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Commentary on Habakkuk 2 verses 5–14
The prophet having had orders to write the vision, and the people to wait for the accomplishment of it, the vision itself follows; and it is, as divers other prophecies we have met with, the burden of Babylon and Babylon's king, the same that was said to pass over and offend, Hab 1:11. It reads the doom, some think, of Nebuchadnezzar, who was principally active in the destruction of Jerusalem, or of that monarchy, or of the whole kingdom of the Chaldeans, or of all such proud and oppressive powers as bear hard upon any people, especially upon God's people. Observe,
I. The charge laid down against this enemy, upon which the sentence is grounded, Hab 1:5. The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life, are the entangling snares of men, and great men especially; and we find him that led Israel captive himself led captive by each of these. For, 1. He is sensual and voluptuous, and given to his pleasures: He transgresses by wine. Drunkenness is itself a transgression, and is the cause of abundance of transgression. We read of those that err through wine, Isa 28:7. Belshazzar (in whom particularly this prophecy had its accomplishment) was in the height of his transgression by wine when the hand-writing upon the wall signed the warrant for his immediate execution, pursuant to this sentence, Dan 5:1. 2. He is haughty and imperious: He is a proud man, and his pride is a certain presage of his fall coming on. If great men be proud men, the great God will make them know he is above them. His transgressing by wine is made the cause of his arrogance and insolence: therefore he is a proud man. When a man is drunk, though he makes himself as mean as a beast, yet he thinks himself as great as a king, and prides himself in that by which he shames himself. We find the crown of pride upon the head of the drunkards of Ephraim, and a woe to both, Isa 28:1. 3. He is covetous and greedy of wealth, and this is the effect of his pride; he thinks himself worthy to enjoy all, and therefore makes it his business to engross all. The Chaldean monarchy aimed to be a universal one. He keeps not at home, is not content with his own, which he has an incontestable title to, but thinks it too little, and so enjoys it not, nor takes the comfort he might in his own palace, in his own dominion. His sin is his punishment, his ambition is his perpetual uneasiness. Though the home be a palace, yet to a discontented mind it is a prison. He enlarges his desire as hell, or the grave, which daily receives the body of the dead, and yet still cries, Give, give; he is as death, which continues to devour, and cannot be satisfied. Note, It is the sin and folly of many who have a great deal of the wealth of this world that they do not know when they have enough, but the more they have the more they would have, and the more eager they are for it. And it is just with God that the desires which are insatiable should still be unsatisfied; it is the doom passed on those that love silver that they shall never be satisfied with it, Ecc 5:10. Those that will not be content with their allotments shall not have the comfort of their achievements. This proud prince is still gathering to him all nations, and heaping to him all people, invading their rights, seizing their properties, and they must not be unless they will be his, and under his command. One nation will not satisfy him unless he has another, and then another, and all at last; as those in a lower sphere, to gratify the same inordinate desire, lay house to house, and field to field, that they may be placed alone in the earth, Isa 5:8. And it is hard to say which is more to be pitied, the folly of such ambitious princes as place their honour in enlarging their dominions, and not in ruling them well, or the misery of those nations that are harassed and pulled to pieces by them.
II. The sentence passed upon him (Hab 2:6): Shall not all these take up a parable against him? His doom is,
1.That, since pride has been his sin, disgrace and dishonour shall be his punishment, and he shall be loaded with contempt, shall be laughed at and despised by all about him, as those that look big, and aim high, deserve to be, and commonly are, when they are brought down and baffled.
2.That, since he has been abusive to his neighbours, those very persons whom he has abused shall be the instruments of his disgrace: All those shall take up a taunting proverb against him. They shall have the pleasure of insulting over him and he the shame of being trampled upon by them. Those that shall triumph in the fall of this great tyrant are here furnished with a parable, and a taunting proverb, to take up against him. He shall say (he that draws up the insulting ditty shall say thus), Ho, he that increases that which is not his! Aha! what has become of him now? So it may be read in a taunting way. Or, He shall say, that is, the just, who lives by his faith, he to whom the vision is written and made plain, with the help of that shall say this, shall foretel the enemy's fall, even when he sees him flourishing, and suddenly curse his habitation, even when he is taking root, Job 5:3. He shall indeed denounce woes against him.
