Consequences of Injustice
WOE. An interjection denoting pain, discomfort, and unhappiness.
1. Woe to the Extortioner (2:6–8)
6“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
How long must this go on?’
7Will not your debtors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their victim.
8Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed man’s blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
Woe is announced in v. 6 against him “who piles up stolen goods” and commits “extortion.” Then the threat is given in v. 7 that “debtors” will “arise,” and they will “tremble.” Verse 8 gives the reason: “you have plundered, … shed man’s blood,” and “destroyed.”
The passage also could apply to any tyrant in any time period. In fact, the reader probably should understand the message in this way. The prophet probably had the Babylonians in mind, but the passage pronounces woe on any people who oppress others. “From God’s reply it is evident that no wicked nation, covenant or cosmic, will escape divine wrath.”
Those who suffered under the heavy hand of Babylon would take up the taunt against the oppressor. The word “taunt” (mās̆āl) comes from a verb root meaning “to be like, to be similar” and often referred to a simple comparison.
In typical biblical fashion those who suffered under oppression delivered the taunt against the oppressor. The judgment against the enemy fit the crime committed and reminded the oppressor of his oppression.
The second assertion of guilt involved the taking of pledges. In ancient society a system of collateral developed that involved the giving of a pledge to insure the repayment of a loan. If the borrower could not or would not repay the loan, the lender kept the item pledged. The pledge often involved the simple belongings of peasants, such as a coat or cloak (Exod 22:25–28).
Business and commerce always can be manipulated to gain unfair advantage. Habakkuk’s message concerning modern commerce is clear: do not make your wealth or your living by unjust practices. Practice the business of just weights and just measures. Work to make an honest living without destroying the livelihoods of others.
Judgment would come to Babylon—or to any people who practice extortion and theft. Babylon, like Assyria before it (Nah 2:9; 3:1) and a multitude of tyrants since, piled up treasure at the expense of vanquished nations. Babylon’s wealth flowed from the broken cities and broken lives of its neighbors.
Judgment would come to Babylon—or to any people who practice extortion and theft. Babylon, like Assyria before it (Nah 2:9; 3:1) and a multitude of tyrants since, piled up treasure at the expense of vanquished nations. Babylon’s wealth flowed from the broken cities and broken lives of its neighbors.
The first woe passage is a warning to those who are powerful. Power should be used to produce positive results. The
2:7 The person who lives by extorting others will surely experience the judgment of God. The punishment is an “in-kind” punishment, one in which the person taking advantage of others will be taken advantage of by those he oppressed. The wicked eventually receive a strong dose of their own medicine.
2:8 What Babylon had done to others, others would do to the Babylonians. The Babylonians had set off a series of events that would not end until they had been plundered themselves. Violence does beget violence.
2:8 What Babylon had done to others, others would do to the Babylonians. The Babylonians had set off a series of events that would not end until they had been plundered themselves. Violence does beget violence.
2. Woe to the Greedy and Arrogant (2:9–11)
9“Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain
to set his nest on high,
to escape the clutches of ruin!
10You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,
shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.
11The stones of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
2:9 This second woe deals with building fortunes and power structures on unjust gain. As with the previous “woe,” the second woe begins with the enemy described in the third person but with the last two verses of the woe moving to the second person.
An “evil cut” was shorter than promised and so involved cheating the customer. It is used more widely of making profits by cheating and violence.
These built their “house” by taking unfair advantage of others.
The “nest” symbolized the arrogance of the Babylonians. They built their nests “on high,” a symbol of invincibility. Of all animals the eagle seemed most impervious to harm. The eagle built its nest “on high” and seemed to reign as lord over all that it surveyed. Habakkuk saw the people of Babylon in this way
They ruthlessly took from others and built houses and fortunes that appeared invincible. In their arrogance the Babylonians felt themselves to be untouchable by ruin or judgment.
Pride, especially a feeling that we are above God himself, does not ennoble a people. Rather, arrogance takes away our dependence on God, leaving us to our own devices. “Doing our own thing” without regard for God is a sure prescription for ruin. How we have deceived ourselves! Security cannot be found in buildings, locks, or security systems. Security is found in dependence on God.
A. “The just shall live by faith” (v. 4).
Verse 4 describes two kinds of people: those who are “puffed up” because they trust in themselves, and those who are saved and humble because they trust in the Lord. See the Pharisee and publican in Luke 18:9–14. The Chaldeans were the ones who were puffed up by their victories, not realizing that it was God who enabled them to conquer.
Those building a house by unjust gain thought they brought fame, prominence, and power to themselves. Instead, their plans only shamed their house, that is their families, their ancestors, and their descendants.
Instead of building themselves up, they participated in the process of their own destruction.
