And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
Habakkuk pleads over the violence of the Chaldeans, whose victims are left helpless, defenseless and leaderless, with no ruler to protect or care for them, like fishes of the sea and small creeping things exposed to whoever seizes them. The oppressor treats men as mere prey to be taken with angle and net and drag and used for his own gain, denying their human worth and justice and acting as though God's rule had ended. That same picture depicts the last days, when grasping rich men and predatory trusts count human beings as only fish to be caught in their wide-reaching combinations and nets. The oppressor gathers all nations to himself and grows fat and glad from their suffering, sparing not to slay continually, until the plundered peoples rise up suddenly to bite and vex him and make him their booty, so that he who spoiled others is himself spoiled. The control of the world's wealth by a few who demand service and count men as lowly creatures to be possessed is a sign that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, for God sees the suffering of the poor and holds accountable those who had means to relieve them and did not.
Historical Setting and Imagery
Habakkuk means to embrace, and he prophesied near the time of Nahum and a little later, as late as the middle of Jeremiah's prophecy. He was contemporary with Jeremiah, prophesying about 604 B.C. during Jehoiakim's reign. His prophecy is largely against the Chaldeans, who would sweep over the land because of its wickedness, with woes against those who are covetous, cruel, and intemperate. The verse belongs to a chapter concerned with the work and fate of the Chaldeans. It was given as reproof against the oppressive and wealthy in Israel with warning of the coming of the Chaldeans.
The verse is part of the prophet's question about the Chaldeans' violence and conquest. Their victims are left helpless before the invaders, exposed like sea creatures without a ruler, able to be seized and carried off like prey. That conquest brings death and destruction. The verse expresses the prophet's plea for deliverance from this oppression.
To be made as fishes of the sea and creeping things with no ruler is to be made helpless, powerless, defenseless, leaderless, and unprotected. It means having no ruler to protect, govern, defend, or care for them. It is like fish of the sea and small crawling creatures exposed to whoever captures them. In this condition God's children and other people are treated as helpless prey by those who control them through schemes. The grasping rich regard men in this way, as prey to be exploited, and predatory trusts treat people as prey to be caught in their schemes. The wicked catch and gather them up for their own gain, and the poor have no defense or means to resist grasping oppressors who trap and financially swallow them.
The oppressor treats God's children and other people as prey and as things to catch, gather, and use. He swallows up those more righteous than himself through treacherous schemes, angles, nets, drags, and wide-reaching combinations. He financially swallows them, trades them for gain, and uses them as parts of a machine to serve his schemes. He consumes the people's product rather than allowing them to benefit from their labor.
In doing so he denies their human worth, justice, and God's rule, acting as though justice and God's rule had ended. He ignores justice and acts as though God's rule did not exist, gathering and using men through schemes as parts of a machine. The verse gives voice to oppressed humanity's protest against people swallowing up their fellows. Institutions, profits, and money are valued above human lives, so that the covetous and powerful devour people for gain and the poor may be left to starve to preserve or increase wealth. That oppression and the calamities it brings are presented as a pattern for nations pursuing the same course under divine denunciation.
Last-Day Wealth and Oppression
Habakkuk's own time serves as a type of conditions in the last days, and as part of chapters 1 and 2 this verse clearly depicts last-day conditions. It stands as warning of perilous, unsettled times marked by conflict between labor and capital, the last-day oppression of the poor, and the possibility of their rising against the wealthy. The reproof once given against the oppressive and wealthy in Israel with warning of the coming of the Chaldeans thus applies to conditions in our own time, and its picture of men made powerless like fish and creeping things without a ruler, whom ambitious men can exploit for the benefit of a few, stands under divine denunciation.
The image describes how the grasping rich regard men, as defenseless, leaderless creatures left powerless like fish in the sea or creeping things with no ruler to protect or govern them, only prey to be exploited. It pictures covetous and powerful men and predatory trusts, to whom human beings are only fish to be caught and whose plans and combinations are nets and drags for taking them. A grasping trust power makes men as fishes of the sea and creeping things with no ruler over them, setting itself as master of the world while governments take a back seat and men can only buy at its price. Wealthy men controlling necessities such as food, light, and water draw cities, states, and nations into their commercial schemes, gathering the wealth of nations for themselves through unchecked exploitation.
The oppressor takes up all men with the angle and catches them in his net and gathers them in his drag, and therefore rejoices and is glad, making his portion fat and his food plenteous by them. He does not empty his net nor spare to slay the nations continually, but goes on gathering to himself all nations and heaping to himself all peoples and growing rich from their suffering. Until the peoples rebel, take up a parable and taunting proverb against him, rise up suddenly to bite and vex him, and make him booty and plunder him because he plundered many nations. The oppressor who spoils others will in turn be spoiled, and that oppression and the calamities it brings are presented as a pattern for nations pursuing the same course under divine denunciation.
The increase of riches before the second coming of Christ, with a few men controlling the wealth of the world and making themselves demigods, demanding that men serve them and counting men as fishes of the sea, as lowly creatures to be possessed and ruled, is a sign that His coronation is near. When this time comes believers are to be patient and stablish their hearts because the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. God sees the suffering of the poor and holds accountable those who had the means to improve their condition but failed to do so. Its principle applies to coal miners facing dangerous work, injury, death, and insecure wages, for their conditions reflect the oppression of the poor made helpless and exposed like fish without a ruler.