(1.)Here is a woe against him for increasing his own possessions by invading his neighbour's rights, Hab 2:6-8. He increases that which is not his, but other people's. Note, No more of what we have is to be reckoned ours than what we came honestly by; nor will it long be ours, for wealth gotten by vanity will be diminished. Let not those that thrive in the world be too forward to bless themselves in it, for, if they do not thrive lawfully, they are under a woe. See here, [1.] What this prosperous prince is doing; he is lading himself with thick clay. Riches are but clay, thick clay; what are gold and silver but white and yellow earth? Those that travel through thick clay are both retarded and dirtied in their journey; so are those that go through the world in the midst of an abundance of the wealth of it; but, as if that were not enough, what fools are those that load themselves with it, as if this trash would be their treasure! They burden themselves with continual care about it, with a great deal of guilt in getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy account which they must give of it another day. They overload their ship with this thick clay, and so sink it and themselves into destruction and perdition. [2.] See what people say of him, while he is thus increasing his wealth; they cry, "How long? How long will it be ere he has enough?" They cry to God, "How long wilt thou suffer this proud oppressor to trouble the nations?" Or they say to one another, "See how long it will last, how long he will be able to keep what he gets thus dishonestly." They dare not speak out, but we know what they mean when they say, How long? [3.] See what will be in the end hereof. What he has got by violence from others, others shall take by violence from him. The Medes and Persians shall make a prey of the Chaldeans, as they have done of other nations, Hab 2:7, Hab 2:8. "There shall be those that will bite thee and vex thee; those from whom thou didst not fear any danger, that seemed asleep, shall rise up and awake to be a plague to thee. They shall rise up suddenly when thou are most secure, and least prepared to receive the shock and ward off the blow. Shall they not rise up suddenly? No doubt they shall, and thou thyself hast reason to expect it, to be dealt with as thou hast dealt with others, that thou shalt be for booties unto them, as others have been unto thee, that, according to the law of retaliation, as thou hast spoiled many nations so thou shalt thyself be spoiled (Hab 2:8); all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee." The king of Babylon thought he had brought all the nations round about him so low that none of them would be able to make reprisals upon him; but though they were but a remnant of people, a very few left, yet these shall be sufficient to spoil him, when God has such a controversy with him, First, For men's blood, and the thousands of lives that have been sacrificed to his ambition and revenge, especially for the blood of Israelites, which is in a special manner precious to God. Secondly, For the violence of the land, his laying waste so many countries, and destroying the fruits of the earth, especially in the land of Israel. Thirdly, For the violence of the city, the many cities that he had turned into ruinous heaps, especially Jerusalem the holy city, and of all that dwelt therein, who were ruined by him. Note, The violence done by proud men to advance and enrich themselves will be called over again (and must be accounted for) another day, by him to whom vengeance belongs.
