sorrow, we were forced to awaken and separate from the nations, after we had already felt ourselves part of the family of nations and integrated among them. Herzl even proposed systematically converting the Jews to Christianity, bringing them into the church, and recounted that he had agreed with the Pope on a way to carry out this plan. Fortunately, the Jewish people were wiser than he: we did not bear the heavy burden of accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven since the giving of the Torah, three thousand three hundred years ago, only for someone to come and hand us over in a single moment to Christianity. Herzl's son became a Christian and was not even circumcised, whereas we keep Hashem's commandments; although we were led to execution, slaughtered, and subjected to the harshest torments, nevertheless "we have not forgotten Your Name," and we proudly bear Hashem's Name.
"Revive Your work in the midst of the years" - The Conduct of Concealment
From here stems his plea: Master of the Universe, that same work which You wrought for Israel in days of old - miracles and wonders, setting them apart from the nations and watching over them with individual Divine Providence - "revive Your work in the midst of the years"; throughout the years spent in exile, keep them alive through Your work. The Malbim explains that this entails two distinct modes.
The first mode is by way of concealment. The world is guided by the complete providence of the Holy One, blessed be He, yet it remains hidden. Just as in Megillat Esther, we saw no overt miracle there - no "Sun, stand still at Giv'on, and moon, in the valley of Ayalon," no hailstones, and no splitting of the Red Sea. Every development there can be explained as natural and even logical, yet one who reflects clearly sees Hashem's hand operating within the concealment, within nature itself. "In the midst of" (bekerev) denotes inwardness, something not readily noticeable from the outside, like the internal organs (keraviyim). Your work in the midst of the years of exile is a work of concealment - "revive it," so that it will never cease, so that You will continue to watch over Israel, "peering through the windows, gazing through the lattices," like a living entity that continues to act and breathe.
"In the midst of the years make it known" - The Overt Conduct
The second request adds further: not only should the hidden work endure, but do not let overt miracles cease entirely either. The Jewish people experience the hand of Hashem not only after the manner of Megillat Esther, but also overtly, such as during the entry into the Land of Israel. "Make it known" - publicly, so that there will be conspicuous miracles through which all will know that You watch over them, and consequently they will not dare to torment them. Through this is fulfilled: "And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them" - the Holy One, blessed be He, has not broken His covenant with us.
"In wrath remember mercy"
Even at a time when You are wrathful with them, remember to have mercy, so that they will not perish or be consumed; let the anger not be one of total destruction. Whom should He remember? Our Sages said: "And I will remember for them the covenant of Abraham" - let Him remember the covenant He made with Abraham. The Radak cites a beautiful homiletic insight: rachem (mercy) has the numerical value of Abraham, for Abraham equals 248 (ReMaCh), corresponding to the 248 limbs in which he attained perfection. "In wrath remember mercy [Abraham]" - at a time of wrath, remember Abraham. This is profoundly fitting, for mercy is an aspect of chesed (lovingkindness), and Abraham's defining attribute is chesed.
אֱלוֹהַּ מִתֵּימָן יָבוֹא וְקָדוֹשׁ מֵהַר פָּארָן סֶלָה, כִּסָּה שָׁמַיִם הוֹדוֹ וּתְהִלָּתוֹ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ׃ - God comes from Teiman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran, Selah; His splendor covers the heavens, and His praise fills the earth.
Two Approaches to the Verse
There are two approaches to this verse. Rashi and the Radak, the classical commentators of peshat, explain that Chavakuk comes here to recall the merits of Israel and the way Hashem guided them in the past, pleading that He lead us with that same conduct: Master of the Universe, repeat those same kindnesses; remember Israel's situation, their merits, and the retribution You visited upon the nations. And when did this occur? At the Giving of the Torah, as Scripture states: "Hashem came from Sinai, and shone forth from Seir to them; He appeared from Mount Paran, and approached from the holy myriads." Teiman refers to Esau and Paran to Ishmael; all the nations whom the Holy One, blessed be He, approached to offer the Torah asked, "What is written in it?" and refused to accept it. Remember, therefore, how "His splendor covered the heavens" at Mount Sinai "and His praise filled the earth," and You gave the Torah only to us because only we agreed to accept it - let this stand as a point of merit for us.
