Habakkuk 1:15

The Babylonian tyrant ¹  pulls them all up with a fishhook; he hauls them in with his throw net. ²  When he catches ³  them in his dragnet, he is very happy. ⁴ 

Ps 10:9; Jer 16:16; Jer 50:11; La 2:15,16; Eze 25:6; Eze 26:2; Eze 29:4,5; Eze 35:15; Am 4:2; Mt 17:27; Lu 5:5-10; Joh 21:6-11; Re 11:10

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.

² tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.

³ tn Heb “and he gathers.”

⁴ tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.