English Standard Version
Habakkuk 2:15
15"Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
Habakkuk 2:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
- New International Version (NIV)“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness!
- New Living Translation (NLT)“What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on them so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
Context of Habakkuk 2:15
13Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? 14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. "Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! 16You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the Lord's right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory! 17The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.
Read all of Habakkuk 2Habakkuk 2:15 word by word
ה֚וֹי מַשְׁקֵ֣ה רֵעֵ֔הוּ מְסַפֵּ֥חַ חֲמָתְךָ֖ וְאַ֣ף שַׁכֵּ֑ר לְמַ֥עַן הַבִּ֖יט עַל־מְעוֹרֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Woeהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
- unto him that giveth his neighbourרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
- drinkשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: drinkH8248
- that puttestסָפַחsâphach ώâphach · to attachH5596
- thy bottleחֵ֫מֶתchêmeth · bottleH2573
- drunkenשָׁכַרshâkar · be drunkH7937
- also, that thou mayest lookנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
- on their nakednessמָעוֹרmâ‛ôr · nakednessH4589
Cross-references for Habakkuk 2:15
- Genesis 19:32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father."
- 2 Samuel 11:13And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
- 2 Samuel 13:26Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"
- Jeremiah 25:15Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.
- Jeremiah 51:7Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.
- Revelation 17:2with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk."
- Revelation 18:3For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."
- Hosea 7:5On the day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers.
- Genesis 9:22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
- Exodus 32:25And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),
Commentaries on Habakkuk 2:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Wo unto him that giveth his neighbor drink - This has been considered as applying to Pharaoh-hophra, king of Egypt, who enticed his neighbors Jehoiachin and Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, whereby the nakedness and imbecility of the poor Jews was soon discovered; for the Chaldeans soon took Jerusalem, and carried its kings, princes, and people, into captivity.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15From cruelty the prophet goes on to denounce the woe on insolence. “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor” (to whom he owes love) drink (literally, that maketh him drink); that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look (gaze with devilish pleasure) on their nakedness.” This may either be of actual insults (as in the history of Noah), in keeping certainly with the character of the later Babylonians, the last wantonness…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-20Verses 15-20 A severe woe is pronounced against drunkenness; it is very fearful against all who are guilty of drunkenness at any time, and in any place, from the stately palace to the paltry ale-house. To give one drink who is in want, who is thirsty and poor, or a weary traveller, or ready to perish, is charity; but to give a neighbour drink, that he may expose himself, may disclose secret concerns, or be drawn into a bad bargain, or for any such…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17In the fourth taunt song, the Babylonians face condemnation for their shameful acts against people, animals, and the environment. They are like a man who pretends to be friendly but, after getting his neighbors drunk, takes everything from them. However, the Babylonians will face disgrace after drinking from the cup of the Lord’s judgment (see Jeremiah 25:15–17; compare John 18:11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. giveth ... neighbour drink ... puttest ... bottle to him--literally, "skin," as the Easterns use "bottles" of skin for wine. Maurer, from a different Hebrew root, translates, "that pourest in thy wrath." English Version keeps up the metaphor better. It is not enough for thee to be "drunken" thyself, unless thou canst lead others into the same state. The thing meant is, that the Chaldean king, with his insatiable desires (a kind of intoxication)…Read the comment
Topics related to Habakkuk 2:15
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries