God’s Word Translation
Habakkuk 2:5
5Also because wine is treacherous he is arrogant and never rests. He has a large appetite like the grave. He is like death—never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself. He collects all the people to himself.
Habakkuk 2:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
- New International Version (NIV)indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.
Context of Habakkuk 2:5
3The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late. 4“Look at the proud person. He is not right in himself. But the righteous person will live because of his faithfulness. Also because wine is treacherous he is arrogant and never rests. He has a large appetite like the grave. He is like death—never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself. He collects all the people to himself. 6Won’t all of them ridicule him, directing clever sayings and riddles at him, like: “ ‘How horrible it will be for the one who makes himself rich with what is not his own and makes himself wealthy on loans. How long will this go on?’ 7Won’t your creditors suddenly rise up and those who are going to shake you wake up? Then you will become their prize.
Read all of Habakkuk 2Habakkuk 2:5 word by word
וְאַף֙ כִּֽי־הַיַּ֣יִן בּוֹגֵ֔ד גֶּ֥בֶר יָהִ֖יר וְלֹ֣א יִנְוֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֩ הִרְחִ֨יב כִּשְׁא֜וֹל נַפְשׁ֗וֹ וְה֤וּא כַמָּ֙וֶת֙ וְלֹ֣א יִשְׂבָּ֔ע וַיֶּאֱסֹ֤ף אֵלָיו֙ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וַיִּקְבֹּ֥ץ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־הָעַמִּֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Yea also, because he transgressethבָּגַדbâgad · to act treacherouslyH898
- by wineיַ֫יִןyayin · wineH3196
- a proudיָהִירyâhîyr · proudH3093
- manגָּבֶרgeber · great manH1397
- neither keepeth at homeנָוָהnâvâh · to dwellH5115
- who enlargethרָחַבrâchab · to enlargeH7337
- his desireנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: appetiteH5315
- as hellשְׁאוֹלshe'ôl she'ôl · hell: SheolH7585
- as deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- and cannot be satisfiedשָׂבֵעַώâba‛ ώâbêa‛ · to satisfyH7646
- but gatherethאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
- unto him all nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- and heapethקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
- unto him all peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for Habakkuk 2:5
- Proverbs 20:1Wine ⌞makes people⌟ mock, liquor ⌞makes them⌟ noisy, and everyone under their influence is unwise.
- Proverbs 23:29Who has trouble? Who has misery? Who has quarrels? Who has a complaint? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has bloodshot eyes?
- Proverbs 31:4“It is not for kings, Lemuel. It is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to crave liquor.
- Isaiah 5:11How horrible it will be for those who get up early to look for a drink, who sit up late until they are drunk from wine.
- Isaiah 21:5Set the table. Spread the rugs ⌞by the table⌟. Eat. Drink. Get up, you leaders! Prepare your shields for battle!
- Jeremiah 51:39When they are excited, I will prepare a feast for them and make them drunk so that they will shout and laugh. They will fall into a deep sleep and never wake up again, declares the Lord.
- Daniel 5:1King Belshazzar threw a large banquet for 1,000 nobles and drank wine with them.
- Nahum 1:9What do you think about the Lord? He is the one who will bring Nineveh to an end. This trouble will never happen again.
- Habakkuk 2:4“Look at the proud person. He is not right in himself. But the righteous person will live because of his faithfulness.
- Psalms 138:6Even though the Lord is high above, he sees humble people ⌞close up⌟, and he recognizes arrogant people from a distance.
- Proverbs 30:13A certain kind of person looks around arrogantly and is conceited.
- Isaiah 2:11The eyes of arrogant people will be humbled. High and mighty people will be brought down. On that day the Lord alone will be honored.
- Isaiah 16:6We’ve heard of the arrogance of Moab’s people. They are very arrogant. We’ve heard of their boasting, arrogance, and conceit, but their boasts aren’t true.
- Jeremiah 50:29“Call together the archers, the soldiers with bows, against Babylon. Set up blockades around it. Don’t let anyone escape. Pay the people of Babylon back for what they have done. Do to them what they did to others. They have disobeyed the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
- Daniel 5:20But when he became so arrogant and conceited that he became overconfident, he was removed from the royal throne. His honor was taken away from him.
- James 4:6But God shows us even more kindness. Scripture says, “God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people.”
Commentaries on Habakkuk 2:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Because he transgresseth by wine - From the present translation, it is not easy to see either reason or meaning in the first clause of this verse. Newcome translates, "Moreover, as a mighty man transgresseth through wine, he is proud, and remaineth not at rest." Houbigant thus: "For he, though he be a despiser, and powerful, and proud, yet shall he not have rest." Nebuchadnezzar is here represented in his usual character, proud, haughty, and ambitious…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5This general rule the prophet goes on to apply in words which belong in part to all oppressors and in the first instance to the Chaldaean, in part yet more fully to the end and to antichrist. “Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine” (or better, “Yea, how much more, since wine is a deceiver, as Solomon says, Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever erreth thereby shall not be wise;” and Proverbs 23:32, “In the end it…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. 2-5Habakkuk's mission was to tell people that God's justice may seem slow, but it will definitely come.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Yea also, because--additional reason why the Jews may look for God punishing their Chaldean foe, namely, because ... he is a proud man--rather, this clause continues the reason for the Jews expecting the punishment of the Chaldeans, "because he transgresseth by wine (a besetting sin of Babylon, compare Da 5:1-31, and Curtius [5.1]), being a proud man." Love of wine often begets a proud contempt of divine things, as in Belshazzar's case, which was the…Read the comment
Topics related to Habakkuk 2:5
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
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