Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Behold, his soul which is lifted up - the Chaldean's soul (Maurer). The unbelieving Jew's soul (Henderson).
Is not upright in him - i:e., is not accounted upright in God's sight; in antithesis to "the just shall live." So Hebrews 10:38, which with inspired authority applies the general sense to the particular case which Paul had in view, "If any man draw back (one result of being "lifted up" with over-weening arrogancy), my soul shall hare no pleasure in him."
But the just shall live by his faith - the Jewish nation, as opposed to the unbelieving Chaldean (cf. Habakkuk 2:5, etc.; Habakkuk 1:6, etc., Habakkuk 1:13). (Maurer.) Henderson's view is, that the believing Jew is meant, as opposed to the unbelieving Jew (cf. Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11). The believing Jew, though God's promise tarry, will wait for it; the unbelieving "draws back," as Hebrews 10:38 expresses it. The sense, in Maurer's view, which accords better with the context (Habakkuk 2:5, etc.) is, the Chaldean, though for a time seeming to prosper, yet being lifted up with haughty unbelief, is not upright - i:e., has no right stability of soul resting on God, to ensure permanence of prosperity (Habakkuk 1:11; Habakkuk 1:16, "Then shall his mind (the mind of the Chaldean elated with success) change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat):" hence, though for a time executing God's judgments, he at last becomes "lifted up" so as to attribute to his own power what is the work of God, and in this sense "draws back" (Hebrews 10:38), becoming thereby a type of all backsliders, who thereby incur God's displeasure; as the believing Jew is of all who wait for God's promises with patient faith, and so "live" (stand accepted and continue accepted, walking in the righteousness which is by faith) before God. The Hebrew accents induce Bengel to translate, 'he who is just by his faith, shall live." Other manuscripts read the accents as the English version, which agrees better with the Hebrew syntax. For х tsadiyq (H6662)] is the nominative absolute, therefore х be'ªmuwnaatow (H530)] cannot be connected with it, but must be joined with х yihyeh (H1961)].