Habakkuk 2:4-14

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but ¹the righteous shall live by his faith. ^[a]

5 “Moreover, wine^[b] is ²a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. ^[c] His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death ³he has never enough. ⁴He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples. ”

Woe to the Chaldeans

6 Shall not all these ⁵take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, ⁶“Woe to him ⁷who heaps up what is not his own—for ⁸how long? —and ⁹loads himself with pledges! ”

7 ¹⁰Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them.

8 ¹¹Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, ¹²for the blood of man and ¹³violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.

9 ¹⁴“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, ¹⁵to ¹⁶set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!

10 You have devised shame for your house ¹⁷by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life.

11 For ¹⁸the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.

12 ¹⁹“Woe to him ²⁰who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!

13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that ²¹peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?

14 ²²For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of ²³the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HABAKKUK 2

This chapter contains an answer from the Lord to the expostulations, pleadings, and reasonings of the prophet, in the name of the people. The preparation of the prophet to receive this answer is described, Hab 2:1 then follows the answer itself, in which he is bid to write and make plain the vision he had, that it might be easily read, Hab 2:2 and a promise is made, that vision should still be continued to the appointed time, at which time the Messiah would come; and this the righteous man, in opposition to the vain and proud man, is encouraged to live in the faith of, Hab 2:3,4 and then the destruction of the enemies of the people of God is threatened for their pride, ambition, covetousness, oppression, and murder, Hab 2:5-12 which would be unavoidable, Hab 2:13 and issue in the spread of the knowledge of the glory of God in the world, Hab 2:14 and also the ruin of other enemies is threatened, for drawing men into apostasy, and for their violence and idolatry, Hab 2:15-19 upon which would follow an universal silence in the earth, Hab 2:20.

Cross References

• 1. 2:4 Cited Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38; [John 3:36]
• 2. 2:5 ch. 1:13; Isa. 21:2
• 3. 2:5 [Prov. 27:20]
• 4. 2:5 Jer. 27:7; [ch. 1:6; Dan. 2:37, 38]
• 5. 2:6 Mic. 2:4; See Num. 23:7
• 6. 2:6 ver. 19; Isa. 5:8
• 7. 2:6 [ch. 1:6]
• 8. 2:6 See Zech. 1:12
• 9. 2:6 [Ezek. 18:7]
• 10. 2:7 See Isa. 21:5-9
• 11. 2:8 [Isa. 33:1]
• 12. 2:8 ver. 17
• 13. 2:8 [Isa. 33:1]
• 14. 2:9 [See ver. 6 above]
• 15. 2:9 [Isa. 14:13]
• 16. 2:9 Jer. 49:16; [Num. 24:21]
• 17. 2:10 [ch. 1:17]
• 18. 2:11 [Luke 19:40]
• 19. 2:12 [See ver. 6 above]
• 20. 2:12 See Mic. 3:10
• 21. 2:13 Jer. 51:58
• 22. 2:14 Isa. 11:9
• 23. 2:14 Ps. 72:19

Footnotes

• [a] 2:4 Or 'faithfulness'
• [b] 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll 'wealth'
• [c] 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain