Habakkuk 2:6

Habakkuk 2:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
• New International Version (NIV)“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’
• English Standard Version (ESV)Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, "Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?

Context of Habakkuk 2:6

4“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. 5Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples. “But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, ‘What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You’ve become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?’ 7Suddenly, your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. 8Because you have plundered many nations, now all the survivors will plunder you. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence.

Habakkuk 2:6 word by word

הֲלוֹא־אֵ֣לֶּה כֻלָּ֗ם עָלָיו֙ מָשָׁ֣ל יִשָּׂ֔אוּ וּמְלִיצָ֖ה חִיד֣וֹת ל֑וֹ וְיֹאמַ֗ר ה֚וֹי הַמַּרְבֶּ֣ה לֹּא־ל֔וֹ עַד־מָתַ֕י וּמַכְבִּ֥יד עָלָ֖יו עַבְטִֽיט׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Shall not all these take upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: loudH5375
• a parableמָשָׁלmâshâl · proverbH4912
• against him, and a tauntingמְלִיצָהmelîytsâh · mockeryH4426
• proverbחִידָהchîydâh · riddleH2420
• against him, and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Woeהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
• to him that increasethרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• not his! how long? and to him that ladethכָּבֵדkâbad kâbêd · to honor: heavyH3513
• himself with thick clayעַבְטִיט‛abţîyţ · debtH5671

Cross-references for Habakkuk 2:6

• Numbers 23:7This was the message Balaam delivered: “Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’
• Isaiah 14:4you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, “The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended.
• Jeremiah 29:22Their terrible fate will become proverbial, so that the Judean exiles will curse someone by saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned alive!’
• Jeremiah 50:13Because of the Lord’s anger, Babylon will become a deserted wasteland. All who pass by will be horrified and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
• Ezekiel 32:21Down in the grave mighty leaders will mockingly welcome Egypt and its allies, saying, ‘They have come down; they lie among the outcasts, hordes slaughtered by the sword.’
• Micah 2:4In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you: “We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us. He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.”
• Habakkuk 1:9“On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
• Job 20:15They will vomit the wealth they swallowed. God won’t let them keep it down.
• Job 22:6“For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
• Proverbs 22:16A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.
• Jeremiah 51:34“King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has eaten and crushed us and drained us of strength. He has swallowed us like a great monster and filled his belly with our riches. He has thrown us out of our own country.
• James 5:1Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
• Psalms 94:3How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
• Luke 12:20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
• 1 Corinthians 7:29But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage.
• 1 Peter 4:7The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

Commentaries on Habakkuk 2:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Shall not all these take up a parable against him - His ambition, derangement, and the final destruction of his mighty empire by the Persians, shall form the foundation of many sententious sayings among the people. "He who towered so high, behold how low he is fallen!" "He made himself a god; behold, he herds with the beasts of the field!" "The disturber of the peace of the world is now a handful of dust!"Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him? - Nebuchadnezzar gathered, Daniel 3:4-5, “all people, nations, and languages, to worship the golden image which he had set up.” The second Babylon, pagan Rome, sought to blot out the very Christian Name; but mightier were the three children than the King of Babylon; mightier, virgins, martyrs, and children than Nero or Decius. These shall rejoice over Babylon, that…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. 6-8In the first of Habakkuk’s taunt songs, he condemns the Babylonians for plundering other nations. him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans: The image compares the Babylonians to creditors (people who lend money) who demand harsh repayment. Their oppression causes those they exploit to rise up against them. Greed can damage the spiritual life of both individuals and nations (Luke 12:15; Ephesians 5:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Shall not all these--the "nations" and "peoples" (Ha 2:5) "heaped unto him" by the Chaldean. take up a parable--a derisive song. Habakkuk follows Isaiah (Is 14:4) and Micah (Mi 2:4) in the phraseology. against him--when dislodged from his former eminence. Woe--The "derisive song" here begins, and continues to the end of the chapter. It is a symmetrical whole, and consists of five stanzas, the first three consisting of three verses each, the fourth of…Read the comment

Topics related to Habakkuk 2:6

• Ambition
• Covetousness
• Oppression
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Thick clay
• Blood
• Consult
• Proverb
• Put
• Teach
• Weary
• Wood
• Clay
• Figure

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