(2.)Here is a woe against him for coveting still more, and aiming to be still higher, Hab 2:9-11. The crime for which this woe is denounced is much the same with that in the foregoing article - an insatiable desire of wealth and honour; it is coveting an evil covetousness to his house, that is, grasping at an abundance for his family. Note, Covetousness is a very evil thing in a family; it brings disquiet and uneasiness into it (he that is greedy of gain troubles his own house), and, which is worse, it brings the curse of God upon it and upon all the affairs of it. Woe to him that gains an evil gain; so the margin reads it. There is a lawful gain, which by the blessing of God may be a comfort to a house (a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children), but what is got by fraud and injustice is ill-got, and will be poor gain, will not only do no good to a family, but will bring poverty and ruin upon it. Now observe, [1.] What this covetous wretch aims at; it is to set his nest on high, to raise his family to some greater dignity than it had before arrived at, or to set it, as he apprehends, out of the reach of danger, that he may be delivered from the power of evil, that it may not be in the power of the worst of his enemies to do him a mischief nor so much as to disturb his repose. Note, It is common for men to pretend it as an excuse for their covetousness and ambition that they only consult their own safety, and aim to secure themselves; and yet they do but deceive themselves when they think their wealth will be a strong city to them, and a high wall, for it is so only in their own conceit, Pro 18:11. [2.] What he will get by it: Thou hast consulted, not safety, but shame, to thy house, by cutting off many people, Hab 2:10. Note, An estate raised by iniquity is a scandal to a family. Those that cut off, or undermine, others, to make room for themselves, that impoverish others to enrich themselves, do but consult shame to their houses, and fasten upon them a mark of infamy. Yet that is not the worst of it: "Thou hast sinned against thy own soul, hast brought that under guilt and wrath, and endangered that." Note, Those that do wrong to their neighbour do a much greater wrong to their own souls. But if the sinner pleads, Not guilty, and thinks he has managed his frauds and violence with so much art and contrivance that they cannot be proved upon him, let him know that if there be no other witnesses against him the stone shall cry out of the wall against him, and the beam out of the timber in the roof shall answer it, shall second it, shall witness it, that the money and materials wherewith he built the house were unjustly gotten, Hab 2:11. The stones and timber cry to heaven for vengeance, as the whole creation groans under the sin of man and waits to be delivered from that bondage of corruption.
(3.)Here is a woe against him for building a town and a city by blood and extortion (Hab 2:12): He builds a town, and is him-self lord of it; he establishes a city, and makes it his royal seat. So Nebuchadnezzar did (Dan 4:30): Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom? But it is built with the blood of his own subjects, whom he has oppressed, and the blood of his neighbours, whom he has unjustly invaded; it is established by iniquity, by the unrighteous laws that are made for the security of it. Woe to him that does so; for the towns and cities thus built can never be established; they will fall, and their founders be buried in the ruins of them. Babylon, which was built by blood and iniquity, did not continue long; its day soon came to fall; and then this woe took effect, when that prophecy, which is expressed as a history (Isa 21:9), proved a history indeed: Babylon has fallen, has fallen! And the destruction of that city was, [1.] The shame of the Chaldeans, who had taken so much pains, and were at such a vast expense, to fortify it (Hab 2:13): Is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people who have laboured so hard to defend that city shall labour in the very fire, shall see the out-works which they confided in the strength of set on fire, and shall labour in vain to save them? Or they, in their pursuits of worldly wealth and honour, put themselves to great fatigue, and ran a great hazard, as those that labour in the fire do. The worst that can be said of the labourers in God's vineyards is that they have borne the burden and heat of the day (Mat 20:12); but those that are eager in their worldly pursuits labour in the very fire, make themselves perfect slaves to their lusts. There is not a greater drudge in the world than he that is under the power of reigning covetousness. And what comes of it? Though they take a world of pains they are but poorly paid for it; for, after all, they weary themselves for very vanity; they were told it was vanity, and when they find themselves disappointed of it, and disappointed in it, they will own it is worse than vanity, it is vexation of spirit. [2.] It was the honour of God, as a God of impartial justice and irresistible power; for by the ruin of the Chaldean monarchy (which all the world could not but take notice of) the earth was filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, Hab 2:14. The Lord is known by these judgments which he executes, especially when he is pleased to look upon proud men and abase them, for he thereby proves himself to be God alone, Job 40:11, Job 40:12. See what good God brings out of the staining and sinking of earthly glory; he thereby manifests and magnifies his own glory, and fills the earth with the knowledge of it as plentifully as the waters cover the sea, which lie deep, spread far, and shall not be dried up until time shall be no more. Such is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ given by the gospel (Co2 4:6), and such was the knowledge of his glory by the miraculous ruin of Babylon. Note, Such as will not be taught the knowledge of God's glory by the judgments of his mouth shall be made to know and acknowledge it by the judgments of his hand.