Teiman and Paran: Edom and Ishmael
The Malbim continues his approach: the Divine conduct he spoke of, both hidden ("revive Your work in the midst of the years") and overt ("in the midst of the years make it known"), will continue until the Redemption. And what is the Redemption? "God comes from Teiman" - the Holy One, blessed be He, will come and redeem us from exile. Two kingdoms are depicted here, for the final exile, as explained at length in the Book of Daniel, corresponds to the feet of the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar, feet of clay and iron. The Malbim explained there that this represents a composite kingdom: clay is Ishmael and iron is Edom. And indeed, we see this before our very eyes - which nations dominate the world? Ishmael and Edom. Ishmael refers to the Arab nations, and Edom to the European nations, and in a certain sense also Russia, and even America which is rooted in Britain. Generally, this denotes the nations that feature the color red in their flags. Today, neither Edom nor Ishmael exercises absolute control, and judging by what is occurring in Europe, it seems that Edom will progressively fade, while all of Europe becomes Ishmaelite, and the day may not be far off when the takeover there will be total.
And why is the kingdom of Edom called "Teiman"? After Teiman, the son of Eliphaz, son of Eisav - "Teiman, Omar, Tzefo, Ga'tam, and Kenaz." This has nothing to do with the people of modern-day Yemen (Teiman), who are connected to Yishmael, but rather refers to the ancient kingdom in the land of Edom. And the kingdom of Yishmael is called "Paran," for it is said of Yishmael, "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran" - the wilderness where tent-dwellers and desert nomads resided. Thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, will come to redeem us from the exile of Teiman, which is Edom, and from the exile of Paran, which is Yishmael.
The Malbim adds that the prophet deliberately chose this poetic imagery, drawn from the blessing of Moshe Rabbeinu: "and He shone forth from Seir unto them, He appeared from Mount Paran." There, it contains a prophecy that these two are destined to arise - and one cannot truly call them mere "nations," since we are dealing with entities far larger than a single nation - and boast of a religion that resembles the divine faith.
Christianity and Islam
The two religions competing with Judaism today are Islam and Christianity. Buddhism, for example, even though it may have no fewer adherents than they do (and whoever doubts this should go and see what is happening in India), is not considered a force that seeks to compete with Judaism. In contrast, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic faiths, meaning a belief in one God without additional powers and without idols and graven images; Christianity less so, and Islam more so. Both disconnected from idols and do not practice idolatry in the literal sense.
Islam is superior to Christianity in this regard, for Christianity still believes in the defiled trinity - that the holy spirit impregnated a virgin, from which was born, as it were, the son of god. This belief makes it impossible for us to view Christianity as a pure monotheistic faith, as it constitutes a form of avodah zarah (idolatry). Therefore, we do not enter a church or a monastery, or any place that contains icons and statues. For non-Jews, this may be permissible, as it is shituf (associating another entity with God) - believing in Hashem alongside idolatry - whereas for a Jew, avodah zarah is forbidden even in the form of shituf.
Islam is already a step forward: they believe in the prophet Musa, which is Moshe Rabbeinu as a prophet, and only claim that afterward Muhammad, whom the Rambam refers to as "the Madman," received updates regarding what should and should not be done. Here it is easier, as they do not believe God has a son. And the Rambam writes that both Christianity and Islam serve as stepping stones to bring about the ultimate redemption. After all, wrenching people away from outright paganism - from worshipping sun pillars and idols - and bringing them to belief in one God was exceedingly difficult. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, orchestrated this gradually: Christianity already believes in one God, albeit still with an impure trinity, and Islam, which followed it, no longer believes in a trinity but in one God alone, and from there the path to Judaism is short. Had humanity needed to transition directly from Buddhism or astrology and idolatry, the path would have been immensely long. One must not misunderstand this, Heaven forbid, to mean that the Holy One, blessed be He, misled them into believing in Christianity or Islam; rather, it is part of the historical process that will ultimately lead to the true faith.
Imitation of the True Faith
The Malbim explains: Edom and Yishmael boasted of religions that imitate the divine faith. Indeed, notice how much they copy us. We have Shabbat - Christianity took Sunday for itself, and Islam took Friday. What business do they have with a day of rest? It is simply a desire to resemble the divine religion. All our holy sites were appropriated by Islam: the Temple Mount, upon which they built al-Aqsa, Me'arat HaMachpelah (the Cave of the Patriarchs), and all the rest. And Chazal describe how the Holy One, blessed be He, went around with the Torah to Seir and Paran to offer them the Torah and the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvot. What is the meaning behind this? To teach us that the religion you see in Paran, in Yishmael, and the religion you see in Teiman, in Eisav, is not the divine faith. The divine faith belongs exclusively to the Jewish people. Although they claim their faith is the true religion, the verse proves: "Hashem came from Sinai, and shone forth from Seir unto them, He appeared from Mount Paran, and came from the holy myriads" - the nations refused to accept it.
