Habakkuk 1:15-The Babylonian Army Conquered Nations Like Fishermen Catch Fish in the Sea

Habakkuk 1:15 The Babylonian tyrant pulls them all up with a fishhook; he hauls them in with his throw net. When he catches them in his dragnet, he is very happy. (NET)

Habakkuk 1:15 He is characterized by causing each one of them to be pulled up with a fishhook. He is characterized by dragging them away with his throw net. When he is gathering them with his dragnet, he is rejoicing, yes specifically he is outwardly expressing joy. (My translation)

We noted in our study of Habakkuk 1:12 that the prophet Habakkuk addresses the Lord in a rhetorical question that asks if He was in fact not from eternity.

Of course, this question demands an emphatic positive response.

Therefore, it is affirming that the Lord was from eternity.

The second statement in the verse emphatically asserts that the Lord would never die.

The first affirmation derived from the rhetorical question describes God as from eternity past whereas the second affirmation describes Him as eternal with respect to the future.

Thus, the two assertions affirm that the Lord was from everlasting to everlasting or in other words, they are describing the eternality of the Lord.

Now, in the third statement in Habakkuk 1:12, the prophet Habakkuk solemnly asserts that the Lord ordained the Babylonian army as His instrument to judge the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.

The fourth statement explains the third and asserts that the Lord appointed the Babylonian army as His instrument to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.

Therefore, a comparison of these two assertions indicates that when Habakkuk asserts that the Lord ordained the Babylonian army as His instrument to judge the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah, he means that the Lord appointed them to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.

In other words, the fourth assertion defines the concept of judging the nation as discipline.

We also noted in our study of Habakkuk 1:13 that this verse asserts that the Lord possesses eyes which are too pure to tolerate evil.

The reference to the Lord’s eyes is an anthropopathism since God is spirit and does not possess eyes like a human being.

This anthropopathic use is designed to explain the character of God in terms which human beings can understand.

They are not meant to describe the appearance of God.

So here God’s eyes signify what He looks at with approval and thus, it speaks of God’s holy standards.

Therefore, the reference to the eyes of the Lord being too pure is an anthropopathism which is used to explain to our human frame reference something about the Lord’s character.

Specifically, it is describing in arthropathic terms the Lord’s holy character and standards.

Now, the second statement in Habakkuk 1:13 asserts that the Lord is totally unable to condone wicked behavior.

This assertion is a result clause because it presents the result of the previous statement which we noted asserts that the Lord possesses eyes, which are too pure to tolerate evil behavior.

Therefore, a comparison of the two assertions indicates that the Lord is totally unable to condone wicked behavior as a result being too pure to tolerate evil behavior.

This result clause is then followed by a question which asks the Lord as to why He was putting up with treacherous people, which is a reference to the Babylonians when he makes this statement.

Lastly, Habakkuk 1:13 ends with a declarative statement, which asserts that the Lord was not taking action while the wicked swallow up a person more righteous than they.

“The righteous” in this last statement in Habakkuk 1:13 does not refer to the citizens of the various Gentile nations on earth in 605 B.C.

But rather, it is a reference to the citizens of Judah who trusted in the God of Israel and were declared justified by the Father as a result of receiving the imputation of divine righteousness which was the direct result of exercising faith in the Lord (cf. Gen. 15:6; Rom. 3:19-30; 4:1-6).

This is indicated by the fact that Habakkuk 1:12-17 is a response to the Lord’s declaration that He would use the Babylonians to discipline the apostate citizenry in the southern kingdom of Judah.

We noted in Habakkuk 1:14 that in this verse the prophet Habakkuk solemnly asserts that the Lord God of Israel produced mankind like marine life residing in the ocean, like creepers-crawlers, who have absolutely no ruler among them.

Therefore, he is comparing mankind to marine life belonging to the ocean and creepers-crawlers.

Both species of animal possess absolutely no ruler among them.

Now, we know that mankind does have rulers.

However, Habakkuk 1:15-17 indicates that the purpose of this comparison here in Habakkuk 1:14 is to emphasize the helplessness, defenseless, disorganization and lack of effective leadership among the various nations of the human race in the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean regions of the world in relation to the Babylonian army.

This interpretation is indicated by the fact Habakkuk 1:15-17 describes the Babylonian army like a fisherman who catches members of the human race like a fisherman at sea.

So therefore, here in Habakkuk 1:14-17, the prophet Habakkuk is arguing that the various nations of the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean regions of the world including the southern kingdom of Judah are helpless, disorganized, defenseless and without effective leadership in relation to the Babylonian army.

None of these nations would survive an invasion from the Babylonian army who viewed human beings like fish to be caught and eaten or creepers-crawlers to be killed and consumed for food.

Thus, the prophet is complaining to God as to how He could allow such a nation as Babylon to judge the apostate citizenry in his country.

This is why Habakkuk affirms the holiness of God in Habakkuk 1:14 and why he asks as to how God could put up with the treacherous Babylonians.

It is also why he complains that God has not taken action against them while they swallowed up people more righteous than they.

Now, we come to Habakkuk 1:15 which contains three assertions which describe the soldiers in the Babylonian army in a figurative or metaphorical sense in relation to the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in 605 B.C.

The first of these assertions solemnly states that the Babylonian army is characterized as causing the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world to be pulled up like a fisherman pulling fish up out of the water with a fishhook.

The second solemnly states that the Babylonian soldiers are characterized as dragging away the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world like a fisherman drags away a catch of fish with his throw net.

Though the language Habakkuk is using here in Habakkuk 1:15 is figurative or metaphorical here, the Babylonians literally did employ hooks and nets in relation to their captives.

In Jeremiah 16:16, the prophet Jeremiah who prophesied before, during and after Babylon’s three invasions in 605, 597 and 586 B.C. and eventual defeat of the southern kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C. uses the same imagery here in Habakkuk 1:15 for the Babylonians.

Jeremiah 16:16 But for now I, the Lord, say: “I will send many enemies who will catch these people like fishermen. After that I will send others who will hunt them out like hunters from all the mountains, all the hills, and the crevices in the rocks. (NET)

Therefore, in Habakkuk 1:15, the Babylonian soldiers are compared to fishermen and the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world are compared to fish.

The fishhook, throw net and dragnet in this verse represent in a figurative or metaphorical sense the weapons employed by the Babylonian army to capture, kill and deport members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in 605 B.C.

The Babylonian army’s treatment of the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in 605 B.C. is compared to a fisherman plying his trade.

The third and final assertion in Habakkuk 1:15 is a temporal clause which states that when the Babylonian soldiers are gathering the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world like a fisherman gathers fish in his dragnet, they are rejoicing, yes specifically they are outwardly expressing this joy.

The Babylonian soldiers outward expressions of joy in capturing, killing and deporting these people is a malicious expression of joy since they rejoiced over the misfortune of other people and their suffering.

The Babylonian army expressed no concern for the welfare of humanity as fishermen have for helpless fish.