The Written Vision, 'The Righteous Live by Faith,' and Woes on the Proud
Habakkuk 2:2-20
Hab.2.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויענני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,obj1cs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כתוב: ADJ,ptcp,pass,m,sg
- חזון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובאר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- הלחות: NOUN,m,sg,def
- למען: PREP
- ירוץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- קורא: VERB,qal,ptc,NA,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 17:14 (verbal): God commands Moses to 'write this for a memorial'—parallels Habakkuk's instruction to record a divine message for posterity.
- Isaiah 30:8 (verbal): Isaiah is told 'Write it on a tablet and inscribe it in a book'—very close wording and function to Habakkuk's charge to write the vision plainly.
- Jeremiah 30:2 (verbal): The LORD tells Jeremiah 'Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you,' echoing the prophetic practice of committing revelation to writing.
- Revelation 1:19 (allusion): John is instructed to 'write the things that you have seen and what is'—the Johannine command echoes the prophetic mandate to record visions for readers.
- Deuteronomy 31:24 (structural): After Moses completes writing the law the text is preserved for the community—parallels Habakkuk's concern that the written vision be made plain so readers can run with it.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD answered me and said, "Write the vision; inscribe it plainly on tablets, that the one who reads may run."
- And the LORD answered me and said, "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, that he who reads it may run."
Hab.2.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- עוד: ADV
- חזון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למועד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויפח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לקץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יכזב: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- יתמהמה: VERB,hitpael,imprf,3,m,sg
- חכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יאחר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Habakkuk 2:2 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding verse directs writing the vision and setting it plainly, linking the fixed timing and eventual fulfillment described in 2:3.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (allusion): Speaks to the seeming delay of God's promise — 'The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise' — echoing Habakkuk's assurance that the vision will surely come and is not 'tarrying' in the ultimate sense.
- James 5:7-8 (thematic): Uses the image of patient waiting for a harvest and for the Lord's coming, exhorting believers to be patient until the appointed time, paralleling Habakkuk's call to wait for the vision.
- Psalm 27:14 (thematic): Commands to 'wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage,' reflecting the patient perseverance urged in Habakkuk 2:3.
- Psalm 37:7 (verbal): 'Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him' echoes the language and theme of waiting faithfully for God's timing found in Habakkuk 2:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the vision is for an appointed time; it speaks toward the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it; for it will surely come — it will not be late.
- For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the end and will not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it; for it will surely come, it will not delay.
Hab.2.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- עפלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישרה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- וצדיק: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באמונתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Romans 1:17 (quotation): Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 ('the righteous shall live by faith') to state the gospel principle that righteousness from God is received by faith.
- Galatians 3:11 (quotation): Paul cites Habakkuk 2:4 to argue that justification is by faith, not by the works of the law ('the righteous shall live by faith').
- Hebrews 10:38 (quotation): The author of Hebrews directly quotes Habakkuk 2:4 to exhort perseverance and faithfulness, contrasting the proud with the righteous who live by faith.
- Genesis 15:6 (thematic): Abraham's belief being 'credited to him as righteousness' provides an earlier biblical theme of 'righteousness by faith' that underlies Habakkuk 2:4's declaration.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, the proud one is not upright in his soul; but the righteous shall live by his faith.
- Behold, his soul is proud and not upright within him; but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Hab.2.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואף: CONJ+ADV
- כי: CONJ
- היין: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בוגד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גבר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- יהיר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ינוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הרחיב: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- כשאול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- כמות: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ישבע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ויאסף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויקבץ: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- העמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Proverbs 27:20 (verbal): Uses the same imagery of Sheol/Death as never satisfied — Habakkuk's 'enlarges his desire like Sheol... and is not satisfied' echoes Proverbs' formula about grave/Sheol's insatiability.
- Proverbs 30:15-16 (verbal): Portrays insatiable appetite ('the leech... give, give'; 'Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied') — parallels Habakkuk's depiction of ravenous, unending desire.