Chazal came to ensure that one does not become confused and think that Hashem gave them a Torah, seeing as they appropriate everything for themselves. When Yishmael was asked, "What is written in it?" and were told, "You shall not steal," they refused, knowing that this would restrain them. After all, how would the Palestinian Authority sustain itself without stealing? They even stole the Akeidah of Yitzchak: in Islamic lore appears the "Akeidah of Yishmael," while Yitzchak is reduced to a mere escort, one of the lads who stayed behind with the donkey. They even stole the narratives - show some originality, invent something of your own! But as noted, they have none. It was not they who received the true faith; we received the religion of Hashem.
Why "Elo'ah" from Teiman and "Holy One" from Paran
And now the prophet says: know that the Holy One, blessed be He, will come a second time, and this time He will come to demonstrate to them the true religion. At that time, "I will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Hashem," and it will become clear that all the rest are "vanity, a work of delusion," devoid of substance. Therefore, specifically concerning Teiman, which is Edom, the text states "Elo'ah," because they erred regarding the very concept of the Divine and spoke nonsense about it - or, in the delicate phrasing of the Malbim, who lived in Christian lands, "they attributed inappropriate matters to Him." Thus, there He must come with the authority of the name "Elo'ah," to prove their error to them. Regarding Paran, who are the Ishmaelites, they did not cast flaw upon the Godhead, and therefore the verse states "and the Holy One from Mount Paran" rather than "Elo'ah" - there is no need to prove His Divinity to them, for they have no doubts about His oneness and harbor no blend of nonsensical dogmas as the Christians do.
As for why it specifically says "Holy One," one may add: the great flaw among the Arabs is impurity and licentiousness, as Chazal state that ten measures of licentiousness descended into the world, and the Arabs took nine. They are known to be steeped in licentiousness, openly taking multiple wives, and as is well known, in secret there are terrible things as well. Therefore, when Hashem comes to instruct Mount Paran, He will come from the aspect of holiness (kedushah), to show them the terrible impurity in which they are mired. This is "and the Holy One from Mount Paran" - the direct opposite of the impurity in which they are steeped.
Thus, until the time of the Redemption, when "God comes from Teiman," the prophet requests that the Holy One, blessed be He, watch over Israel so that they do not perish in exile - in concealment, "revive it," and openly, "make it known." And then "Selah" - the first prayer has concluded.
"His majesty covers the heavens" - The Opening of the Second Prayer
From here begins the second prayer, in which he elaborates upon the three matters he mentioned briefly in the first prayer. First, "revive Your work in the midst of the years" - the providence of concealment in the manner of Megillat Esther, which he explains through verse 5. Second, "in the midst of the years make it known" - the open and renowned miracles, which are explained in verse 6. And third, "God comes from Teiman," which is explained from there through verse 14.
And what is the meaning of "His majesty covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise"? The Malbim explains: The heavens signify the natural order and the celestial system. The idolaters of ancient times believed in the heavenly bodies; they were worshipers of the stars, sun-pillars, and the sun itself. Thus, "His majesty covers the heavens" - Hashem's majesty was concealed by the heavens, which are a natural reality that they worshiped, while they failed to see the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is above the heavens. Nevertheless, "and the earth is full of His praise": even though His majesty is not visible, the nations will begin to recognize and praise the Holy One, blessed be He, as the One Who guides everything, and it will become known that He is praised among all the nations and there is none beside Him.
וְנֹגַהּ כָּאוֹר תִּהְיֶה, קַרְנַיִם מִיָּדוֹ לוֹ, וְשָׁם חֶבְיוֹן עֻזֹּה׃ - And brightness was like the light; rays emerged from His hand for him, and there is the concealment of His power.
Brightness and Light
The Malbim notes in several places the distinction between nogah (brightness) and ohr (light): nogah is light that has no source of its own, but rather receives from another. If you shine a light on a mirror, the mirror does not radiate on its own; it possesses nogah, a reflected glow. The moon and the stars shed their brightness, yet they do not shine independently, but receive from the light of the sun. The same is true of the light seen in the early morning hours before sunrise: several minutes before sunrise this is readily apparent - you do not see the sun, yet you see light. What is it? There is vapor in the air, and the sun, which is still below the horizon, casts its rays onto the vapor, and when you look eastward you see the illuminated vapor. This is the dawn that you see: a reflection, the nogah of the sun upon the vapors, while the orb of the sun itself is still below and will rise only later.
