Habakkuk 2:6–20

2:6–8 Verse 6 does not state who it is that will “take up their taunt against” the oppressor. Who is the “all” that will do so? And why does the verb introducing his/their speech revert to the singular (“and say”)? There is no “all” referred to earlier, so the reference is ambiguous. But, as noted above, Habakkuk makes use of deliberate ambiguity in these woe oracles, so we should not be surprised at such ambiguity here. Just as the identity of the oppressor needs to be left open, so does the identity of those who take up these taunts. In effect, any who has suffered from oppression may give voice to these words.

What is perhaps more surprising is that the terms used to introduce these woe oracles (“taunt,” “scoffing,” “riddles”) are drawn from the vocabulary of wisdom literature, not prophetic speech. Just as his prayers drew on the Psalms, Habakkuk’s concern with God’s justice draws on the whole range of Israel’s traditions. Taking the posture of faith, these oracles draw (especially) on the wisdom tradition to suggest that Yahweh’s justice will be vindicated. As wisdom observations, they do not know exactly how this will happen, but they do understand that divine justice will be resolved, treating the oppressor as an object lesson of how justice is ultimately served.

The first woe properly begins in verse 6b. The concern here is directed against those who accumulate wealth unjustly—both the wicked within Judah (v. 7; cf. 1:4) and the Chaldeans (2:8; cf. 1:6). The oppressor has claimed what is not rightly his, and so he will lose it—the only question being when (2:6b). Although the oppressor has claimed numerous pledges, Habakkuk insists a time will come when those unjustly indebted will arise against the oppressor (v. 8)—the plunderer will become the plunder. This issue is picked up again in verse 17, which repeats the closing lines of verse 8. Justice will finally be done, although it must await its appointed time.

2:9–11 The second woe also addresses the issue of unjust gain. Such evil gain (betsaʻ) is typically associated with violence (e.g., Prov. 28:16; Isa. 56:11) and again reflects the actions of both the wicked within Judah and the Chaldeans in their aggression against the nations—notably, the tribute payments they demanded. The oppressor believes wealth accumulated in this way provides security, raising his house (both the building and the family or nation) beyond the reach of those who would act against it. The oppressor reasons that just as an eagle’s nest is secure because of its height (cf. Deut. 32:11; Jer. 49:16; Obad. 4), so wealth accumulated through violence puts his house out of the reach of the oppressed.

Proverbs 15:27, which perhaps lies in the background here, insists that those who are greedy for such gain bring trouble, not security, to their household. Thus this attempt to create security is actually a means of creating shame, while “cutting off many peoples” (Hab. 2:10) is to forfeit life. Justice will be served, and once again the penalty will match the crime. Indeed, instead of the house being a place of security, its stones and woodwork will “cry out.” The oppressor cannot create security; instead, oppressors within Israel will be among the elite either killed or taken in exile to Babylon (Jer. 52:24–30), while Babylon will also find itself unprotected by its wealth (Daniel 5).

2:12–14 The third woe expands the focus of the second as it considers those who build a city with bloodshed, founding it on violent “iniquity” (cf. the use of the Hb. term ʻawlah in 2 Sam. 7:10). Again, this applies equally to those in Jerusalem (perhaps associated with the court of Jehoiakim) who profited from the oppression of the poor and to the Chaldeans who rebuilt Babylon with resources plundered through relentlessly expansionist policies under Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar.

Such actions are clearly unacceptable, but this woe-oracle goes beyond the preceding ones by introducing Yahweh for the first time. Habakkuk moves from simply observing that oppression bears the seeds of its own downfall to noting there is something about Yahweh’s involvement in the world that brings about such unexpected results. Habakkuk’s use of the title “Yahweh of hosts” (lit.) here is important. Although the origin of this title is disputed, its usage seems particularly concerned with Yahweh’s visible control over world events. The name first occurs in the books of Samuel, where it occurs in clusters in the context of significant changes in Israel’s social structure.

For example, it occurs three times in the opening four chapters (1 Sam. 1:3, 11; 4:4) surrounding Samuel’s initiation as the last judge of Israel; twice in the middle of the book in the transition from Saul to David (1 Sam. 15:2; 17:45); and then a further seven times as David is established in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:10; 6:2, 18; 7:8, 26, 27). It occurs nowhere else in the book. Yet each cluster is notable for the changes described: preparing for monarchy, changing monarchs, and confirming David. David’s speech to Goliath particularly recognizes this reality: it was knowing that he came in the name of Yahweh of hosts that assured him Goliath would be defeated (1 Sam. 17:45–46).