- Jeremiah 51:7 (thematic): Speaks of Babylon as a golden cup making all nations drunk — parallels Habakkuk's link between intoxicating wine/deception and the gathering/influence over nations.
- Revelation 17:2 (allusion): The beast/whore causes the kings of the earth to commit fornication and makes nations drunk with her wine — New Testament echo of the motif of wine/deception and nations drawn to a proud power.
- Micah 2:2 (thematic): Describes greedy coveting and seizure of fields/houses — thematically parallels Habakkuk's portrait of a proud, expansive appetite that gathers lands and peoples to itself.
Alternative generated candidates
- Indeed wine betrays the man of arrogance; he is haughty and will not abide. He enlarges his desire like Sheol; he is like death and is never satisfied. He gathers to himself all nations and heaps to himself all peoples.
- Moreover wine betrays the arrogant; the swaggerer is not at rest. His appetite is broad as Sheol, he is like death and will not be satisfied; he gathers to himself all the nations and collects to himself all peoples.
Hab.2.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- משל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ומליצה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חידות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הוי: INTJ
- המרבה: PARTCP,qal,act,m,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- מתי: ADV,int
- ומכביד: CONJ+VERB,piel,impf,3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- עבטיט: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Habakkuk 2:9 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same oracle: a direct 'woe' against him who increases his goods by violence — continues the condemnation of the unjust profiteer.
- Proverbs 28:8 (verbal): Explicitly links gaining wealth through interest/extortion with ultimate loss — echoes the charge against those who 'increase' possessions unjustly.
- Amos 2:6-7 (thematic): Condemns economic oppression and exploitation of the poor (selling the righteous/poor for silver) — matches Habakkuk's critique of violent, unjust enrichment.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Accuses covetous leaders who seize fields and houses to enlarge their estates — thematically parallel to the oppressive accumulation denounced in Habakkuk 2:6.
- Job 20:5-11 (thematic): Zophar's description of the fate of the wicked who prosper briefly and then meet sudden ruin parallels Habakkuk's question about the end and burden that will come upon the arrogant accumulator.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shall not all these lift up a proverb against him, and a taunting riddle against him, and say, "Woe to him who increases that which is not his — how long? — and lays up for himself that which is unjust!"
- Shall not all these take up a taunt against him, and a proverb against him, and say, "Woe to him who increases what is not his"—how long?—and makes himself rich by extortion!
Hab.2.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- פתע: ADV
- יקומו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נשכיך: PTCP,qal,act,pl,suff:2,ms
- ויקצו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- מזעזעיך: PTCP,pi'el,act,pl,suff:2,ms
- והיית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- למשסות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Hab.2.8 (structural): Immediate continuation: the following verse explains the reason—because of plundering many nations—so 2:7–8 form a unit describing how the oppressor will be taken as spoil.
- Isa.13:17-19 (thematic): God raises foreign peoples (the Medes) to come suddenly against Babylon so it becomes a desolation and spoil—parallel theme of nations rising to plunder an oppressive power.
- Nahum 3:1-7 (thematic): Nineveh is pictured as laid open to spoil and mockery—language of being stripped, made a reproach and prey echoes Habakkuk’s image of the oppressor becoming booty.
- Ezek.26:7-12 (verbal): Prophecy against Tyre depicts many nations coming up against the city and making it a spoil—explicit vocabulary and motif of becoming plunder for other peoples.
- Zeph.2:8-11 (thematic): Judgment-oracles against neighboring nations portray reversal—those who once boasted are shamed and become prey to surrounding peoples, mirroring Habakkuk’s charge.
Alternative generated candidates
- Will not your creditors rise suddenly, and those who make you tremble awake? Then you shall become spoil for them.
- Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will those who awake seize you? You will become their spoil.
Hab.2.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- שלות: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ישלוך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- יתר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
- מדמי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,construct
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחמס: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קריה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (thematic): Assyria (like the Chaldeans in Habakkuk) is depicted as God’s instrument that plunders many nations for gain; both passages stress oppressive conquest and seizure of spoil.
