Discovery BoxHabakkuk 1:6 
Context1:6 Look, I am about to empower 1 the Babylonians,
that ruthless 2 and greedy 3 nation.
They sweep across the surface 4 of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
Habakkuk 1:16
Context1:16 Because of his success 5 he offers sacrifices to his throw net
and burns incense to his dragnet; 6
for because of them he has plenty of food, 7
and more than enough to eat. 8
Habakkuk 2:8
Context2:8 Because you robbed many countries, 9
all who are left among the nations 10 will rob you.
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, 11 and those who live in them.
Habakkuk 2:15
Context2:15 “You who force your neighbor to drink wine 12 are as good as dead 13 –
you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, 14
so you can look at their genitals. 15
Habakkuk 3:2
Context3:2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; 16
I am awed, 17 Lord, by what you accomplished. 18
In our time 19 repeat those deeds; 20
in our time reveal them again. 21
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy! 22
1 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
2 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
3 tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.
4 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
5 tn Heb “therefore.”
6 sn The fishing implements (throw net and dragnet) represent Babylonian military might. The prophet depicts the Babylonians as arrogantly worshiping their own power (sacrifices…burns incense, see also v. 11b).
7 tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”
8 tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”
9 tn Or “nations.”
10 tn Or “peoples.”
11 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of humankind and violence against land, city.” The singular forms אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) and קִרְיָה (qiryah, “city”) are collective, referring to all the lands and cities terrorized by the Babylonians.
12 tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
13 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
14 tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (misapeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”).
sn Forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger. The Babylonian’s harsh treatment of others is compared to intoxicating wine which the Babylonians force the nations to drink so they can humiliate them. Cf. the imagery in Rev 14:10.
15 tn Heb “their nakedness,” a euphemism.
sn Metaphor and reality are probably blended here. This may refer to the practice of publicly humiliating prisoners of war by stripping them naked. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 124.
16 tn Heb “your report,” that is, “the report concerning you.”
17 tn Heb “I fear.” Some prefer to read, “I saw,
18 tn Heb “your work.”
19 tn Heb “in the midst of years.” The meaning of the phrase, which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain (cf. NIV “in our day”; NEB, NASB “in the midst of the years”).
20 tn Heb “revive it” (i.e., “your work”).
21 tn Heb “make known.” The implied object is “your deeds”; the pronoun “them,” referring to “deeds” in the previous line, was employed in the translation to avoid redundancy. The suffix on the form חַיֵּיהוּ (khayyehu, “revive it”) does double duty in the parallelism.
22 tn Heb “in turmoil remember [to show] compassion.”