Babylon—and modern peoples—must learn the cause-effect relationships in life. Our actions produce effects that may lead to death. The rich fool only thought that he was building larger barns to house more wealth. He did not consider that his very riches called out for his soul (Luke 12:13–21).
Jeremiah preached a similar message of woe to the evil kings of Judah of his day, those who built houses without righteousness and upper rooms without justice. Specifically, Jeremiah condemned the same kind of extortion Habakkuk loathed in Babylon—that of using neighbor’s services without pay and withholding wages (Jer 22:13–14). The
B. “The earth shall be filled with God’s glory” (v. 14).
The earth in Habakkuk’s day was certainly not filled with much glory, nor is it today. Look at the five “Woes” in this chapter, and you will see the sins that God hates: greedy and violent covetousness (vv. 5–11); murder for gain (v. 12); drunkenness (vv. 15–16); and idolatry (v. 19).
The prophet’s tone invoked an incredulous element. When people built their wealth by unjust gain, even the building materials that housed their fortunes would cry out for justice. God
These are the very sins that are polluting nations today. And God hates these sins today just as much as He did back in Habakkuk’s day. But the promise still stands that God’s glory shall one day fill this earth, for Jesus Christ shall return, put down all sin, and establish His righteous kingdom.
3. Woe to Those Who Build on Bloodshed (2:12–14)
12“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and establishes a town by crime!
13Has not the LORD Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.
Woe is announced in v. 12 against “him who builds a city with bloodshed and … crime.” Then the threat is given in v. 13 that the Lord had “determined” their labor would be in vain. Verse 14 gives the reason: that “the earth will be filled” not with the crimes of men but “with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD.
The prophet’s tone invoked an incredulous element. When people built their wealth by unjust gain, even the building materials that housed their fortunes would cry out for justice. God
In many respects Hab 2:12–14 provides the climax of Hosea-Habakkuk. First, 2:12 proclaims the fate of all who attempt to abuse others (cf. Amos 1:1–2:3) to achieve their own wicked goals, which summarizes the concerns of Hosea, Amos, etc. Second, 2:13 demonstrates the sovereignty of God over the whole process of sin, punishment, and restoration described in the Twelve.… Third, 2:14 explains the purpose and end result of all Yahweh’s work in creation.
2:12 The third taunt builds on the first two and continues the idea of a people gaining wealth by unlawful and unethical means. Where the first two “woes” began in the third person and changed to the second, all of the third woe referred to the wicked in the third person. The woe ends with a description of the purpose of God in the world.
The NIV correctly interprets that the city has been built by shedding the blood of innocent victims and by committing grave crimes. For the Hebrew “to destroy a human life is the greatest evil, but the actual shedding of blood in murder imposes a special burden (see Gen 37:18ff.).
Thus a city or society built by bloodshed and oppression cannot endure.
To commit this crime is to ignore God’s majesty (Isa 26:10).
Those who live on the weak and powerless ultimately collapse under the weight of oppression. This may be the meaning of the Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exod 20:12).
In contrast is the society built without the appreciation of life. That society will fail. Woe to the city, town, or society built on crime and bloodshed!
The point is clear: the city (or society) built on blood will fail while the city built on the Lord will endure forever.
Waltke and O’Conner point out the use of the word as an exclamation of vivid immediacy.
Shame on those who build a city with bloodshed! Their labor will come to nothing, but God is at work doing a great thing: spreading the knowledge of himself. “The Lord declares that all punishment results as part of His plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of Himself.… Because God is righteous and sovereign, no sin can go unpunished lest God’s glory be diminished and [His] name sink in esteem.”
God will work to make himself known in all the earth. In Hebrew thought “knowledge” means more than information. “Knowledge is seen in fundamentally relational terms.… To know God is to be in a right relationship with him, with characteristics of love, trust, respect, and open communication.”
Knowing involved intimacy and experience, being used in its most fundamental sense to describe the marriage relationship.
Not to know God for Israel and for the nations invited His judgment (Ps 79:6; Jer 10:25)
Habakkuk used the term in the sense of powerful presence. All the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the manifest presence of God. For Ezekiel the “glory of the LORD” meant a manifestation of God.
The glory of the Lord “reveals his person and dignity, and the proper response to such a revelation is to give God honor or glory” (cp. Exod 33:18).
Thus the entire story of the Exodus centered on the fact that Pharaoh did not know God (Exod 5:2), but God wanted to introduce himself to Israel (Exod 6:6) and to Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Exod 7:5).
The prophet wanted the knowledge of God to be as pervasive as the waters that fill the seas. For Christian believers the verse takes us in mind and heart to the work of Christ, who came into the world to make God known in the most unique way possible (cf. John 1:14; Eph 1:17). Through Christ the earth may be uniquely filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.