New English Translation
Habakkuk 2:5
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.
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
3For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late. 4Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness. Indeed, 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. 6“But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: ‘The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead (How long will this go on?) – he who gets rich by extortion!’ 7Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into action, and they will rob you.
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 is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler; whoever goes astray by them is not wise.
- Proverbs 23:29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness of the eyes?
- Proverbs 31:4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
- Isaiah 5:11Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, those who keep drinking long after dark until they are intoxicated with wine.
- Isaiah 21:5Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers, smear oil on the shields!
- Jeremiah 51:39When their appetites are all stirred up, I will set out a banquet for them. I will make them drunk so that they will pass out, they will fall asleep forever, they will never wake up,” says the Lord.
- Daniel 5:1King Belshazzar prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of them all.
- Nahum 1:9Whatever you plot against the Lord, he will completely destroy! Distress will not arise a second time.
- Habakkuk 2:4Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness.
- Psalms 138:6Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly, and recognizes the proud from far away.
- Proverbs 30:13There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully.
- Isaiah 2:11Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
- Isaiah 16:6We have heard about Moab’s pride, their great arrogance, their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty!
- Jeremiah 50:29“Call for archers to come against Babylon! Summon against her all who draw the bow! Set up camp all around the city! Do not allow anyone to escape! Pay her back for what she has done. Do to her what she has done to others. For she has proudly defied me, the Holy One of Israel.
- Daniel 5:20And when his mind became arrogant and his spirit filled with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him.
- James 4:6But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”
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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