- Nahum 3:1-4 (verbal): Nahum calls Nineveh a 'city of blood' whose prey and spoil are taken—language and imagery of violence, robbery, and despoiling parallel Habakkuk’s charge against the oppressor.
- Jeremiah 50:23-29 (thematic): Prophecy against Babylon describes the empire as a hammer broken and a plunderer of nations; the passage echoes the theme that a nation that despoils others will itself face judgment and ruin.
- Obadiah 1:10-15 (allusion): Obadiah condemns Edom for standing aloof and rejoicing over Israel’s fall and for seizing spoil; the principle of an oppressor’s deeds returning upon them closely parallels Habakkuk’s depiction of pillaging nations and ensuing retribution.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you; because of the blood of man and the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell therein.
- Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you; because of the blood of man and the violence done to the land, to the city and all who dwell therein.
Hab.2.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוי: INTJ
- בצע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בצע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לביתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לשום: VERB,qal,inf
- במרום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- להנצל: PREP+VERB,niphal,inf
- מכף: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 22:13 (verbal): Direct verbal and thematic parallel — both condemn building a house by unrighteousness/unjust gain and present a woe pronouncement against prospering through injustice.
- Amos 5:11 (thematic): Condemns exploitation and accumulation of luxury (houses of hewn stone) obtained at the expense of the poor — like Habakkuk's woe against ill‑gotten gain used to secure one's household.
- Micah 2:2 (thematic): Denounces coveting and seizing fields and houses — a theme of forcibly acquiring property and wealth that underlies Habakkuk's condemnation of gain obtained by wrongdoing.
- Proverbs 1:19 (verbal): Uses near‑identical language about the fate of those greedy for unjust gain, highlighting the moral and existential danger of profit obtained through wrongdoing.
- Isaiah 5:8 (thematic): Woe oracle against those who amass property (joining house to house) — thematically parallel in condemning acquisitiveness and social injustice tied to accumulation of homes/wealth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, who sets his nest on high to be delivered from the hand of evil!
- Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house to set his nest on high, to be delivered from the hand of evil!
Hab.2.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יעצת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בשת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לביתך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs+PRON,2,f,sg
- קצות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- וחוטא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפשך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m
Parallels
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Condemns those who devise evil and plot to seize/oppresse others—parallel to ‘devising shame for your house’ by cutting off peoples.
- Jeremiah 22:13 (verbal): Woe on one who ‘builds his house by unrighteousness’—echoes the image of a house made shameful by injustice and violence.
- Ezekiel 16:49-50 (thematic): Sodom’s guilt listed as pride, abundance, and violence toward the poor—connects prideful, violent conduct that brings judgment on one’s household/soul.
- Amos 5:11-12 (thematic): Condemns exploitation and violence against the poor and nations; similar accusation that profit/household security is gained by oppressing others.
- Habakkuk 2:8-9 (structural): Immediate context condemning those who plunder nations and secure houses by violence—directly parallels the charge that such conduct brings shame on one’s house.
Alternative generated candidates
- You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have sinned against your own soul.
- You have counseled shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have sinned against your soul.
Hab.2.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אבן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מקיר: PREP,NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תזעק: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- וכפיס: CONJ,NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעץ: PREP,NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעננה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Luke 19:40 (quotation): Jesus declares that if his followers were silent the very stones would cry out — a direct echo of Habakkuk’s image of stones/beam crying out, applying the motif to compelled testimony/praise.
- Genesis 4:10 (thematic): God hears the voice of Abel’s blood crying from the ground; like Habakkuk, this text portrays the earth/inanimate reality as issuing a cry or testimony in response to human violence.
- Romans 8:19-22 (thematic): Paul describes creation’s groaning and longing for redemption — a related theme of the nonhuman order responding and testifying to human sin and God’s future justice.
- Psalm 19:1 (thematic): “The heavens declare the glory of God” — another biblical motif of creation bearing witness, paralleling Habakkuk’s image of stones and timbers testifying.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timber will answer it.
- For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timber will answer it.
