Habakkuk 2:17-The Babylonians Will Be Overwhelmed and Terrified by Violent Acts Against Them Because They Did the Same to Other Nations

Habakkuk 2:17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. (NIV)

Habakkuk 2:17 “For the violent acts committed against the people and land of Lebanon will overwhelm you. Likewise, the destructive acts of violence against both wild and domesticated animals will cause you to enter the state of being terrified. Ultimately, these violent acts will overwhelm you and terrify you because you murdered innocent civilian members of the human race. Specifically, for committing violent acts against a land, a city, that is, for committing violent acts against each and every one of the inhabitants in them.” (My translation)

Habakkuk 2:17 continues the Lord’s response to Habakkuk’s argument against His choice of the Babylonians to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah and which argument is recorded in Habakkuk 1:12-17.

This response began in Habakkuk 2:2 and ends in Habakkuk 2:20.

Habakkuk 2:2-20 presents the Lord’s decision to judge the Babylonian empire in the future for their unrepentant sinful behavior.

Specifically, He will judge them because of their evil treatment of those nations they conquered in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world at the end of the seventh century B.C. and at the beginning of the sixth century B.C.

Habakkuk 2:17 begins with two prophetic statements which is followed by a causal clause and then an epexegetical clause.

The first prophetic statement asserts that the violent acts committed by the Babylonians against the people and land of Lebanon will overwhelm the Babylonians.

In other words, the Babylonians will be conquered by violence because they conquered the people and land of Lebanon by violent acts.

The implication is that the Babylonians will be treated in the same violent manner as they treated the people and land of Lebanon.

The Babylonians will experience violent acts committed against them because they committed violent acts against the people and land of Lebanon.

“Lebanon” which refers to the region north of Israel and west of Syria, with Phoenician territory to the west, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and consisted of two mountain ranges with a fertile valley in between.

The area was famous in Old Testament times for their forests.

The second prophetic statement is an addition to the first and asserts that the destructive acts of violence committed by the Babylonians against both domesticated and wild animals will cause the Babylonians to be terrified.

In other words, the Babylonians will be destroyed by violence because they destroyed both wild and domesticated animals by their violent acts.

The implication is that the Babylonians will be treated in the same violent manner as they treated the animal kingdom.

Both the Old Testament and secular history records that the Babylonians used the forests of Lebanon as sources of abundant building materials.

They exploited and pillaged Lebanon of her great natural resources such as their great forests.

They denuded large portions of Lebanon’s forests.

They also followed the custom of the Assyrians and exploited both wild and domesticated animals for their own selfish purposes.

They didn’t simply kill animals for food and clothing and they didn’t simply do so for sport but rather for the shear enjoyment of killing.

After these two prophetic statements, we have a prepositional phrase middĕmê ʾādām (מִדְּמֵ֤י אָדָם֙), which presents an additional reason for the previous two prophetic statements here in Habakkuk 2:17.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase presents another reason why the Babylonians will be overwhelmed and terrified by violent destructive acts.

This prepositional phrase asserts that the Babylonians murdered innocent civilian members of the human race.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase in relation to the first prophetic statement indicates that the Babylonians will be overwhelmed by violent acts “because” they murdered innocent civilian members of the human race.

In relation to the second prophetic statement, the Babylonians will be terrified by destructive acts of violence “because” they murdered innocent civilian members of the human race.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase is expressing the idea that the Babylonians will be overwhelmed by violent acts and terrified by destructive acts of violence because they murdered innocent civilian members of the human race.

Habakkuk 2:17 comes to an end with the statement waḥămas-ʾereṣ qiryâ wĕkol-yōšĕbê bāh (וַחֲמַס־אֶ֔רֶץ קִרְיָ֖ה וְכָל־יֹ֥שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ), which is an epexegetical clause which means “for committing acts of violence against, a land, a city, that is for committing violent acts against each and every one of the inhabitants in them.”

This epexegetical clause explains in greater detail the meaning of the previous prepositional phrase middĕmê ʾādām (מִדְּמֵ֤י אָדָם֙) in relation to the first two prophetic statements in Habakkuk 2:17.

Therefore, this epexegetical clause is identifying specifically the civilian population of the lands and cities of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world at the end of the seventh century B.C. and at the beginning of the sixth century B.C. as the innocent civilians the Babylonians murdered by means of their violent acts.

With the exception of the two prophetic statements, Habakkuk 2:17 is almost identical with Habakkuk 2:8 since both have the prepositional phrase middĕmê ʾādām (מִדְּמֵ֤י אָדָם֙) followed by the epexegetical clause waḥămas-ʾereṣ qiryâ wĕkol-yōšĕbê bāh (וַחֲמַס־אֶ֔רֶץ קִרְיָ֖ה וְכָל־יֹ֥שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ).

Habakkuk 2:8 “Because you plundered many nations, each and every one left from among these peoples will plunder you on account of murdering innocent civilian members of the human race. Namely, for committing violent acts against a land, a city, that is, for committing violent acts against each and every one of the inhabitants in them.” (My translation)

In Jeremiah 25:15-30, the prophet Jeremiah prophecies that many nations would fall to Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon and Habakkuk 2:6-20 identifies that a remnant from these nations would plunder the Babylonians.

Therefore, Egypt, Uz; the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod), Edom, Moab and Ammon, Tyre and Sidon and the coastlands across the Mediterranean sea plundered the Babylonians since these nations are listed as being conquered by Babylon and Habakkuk 2:6-20 states that a remnant from these nations would plunder the Babylonians one day.

Also, Dedan, Tema, Buz and all those nations in distant places did as well along with the nations of Arabia, Zimri, Elam and of course Media.

The prophetic statements in Habakkuk 2:8 and 17 were all fulfilled in history when the Medo-Persian Empire invaded Babylon and overthrew Belshazzar as recorded in Daniel chapter five.

The Babylonian Empire was plundered by the Medo-Persian Empire and her allies.

Therefore, what Babylon did to other nations, was done to her.

Babylon’s punishment would correspond to the crimes they committed against other nations or in other words, the punishment of the Babylonians would fit their crimes they committed against God and other nations.

Habakkuk 2:8 and 17 bring into view the spiritual law or principle called “the law of retribution” which is also called lex telionis.

This law or principle means that because of the unjustified violent acts committed by the citizens of Babylon against other nations and because of God’s holy character, the citizens of Babylon would be treated in the same manner they treated other nations.

These verses also bring into view another spiritual law or principle, namely “the law of retaliation.”

This law or principle means that to the degree to which the Babylonians treated other nations and rebelled against God, the Lord would retaliate against them by expressing His righteous indignation against them for their unrepentant ungodly behavior.

He would do so by employing a wicked evil nation like themselves, namely the Medo-Persian Empire and her allies.

Therefore, these verses teach that God not only holds individuals accountable for their conduct but also nations.

The Babylonians learned through personal experience that the God of Israel is their judge and does execute judgments against those who violate His laws.

God has authority to judge since He is the creator.

The Scriptures teach of God’s status as judge (Psalm 75:7; cf. Psalm 50:6; 76:8-9; Ecclesiastes 11:9; Isaiah 33:22; 66:16; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 12:23; James 4:12).

He judges the inhabitants of the earth (Genesis 18:25; cf. Psalm 9:8; 58:11; 82:8; 94:2; 96:13; 98:9) and judges the nations (Joel 3:12; cf. Psalm 9:19-20; 110:6; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 3:8).

God judges rulers of nations (Isaiah 40:23; Jeremiah 25:17-27; Revelation 6:15-17).