Habakkuk 2:9. That he may set his nest on high— Who setteth his nest on high, that he may be delivered from evil; or be exempted, or secured from the reach of evil; that is to say, from the destruction of his city and empire, which the prophets of Israel, who were captives in his kingdom, denounced. read more
9. coveteth an evil covetousness—that is, a covetousness so surpassingly evil as to be fatal to himself. to his house—greedily seizing enormous wealth, not merely for himself, but for his family, to which it is destined to be fatal. The very same "evil covetousness" that was the cause of Jehoiakim's being given up to the Chaldean oppressor ( :-) shall be the cause of the Chaldean's own destruction. set his nest on high— (Numbers 24:21; Jeremiah 49:16; Obadiah 1:4). The image is from an eagle... read more
10. Thou hast consulted shame . . . by cutting off many—MAURER, more literally, "Thou hast consulted shame . . . to destroy many," that is, in consulting (determining) to cut off many, thou hast consulted shame to thy house. sinned against thy soul—that is, against thyself; thou art the guilty cause of thine own ruin (Proverbs 8:36; Proverbs 20:2). They who wrong their neighbors, do much greater wrong to their own souls. read more
II. HABAKKUK’S QUESTIONS AND YAHWEH’S ANSWERS 1:2-2:20The prophet asked Yahweh two questions and received two answers. read more
3. The Lord’s sentence on Babylon 2:6-20The Lord pronounced taunts or mocking statements on the Babylonians announcing that they would receive judgment for their sins. This taunt song consists of five stanzas of three verses each. Five woes follow. Baker entitled them "the pillager," "the plotter," "the promoter of violence," "the debaucher," and "the pagan idolator." [Note: Baker, pp. 62, 64, 65, and 67.] Each woe is "an interjection of distress pronounced in the face of disaster or in view of... read more
Babylon used its unjust acquisitions to build a secure place for itself that it thought would be safe from all calamity (cf. Genesis 11:4). It built a strong and rich dynasty (house) so it would be self-sufficient. Another interpretation is that the secure nest in view is the capital city. [Note: Bruce, p. 867.] Saving to protect oneself from large future expenses is not wrong in itself, but to build a fortune so one will not have to trust in anyone else is saving with the wrong attitude (cf.... read more
Judgment for self-exaltation 2:9-11 read more
It was shameful for the Babylonians to destroy other peoples (cf. Habakkuk 2:5; Habakkuk 2:8). By doing so they were sinning against themselves. That is, they were doing something that would eventually bring destruction on themselves. read more
Faith Triumphant1-4. The view from the watchtower.1. The prophet climbs his tower, for he must reach a vantage point, if he is to contemplate with real understanding and insight the confusion about his feet, i.e. occasioned by Chaldean aggressiveness and indifference to right. The tower is not, of course, a literal tower—some high and lonely place to which the prophet may retire; it simply suggests the inner light of revelation, by the aid of which he contemplates the perplexing situation. The... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Habakkuk 2:10
"Thou has devised shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and have sinned against thy soul."As Ward pointed out, each of these woes has three verses, and the three are necessary to make the meaning clear. For example, in this woe, the reference to "the eagle's nest" would seem to apply to Edom; but here in Habakkuk 2:10, "The repetition of the multiplied conquests applies the malediction still to the Chaldeans."[28]"Thou hast devised shame to thy house ..." By riding rough-shod over... read more