Hab.2.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוי: INTJ
- בנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,f,sg
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בדמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכונן: CONJ+VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- קריה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בעולה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 22:13 (verbal): Direct verbal parallel — both pronounce woe on one who 'builds his house' by unrighteousness/exploitation; condemns construction founded on injustice and unpaid labor.
- Amos 5:11 (thematic): Condemns building houses through oppression ('you have built houses of hewn stone' after trampling the poor); thematically parallels judgment on wealth acquired by injustice.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Describes plots of violence to seize fields and houses and defraud neighbors — thematic match in unlawful/violent acquisition of property condemned by the prophet.
- Habakkuk 2:9 (verbal): Immediate intra-book parallel — similar wording ('woe to him who gets evil gain for his house') and repeated denunciation of houses established by ill-gotten gain.
Alternative generated candidates
- Woe to him who builds a city by bloodshed and founds a town by wickedness!
- Woe to him who builds a town with blood and establishes a city by iniquity.
Hab.2.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- הנה: PART
- מאת: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וייגעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
- בדי: ADV
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולאמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בדי: ADV
- ריק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעפו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (verbal): Describes people fashioning wood/idols, using part to kindle fire and part to worship—closely parallels the image of nations laboring for fire and producing what is ultimately vain.
- Psalm 127:1-2 (thematic): Speaks of human labor as futile apart from the LORD (’unless the LORD builds the house… they labor in vain’), echoing Habakkuk’s theme of nations toiling for nothing.
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 (thematic): Solomon’s verdict that all one’s toil under the sun is ‘vanity’ resonates with Habakkuk’s condemnation of peoples wearing themselves out for nothing.
- Isaiah 49:4 (verbal): The servant’s complaint ‘I have labored in vain’/‘my cause is with the LORD’ mirrors the language and motif of weary, fruitless labor found in Habakkuk 2:13.
- Jeremiah 2:13 (thematic): God denounces Israel for forsaking the ‘fountain of living waters’ for broken cisterns—an image of pursuing worthless substitutes that yields futile effort, thematically aligned with laboring for ‘fire’/‘vanity.’
Alternative generated candidates
- Is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor for the fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?
- Is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples toil for the fire, and nations weary themselves for vanity?
Hab.2.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תמלא: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לדעת: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-
- את: PRT,acc
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יכסו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,cs
Parallels
- Isaiah 11:9 (verbal): Nearly identical wording: predicts the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD 'as the waters cover the sea,' a direct verbal parallel.
- Psalm 72:19 (thematic): A royal prayer/blessing: 'let the whole earth be filled with his glory,' echoing the theme of the universal filling of God's glory.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6 (verbal): Paul speaks of God giving 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,' echoing the phrase 'knowledge of the glory of the LORD' and its revelation to all.
- Revelation 21:23-24 (thematic): Eschatological vision where God's glory/light fills the city and the nations walk by its light, paralleling the universal manifestation of God's glory described in Habakkuk.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
- For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Hab.2.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוי: INTJ
- משקה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- מספח: VERB,piel,ptcp,3,m,sg
- חמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- ואף: CONJ+ADV
- שכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למען: PREP
- הביט: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- מעוריהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3mp
Parallels
- Genesis 9:20-25 (structural): A connection of drunkenness and exposure: Noah's drunkenness results in his nakedness being seen and shamed (Ham's look and its consequences), paralleling the motif of using drink to expose another's nakedness.
- Isaiah 28:7 (thematic): Speaks of priests and prophets erring through wine and strong drink; thematically related to the corrupting power of alcohol and those who cause or fall into disgrace through it.
- Ezekiel 23:29-35 (allusion): Uses graphic language of sexual humiliation, betrayal and exposure as punishment — including scenes of intoxicants and sexual violation — echoing Habakkuk’s denunciation of those who make others drunk to shame them.
- Nahum 3:5 (verbal): Declares God will ‘lift up thy skirts over thy face’ as a formula of public humiliation and exposure; parallels Habakkuk’s imagery of exposing nakedness as an act of degradation and reproach.