Introducing the divine title here is thus part of Habakkuk’s strategy for indicating a deeper reality at work in human history, a power greater than the oppressor. The oppressors’ building projects may be intended to point to their grandeur (a claim made by Nebuchadnezzar; Dan. 4:30), but Yahweh’s sovereign hand means the oppressors will end up toiling for even the basics (“fire” and “nothing”; Hab. 2:13). Instead of the glory of the oppressor, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory (v. 14). This glory is a display of God’s fundamental character, such as when he allowed Moses to see his glory and so announced himself as merciful, gracious, and just (Ex. 33:17–34:9). The declaration of Habakkuk 2:14 brings together two earlier texts: Numbers 14:21, where the Lord says, “the earth shall be filled with [my] glory”; and Isaiah 11:9, where the prophet declares, “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” By bringing glory and knowledge together, Habakkuk insists that Yahweh’s true character will ultimately be known by all, thus warning the oppressors of their imminent doom if they continue in their oppression.

2:15–17 The fourth oracle builds on the expressly theological perspective introduced in the third oracle while further depicting how the oppressor belittles others. The oracle uses vivid imagery of the oppressor forcing his victims to drink its wrath shamefully. Other OT texts reflect on the shame the Chaldeans brought to conquered peoples (Isa. 54:4; Zeph. 3:19), while Jeremiah 51:7 describes this oppressive nation as a cup of drunkenness. Likewise in Judah the powerful were manipulating and controlling the experiences of others in order to exploit them in various ways.

The desire to shame others is the particular focus of this oracle. The irony is that those desiring to shame others will themselves be shamed. Whereas they had previously sought to shame others by exposing their nakedness, they themselves will now be shamed. The verb translated “show your uncircumcision” might also be translated “be reckoned as uncircumcised”; oppressors among the covenant community will be considered no longer a part of it. Yahweh, the one who holds the true cup of shame, will bring it upon them as an exact retribution for their crime. The image of Yahweh holding a cup of judgment is a common one (e.g., Ps. 75:8) and may reflect rituals performed in the temple, but the key point is that Yahweh exposes the actions of the oppressor for what they are.

The prophet refers specifically to violence done to Lebanon as the type of violence that will overwhelm the oppressor, violence that saw murder and willful destruction of animals. The exact historical atrocity referenced here is unclear, and perhaps Habakkuk is drawing on the frequent boast of ancient Near Eastern kings of having plundered Lebanon. What is clear in any case is the wider pattern in which oppressors were attacking the weak (cf. the repetition of Hab. 2:8b in v. 17). As such, this is now one example among many of the plundering of nations, the perpetrators of which now stand under the Lord’s judgment.

2:18–20 The final woe oracle is distinct from the previous four in its emphasis on idolatry rather than oppression (although the two are often related). Moreover, the term “woe” is deferred until verse 19 instead of beginning the oracle. The OT is replete with denunciations of idolatry (e.g., Ps. 115:4–8; Isa. 40:18–20; 41:21–29; 44:9–20), representing a major break with the dominant ancient Near Eastern culture. As is common in the OT, Habakkuk notes that idols are human creations that offer no profit. Habakkuk develops a paradox: although an idol is silent, it nevertheless is able to deceive those who trust it. Thus those trusting idols stand under divine judgment, for telling a piece of wood or stone to awaken or arise is foolish, and no amount of gold or silver overlay will give it life. By contrast, Yahweh is real and is present in his temple, and all the earth is called to silence before him. In this way, Habakkuk brings the woe oracles to a close while also preparing for the psalm of chapter 3.

Yahweh dwells in his temple, and from there he sees all; once this reality is recognized, one understands that the temple is also the divine palace, the place from which the true king dispenses justice. Idolatry attempts to avoid Yahweh’s claims by denying the reality of his existence. Yet life must be lived under his rule, and the oppressors of chapter 2 have missed this fundamental fact. Further, Yahweh’s rule from his temple grounds the claim of 2:3 in a fundamental reality. The reality of his rule over all the earth means those living by faith can be sure his justice will finally be seen, even if its exact timing is not disclosed.