Habakkuk 1:7

7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.

Habakkuk 1:7 in Other Translations

7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.

7 They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.

7 They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like.

7 A dreadful and terrible people, making up its own rules as it goes.

7 They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves.

Habakkuk 1:7 Meaning and Commentary

Habakkuk 1:7

They [are] terrible and dreadful
For the fierceness of their countenances; the number and valour of their troops; the splendour of their armour; the victories they had obtained, and the cruelty they had exercised; the fame of all which spread terror wherever they came:

their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves;
they will not be directed and governed by any laws of God and man, but by their own; they will do according to their will and pleasure, and none will be able to gainsay and resist them; they will hear no reason or argument; their decrees and determinations they make of themselves shall be put into execution, and there will be no opposing their tyrannical measures; they will usurp a power, and take upon them an authority over others of themselves, which all must submit unto; no mercy and pity: no goodness and humanity, are to be expected from such lawless and imperious enemies.

Habakkuk 1:7 In-Context

5 “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

6 I am raising up the Babylonians,that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.

7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.

8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;

9 they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 18:7; Jeremiah 39:5-9