Alternative generated candidates
- Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring out your wrath, and making him drunk in order to gaze at his nakedness!
- Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pouring out your wrath, and who makes him drunk in order to gaze upon his nakedness.
Hab.2.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שבעת: NUM,card,construct
- קלון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מכבוד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שתה: VERB,qal,impv,2,sg
- גם: ADV
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- והערל: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- תסוב: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- כוס: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- ימין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וקיקלון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- כבודך: NOUN,m,sg,pronom-2-m
Parallels
- Jeremiah 25:15 (verbal): God commands Jeremiah to make nations drink 'the cup' of his wrath—direct verbal parallel to Habakkuk's imagery of drinking the LORD's cup of judgment.
- Psalm 75:8 (thematic): The LORD holds a cup of wine/wrath in his hand that he pours out—shared imagery of divine judgment administered as a cup.
- Isaiah 51:17, 51:22 (allusion): Isaiah speaks of nations drinking 'the cup' of the LORD (cup of staggering) and God putting a cup into their hand—close thematic and verbal resonance with Habakkuk's curse of drinking God's cup.
- Jeremiah 51:7 (thematic): Babylon is called a golden cup that made the nations drunk; the passage foreshadows a role-reversal—Babylon itself will be made to drink and suffer shame, paralleling Habakkuk's taunt.
- Ezekiel 23:31-33 (thematic): Ezekiel uses cup/drinking imagery to describe punishment and enduring shame for sexual/idolatrous unfaithfulness—parallel motif of drinking as instrument of disgrace and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- You will be filled with shame instead of glory; drink you also and let the cup pass to you. The cup of the LORD's right hand shall be turned against you, and disgrace shall come upon your glory.
- You are filled with shame instead of glory; drink also yourself and expose your nakedness. For the cup of the LORD's right hand will be turned against you, and disgrace will come upon your glory.
Hab.2.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- חמס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבנון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יכסך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ושד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יחיתן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מדמי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחמס: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קריה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Joel 3:19 (thematic): Judgment on the land (Egypt/Edom) because of violence and the shedding of innocent blood — parallels Habakkuk’s linking of bloodshed to devastation of the land and cities.
- Genesis 4:10-11 (thematic): God’s response to bloodshed: Abel’s blood ‘cries out’ from the ground and the land is cursed — thematically echoes the idea that human bloodshed brings judgment on the land.
- Isaiah 10:34 (verbal): Speaks of Lebanon being cut down and laid waste by the Lord’s power — echoes Habakkuk’s image of the violence upon Lebanon and devastation of its beasts/forest.
- Ezekiel 36:18-19 (thematic): God condemns the land because it has been defiled by the lives/blood of the people; judgment and profaning of the land are consequences of human bloodshed, paralleling Habakkuk’s charge.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you, and the destruction of the beasts that made you afraid—because of man's blood and for the violence of the land, of the city and of all who dwell therein.
- For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you, and the spoil of beasts will terrify you; because of the blood of man and the violence against the land, the city and all who dwell therein.
Hab.2.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- הועיל: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- פסל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- פסלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- יצרו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- מסכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומורה: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- שקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- בטח: ADV
- יצר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יצרו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- אלילים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (verbal): Critiques the making and worship of idols, depicting makers who fashion useless images and then trust in their handiwork; shares language and arguments about molten idols and human craftsmen.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Describes idols that have mouths but do not speak and declares that those who make them and trust in them become like them—closely echoes Habakkuk's charge against trusting lifeless images.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Parallels the motif that idols are the work of human hands, cannot speak or act, and that their makers/shareholders become like them—reiterating the futility of idols.
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (thematic): Condemns the making of idols from wood and metal and the foolishness of trusting them, comparable in theme to Habakkuk's attack on the trust placed in man-made images.
- Habakkuk 2:19 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same argument—pronounces woe on those who address mute wooden idols, reinforcing Habakkuk 2:18's critique of trusting crafted images.
Alternative generated candidates
- What profit is an idol when its maker has fashioned it, a molded image that teaches lies? For its maker trusts in his handiwork and makes mute gods.