Since, therefore, the Lord thus threatens such shepherds through whom the sheep of the Lord are neglected and perish, what else ought we to do, dearly beloved brother, but to show full diligence in collecting and restoring the sheep of Christ and to apply the medicine of paternal piety to care for the wounds of the lapsed? The Lord also in the Gospel warns and says, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but they who are sick.” For although we shepherds are many, yet we feed one flock. All of the sheep whom Christ sought by his blood and passion we ought to embrace and to cherish, and not to allow our suppliant and grieving brothers to be cruelly despised and to be trodden under foot by the proud presumption of certain ones, since it is written, “The man, however, who is stiff-necked, boastful of himself, will accomplish nothing at all. His greed is as wide as Sheol.”
(Verse 5 and following) And just as wine deceives a drinker, so too will the proud man be, and he will not be adorned, who has expanded his soul like Sheol and is like death, and he will not be satisfied. And he will gather all nations to himself, and he will heap all peoples to himself. Will not all these take up a proverb against him and a taunting riddle about him, and say: Woe to him who multiplies what is not his own! How long will he heap up thick clay against himself? Will not those who bite you suddenly rise up and those who harass you wake up, and you will become their prey? Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you because of human bloodshed and the violence done to the land, the city, and all its inhabitants. Woe to him who is arrogant though! Man of pride, who accomplishes nothing. He who enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. And he will gather all nations to himself, and he will receive all peoples to himself: will not all these take up a parable against him, and a mockery of his narration, and say: Woe to him who multiplies things that are not his own: how long will he burden himself heavily with his own torment, because suddenly those who bite him will rise up, and your schemers will be watchful, and you will be a prey to them? For you have plundered many nations, all the remaining peoples will plunder you because of the blood of men and the wickedness of the land, city, and all its inhabitants. When these things have been promised concerning the coming of Christ, or, as some please, concerning the end of the vision, and the fulfillment of God's help: whoever believes that it will come, will live by his faith; but whoever is unbelieving, will displease the Lord's souls; King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon will be deceived by his pride. And just as wine affects the drinker, and after he has risen, neither his foot, nor his mind fulfills its duty; and all joy and exhilaration of the mind turns into ruin: so a proud man will not be adorned, nor will he achieve his own will to the end, and according to Symmachus he will not prosper, that is, there will be a shortage in all things. Who, like death and hell, is not satisfied with the slain: and subduing all nations and peoples under his rule, he did not consider an end to his greed. Will not everyone speak out against him when he is intoxicated with the cup of the Lord and is asleep from the wine-filled chalice, a disgrace? Woe to him who, ravaging the entire world, is not satisfied with plunder and does not cease to strip the already naked, and to this extent he rages in order to devour, and under the burden of wickedness and spoils he weighs himself down like a heavy yoke. At the same time, consider how elegantly he called the dense multiplied riches clay. Will not the Medes and Persians suddenly rise up, destroying the empire of the Babylonians, biting him first and then tearing him apart? And let Nebuchadnezzar become a prey for them, and let the destroyer of the whole world be plundered by the remaining peoples who were able to escape his hand and cruelty. But this will happen to him because of the blood of man, that is, of the Jews, and because of the wickedness of the land, namely, Israel, and the city, undoubtedly meaning Jerusalem and all the inhabitants in it in general. Let us discuss and the Septuagint. Everything we have said about Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar can be related to this world and to the devil, who is truly arrogant and proud, and believes himself to be something, but will lead to nothing. Indeed, his efforts and all his labor will be in vain: he delights in the likeness of hell and death, not satisfied with the killings of countless people, and rejoices in deceiving all nations, and gathering people to himself. Those who see him sent into the Abyss and handed over to Tartarus will recall in harmonious voice the things they read in the prophets allegorically and enigmatically, seeing them fulfilled and interpreting them about him: Woe to the devil, who has multiplied what does not belong to him. Woe to the lost one, who has gathered what she did not bear. How long will this voice be of rebuke or demonstration of judgment? And he will make his torment even heavier with infinite weight. And it is fitting, because it is arrogant and proud (pride is properly shown in the extension of the neck and the raising of the head), that the punishment should be very severe, so that what was erect may be bent. And this will happen because suddenly those who will bite him will rise up, either angels, with whom the devil will be handed over for punishment, or those who had been tempted by him, later repenting and converted to the banners of Christ, they will bite him, according to what is said elsewhere: 'Your peaceful men have set traps for you' (Jeremiah 28). Finally, it follows: And your adversaries will awake, that is, those whom you put to sleep before, those whom you intoxicated, you will be subject to their snares, who lay waste to your kingdom, and those who were captured in Christ's troops. For you have plundered many nations, and you have despoiled the Jewish people of the ornamental and sacred garments that I gave them: therefore all the remaining peoples, who have not subjected their neck to your empire, will plunder you and make you naked. Because you have both killed many people and shed their blood. But also the wickedness of the land, that is, of Judea, and the city of Jerusalem, and all its inhabitants (who said against their Creator: Crucify, crucify him: his blood be upon us and upon our children (John 19:6)), shall return upon your head, and shall be the cause of your plundering. This can also be interpreted as referring to the Antichrist, who will be so arrogant and proud that he will sit in the temple of God, pretending to be God. And, like hell and death, it will kill so many and gather them to itself, so that, if possible, it may even deceive the elect of God. It will also gather to itself all nations and lead all peoples into its error. But when they see him afterwards, whom Christ will destroy with the breath of his mouth, they will understand that what was predicted about him beforehand is true, and they will say all that follows with the same understanding with which we have explained about the devil. But what he says is, that all the remaining people will strip you because of the blood of men, and the impiety of the land, and the city, and all who dwell in it, let us understand the remaining holy people, who did not serve the Antichrist, from whom the wicked one will be stripped because of the impiety which he exercised over the whole earth, and the devastation of the city of the Church, and the persecution of all who dwelled in it. For such great devastation and such great impiety at the end of things, while the Antichrist rages, will prevail in the Churches, and with the multiplied iniquity of many, love will grow so cold (Mat. XXIV) that the Lord, who knows the secrets of the heart and what is to come, does not ignore, will say: Do you think, when the Son of Man comes, He will find faith on earth? (Luc. XVIII, 8) We can also, according to John the Apostle (who writes: As you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come (1 John 2:18); by this we know that it is the last hour), condemn all heretics and the entire perverse doctrine of those who arrogantly despise the knowledge and simplicity of the Church, who do not lead to any good end but delight in the deaths of many, arrogantly and proudly speaking and twisting the entire content of scripture to fit their own understanding. They truly multiply for themselves not what is theirs, but rather the heaviest mud and a burdensome millstone by which they will be dragged to punishment, gathering for themselves spoils from many nations and shedding the blood of humans, exercising impiety in the Church and against all its inhabitants. But the remaining people, namely the men of the Church, who have not been deceived by their error, will suddenly rise up and awaken as from a deep sleep, and they will bite them and lay traps for them, and they will have them as prey. Some think that what is said, 'Woe to those who accumulate what is not theirs,' etc., can apply to the rich, who extend the boundaries of their possessions and gather for themselves things that do not belong to man, and from whom they will suddenly be left. But the Lord demonstrates that what is not of man, that is, a rational animal, is earthly possession, saying: If you were not faithful in another's, what is yours, who will give you? And they discussed the entire text of the chapter about this matter. But I do not know if they can maintain the order of prophetic questioning and solving.
As wine deceiveth: Viz., by affording only a short passing pleasure; followed by the evils and disgrace that are the usual consequences of drunkenness; so shall it be with the proud enemies of the people of God; whose success affordeth them only a momentary pleasure, followed by innumerable and everlasting evils.
