Habakkuk 2:6

Habakkuk 2:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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!
• New International Version (NIV)“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’
• English Standard Version (ESV)Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, "Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?

Context of Habakkuk 2:6

4Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. 5Moreover, wine betrays; an arrogant man is never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself; he collects all the peoples for himself. Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him, with mockery and riddles about him? They will say, “Woe to him who amasses what is not his — how much longer? — and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.” 7Won’t your creditors suddenly arise, and those who disturb you wake up? Then you will become spoil for them. 8Since you have plundered many nations, all the peoples who remain will plunder you — because of human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them.

Habakkuk 2:6 word by word

הֲלוֹא־אֵ֣לֶּה כֻלָּ֗ם עָלָיו֙ מָשָׁ֣ל יִשָּׂ֔אוּ וּמְלִיצָ֖ה חִיד֣וֹת ל֑וֹ וְיֹאמַ֗ר ה֚וֹי הַמַּרְבֶּ֣ה לֹּא־ל֔וֹ עַד־מָתַ֕י וּמַכְבִּ֥יד עָלָ֖יו עַבְטִֽיט׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Shall not all these take upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: loudH5375
• a parableמָשָׁלmâshâl · proverbH4912
• against him, and a tauntingמְלִיצָהmelîytsâh · mockeryH4426
• proverbחִידָהchîydâh · riddleH2420
• against him, and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Woeהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
• to him that increasethרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• not his! how long? and to him that ladethכָּבֵדkâbad kâbêd · to honor: heavyH3513
• himself with thick clayעַבְטִיט‛abţîyţ · debtH5671

Cross-references for Habakkuk 2:6

• Numbers 23:7Balaam proclaimed his poem: Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains: “Come, put a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel!”
• Isaiah 14:4you will sing this song of contempt about the king of Babylon and say: How the oppressor has quieted down, and how the raging has become quiet!
• Jeremiah 29:22Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire! ’
• Jeremiah 50:13Because of the Lord’s wrath, she will not be inhabited; she will become a desolation, every bit of her. Everyone who passes through Babylon will be appalled and scoff because of all her wounds.
• Ezekiel 32:21Warrior leaders will speak from the middle of Sheol about him and his allies: ‘They have come down; the uncircumcised lie slain by the sword.’
• Micah 2:4In that day one will take up a taunt against you and lament mournfully, saying, “We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How he removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.”
• Habakkuk 1:9All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand.
• Job 20:15He swallows wealth but must vomit it up; God will force it from his stomach.
• Job 22:6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.
• Proverbs 22:16Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich — both lead only to poverty.
• Jeremiah 51:34“King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty dish; he has swallowed me like a sea monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies; he has vomited me out.
• James 5:1Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you.
• Psalms 94:3Lord, how long will the wicked — how long will the wicked celebrate?
• Luke 12:20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared — whose will they be?’
• 1 Corinthians 7:29This is what I mean, brothers and sisters: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none,
• 1 Peter 4:7The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer.

Commentaries on Habakkuk 2:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Shall not all these take up a parable against him - His ambition, derangement, and the final destruction of his mighty empire by the Persians, shall form the foundation of many sententious sayings among the people. "He who towered so high, behold how low he is fallen!" "He made himself a god; behold, he herds with the beasts of the field!" "The disturber of the peace of the world is now a handful of dust!"Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him? - Nebuchadnezzar gathered, Daniel 3:4-5, “all people, nations, and languages, to worship the golden image which he had set up.” The second Babylon, pagan Rome, sought to blot out the very Christian Name; but mightier were the three children than the King of Babylon; mightier, virgins, martyrs, and children than Nero or Decius. These shall rejoice over Babylon, that…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-14Verses 5-14 The prophet reads the doom of all proud and oppressive powers that bear hard upon God's people. The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are the entangling snares of men; and we find him that led Israel captive, himself led captive by each of these. No more of what we have is to be reckoned ours, than what we come honestly by. Riches are but clay, thick clay; what are gold and silver but white and yellow earth? Those…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-8In the first of Habakkuk’s taunt songs, he condemns the Babylonians for plundering other nations. him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans: The image compares the Babylonians to creditors (people who lend money) who demand harsh repayment. Their oppression causes those they exploit to rise up against them. Greed can damage the spiritual life of both individuals and nations (Luke 12:15; Ephesians 5:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Shall not all these--the "nations" and "peoples" (Ha 2:5) "heaped unto him" by the Chaldean. take up a parable--a derisive song. Habakkuk follows Isaiah (Is 14:4) and Micah (Mi 2:4) in the phraseology. against him--when dislodged from his former eminence. Woe--The "derisive song" here begins, and continues to the end of the chapter. It is a symmetrical whole, and consists of five stanzas, the first three consisting of three verses each, the fourth of…Read the comment

Topics related to Habakkuk 2:6

• Ambition
• Covetousness
• Oppression
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Thick clay
• Blood
• Consult
• Proverb
• Put
• Teach
• Weary
• Wood
• Clay
• Figure

Commentaries on Habakkuk 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings