God’s Word Translation
Habakkuk 2:9
9“ ‘How horrible it will be for the one who uses violence to get things for his own household in order to set his nest up high and save himself from disaster.’
Habakkuk 2:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
- New International Version (NIV)“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin!
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!
Context of Habakkuk 2:9
7Won’t your creditors suddenly rise up and those who are going to shake you wake up? Then you will become their prize. 8You have looted many nations. All the rest of the people will loot you because of the slaughter and violence done to lands, cities, and all their inhabitants. “ ‘How horrible it will be for the one who uses violence to get things for his own household in order to set his nest up high and save himself from disaster.’ 10You have planned disgrace for your household by cutting off many people and forfeiting your own life. 11A stone in the wall will cry out. A beam in the roof will answer it.
Read all of Habakkuk 2Habakkuk 2:9 word by word
ה֗וֹי בֹּצֵ֛עַ בֶּ֥צַע רָ֖ע לְבֵית֑וֹ לָשׂ֤וּם בַּמָּרוֹם֙ קִנּ֔וֹ לְהִנָּצֵ֖ל מִכַּף־רָֽע׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Woeהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
- to him that covetethבָּצַעbâtsa‛ · to cut off: to gainH1214
- an evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- covetousnessבֶּ֫צַעbetsa‛ · unjust-gainH1215
- to his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- that he may setשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
- his nestקֵןqên · nestH7064
- on highמָרוֹםmârôm · heightH4791
- that he may be deliveredנָצַלnâtsal · to rescueH5337
- from the powerכַּףkaph · palmH3709
- of evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
Cross-references for Habakkuk 2:9
- Genesis 13:10Then Lot looked in the direction of Zoar as far as he could see. He saw that the whole Jordan Plain was well-watered like the Lord’s garden or like Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
- Genesis 19:26Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a column of salt.
- Deuteronomy 7:25Burn their idols. Don’t ever long for the silver and gold on these idols or take any of it for yourselves. It might be a trap for you. Besides, these idols are disgusting to the Lord your God.
- Joshua 7:21I saw a fine robe from Babylonia, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing about one pound among the loot. I wanted them, so I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent with the silver beneath them.”
- 1 Kings 21:2Ahab told Naboth, “Give me your vineyard. It will become my vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it. Or if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price for it.”
- 2 Kings 5:20Gehazi, the servant of Elisha (the man of God), thought, “My master let this Aramean Naaman go without accepting what he had brought. As sure as the Lord lives, I’ll run after Naaman and get something from him.”
- Job 20:19because he crushed and abandoned the poor. He has taken by force a house that he didn’t build.
- Jeremiah 22:13“How horrible it will be for the person who builds his house dishonestly and his upper rooms through injustice. He makes his neighbors work for nothing and doesn’t pay them for their work.
- Zechariah 5:1I looked up again and saw a flying scroll.
- Acts 1:17He had been one of us and had been given an active role in this ministry.
- Jude 1:11How horrible it will be for them! They have followed the path of Cain. They have rushed into Balaam’s error to make a profit. They have rebelled like Korah and destroyed themselves.
- Psalms 10:3The wicked person boasts about his selfish desires. He blesses robbers, but he curses the Lord.
- Psalms 49:11Although they named their lands after themselves, their graves have become their homes for ages to come, their dwelling places throughout every generation.
- Psalms 52:7“Look at this person who refused to make God his fortress! Instead, he trusted his great wealth and became strong through his greed.”
- Proverbs 18:11A rich person’s wealth is his strong city and is like a high wall in his imagination.
- Isaiah 28:15You say, “We made a treaty with death and an agreement with the grave. When the overwhelming disaster passes by, it won’t matter to us, because we have taken refuge in our lies, and falsehood is our hiding place.”
Commentaries on Habakkuk 2:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9An evil covetousness to his house - Nebuchadnezzar wished to aggrandize his family, and make his empire permanent: but both family and empire were soon cut off by the death of his son Belshazzar, and the consequent destruction of the Chaldean empire.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house - (or, with accents, “that coveteth covetousness or unjust gain, an evil to his house.”) What man coveteth seems gain, but is evil “to his house” after him, destroying both himself and his whole family or race with him. “That he may set his nest on high,” as an eagle, to which he had likened the Chaldee (Habakkuk 1:8. Compare Jeremiah 20:16). A pagan called “strongholds, the nests of tyrants.” The…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. 9-11In the second taunt song, the Babylonians face condemnation for their dishonest actions. They used deceit to gain resources for building large houses, which cost them their lives.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. coveteth an evil covetousness--that is, a covetousness so surpassingly evil as to be fatal to himself. to his house--greedily seizing enormous wealth, not merely for himself, but for his family, to which it is destined to be fatal. The very same "evil covetousness" that was the cause of Jehoiakim's being given up to the Chaldean oppressor (Jr 22:13) shall be the cause of the Chaldean's own destruction. set his nest on high--(Nu 24:21; Jr 49:16; Ob 4)…Read the comment
Topics related to Habakkuk 2:9
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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