Habakkuk 2 · Verse 5

Habakkuk 2:5

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:

Habakkuk 2:5, King James Version

Habakkuk 2:5 in other translations

BSB	and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.
WEB	Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous: an arrogant man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol; he is like death and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations and heaps to himself all peoples.
ASV	Yea, moreover, wine is treacherous, a haughty man, that keepeth not at home; who enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all peoples.
YLT	And also, because the wine is treacherous, A man is haughty, and remaineth not at home, Who hath enlarged as sheol his soul, And is as death that is not satisfied, And doth gather unto itself all the nations, And doth assemble unto itself all the peoples,
DARBY	And moreover, the wine is treacherous: he is a proud man, and keepeth not at rest, he enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is like death and cannot be satisfied; and he assembleth unto him all nations, and gathereth unto him all peoples.
BBE	A curse on the cruel and false one! the man full of pride, who never has enough; who makes his desires wide as the underworld! he is like death; he is never full, but he makes all nations come to him, getting all peoples together to himself.
Webster	Yes 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 to him all nations, and collecteth to him all people:

What does Habakkuk 2:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. 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 immediate cause of the fall of Babylon (Da 5:2-4, 30; compare Pr 20:1; 30:9; 31:5). enlargeth his desire as hell--the grave, or the unseen world, which is "never full" (Pr 27:20; 30:16; Is 5:14). The Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar were filled with an insatiable desire of conquest. Another reason for their punishment.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 Because 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; inebriated with his successes, and determined on more extensive conquests; and, like the grave, can never have enough: yet, after the subjugation of many peoples and nations, he shall be brought down, and become so despicable that he shall be a proverb of reproach, and be taunted and scorned by all those whom he had before enslaved. And cannot be satisfied - When he has obtained all that is within his reach, he wishes for more; and becomes miserable, because any limits are opposed to his insatiable ambition. It is said of Alexander: - Unus Pellaeo juveni non sufficit orbis; Aestuat infelix angusto limite mundi. Juv. Sat. 10:168. One world sufficed not Alexander's mind; Coop'd up, he seem'd on earth and seas confined. And the poet justly ridicules him, because at last the sarcophagus was found too large for his body!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Habakkuk 2:5-14

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 who travel through thick clay, are hindered and dirtied in their journey; so are those who go through the world in the midst of abundance of wealth. And what fools are those that burden themselves with continual care about it; with a great deal of guilt in getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy account which they must give another day! They overload themselves with this thick clay, and so sink themselves down into destruction and perdition. See what will be the end hereof; what is gotten by violence from others, others shall take away by violence. Covetousness brings disquiet and uneasiness into a family; he that is greedy of gain troubles his own house; what is worse, it brings the curse of God upon all the affairs of it. There is a lawful gain, which, by the blessing of God, may be a comfort to a house; but what is got by fraud and injustice, will bring poverty and ruin upon a family. Yet that is not the worst; Thou hast sinned against thine own soul, hast endangered it. Those who wrong their neighbours, do much greater wrong to their own souls. If the sinner thinks he has managed his frauds and violence with art and contrivance, the riches and possessions he heaped together will witness against him. There are not greater drudges in the world than those who are slaves to mere wordly pursuits. And what comes of it? They find themselves disappointed of it, and disappointed in it; they will own it is worse than vanity, it is vexation of spirit. By staining and sinking earthly glory, God manifests and magnifies his own glory, and fills the earth with the knowledge of it, as plentifully as waters cover the sea, which are deep, and spread far and wide.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Habakkuk 2:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאַף֙ve.'Afand alsoH637

כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588

הַיַּ֣יִןhai.Ya.yin<the> wineH3196

בּוֹגֵ֔דbo.Ged[is] treacherousH898

גֶּ֥בֶרGe.vera manH1397

יָהִ֖ירya.HirarrogantH3093

וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and [who] notH3808

יִנְוֶ֑הyin.Vehhe stays at homeH5115

אֲשֶׁר֩'a.SherwhoH834

הִרְחִ֨יבhir.Chivhe has made largeH7337

כִּשְׁא֜וֹלkish.'ollike SheolH7585

נַפְשׁ֗וֹnaf.Shothroat hisH5315

וְה֤וּאve.Hu'and heH1931

כַמָּ֙וֶת֙kha.Ma.vet[is] like <the> deathH4194

וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808

יִשְׂבָּ֔עyis.Ba'he is satisfiedH7646

וַיֶּאֱסֹ֤ףvai.ye.'e.Sofand he has gatheredH622

אֵלָיו֙'e.Lavto himselfH413

כָּל\־kol-allH3605

הַגּוֹיִ֔םha.go.Yimthe nationsH1471

וַיִּקְבֹּ֥ץvai.yik.Botzand he has assembledH6908

אֵלָ֖יו'e.Lavto himselfH413

כָּל\־kol-allH3605

הָעַמִּֽים\׃ha.'a.Mimthe peoplesH5971

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Habakkuk 2:5

Isaiah 5:11-12
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Proverbs 31:4-5
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Isaiah 2:11-12
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Isaiah 5:8
Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
Isaiah 16:6
We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.
Proverbs 30:13-16
There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
Isaiah 2:17
And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
2 Kings 14:10
Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
Psalms 138:6
Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Yea also. or, How much more. he transgresseth.
Pr 20:1; 23:29-33; 31:4,5; Isa 5:11,12,22,23; 21:5; Jer 51:39
Da 5:1-4,23; Na 1:9,10
a proud man.
4; Ps 138:6; Pr 30:13,14; Isa 2:11,12,17; 16:6; Jer 50:29
Da 5:20-23; Jas 4:6
keepeth.
2Ki 14:10; 1Th 4:11; *Gr:
who.
Isa 5:8; 10:7-13
as hell.
Pr 27:20; 30:15,16; Ec 5:10
gathereth.
8-10; Isa 14:16,17; Jer 25:9,17-29

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 2:5
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:
Habakkuk 2:6
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!

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Habakkuk 2:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y también, por cuanto peca por el vino, es un hombre soberbio, y no permanecerá: que ensanchó como el infierno su alma, y es como la muerte, que no se hartará: antes reunió á sí todas las gentes, y amontonó á sí todos los pueblos.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et bien plus, le vin est perfide; cet homme est arrogant et ne se tient pas tranquille, lui qui élargit son désir comme le shéol, et est comme la mort, et ne peut être rassasié; et il rassemble vers lui toutes les nations, et recueille vers lui tous les peuples.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und überdies: Der Wein ist treulos der übermütige Mann, der bleibt nicht, er, der seinen Schlund weit aufsperrt wie der Scheol, und er ist wie der Tod und wird nicht satt; und er rafft an sich alle Nationen und sammelt zu sich alle Völker.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et quomodo vinum potantem decipit, sic erit vir superbus, et non decorabitur: qui dilatavit quasi infernus animam suam, et ipse quasi mors, et non adimpletur: et congregabit ad se omnes gentes, et coacervabit ad se omnes populos.