Ezekiel 28:7

28:7 I am about to bring foreigners ¹  against you, the most terrifying of nations.

They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, ² 

and they will defile your splendor.

Ezekiel 30:11

30:11 He and his people with him,

the most terrifying of the nations, ³ 

will be brought there to destroy the land.

They will draw their swords against Egypt,

and fill the land with corpses.

Ezekiel 31:11

31:11 I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, ⁴  as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out.

Deuteronomy 28:49-50

28:49 The Lord will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth ⁵  as the eagle flies, ⁶  a nation whose language you will not understand, 28:50 a nation of stern appearance that will have no regard for the elderly or pity for the young.

Habakkuk 1:6-7

1:6 Look, I am about to empower ⁷  the Babylonians,

that ruthless ⁸  and greedy ⁹  nation.

They sweep across the surface ¹⁰  of the earth,

seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.

1:7 They are frightening and terrifying;

they decide for themselves what is right. ¹¹ 

¹ sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.

² tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”

³ tn The Babylonians were known for their cruelty (2 Kgs 25:7).

⁴ tn Heb “acting he has acted with regard to it.” The infinitive absolute precedes the main verb to emphasize the certainty and decisiveness of the action depicted.

⁵ tn Heb “from the end of the earth.”

⁶ tn Some translations understand this to mean “like an eagle swoops down” (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), comparing the swift attack of an eagle to the attack of the Israelites’ enemies.

⁷ tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).

⁸ tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ tn Heb “the open spaces.”

¹¹ tn Heb “from him his justice, even his lifting up, goes out.” In this context שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) probably has the nuance “authority.” See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 150.