God’s Word Translation
Habakkuk 1:10
10They will make fun of kings and treat rulers as a joke. They will laugh at every fortified city and build a dirt ramp to capture it.
Habakkuk 1:10 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
- New International Version (NIV)They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.
- New King James Version (NKJV)They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
Context of Habakkuk 1:10
8Their horses will be faster than leopards and quicker than wolves in the evening. Their riders will gallop along proudly. Their riders will come from far away. They will fly like an eagle that swoops down for its prey. 9They will all come for violence. Every face will be directed forward. They will gather prisoners like sand. They will make fun of kings and treat rulers as a joke. They will laugh at every fortified city and build a dirt ramp to capture it. 11They will move quickly and pass through like the wind. So they will be guilty, because their own strength is their god. 12Didn’t you exist before time began, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die! O Lord, you have appointed the Babylonians to bring judgment. O Rock, you have destined them to correct us.
Read all of Habakkuk 1Habakkuk 1:10 word by word
וְהוּא֙ בַּמְּלָכִ֣ים יִתְקַלָּ֔ס וְרֹזְנִ֖ים מִשְׂחָ֣ק ל֑וֹ ה֚וּא לְכָל־מִבְצָ֣ר יִשְׂחָ֔ק וַיִּצְבֹּ֥ר עָפָ֖ר וַֽיִּלְכְּדָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they shall scoffקָלַסqâlas · to mockH7046
- at the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- and the princesרָזַןrâzan · to ruleH7336
- shall be a scornמִשְׂחַקmiώchâq · laughingH4890
- unto them: they shall derideשָׂחַקώâchaq · to laughH7832
- every strong holdמִבְצָרmibtsâr mibtsârâh · fortificationH4013
- for they shall heapצָבַרtsâbar · to heapH6651
- dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- and takeלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
Cross-references for Habakkuk 1:10
- 2 Kings 24:12King Jehoiakin of Judah, his mother, officials, generals, and eunuchs surrendered to the king of Babylon. In the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon captured Jehoiakin.
- 2 Kings 25:6The Babylonians captured the king, brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and passed sentence on him.
- 2 Chronicles 36:6King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim and put him in bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
- Isaiah 14:16Those who see you stare at you; they look at you closely and say, “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook the kingdoms,
- Jeremiah 32:24“ ‘See how the dirt ramps have been built up around the city to capture it! Because of wars, famines, and plagues, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you have threatened to do has happened, as you can see.
- Jeremiah 33:4The houses in this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah have been torn down to be used against the dirt ramps and weapons of the Babylonians. This is what the Lord God of Israel says about this:
- Jeremiah 52:4On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. They set up camp and built dirt ramps around the city walls.
Commentaries on Habakkuk 1:10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10They shall scoff at the kings - No power shall be able to stand before them. It will be only as pastime to them to take the strongest places. They will have no need to build formidable ramparts: by sweeping the dust together they shall make mounts sufficient to pass over the walls and take the city.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10And they - literally, “he,” the word stands emphatically, he, alone against all the kings of the earth Shall scoff at the kings - and all their might taking them away or setting them up at his pleasure and caprice, subduing them as though in sport And princes - literally, grave and majestic Shall be a scorn unto them - i. e. him. Compare Job 41:29. So Nebuchadnezzar bound Jehoiakim 2 Chronicles 36:6; Daniel 1:2 “in fetters to carry him to Babylon;” then…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10In the ancient Near East, armies often attacked cities by piling up earth to make ramps against city walls. This battle method is described in several places in the Bible (for example, 2 Kings 19:32; Nahum 2:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. scoff at ... kings--as unable to resist them. they shall heap dust, and take it--"they shall heap" earth mounds outside, and so "take every stronghold" (compare 2Sa 20:15; 2Ki 19:32) [Grotius].Read the comment
Topics related to Habakkuk 1:10
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Habakkuk 1
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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