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SUMMARY
Habakkuk 2:5 serves as a scathing divine indictment against the proud and insatiable nature of the oppressive power, likely Babylon. The verse vividly portrays their destructive character, marked by a lack of self-control, an unquenchable desire for expansion likened to the grave, and a relentless drive to accumulate wealth and subjugate nations, all stemming from an arrogant and restless spirit that finds no contentment.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Habakkuk 2:5 is rich in Simile and Metaphor, particularly in its depiction of the oppressor's insatiable desire. The comparison of the oppressor's ambition to "hell" (Sheol) and "death" functions as a powerful Simile, emphasizing the bottomless, consuming, and destructive nature of their greed. Both Sheol and death are personified as entities that are never satisfied, continually devouring. This also borders on Hyperbole, as it exaggerates the extent of their appetite to an almost cosmic scale, conveying the truly boundless nature of their destructive ambition. The phrase "transgresseth by wine" can be seen as a Metaphor for moral dissolution and a loss of self-control, suggesting that their wickedness is fueled by a kind of spiritual intoxication with power. The entire verse uses vivid, almost visceral imagery to paint a picture of a restless, rapacious, and ultimately self-destructive character.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Habakkuk 2:5 presents a timeless theological truth about the destructive nature of unchecked human pride and insatiable greed. It reveals that such characteristics are not merely moral failings but are fundamentally antithetical to God's order and will inevitably lead to divine judgment. The oppressor's restless spirit and boundless appetite stand in stark contrast to the divine call for contentment and trust in God, foreshadowing the ultimate futility of seeking satisfaction in worldly accumulation. This divine judgment against the proud and rapacious is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, assuring believers that God is sovereign over all nations and will ultimately bring justice to the oppressed.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Habakkuk 2:5 offers a profound mirror for self-examination and a warning for contemporary society. The "proud man" who "cannot be satisfied" and relentlessly "gathereth unto him all nations" serves as an archetype not only for oppressive empires but also for individuals and cultures driven by consumerism, materialism, and unbridled ambition. This verse challenges us to consider where we seek our satisfaction. Is it in the endless accumulation of wealth, power, or possessions, which, like Sheol, can never be truly filled? Or is it in the spiritual contentment found in a relationship with God, as the following verse suggests, where "the just shall live by his faith"? True peace and stability are not found in outward expansion or self-exaltation, but in humility, self-control, and a spirit of generosity. The restless pursuit of "more" ultimately leads to emptiness and destruction, while a life rooted in faith and gratitude cultivates genuine well-being and allows us to be a blessing to others rather than a burden.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "transgresseth by wine" mean in this context?
Answer: The phrase "transgresseth by wine" (KJV) or "treacherous by wine" (ESV) suggests a moral corruption and lack of self-control that is exacerbated or revealed by indulgence. It can imply literal drunkenness leading to reckless and deceitful behavior, but more broadly, it functions as a metaphor for being intoxicated by power, success, or worldly desires. This spiritual "drunkenness" leads the oppressor to act without restraint, to disregard moral boundaries, and to engage in treacherous dealings, ultimately fueling their insatiable ambition and exploitation of others. It highlights a fundamental instability and moral decay at the heart of their character, preventing them from finding true peace or "keeping at home" (finding contentment).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Habakkuk 2:5, in its vivid portrayal of the proud, restless, and insatiably greedy oppressor, stands in stark contrast to the character and mission of Jesus Christ. While the oppressor "enlargeth his desire as hell" and "cannot be satisfied," Christ perfectly embodied humility and self-giving. He did not come to "gather unto him all nations" through conquest and exploitation, but to gather them through sacrificial love. Unlike the proud man who "neither keepeth at home" in restless ambition, Jesus, though He had nowhere to lay His head, found His perfect rest and satisfaction in fulfilling the Father's will (John 4:34). The "wine" that leads to transgression for the oppressor is transformed in Christ into the wine of the New Covenant, symbolizing His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins, an act of ultimate self-emptying rather than self-aggrandizement. The insatiable desire for power and accumulation, which brings death and destruction, is countered by Christ's call to seek first the kingdom of God, promising true satisfaction and life in Him, the Bread of Life. Thus, Christ is the ultimate antithesis and fulfillment, offering the only true satisfaction and rest that the proud and restless heart of humanity desperately seeks but can never find in worldly pursuits.