- What profit is an idol, since its maker fashions it? A molded image, a teacher of lies—its maker trusts in his handiwork to make mute gods.
Hab.2.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוי: INTJ
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לעץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הקיצה: VERB,hiphil,imper,2,m,sg
- עורי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- לאבן: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דומם: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- יורה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- תפוש: ADJ,m,sg
- זהב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכסף: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- בקרבו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRS,3,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Uses similar language about idols having mouths/eyes/ears but no breath and thus unable to speak or help—echoing Habakkuk’s taunt to a silent stone.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (thematic): Mocks the foolishness of making and worshiping wooden idols—crafting from a tree, using part for fire and part for an idol—paralleling Habakkuk’s critique of lifeless images overlaid with gold.
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (verbal): Condemns idolatry and describes carved images as worthless and powerless, resonating with Habakkuk’s insistence that idols have no spirit within them.
- 1 Kings 18:27 (allusion): Elijah’s taunt to Baal—inviting the god to awake or be on a journey—parallels Habakkuk’s ironic command to a mute wooden idol to 'awake' or 'arise.'
- Isaiah 46:6-7 (thematic): Describes people carrying and trusting in idols that cannot speak or save, underscoring the same theme of the futility and silence of wooden/metal images found in Habakkuk 2:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- Woe to him who says to wood, "Awake!" to mute stone, "Rise up!" — can it teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath at all in it.
- Woe to him who says to wood, "Awake!"—to a mute stone, "Arise!" Can it teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.
Hab.2.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהיכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- קדשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- הס: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- מפניו: PREP+3ms
- כל: DET
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Zechariah 2:13 (verbal): Almost identical command: 'Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD' (Hebrew parallels the call for all the earth to keep silence before YHWH, and mentions his holy habitation).
- Isaiah 6:1-5 (structural): Vision of the LORD seated in his temple (the heavenly/temple theophany) with a response of awe and confession—both passages place YHWH in his holy temple and evoke reverent response.
- Psalm 46:10 (thematic): 'Be still, and know that I am God' parallels the theme of cessation and recognition of God's sovereignty—calling for stillness/silence before the Lord.
- Revelation 8:1 (allusion): The angels' 'silence in heaven' before further divine action echoes the motif of cosmic or liturgical silence in the presence of God, reflecting the same reverent hush before YHWH.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silent before him.
- But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
And the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; set it in clear words upon tablets, that a runner may read it.
For still the vision waits for its appointed time; it hastens to the end and will not fail. If it seems slow, wait for it—it will surely come; it will not delay.
Behold, the proud one’s soul is not right within him; the righteous shall live by his faith.
Moreover, behold—wine is a traitor to the arrogant: he will not rest at home; his soul is enlarged like the grave. He is like Death and will not be satisfied; he gathers to himself all the nations and collects to himself all the peoples.
Will not all these rise up against him—proverbs they will raise, riddles they will speak to him—and say: Woe to him who increases what is not his! How long? And to him who loads himself with pledges!
Will not your creditors suddenly rise up, and those who make you tremble awaken? You shall become their spoil.
Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant peoples will plunder you—for the blood of men and the violence of the land, the city and all who dwell in it.
Woe to him who covets unjust gain to build his house, who sets his nest on high to be delivered from the hand of evil.
You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have sinned against your own life.
For a stone will cry out from the wall, and a beam from the timber will answer it.
Woe to him who builds a city with blood, who establishes a town by injustice.
Is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring out your wrath and making him drunk, that you may gaze on his nakedness.
You will be filled with shame instead of glory; drink also—you shall uncover your own nakedness. The cup of the LORD’s right hand shall be turned against you, and reproach shall cover your splendor.
For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the spoil of beasts will terrify you—because of the blood of men and the violence done to the land, to the city and all who dwell therein.
What profit is an idol that its maker fashions, a molten image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork to make mute gods.
Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, “Awake!” or to a mute stone, “Arise!”—can it instruct? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath at all within it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.