Habakkuk 2:6-9 ASV

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:7

Verse 7 The Prophet proceeds with the subject which we have already begun to explain; for he introduces here the common taunts against the king of Babylon and the whole tyrannical empire, by which many nations had been cruelly oppressed. He therefore says that enemies, who should bite him, (34) would suddenly and unexpectedly rise up. Some expound this of worms, but not rightly: for God not only inflicted punishment on the king when dead, but he intended also that there should be on earth an... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:8

Verse 8 The Prophet here expresses more clearly why the Babylonians were to be so severely dealt with by God. He shows that it would be a just reward that they should be plundered in their turn, who had previously given themselves up to plunder, violence, and cruelty. Since, then, they had exercised so much inhumanity towards all people, the Prophet intimates here that God could not be deemed as treating them cruelly, by inflicting on them so severe a punishment: he also confirms the former... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:9

Verse 9 Habakkuk proceeds in exciting the king of Babylon by taunts; which were not scurrilous jests, but contained serious threatening; for, as it has been already said, the Prophet here introduces indeed the common people, but in that multitude we are to recognize the innumerable heralds of God’s vengeance: and hence he says, Woe to him who coveteth, etc.; or we may say, He! for it is a particle of exclamation, as it has been said: He! thou, he says, who covetest an evil covetousness to thy... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6

All these. All the nations and peoples who have been subjugated and barbarously treated by the Babylonians (comp. Isaiah 14:4 ). A parable. A sententious song (see note on Micah 2:4 ). A taunting proverb . The Anglican Version combines the two Hebrew words, which stand unconnected, into one notion. So the Vulgate, loquelam aenigmatum. The latter of the two generally means "riddle," "enigma;" the other word ( melitzah ) is by some translated, "a derisive satirical song," or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

§ 8. The destruction of the Babylonians is announced by the mouth of the vanquished nations, who utter five woes against their oppressor. The first woe: for their rapacity. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

A parable of woes: 1. Woe to the rapacious! I. THEIR PERSONS IDENTIFIED . 1 . The Chaldean nation, in its kings and people, who were animated by a lust of conquest, which impelled them upon wars of aggression. 2 . The enemies of the Church of God and of Jesus Christ, whether national or individual, in whom the same spirit dwells as resided in the Babylonian power. God's promises and threatenings in the Bible have almost always a wider sweep and a larger reference than... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

Covetousness. In the remaining portion of this chapter the prophet dwells upon the sins prevailing amongst the Chaldeans, and indicates the misery these should entail. His utterances, taken together, form a satirical ode directed against the Chaldeans, who, though not named, are yet most clearly personified. In the general statement respecting them in Habakkuk 2:5 allusion is made to their rapacity, and the first stanza in the song is specially directed to this greed, which was so... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

National wrongs ending in national woes. No. 1. "Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?" etc. In these verses, up to the nineteenth inclusive, the prophet denounces upon the Chaldeans and Babylonians... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:7

That shall bite thee. As thou hast cruelly treated others, so shall they, like fierce vipers ( Jeremiah 8:17 ), bite thee. Henderson, Delitzsch, Keil, and others see in the word a double entendre connected with the meaning of "lending on interest," so the "biting" would signify "exacting a debt with usury." Such a term for usury is not unknown to classical antiquity; thus (quoted by Henderson) Aristoph; 'Nub.,' 12— δακόμενος υπὸ τὴς δαπάνης καὶ τῆς φάτνης καὶ τῶν χρεῶν ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:8

The law of retaliation is asserted. All the remnant of the people ( peoples ) shall spoil thee. The remnant of the nations subjugated and plundered by the Chaldeans shall rise up against them. The downfall of Babylon was brought about chiefly by the combined forces of Media, Persia, and Elam ( Isaiah 21:2 ; Jeremiah 1:9 , etc.); and it is certain that Nebuchadnezzar, at one period of his reign, conquered and annexed Elam; and there is every probability that he warred successfully... read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:7

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:8

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:6-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:7

The Pulpit Commentary - Habakkuk 2:8

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