The deeper meaning is this: the light of Hashem is not revealed directly on earth, for "His majesty covers the heavens" - the heavens conceal the majesty of the Holy One, blessed be He, and what we have here is only nogah, reflected light. Scripture tells us that even though there is only nogah here, "and brightness was like the light" - the nogah will shine like direct, intrinsic light, and those who see it will perceive it as though they had grasped the light itself, as though they witnessed Hashem's providence openly. Even though His providence will remain concealed and veiled, the light of Hashem and His providence will nevertheless be clearly discernible within it.
"Rays emerged from His hand for him" - from the light, the Holy One, blessed be He, will emanate rays onto the nogah, until the brightness itself shines with a great, immense light. The nogah receives rays from His hand, and then everyone will know that this is Hashem's providence. "Rays" (karnayim) is used here as in the verse, "that the skin of Moshe's face beamed" (karan), where the light radiates outwards like rays in every direction. There will be rays here shining and gleaming from Hashem, and therefore the brightness will radiate so brilliantly - meaning, that which "His majesty covers the heavens" concealed will be revealed, and Hashem's providence will become immeasurably apparent.
"And there is the concealment of His power" - yet this is still not an absolute revelation; this is not the World to Come. Hashem is still hidden, His power in concealment, veiled and unseen. And nonetheless, just as he requested, "in the midst of the years revive it," Divine providence is actively at work:
לְפָנָיו יֵלֶךְ דָּבֶר, וְיֵצֵא רֶשֶׁף לְרַגְלָיו׃ - Before Him pestilence goes forth, and a fiery bolt emerges at His feet.
Concealment in Action
Even though He is hidden, pestilence goes before Him and slays the enemies, and burning fever goes forth "at His feet" - that is, on His account, to destroy and eliminate them, just as in the verse, "Hashem has blessed me at your foot," meaning on your account. The explanation is this: hidden providence is a form of guidance where Hashem's hand is not openly visible; yet when the Holy One, blessed be He, acts, we see and are compelled to conclude - as in Megillat Esther - that even though He acted in concealment, His guiding hand is unmistakable. From this, all will understand that the radiance we spoke of, the concealment within which Hashem hides, is like light, possessing shining, brilliant rays. How so? "Before Him went pestilence" - see that pestilence goes forth from before Him, from the hiding place of His strength, to strike down the enemies, and "burning fever went forth at His feet," on His account.
In other words, even though this providence is hidden, veiled, and concealed, it is active, dynamic, and effective in subjugating Hashem's enemies. Yet notice: because it is concealed, it operates through natural means - pestilence, plague, rather than hailstones falling from the sky. And despite all this, even though there is "a hiding of His strength" and "His majesty covered the heavens," there is still a radiance here that is like light, "rays from His hand unto Him," and it is clearly evident that it is from Hashem. The Malbim adds that the fiery spark, which is sparks of fire, brings the pestilence with it: the burning spark walks close to His feet and draws behind it the pestilence that travels ahead at a distance. Both expressions come to convey one single truth - it is recognizable that everything occurs through Hashem's providence.
עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ, רָאָה וַיַּתֵּר גּוֹיִם, וַיִּתְפֹּצְצוּ הַרְרֵי עַד, שַׁחוּ גִּבְעוֹת עוֹלָם, הֲלִיכוֹת עוֹלָם לוֹ׃ - He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled nations, and the eternal mountains were shattered, the ancient hills bowed low; His ways are everlasting.
"He stood and measured the earth" - The Miraculous, Open Providence
Until now, he spoke of hidden providence within the bounds of nature; from here, the Malbim transitions to "make it known in the midst of years," the miraculous providence. This is the time when that power kept in concealment will awaken to guide the world miraculously, and then "He measured the earth." The Malbim explains: He will rearrange the boundaries of kingdoms, "to set up kings and depose kings." These words are astounding, for this is a reality we see with our own eyes: who would have believed that within fifteen years such an upheaval would occur during the Arab Spring, removing kings and establishing kings? In addition, "He measured" (vayemoded) carries the sense of measuring the boundaries of the land to divide it, for when land was distributed, they would measure it with a measuring cord and determine each one's portion accordingly.
"He looked and startled [vayater] nations" - all the commentators explain vayater as deriving from leap or shudder (nitur), meaning He caused them to be jolted from their place. Indeed, anyone who looks at the last seventy years, at the convulsions Europe underwent in the World Wars and those across the Arab world, sees extraordinary shifts. "The eternal mountains were shattered, the ancient hills bowed low" - this is an allegory for toppling the mighty, the tyrants, and the entrenched powers. There were rulers whom you would have sworn no man could ever unseat, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, comes along, shatters them, and removes them. Who would have believed that the president of Egypt would be driven from power, the president of Iraq, the dictator of Libya? All those madmen - who would have imagined they would be cast from their thrones? Someone who stood tall as a mountain and a hill, revered and formidable, is pulled out of a rat-infested hole with the beard of a caveman. "The eternal mountains were shattered, the ancient hills bowed low."
