Habakkuk 1:6

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.

De 28:49-52; 2Ki 24:2; 2Ch 36:6,17; Isa 23:13; Isa 39:6,7; Jer 1:15,16; Jer 4:6,8; Jer 5:15; Jer 6:22,23; Jer 21:4; Jer 25:9

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.”