Habakkuk 1:15

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 

Habakkuk 2:15

2:15 “You who force your neighbor to drink wine ⁵  are as good as dead ⁶  –

you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, ⁷ 

so you can look at their genitals. ⁸ 

[1:15]  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.

[1:15]  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.

[1:15]  ³ tn Heb “and he gathers.”

[1:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.

[2:15]  ⁵ tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ⁶ tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.

[2:15]  ⁷ tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (misapeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”).

[2:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “their nakedness,” a euphemism.