Through this, "make it known in the midst of years" will be fulfilled: everyone will see that the Holy One, blessed be He, directs His world, and that everything transpiring in creation is attributable only to Him, blessed be He, and to His individual providence - not to the stars, not to sun-images, nor to any of the other idols that were worshipped. Then, the guiding hand of Hashem will become unmistakably evident. Thus, in this verse, he petitions for the "make it known," which refers to open and manifest providence. And "His ways are everlasting" (halichot olam lo) - the entire course of the world is in His hands, blessed be He.
The Approach of the Peshat Commentators: A Historical Review
The other commentators explain that this is a historical overview of what transpired in the world and to Israel. Targum Yonatan translates: "He revealed Himself and shook the earth, bringing the Flood upon the generation that violated His word; and a second time, when they sinned before Him, He confounded the nations with their sins, and the ancient mountains were shattered, the eternal hills humbled - everlasting might is His." Hashem revealed Himself, shook the earth, and brought the Flood upon the generation that transgressed His word; and a second time, when they corrupted their ways before Him, He confounded the nations, as seen at the Tower of Bavel, shattering the ancient mountains and bringing low the hills; and everlasting might belongs to Him.
Rashi likewise explains along this line: "He stood and measured the earth" - He waited to scrutinize the judgment of the Generation of the Flood, and measured out to them measure for measure, for they sinned with boiling passion and were judged with boiling water. "He looked" - at the Generation of the Dispersion, who were all of one language and one counsel; "and startled [vayater] nations" - He scattered them into seventy languages, as Rashi also interprets vayater from the root of leaping, meaning He dispersed them and jolted them from their place. "And the eternal mountains were shattered" - these are the heavenly princes of the nations. And then He showed them that "His ways are everlasting."
The Derashah of Chazal: "Vayater Goyim" - He Permitted Them
We noted that all the peshat commentators explained vayater from the idea of leaping (nitur), but Chazal interpret it homiletically from the word for release or permission (heiter). The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the nations the Seven Noahide Laws; a non-Jew also has a mandate, which is neither Christianity nor Islam - both of which are false - but rather the Seven Noahide Laws, and that is sufficient for him. And if he desires more, the Rambam writes that he may fulfill all the mitzvot and will receive reward as one who is not commanded yet performs, except for those that are a covenant specifically between us and Hashem. If he wishes to take a lulav, he may do so and receive reward, and so too with the other mitzvot.
Yet they did not even observe their own seven mitzvos. "He stood and measured the earth; He looked" - the Holy One, Blessed is He, saw that they were not observing their seven mitzvos, "and released the nations" - He permitted them to them. The Gemara asks: Is this a reward? They fail to observe mitzvos and so You exempt them from them? The Gemara answers that it does not mean they were exempted from them, but rather that He permitted them in the sense that even if they fulfill them, their reward will merely be like one who is not commanded and fulfills (eino metzaveh ve'oseh), and the reward of one who is not commanded and fulfills is less. Since you despised Hashem's mitzvos - says the Holy One, Blessed is He - I have already removed the commanded status from you; this does not mean you are exempt, but rather that if you fulfill them, your reward will be like that of one who is not commanded and fulfills.
In summary:
Chapter 3 is the prayer of Chavakuk, and according to the Malbim it is divided into three requests marked by three occurrences of "Selah." In the section we studied, he petitions concerning the long exile that filled him with dread - that Israel not be lost among the nations - and asks that Hashem's work continue in two ways: the concealed providence operating within nature ("in the midst of the years revive it") and the revealed, renowned providence ("in the midst of the years make it known"), and that in wrath He remember mercy, recalling the covenant of Avraham whose attribute is chessed. "God comes from Teiman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran" teaches of the redemption from the exiles of Edom and Yishmael, who boasted of faiths fashioned after the divine religion, and of the revelation of Hashem that will nullify all vain beliefs. "His brightness was like the light" teaches that even the concealment itself will shine as complete light, for "rays of light stream from His hand unto Him," while "Before Him went pestilence" proves that hidden providence is alive and active. Finally, "He stood and measured the earth" - the Holy One, Blessed is He, shifts the boundaries of kingdoms, raises up kings and deposes kings, shatters the eternal mountains and brings low the ancient hills, until it becomes clear for all to see that "His ways are eternal."