Habakkuk 1:17

Habakkuk 1:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
• New International Version (NIV)Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Context of Habakkuk 1:17

15The Babylonian tyrant pulls them all up with a fishhook; he hauls them in with his throw net. When he catches them in his dragnet, he is very happy. 16Because of his success he offers sacrifices to his throw net and burns incense to his dragnet; for because of them he has plenty of food, and more than enough to eat. Will he then continue to fill and empty his throw net? Will he always destroy nations and spare none?

Habakkuk 1:17 word by word

הַ֥עַל כֵּ֖ן יָרִ֣יק חֶרְמ֑וֹ וְתָמִ֛יד לַהֲרֹ֥ג גּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יַחְמֽוֹל׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Shall they therefore emptyרִיקrûq · to emptyH7324
• their netחֵ֫רֶםchêrem cherem · netH2764
• and not spareחָמַלchâmal · to spareH2550
• continuallyתָּמִידtâmîyd · continuallyH8548
• to slayהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471

Cross-references for Habakkuk 1:17

• Habakkuk 1:9All of them intend to do violence; every face is determined. They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand.
• Habakkuk 2:5Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol’s; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples.
• Isaiah 14:16Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: “Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble?
• Jeremiah 25:9So I, the Lord, affirm that I will send for all the peoples of the north and my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it and make them everlasting ruins. I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn.
• Jeremiah 46:1The Lord spoke to Jeremiah about the nations.
• Jeremiah 52:1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.
• Ezekiel 25:1The word of the Lord came to me:

Commentaries on Habakkuk 1:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17And not spare continually to slay the nation? - They are running from conquest to conquest; burning, slaying, sacking, and slaughtering. Like the fishermen, who throw cast after cast while any fish are to be caught, so Nebuchadnezzar is destroying one nation after another. This last sentence explains the allegory of the net.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? - The prophet, like Isaiah Isaiah 18:4-5, stands at the very last point, before the fury and desire of the enemy was fulfilled. People, like fish, were gathered together for a prey; he who had taken them was rejoicing and exulting beforehand in his booty; his portion and meat were the choice of the earth; the prophet leeks on, as it were, and beholds the net full; there…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-17Verses 12-17 However matters may be, yet God is the Lord our God, our Holy One. We are an offending people, he is an offended God, yet we will not entertain hard thoughts of him, or of his service. It is great comfort that, whatever mischief men design, the Lord designs good, and we are sure that his counsel shall stand. Though wickedness may prosper a while, yet God is holy, and does not approve the wickedness. As he cannot do iniquity himself, so he is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-17Habakkuk struggled to understand how God's answer in Habakkuk 1:5–11 fit with God's character. How could a holy and just God punish Judah using a people more unrighteous than they were?Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Shall they ... empty their net?--Shall they be allowed without interruption to enjoy the fruits of their violence? therefore--seeing that they attribute all their successes to themselves, and not to Thee. The answer to the prophet's question, he by inspiration gives himself in the second chapter.Read the comment

Topics related to Habakkuk 1:17

• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Possess
• Pure
• Scoff
• Wrong
• Habakkuk

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