Habakkuk pleads over the violence of the Chaldeans, whose victims are left helpless, defenseless and leaderless, with no ruler to protect or care for them, like fishes of the sea and small creeping things exposed to whoever seizes them. The oppressor treats men as mere prey to be taken with angle and net and drag and used for his own gain, denying their human worth and justice and acting as though God's rule had ended. That same picture depicts the last days, when grasping rich men and predatory trusts count human beings as only fish to be caught in their wide-reaching combinations and nets. The oppressor gathers all nations to himself and grows fat and glad from their suffering, sparing not to slay continually, until the plundered peoples rise up suddenly to bite and vex him and make him their booty, so that he who spoiled others is himself spoiled. The control of the world's wealth by a few who demand service and count men as lowly creatures to be possessed is a sign that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, for God sees the suffering of the poor and holds accountable those who had means to relieve them and did not.
Historical Setting and Imagery
Habakkuk means to embrace, and he prophesied near the time of Nahum and a little later, as late as the middle of Jeremiah's prophecy. He was contemporary with Jeremiah, prophesying about 604 B.C. during Jehoiakim's reign. His prophecy is largely against the Chaldeans, who would sweep over the land because of its wickedness, with woes against those who are covetous, cruel, and intemperate. The verse belongs to a chapter concerned with the work and fate of the Chaldeans. It was given as reproof against the oppressive and wealthy in Israel with warning of the coming of the Chaldeans.
The verse is part of the prophet's question about the Chaldeans' violence and conquest. Their victims are left helpless before the invaders, exposed like sea creatures without a ruler, able to be seized and carried off like prey. That conquest brings death and destruction. The verse expresses the prophet's plea for deliverance from this oppression.
To be made as fishes of the sea and creeping things with no ruler is to be made helpless, powerless, defenseless, leaderless, and unprotected. It means having no ruler to protect, govern, defend, or care for them. It is like fish of the sea and small crawling creatures exposed to whoever captures them. In this condition God's children and other people are treated as helpless prey by those who control them through schemes. The grasping rich regard men in this way, as prey to be exploited, and predatory trusts treat people as prey to be caught in their schemes. The wicked catch and gather them up for their own gain, and the poor have no defense or means to resist grasping oppressors who trap and financially swallow them.
The oppressor treats God's children and other people as prey and as things to catch, gather, and use. He swallows up those more righteous than himself through treacherous schemes, angles, nets, drags, and wide-reaching combinations. He financially swallows them, trades them for gain, and uses them as parts of a machine to serve his schemes. He consumes the people's product rather than allowing them to benefit from their labor.
In doing so he denies their human worth, justice, and God's rule, acting as though justice and God's rule had ended. He ignores justice and acts as though God's rule did not exist, gathering and using men through schemes as parts of a machine. The verse gives voice to oppressed humanity's protest against people swallowing up their fellows. Institutions, profits, and money are valued above human lives, so that the covetous and powerful devour people for gain and the poor may be left to starve to preserve or increase wealth. That oppression and the calamities it brings are presented as a pattern for nations pursuing the same course under divine denunciation.
Last-Day Wealth and Oppression
Habakkuk's own time serves as a type of conditions in the last days, and as part of chapters 1 and 2 this verse clearly depicts last-day conditions. It stands as warning of perilous, unsettled times marked by conflict between labor and capital, the last-day oppression of the poor, and the possibility of their rising against the wealthy. The reproof once given against the oppressive and wealthy in Israel with warning of the coming of the Chaldeans thus applies to conditions in our own time, and its picture of men made powerless like fish and creeping things without a ruler, whom ambitious men can exploit for the benefit of a few, stands under divine denunciation.
The image describes how the grasping rich regard men, as defenseless, leaderless creatures left powerless like fish in the sea or creeping things with no ruler to protect or govern them, only prey to be exploited. It pictures covetous and powerful men and predatory trusts, to whom human beings are only fish to be caught and whose plans and combinations are nets and drags for taking them. A grasping trust power makes men as fishes of the sea and creeping things with no ruler over them, setting itself as master of the world while governments take a back seat and men can only buy at its price. Wealthy men controlling necessities such as food, light, and water draw cities, states, and nations into their commercial schemes, gathering the wealth of nations for themselves through unchecked exploitation.
The oppressor takes up all men with the angle and catches them in his net and gathers them in his drag, and therefore rejoices and is glad, making his portion fat and his food plenteous by them. He does not empty his net nor spare to slay the nations continually, but goes on gathering to himself all nations and heaping to himself all peoples and growing rich from their suffering. Until the peoples rebel, take up a parable and taunting proverb against him, rise up suddenly to bite and vex him, and make him booty and plunder him because he plundered many nations. The oppressor who spoils others will in turn be spoiled, and that oppression and the calamities it brings are presented as a pattern for nations pursuing the same course under divine denunciation.
The increase of riches before the second coming of Christ, with a few men controlling the wealth of the world and making themselves demigods, demanding that men serve them and counting men as fishes of the sea, as lowly creatures to be possessed and ruled, is a sign that His coronation is near. When this time comes believers are to be patient and stablish their hearts because the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. God sees the suffering of the poor and holds accountable those who had the means to improve their condition but failed to do so. Its principle applies to coal miners facing dangerous work, injury, death, and insecure wages, for their conditions reflect the oppression of the poor made helpless and exposed like fish without a ruler.