Habakkuk Chapter 2 verse 9 Holy Bible

ASV Habakkuk 2:9

Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!
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BBE Habakkuk 2:9

A curse on him who gets evil profits for his family, so that he may put his resting-place on high and be safe from the hand of the wrongdoer!
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DARBY Habakkuk 2:9

Woe to him that getteth iniquitous gain to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the grasp of evil!
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KJV Habakkuk 2:9

Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
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WBT Habakkuk 2:9


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WEB Habakkuk 2:9

Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!
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YLT Habakkuk 2:9

Wo `to' him who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set on high his nest, To be delivered from the hand of evil,
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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerses 9-11. - § 9. The second woe: for their avarice, violence, and cunning. Verse 9. - That coveteth an evil covetousness to his house; better, gaineth evil gains for his house. The "house" is the royal family or dynasty, as in ver. 10; and the Chaldean is denounced for thinking to secure its stability and permanence by amassing godless gains. That he may set his nest on high. This is a figurative expression, denoting security as well as pride and self-confidence (comp. Numbers 24:21; Job 39:27, etc.; Jeremiah 49:16; Obadiah 1:4), and denotes the various means which the Chaldeans employed to establish and secure their power (comp. Isaiah 14:14). Some see in the words an allusion to the formidable fortifications raised by Nebuchadnezzar for the protection of Babylon, and the wonderful palace erected by him as a royal residence (see Rawlinson, 'Ant. Men.,' 3:340, etc., edit. 1865). It is certain that Nebuchadnezzar and other monarchs, after successful expeditions, turned their attention to building and enriching towns, temples, and palaces (see Josephus, 'Cont. Ap.,' 1:19, 7, etc.). From the power of evil; from the hand of evil; i.e. from all calamity.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9-11) Woe on the aggrandisement of the new dynasty by force and cunning.(9) Woe to him that coveteth . . .--Better, Woe to him who accumulates wicked gain for his house, who sets his nest on high to save himself from the hand of evil--i.e., who gathers spoil from the nations, and stows it away in an impregnable treasure- house. The expression sets his nest on high finds more than sufficient illustration in the exaggerated accounts of Babylon given by Herodotus and Ctesias. The former gives 337� feet, the latter 300 feet, as the height of its walls. The height of the towers was, according to Ctesias, 420 feet. There were 250 of these towers, irregularly disposed, to guard the weaker parts of the wall. The space included by these colossal outworks was, according to Herodotus, about 200 square miles.The language of this verse recalls Jeremiah's rebuke of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:13 seq.). There, however, the sentence is on individual sin, here it is on that of a nation personified.