Albert Barnes Commentary Habakkuk 1:7

"They are terrible and dreadful; their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves." — Habakkuk 1:7 (ASV)

They are terrible - איום 'âyôm occurs here only and in Song of Solomon 6:4 and Song of Solomon 6:10, compared with the “bannered host,” but the root is common in אימה 'ēymâh.

And dreadful - He describes them, first in themselves, then in action. They are terrible, and strike fear through their very being, their known character, before they put it forth in action.

Their judgment and their dignity will proceed from themselves. - Judgment had been perverted among God’s people (Habakkuk 1:4); now it will go forth against them at the mere will of their master, who will acknowledge no other rule, Lord, or source of his power.

His own will shall be his only law for himself and others. His elevation, too, is, in his own thought, from himself. He is self-sufficient; he depends on no other, neither on God nor on man. His “dignity” is self-sustained; his “judgment” is irresponsible, as if there were no one higher than him (Ecclesiastes 5:8).

He has, like all great world-powers, a real dignity and majesty. He infuses awe. The dignity is real but faulty, because it is held independently of God. This is a characteristic of antichrist (Daniel 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4): a lawless insolence, a lifting up of himself.